Thursday, November 18, 2021

Guns of August - to Xmas 1916

No quite Xmas yet, but things are starting to fall apart after a disastrous morale roll for France and subsequent desertion of a large part of her army.

Three months worth of build there at least,
all gone :-(

The Western Front
The "successful"attacks by France and England had left them exposed to German counterattacks and this enabled Germany to capture Calais.
Taking that city pushed France into the desertion sector of the morale table and a roll of a one delivered that result!  Then it was a matter of rolling for every French unit, a one would see it removed.
The Germans are now advancing.  Even taking losses they can easily out build the French and British.
Six months before the US enters the war.  Will it be too late?

The Eastern Front
The Central Powers have not had their historical success in the East, 
perhaps because of enhanced commitment in the West?
Regardless, the Russians have found it hard to help their hard pressed Allies.

The Italians have tried to help,
but repeatedly take losses for no gain.

Rumanians to the rescue!
Well, not quite, but this has certainly added a new dimension to the game.

Unfortunately I am not as familiar with the rules as I would like and worse, keep getting them mixed up with World in Flames (particularly the weather effects on movement and supply).  The small hex size and counter destiny also makes this game a little fiddly to play which is a pity.


2 comments:

  1. Oh dear.
    Unlike any other war. Unlike any other game. All that map and the units are all in a couple of lines! It seems (even at this distance) to really put you in the picture regarding the strategic decisions and awful reality of just keeping numbers up. Must be particularly edifying and thought-provoking to compare a strategic view of the two conflagrations in quick succession.
    The idea of printing an enlarged version and using figures, as the fellas over at Asienieboje - wargaming blog/My Metal Meneken have done has a lot of appeal (but then I just think of using 2 mm figures and a table, 'cept you can only do a section of the whole that way).
    Regards, James
    Regards, James

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    Replies
    1. The current WiF game has an almost identical Eastern Front. There is now a Western Front but limited to Brittany, Italian front is not yet even at the toe of the peninsula, and the Balkans won't open up till Suez is recaptured. But grand strategy wise for a world at war, much the same.

      Must finish my post on the book The Sleepwalkers which looks at the cause of WW1. Also just finished watching 37 Days a three part series on the time between the when Archie Duke shot an ostrich and the lights went out all over Europe. Which reminds me, I really need to watch Blackadder Goes Fourth again, the ending was most poignant.

      And yes to wanting to turn boardgames into miniatures games, but that is a challenge for sure. One for my Autumn years perhaps.

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