Any strategy games set in WW1?

[Erzherzog]

I have half a dozen WWI-inspired Armored Brigade mods which I will never release.

Then the point of your post is...?

 

[Burning Bridges]

boredom, obviously

 

[GarfunkeL]

If you get the Operational Art of War(possibly the best strategic old school hex and counter game ever made), they have a bunch of WW1 scenarios you can play that have some cool elements like using Trains, cavalry, trenches, gas, etc. All those things we know and love. You have to not be a graphics-whore, of course, and it's one of those games you have to be "in the mood" to play and willing to set aside a few hours for each gaming session. Otherwise, you won't really get into it, and it will just collect dust.

Edit: Also, PBEM and hotseat are pretty fun for those. Hotseat makes it feel like a boardgame, can be fun. One of the few times I wish I had a tablet with full functionality for games like that.

Here's the linky: http://matrixgames.com/products/317/details/Norm.Koger's.The.Operational.Art.of.War.III

It's my go to strategy game for that scale. I remember somebody even made a scenario with the entire planet and fully functional research/industry etc. if you wanted to play through WW2. Each turn took about an hour though, and the AI took about 15 minutes to think.

TOAW3 doesn't get enough love!

There's a mod for the original Panzer General for WW1.

 

[Trash]

TOAW3 is amazing. Even if only for the sheer volume of quality scenarios one can find and play. Dunno if it was fanmade or stock but I remember having heaps of fun with a Vietnam war one years ago. Airborne campaigns, political support, guerilla warfare and even refugee streams clogging the roads during offensives were all included. As US player you won most mayor battles but could and probably would gradually be sucked down the swamp and as North Vietnam you had to fight tooth and nail to even survive. Loved it.

 

[Karmapowered]

HoI2/Darkest Hour ?

It doesn't really focus on WW1, but that's when its timeline starts : 1914-64.

 

[Brayko]

I think the trench warfare is what put a lot of developers off when they contemplate a WW1 game. It just doesn't sound like a plausible or enjoyable tactic when you're moving your army on a world map. :Ok, stop here, dig a trench, and then, wait for the enemy to dig a trench, and then, try to suppress that trench with mortars and biplanes, and if uh the fails then, um, dig a bigger trench".

I think you can see how WW2 would be the more favorable if the two...

 

[Burning Bridges]

I have no interest in Paradox games.

But I think the upcoming Commander The Great War could actually be a nice game
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/385/details/Commander.-.The.Great.War
They seem to have a nice engine (no more the Java dreck that was used before The Lords Game studio took over)
I think Panzer Corps is testimony that can at least program. Well, it isn't really grand scrategy, the scale looks highly compressed. But there would of course be problems with a global WW1 if it was properly scaled.

If someone is really desperate he could try Revolution under Siege, which shows something very similar.

What I'd dream of is a WW1 grand strategy game with a Europe map (East and West front), which puts the colonial/naval and uboat campaigns only in some abstracted oversees boxes.
With a detailed map of Europe down to the regiment level, turn based of course.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I think the trench warfare is what put a lot of developers off when they contemplate a WW1 game. It just doesn't sound like a plausible or enjoyable tactic when you're moving your army on a world map. :Ok, stop here, dig a trench, and then, wait for the enemy to dig a trench, and then, try to suppress that trench with mortars and biplanes, and if uh the fails then, um, dig a bigger trench".

I think you can see how WW2 would be the more favorable if the two...

Yes, but I think that's bullshit. I think a lot of people have not done their research, and a myth has been created. WW1? Ah, 4 years of pointless trench warfare, right?

WW1 warfare was actually very fluid except in the West and Alpine fronts. When people think of WW1 they think of Verdun but there was also the German offensive in 1914, the East front, Carpathian front, the Suez Canal, Galipoli, Colonial Africa and the German Kaiserschlacht offensive in 1918.

