Narvik 1940 is a two-player wargame of low to intermediate complexity that simulates the battles around Narvik, Norway in 1940. To control complexity and present an overall force commander’s view of the battle, the game uses a tactically scaled map and units of maneuver coupled with an operationally scaled turn length. The Allied player is normally on the offensive, trying to clear the Germans from the Narvik area, but the German player has opportunities for counterattacks. The game starts in mid-April, after the Germans seized control of Narvik and just as the Allies have made their initial landings to begin their counteroffensive. Narvik models a battle fought in Arctic conditions with extremes of weather and long daylight hours. There was a chaotic command system on the Allied side and an overextended force on the German.
Each hex on the map represents 1.5 miles or 2.4km. Each game turn represents one week. Units of maneuver are platoons to battalions representing from 50 to 1000 men. Air units represent a variable number of sorties.