"Campaign World War I" Topic

I've run two campaigns one for Napoleonics and one for American Civil War. Both were sucesful and I'm looking to do one for World War I.

I have bought a few board games and a couple of rules for the time period but before I reinvent the weel here I wanted to know if anybody had some information for me to start.

This includes board games to use and tabletop rules to use.

For the Nap game I've used Empire in Arms with both Napolean's battles but then started to use the Fire and Fury varient. For the ACW game I used a board game from Phalanx and Fire and Fury. Both were great and we have played the Nap version multiple times.

I have picked up "The War to End all Wars" and a risk varient from the same company. I have also bought a Phalanx game for WWI I have not played it so anyone who has let me know how that is. I'm open for table top sugestions. I'm thinking 15mm but might do 10mm. Either way easy conversions for both.

What I also need in the table top game is rules for airpower with the land battle. I have a set of rules for the airplane on airplane.

Are you talking about "tactical" airpower in a land based table top game?

Or are you talking about a more strategic application?

For the latter, Wings over France might be worth a look. Now only available in the computer version which might be enough. I suspect the board game might better serve your purposes but that is OOP -- at least that seems to be the case.

roogames.co.uk/wings.htm

mjc

Avoid the Western Front. Go for a campaign set in one of the lesser areas such as Mesopotamia or German South West Africa.

Why avoid the Western Front? Hopefully most gamers can see beyond "it was all a bloody stalemate" for 4 years school of history. Just because the allies didn't sweep to Berlin in 4 weeks doesn't make WWI ungamable. Besides I doubt you'd get the air combat required in either Mesopotamia or German SW Africa.

I look at doing the entire thing. I'm thinking about using The War to End all Wars for the campaign game. It has diplomacy and not all the countries are in the war to begin with. Has anyone played this board game?

For the air to air game we already have the rule set the name slips my mind right now but it is a good set that is alot like the Blue Max.

What I'm looking for is more information about some of the table top games. Using Divisional type rules. I also want something that has Tanks, Airpower, and Artilery rules. I like the flow of Age of Eagles and Fire and Fury but have played many other systems. I don't like Flames of War but if it is the best set then I might use it.

So any help guys please let me know.

As far as limiting the campaign people told me this about the ACW game but when we played everyone loved it because it was the entire country not just on set of battles.

If you haven't played Empire in Arms it is a hard ruleset (board game) it is an old Avalon hill game is out of print. But diplomacy and supply make a big difference in the game.

Well if I were going to try something like this, I would look to scope it down to a specific area. Doesn't much matter if it is the Western Front, Middle East, Italy, Africa, or Eastern Front. There's just too much to do if you don't.

Then I'd take a look at the table top level of conflict I wanted to play.

Personally, I like Over There for WWI gaming. These rules true skirmish in nature, are 13 pages long, and free down load.

link

However, given the small scale, I'm not sure how you would integrate aviation assets. Guess it wouldn't be too hard to add some rules for a Vickers mounted on a aircraft but suspect that kind of thing would totally dominate the game -- at this level, it would become the game.

Trench Wars is pretty good for small numbers of troops but again, aviation intervention would probably occupy too much of the game play.

The Spearhead WWI variant is better if you want bigger actions and I think you could best introduce aviation assets at this level of a game. Personally I'd go with the WWI Spearhead for ground rules if I were contemplating this kind of a project.

The air rules you want are not out yet (Watch Your Six!!) but Don has a free set of Rules you may want to look at. Hey the price is right. I know he's been working hard on these and they might be better suited to what you want to do.

link

Best of luck with your endeavor.

mjc

Great War Spearhead includes aircraft from the perspective of limited ground support, other than that the game is designed around Div/Corps level command. We recently played a huge battle of the Marne at NZ NATCON in Christchurch, 24 divisions on the table commanded by 6 different fellows. You would have thought it was a simple afternoon game it went so well. You can definately do HUGE games with the rules, but of course I am biased – I wrote them :)
If you want any information let me know at skbj@shaw.ca

Cheers,
Shawn

And he wrote them VERY well ;-)

Cheers,
Marc

The GMT game Paths of Glory might be a good choice for the overall scheme of things. All depends on what level of battle you wish to generate to play miniatures with. Spearhead is a good game system that people can easily learn.

I will say GWSH is a well written game…no need to be overly humble Shawn….

Oh and its good to see Marc around here as well…

If you go to 'The Great Adventure'

wargaming.org.nz

and navigate to Special Features/The Guns of August, you'll find some photos of the Marne battle.. wow!! what a fantastic event. but Shawn already knows – I simply love the rules.

Cheers
Robin

"I also want something that has Tanks, Airpower, and Artilery rules."

If you want Divisions or Corps (with tanks, planes and artillery) then have a look at Great War Spearhead or Square Bashing. You can use the same stuff in either. GWSH is a better simulation IMHO.

If you want to go even higher then I wrote a variant for Megablitz called Kaiserblitz which uses 1 base = 1 battalion. I think it is on the Megablitz yahoogroup. Doesn't work well for trench warfare, and one day I will get around toi re-writing Ian Drurys 'Storm of Steel' into a playable Army Level trench warfare game. Maybe Jim Wallman will publish hte rules fo rhis Battle of the Somme game (ie, the whole battle of the Somme) one day…

In the old GDW rules 'Over the Top' is a bathtubbed version of most of WW1, with maps, OBs etc.

As for avoiding the Western Front, well, gaming trench warfare is a challenge. All that running around in Mespot and East Africa is an entertaining diversion, but it detacts from the theatre of decision – Flanders. You can tell I'm a Westerner;-)

I did write a rather silly game for Cambrai, you might be able to adapt that for very large WW1 actions (the basic scenario has 14 divisions on a 12km front, takes an hour or two to play).

link

but bear in mind its main design criteria was to fit the maximum number of Airfix and Emhar tanks onto the table as possible.

Another choice (own but have not played) is Battles with Brusilov, which is based on Fire & Fury heavily modified for WWI. Regiments take the place of F&F brigades.

This rule set is sold by Minifigs USA AKA GFI.

I'm a 28mm kind of guy, but I used to have WWI figures in 15mm. My thoughts are that 10mm would have been better and they'll go along with 1/144 aircraft. Are 10mm WWI figures available?

Used rules based on the old Imperialism rules. ( without rosters )

Martin Rapier – is "storm of steel" on the "new boots and panties" album by Ian Dury?

Ian Drury wrote (among other things) the Osprey on WW1 Stormtroopers, as well as a number of fine wargames.

Ian Dury was a fine songwriter and an interesting character, but is sadly no longer with us.

>Are 10mm WWI figures available ?

RABeery,

You'll find an interesting thread on what is available
or will be shortly for 10mm WW1 here :

TMP link