1918/1919: Storm in the West (engl.)

Beschreibung

1918/1919: Storm in the West ist ein Kennerspiel. Es behandelt die letzten neun Monate des Ersten Weltkriegs an der Westfront. Die Spieler steuern strategisch Truppenbewegungen und Ressourcen, um die komplexen militärischen Operationen dieser historischen Periode nachzuspielen.

Originally published in 1992 by Ted S. Raicer in Command Magazine, 1918: Storm in the West covers the final nine months of World War I on the Western Front. Recognized with a Charles S. Roberts Award nomination, this design was later expanded with the Plan 1919 variant, which imagines a German defensive strategy in 1918 followed by an all-out Allied offensive the next year. GMT now presents a new boxed edition combining these classic Great War scenarios, featuring updated artwork and including an additional 1918 Allied Offensive scenario first published in Command.

This two-player system also supports solo play. Units predominantly represent corps (with U.S. units sized as oversized divisions, close in scale to Allied corps) and encompass infantry, tanks, cavalry, and air support. The 1918 campaign begins with the Germans fielding large numbers of Stosstruppen—shock troops trained to break the prolonged trench stalemate—giving them strong initial offensive capabilities. However, these troops are a limited resource; if the Allies withstand the early assaults, growing U.S. forces and Allied tanks will push the Germans into a desperate defensive posture later in the game.

In the Plan 1919 campaign, the Germans are assumed to have leveraged Russia's collapse to secure their Balkan and Italian fronts, foregoing the historical 1918 Kaiser's Battles in the West. This creates a scenario where the Allies face stout German defenses but benefit from a fully mobilized American army and overwhelming tank and air support. The campaign presents a hypothetical clash where the Allies strive to execute the world’s first blitzkrieg, while the Germans fight to enforce a stalemate securing their dominance in Europe.

The large-hex map, scaled at 8 miles per hex, depicts the active Western Front from Epinal in the south to Antwerp and the Channel Coast in the north. It features diverse terrain elements such as forts, Allied and German trenches (both primary and secondary), forests, marshes, flood plains, mountains, and the Devastated Zone left by the 1917 German Somme withdrawal. Separate map versions for the 1918 and 1919 campaigns are printed on the reverse sides.

Offering a balance of straightforward mechanics and strategic depth, this new GMT edition of 1918/19: Storm in the West can be played in a single session. It provides players with numerous operational choices in intense, dynamic campaigns that explore the pivotal moments deciding the First World War’s outcome. Enhanced by artwork from Mark Simonitch and Charlie Kibler, this edition is essential for fans of classic wargaming.

Fragen Sie uns einfach, falls Sie weitere Informationen zu diesem Artikel benötigen oder ein bestimmtes Spiel in unserem Shop nicht finden können.