WWI-related board games

[Moonraker]

There must have been some board games related or adapted to the Great War, but I can't think of any. Can you?

 

To justify including this topic under Culture, I'm wondering if chess pieces were given Great-War identities? George V and the Kaiser would have been the kings, their consorts queens and various generals other back-row pieces. And of course  the pawns would have been infantry.

 

I have vague memories of less-demanding non-WWI games that included dice, moving pieces around a board, blockading ports and the like, and these might well have lent themselves to a WWI theme.

 

A quick Google suggests there have been relevant games produced since the war, including a few whose introduction is linked to the centenary.

 

I suggest that any responses confine themselves to board games produced between 1914 and 1920 and that we exclude card games.

 

Moonraker

[seaJane]

I've found these in the V&A collection:

 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26009/sink-the-submarine-board-game-unknown/ - Sink the Submarine

 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26240/despatch-runners-board-game-unknown/ - Despatch Runners

 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O11764/get-rid-of-huns-maze-puzzle/ - Get Rid of Huns

 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26361/the-strand-war-game-board-game-george-newnes-ltd/ - The Strand War Game

 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O27296/trench-football-the-great-international-puzzle/ - Trench Football [more of a puzzle than a game]

 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26360/transports-board-game-mead-field-ltd/ [actually just pre-war]

 

 

 

Edited 7 November , 2016 by seaJane

[MerchantOldSalt]

"Dover Patrol", "Aviation" and "Manoeuvers" all back to back board games and "Jutland", the original Battleships game with two grids I think

 

Tony

[RobertBr]

Krieg Spiel

 

Chess on three boards. The opponents sit back to back each with there own board. A third board administered by an umpire is placed between them.

 

Basically each player makes a move and the umpire will declre if it is legal, illegal (in which case the player must try again) and if an opponents piece has been captured. There are a few more simple rules.

 

So a player knows where his pieces but not where his opponents are. He can try and find his opponents pieces, often via illegal moves, and make captures by design or luck.

 

It is a fun spectators game. Often a knight can dance around the board missing everything or perhaps capturing the Queen.

 

Bob

[Staffsyeoman]

I played a board wargame in the 1980s (when in the university wargame club) called Trenchfoot. It was in the SPI (Strategy Publications International) mould; hex based, counters

I still have it, buried away somewhere - and was stunned to see someone wanting funny money for it on our favourite online auction site. I think it was a product of the Game Designers' Workshop (GDW).

[Moonraker]

Thanks for the range of replies. They make me nostalgic for the days when games consisted of boards, pieces and dice and didn't depend on a screen.

 

Moonraker

[SiegeGunner]

L'Attaque, devised by a Frenchwoman, was registered before the Great War and licensed for distribution in the UK in the early 20s to H P Gibson, who also made Dover Patrol (and are still in business today).

[The Prussian]

Hello!

One of the best publisher of board games (a lot of WW1 games!) is GMT:

http://www.gmtgames.com/

My favourite is "Paths of Glory".:

http://www.gmtgames.com/p-426-paths-of-glory-5th-printing.aspx

[Moonraker]

4 hours ago, The Prussian said:

... My favourite is "Paths of Glory".:

http://www.gmtgames.com/p-426-paths-of-glory-5th-printing.aspx

" 28-page Rule Book including sample game replay (17 pages of actual rules)"

 

Sounds a bit daunting! I recall in my youth having debates about the rules for a couple of very popular board games, and  they would have filled only a page of A4 (not that A4 was a common paper size in England when I was young).

 

Moonraker

[gronksmil]

Hi Moonraker, this is a board game from Australia,thought it might be of interest.Regards Gronky.

[Bernard_Lewis]

I think the (usually) hexagon-based wargames (cardboard counters and paper maps, over imposed with a hex grid) are still around: Google the magazine 'Strategy and Tactics' and you should turn up (eBay etc) numerous 'simulation' type wargames, some very old, some new, some of which refer to the Great War.

 

Bernard