The First World War, the War to End All Wars, was a titanic struggle that tore Europe apart. WWI left almost no place on Earth untouched and set forces in motion that are still felt more than a century later.
On June 28th, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of ramshackle Austria-Hungary, and his wife Duchess Sophie were visiting Sarajevo, the capital of the newest province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, the visit was to prove fatal - not only for the Archduke and his wife, but for the millions who would die in crisis and commotion that followed. Future historians would term the bullet fired by Serbian nationalist Gravrilo Princip the "spark that lit the tinderbox of Europe".
As news of the assassination broke, the hawks descended on all of Europe's capitals. Arguments for a short, victorious war to improve national prestige and gain access to new resources won out over the pleas of elder statesmen who could see the oncoming disaster. Everyone presumed victory for themselves and all agreed it would be a short struggle.
Ultimatums flew, mobilizations began, and soon the war was unstoppable, ending with a clash of giants which would leave the British Empire deeply wounded, France bled white, Germany broken and Russia in the clutches of merciless civil war. Austria Hungary would end up dismembered and the United States of America would arrive late and claim the spoils of victory.
In this mess come we, two avid boardgamers who will take charge of the two opposing sides and try to guide them to victory.
The players of games:
Leader of the Central Powers will be Charlie, who favours the careful and defensive style of the Allied Powers. This may seem passive at times but is often deadly in the long run. He comes from the frigid wastes that is Canada, and loves to assault the Ottomans in the Near East. Playing for the Central Powers will be a special challenge as a more aggressive play style is necessary for victory.
Goran, also known as Nemo, will lead the Allied Powers in this game. He comes from the desperation and depression that is modern Croatia. He prefers defensive play punctuated by furious and relentless offensives. Although he often makes great advances, his lack of attention to detail is in stark contrast to his opponent and cost him many last minute reversals. Although not as familiar with the Allies, Goran's talent for strategic should fit nicely with the allied play style.
We are not perfect players, and on occasion we are known to make some bad moves. However, this is a friendly game and it's all about fun, so that's fine.
The game itself:
Paths of Glory is a boardgame from GMT games, set in the First World War. This is a card driven game. Each player draws from a unique deck of cards which they use to drive the game by playing them in four different ways. The events described on the card can be realized, operation points (OPS) can be spent to move and attack with armies, Strategic Redeployment (SR) points utilized to quickly move troops and Replacement Points (RP) to replace losses. Victory is achieved by capturing key areas on the strategic map and through some specific events.
The strategic map is the centerpiece of the game with victory often determined by the judicious use of available forces. The Germans are the most powerful force on the battlefield, their scary armies only matched by the few armies the late Americans provide to Allies. However, the might of the German war-machine is challenged by the sheer scope of their responsibilities. The Western front is staffed by the indomitable British and the courageous French in a defensive tactic often described as the wall of bodies. At the same time, the Russians possess large numbers of troops that threaten the Prussian heartland and often hard press the crumbling Austro-Hungarian forces, who also have the responsibility of attacking the Serbs and, in later stages, containing the Italians. Into this mix the Ottomans arrive, brave but outmatched by the number of Russians and the strength of the British facing them.
The game, through events on the cards, provides for recreating the events of the real First World War - such as the overthrowing of the Russian Tsar or sinking of Lusitania. However, the cards only cover the events that did happened rather than those that might have happened.
For more information see:
BoardGameGeek:
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91/paths-of-glory
GMT Games:
www.gmtgames.com/p-426-paths-of-glory-5th-printing.aspx
The details of play:
We will be using the 2010 copy of rules, available at:
http://www.gmtgames.com/living_rules/POG_Rules-2010.pdf . We will use the Optional Historical Scenario as described under the section 5.7. All of the optional cards from the player guide will also be used.
The game itself is run using the Paths of Glory Vassal module, version 7.2 with minor fixes made by ourselves.
And damn the French too! I've just heard some idiotic general boasted to his mistress about the Italians. She must've worked for Germans, because Hotzendorf was ready, waiting like a hawk. As soon as the declaration was presented in Vienna, Borojevic was upon the Italians. They were broken within days! At least we managed to convince them to pull back, even if it meant losing Venice. Finally they stood and counterattacked the advancing Austro-Hungarians, halting their advance. Still, their position is precarious. Already we are sending ammo and supplies that could be used elsewhere, yet I fear we will need to send our troops as well.