Empires & Alliances: World War One across Europe is a new and improved Game based on Avalon Hill Guns of August also designed by Rob Beyma. The game is a strategic level simulation of the First World War. Players command the Central Powers and Allied forces that fought in Europe from 1914 to 1918. The Map runs from the French Atlantic ports to Moscow and Rostov in the east. The Map includes St. Petersburg in the north and Italy, Greece and the portion of the Ottoman Empire that encompasses modern day Turkey in the south. There are off board Boxes for the Caucasus and the Middle East. Terrain types include forests, swamps, mountains, rivers (along hexsides), lakes and major and minor cities.
The basic unit is the Corps with a few Divisions. Most of the minor countries have Divisions and the major powers also have a few Division breakdowns. There are infantry, cavalry and army level artillery units. Tanks, air, and Stosstruppen begin to arrive in 1917. Units have historical Corps and Division IDs. Britain has their professional army at the start and receives Territorial and Kitchener reinforcements in 1915-1916. The British Commonwealth has distinctive Australian, New Zealand, Indian, and Canadian units. The French also have their Colonial and Territorial units.
The Armies set up in their historical mobilization sectors. The August 1914 turn is divided into two halves. August-1 has limited movement and regular combat. August-2 is a regular game turn. Thereafter, the game has monthly turns. There are several optional rules: Schlieffen Plan, Plan 17 and the Austro-Hungarian Second Army to better simulate the opening month of the war. There is also a Flexible Mobilization optional rule to allow players to explore other mobilization plans.
The game has a simple game system and a fairly short Rulebook. The Sequence of Play features a Reinforcement Phase followed by a Supply Phase, then a Movement Phase and a Combat Phase. Reinforcements continue throughout the War. There are 3 levels of reduced replacements due to war weariness. There is a clean, simple and effective supply system that allows players to concentrate on movement and combat. Units expend additional MPs to enter forests, swamps, and mountains.
Contents: 4 Maps, 4 Countersheets, 8 Player Aid Cards, 1 Rules and Scenario Book, 1 Ten-sided Dice and 1 Box and Lid Set.
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