Why WW1 might be more interesting than you might think – OnTableTop – Home of Beasts of War

Why WW1 might be more interesting than you might think

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This topic has 6 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 1 month ago by maledrakh.

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January 4, 2020 at 3:47 pm #1468513

blipvertus
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WW1 usually gets a pass in gaming but with the release of Blood & Valor imminent I thought it’s worth looking at why The Great War is more interesting than you might think.

The link is to The Great War YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/hs857RflCZE

January 4, 2020 at 7:50 pm #1468538

torros
23839xp

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WW1 is interesting on so many levels . To be honest my interest in low level skirmish games like this do not give you a feel for the period as they tend to very generic . Games like like Great War Spearhead or If the lord spares us or Test if Battle with WW1 supplement gives a better feel in understanding the command and control problems of the period I feel

January 5, 2020 at 1:52 am #1468564

beccas
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I love the Great War. I’ve played many WWI wargames. Mostly Square Bashing in 15mm by Peter Pig. Price of Glory in 28mm and of course Warhammer Historical The Great War back in the day.

January 5, 2020 at 10:25 am #1468573

damon
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I prefer gaming in the first few months of WW1, when there was still some mobility to the armies and the trenches didn’t dominate the battlefield. Also moving away from the Western Front and into areas like the Middle East or East Africa can give so many other options.

January 5, 2020 at 5:08 pm #1468621
oriskany
60789xp

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Great idea for a thread.

In 2018 we hit World War I pretty hard, with all the Centennial Anniversaries, etc.

We had this video where we talked about the “Top Five Tips” for gaming in the Great War, suggestions on how to keep your games a little less “stereotypical.”

Top Five Tips for Great War Gaming

Some of the tips have already been addressed above by @torros and @damon .
- Know what you’re playing (most WW1 games are actually re-skinned WW2 games … not necessarily a bad thing, just watch out for these pitfalls).
- Beginnings & Endings (consider gaming in 1914 and 1918, before and after the stagnation of the trenches).
- Expand your horizons (look to theaters outside the “classic” Western Front).
- Devil in the details (many things “possible” in WW2 weren’t really in place for WW1. Consider arcs of fire for fixed MGs which were not mobile like they were in WW2, no real radios so artillery barrages had to be timed, etc).
- All trenches are NOT equal (ideas for how to handle trench warfare without it turning into a Passchendeale, Somme, or Verdun).
Like I said, some points were already addressed above.

2018 Great War writing and videos
January 5, 2020 at 6:43 pm #1468646

blipvertus
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As someone that just generally prefers skirmish games the appeal here are the smaller patrols and trench raids between larger battles and the more esoteric settings like German East Africa and Mesopotamia. Games that address those areas, as @warzan has described as “gaming in the gaps” makes the Great War appealing.

January 6, 2020 at 12:22 pm #1468813

maledrakh
11996xp

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Here is an excellent resource for WW1 wargaming in many of the other theatres of war than the west front trenched:

https://awayfromthewesternfront.org/

Really sheds a light on WW1 bits we usually do not hear much about.
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