1914: Germany at War

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, member of the Black Hand, a political organization seeking for a merging of the Balkan area into a Greater Serbia or a Yugoslavia. Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum against Serbia. As the ultimatum was rejected, Austria-Hungary then declared war, marking the outbreak of the war. While France and Russia immediately sided with Serbia, Germany joined the Austria-Hungary and started a surprise offensive in the west with the objective of quickly defeating the French, to then turn east and knock the Tzarist Russia out of the war. 1914 is a game of World War I conflict simulation at the strategic level. It recalls the most decisive battles fought by Germany on the Western Front in 1914. Although based on historical events and battles, the players in command of the two factions can modify the evolution of World War I. The game is recommended for two or three players, but has a good solitaire suitability. Developed with a system of wooden blocks and cubes and played out over a 64x86 cm multicolor mapboard, with more than 200 wooden components painted "A buratto", a technique usually adopted for painting car parts and accessories. The rules are divided into two major sections which can be learned one at a time: • The Game Rules introduce the basic concepts and enable players to start playing the game without too many rules to remember. • The Optional Rules are for those who want to get the most out of the game, with rules for Surprise Attack, Retreat, Marne Offensive, British Fusiliers and more. In 1914, 1 cm is approximately 27 km, a turn is 1 month long, and a full-strength counter represents a major military formation, normally corps size with some divisions. The game must be played with "Fog of War" on (with the faces of wooden blocks hidden from the opponent).