Finally A comp game does justice to WW1

Fallschirmjager · Post by **Fallschirmjager** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 6:55 am

I was reading in my new PC gamer about a new Frank Hunter game called Trench!

Its WW1 on a corps level but historicaly "skewed" to actually make it fun.
Unfortunatly the webiste Trotter published wasnt right and all my searchs for the game came up empty.

If anyone knows the website or can get the website im sure all us WW1 fans would be happy.

Supervisor · Post by **Supervisor** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 8:39 am

I read the same article but hadn't tried the site yet. I'm having no luck finding either, I guess you could email William Trottier to make sure there was no typo.

stevemk1a · Post by **stevemk1a** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 9:07 am

Hello! I will try to obtain the PC gamer issure in question, but I must ask: how do you "skew" a WWI game (especially at Corps level) to make it interesting? Does all the action take place in the first phase of WWI before the trenches, wire, machine guns, and artillery squashed any semblance of mobility? I'm trying not to be negative here... WWI is a fascinating subject, and I hope a great game could be made for it, but apart from tactical games from a man to man or platoon to platoon level, I don't see any interest in a WWI game at this scale "let's send another 100,000 men in here, just like last year, and the year before..."

ZeroAntipop · Post by **ZeroAntipop** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 11:20 am

Perhaps you should study up some more on WW1 then. . .Early war was very interesting, Eastern Front was a fluid and trench warfare (trench when they managed to hold them for long enough), African theater, Middle East, China. . .all these other fronts. And a trench warfare game could be very interesting, all sorts of varieties and tactics could be used. . .

Les_the_Sarge_9_1 · Post by **Les_the_Sarge_9_1** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 4:15 pm

Zero probably likes going to the dentist too heheh:D

Fallschirmjager · Post by **Fallschirmjager** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 7:06 pm

Well willy frank hunter thought the same thing.

Who wants to play 4 years of sending millions of men to their deaths? No one.

So Hunter after reading John Keegen's book The First World War (revisionist but very good, ive read it). Decided he would make a game that didnt dwelve into trench warfare.
You use cards (ya its old school but its different as well) to make R&D projects, diplomency and gain command "experience".
Ya I know its vauge but so is the article and I dont have the website to go on.

Basicly I think you start in August 1914 and try and run the war how you want.
And for all you ppl from countries not usualy represented in comp games its has, austria, italy, and several eastern european nations from the look of it.

Im gona e-mail trotter here in a sec and get the right website.
Ill be back with more info.
This looks like it could be a whole lot of fun for PBEM.

Supervisor · Post by **Supervisor** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 9:50 pm

I got the proper Web site location from Mr. Trotter. Trench

Fallschirmjager · Post by **Fallschirmjager** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 9:55 pm

and studies ahh!!

I just got my e-mail too.

ZeroAntipop · Post by **ZeroAntipop** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 10:57 pm

Argh. . .I hate the Corps-level design of it. . .

Fallschirmjager · Post by **Fallschirmjager** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 11:03 pm

I personaly like that scale.

I cant imagine having to give orders for 120 German divisions.

ZeroAntipop · Post by **ZeroAntipop** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 11:53 pm

How about a Regimental or Battalion level, where you don't control the whole army, just the Regiments/Battalions around Verdun or The Somme or Ypres.

Fallschirmjager · Post by **Fallschirmjager** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 12:38 am

Ohhh well that would be great too but thats not the kind of game nor the scale he was looking for I guess.

Yours would be right on the edge of stratigic/tactical
Hes going for the whole picture.

El Vito · Post by **El Vito** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 3:03 am

The best WWI game I ever played was Avalon Hill's Guns of August, it covered the entire war but it was a board game. The westen front bogged down fairly soon but there was room for movement in Russian and down in Serbia. This Trench sounds like it, I will give it a look.

Bing · Post by **Bing** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 3:12 am

Don't look now, but if you want to dig into WW1 action in the Black Sea theater, you will find Russian marines perfecting amphibious assault - I know the USMC was supposed to have pioneered this in the 1920's. I guess they didn't read WW1 history. Fascinating phase of WW1- the Ruskies drove the Turks absolutely nuts, making amphib end runs on them and generally raising all kinds of heck.

The record is there for all to read. It isn't trench warfare either.

Bing

P.S. If anyone is interested, get the Halperin book. Its a good start.

Fallschirmjager · Post by **Fallschirmjager** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 4:28 am

El Vito

Any chance that avalon hill game was based on the book?

The Guns of August is one of the bestbooks youll ever read.

El Vito · Post by **El Vito** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 4:54 am

Chances are they took the name from the book, but I have no way of knowing. It was a very long time ago, probably came out in the 70's. I will take your recommendation and read the book.

stevemk1a · Post by **stevemk1a** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 6:02 am

O.K. I guess in my previous post about a WWI game being one-dimensional I was fixated on the trench warfare of the Western front. As others have pointed out, there were all sorts of colorful and varied actions in WWI. IIRC I even had an old copy of Strategy and Tactics magazine that included a game about the Allenby offensive in Mesopotamia against the Turks. Armoured car units, cavalry, Bedouins, Kemal Attaturk, and even Lawrence of Arabia (depicted on the mag cover as Peter O' Toole of course!). Sadly I never found anyone intrested enough to play it with. I wonder if I still have that thing somewhere...

ZeroAntipop · Post by **ZeroAntipop** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 10:25 am

Oh, the Western Front was very 3 dimensional as well. Polygons and lines weren't thrown at you, shells with depth were =)

Finally A comp game does justice to WW1

Finally A comp game does justice to WW1

Proper Web Site location

Guns of August