Yes there was a long period of deadlock in the West, but the Entente tried all the time to achieve a break through, while the Germans tried to bleed France until she collapsed, so it was not like it was static, or predictable war.
Throughout the war there were always many possibilities. France could have collapsed in a Revolution (it was really close at times), Russia did eventually break down. Germany could have defeated Britain on the sea, or through the uboat campaign.
Turkey could have defeated Britain in the Mediterranean. Etc. Only with hindsight it looks like the two sides had "agreed" on three years of trench warfare. Several times a breakthrough looked imminent, but the attacker ran into problems, or the defender could stabilize. There is of endless material about the many offensives in the West, I recommend studying them.

Basically, the Germans had dug up in a defensive position because they needed to control France and Britain with only a part of their army, until they could finish the more successful campaign in the East. Once Russia was defeated in 1918, the Germans went on the offensive, and instantly broke through. It looked for a short moment like Germany could win the war militaricaly, even though they had already lost economically, but of course that can't work. In 1918 German troops stood before Paris for a second time, but were stopped by the incompetence of the german high command, total exhaustion, and fresh American troops.

I think a properly researched WW1 game would work, and be absolutely overdue. It would be particularly interesting because of the many technical innovations, more than in any conflict before.

 

[ohWOW]

I remember WW1 battlefields game.


It was terrible.

 

[Deakul]

http://armorgames.com/play/2267/warfare-1917

Pretty much as good as it gets.

 

[Brayko]

I think the trench warfare is what put a lot of developers off when they contemplate a WW1 game. It just doesn't sound like a plausible or enjoyable tactic when you're moving your army on a world map. :Ok, stop here, dig a trench, and then, wait for the enemy to dig a trench, and then, try to suppress that trench with mortars and biplanes, and if uh the fails then, um, dig a bigger trench".

I think you can see how WW2 would be the more favorable if the two...

Yes, but I think that's bullshit. I think a lot of people have not done their research, and a myth has been created. WW1? Ah, 4 years of pointless trench warfare, right?

WW1 warfare was actually very fluid except in the West and Alpine fronts. When people think of WW1 they think of Verdun but there was also the German offensive in 1914, the East front, Carpathian front, the Suez Canal, Galipoli, Colonial Africa and the German Kaiserschlacht offensive in 1918.

Yes there was a long period of deadlock in the West, but the Entente tried all the time to achieve a break through, while the Germans tried to bleed France until she collapsed, so it was not like it was static, or predictable war.
Throughout the war there were always many possibilities. France could have collapsed in a Revolution (it was really close at times), Russia did eventually break down. Germany could have defeated Britain on the sea, or through the uboat campaign.
Turkey could have defeated Britain in the Mediterranean. Etc. Only with hindsight it looks like the two sides had "agreed" on three years of trench warfare. Several times a breakthrough looked imminent, but the attacker ran into problems, or the defender could stabilize. There is of endless material about the many offensives in the West, I recommend studying them.

Basically, the Germans had dug up in a defensive position because they needed to control France and Britain with only a part of their army, until they could finish the more successful campaign in the East. Once Russia was defeated in 1918, the Germans went on the offensive, and instantly broke through. It looked for a short moment like Germany could win the war militaricaly, even though they had already lost economically, but of course that can't work. In 1918 German troops stood before Paris for a second time, but were stopped by the incompetence of the german high command, total exhaustion, and fresh American troops.

I think a properly researched WW1 game would work, and be absolutely overdue. It would be particularly interesting because of the many technical innovations, more than in any conflict before.

Yeah I was waiting for someone to prove me wrong due to the fact that I've NEVER studied WW1 in detail yet (took long enough). Also, your post strikes me as a tad on the "German-Centric" side.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Even the Austrian-Italian Alpine front wasn't entirely static - as soon as Germans managed to move troops from the Russian front there, they broke through and captured most of northern Italy. That could make for a good scenario as well.

 

[oscar]

The First World War is great material actually. A lot of 'what ifs' and it could have gone either way even in 1918.

 

[GarfunkeL]

And the African campaigns would make a pretty good game, too. Play as Germans and use your small but well trained and equipped force to cause as many casualties to the Entente as possible while keeping the war going as long as possible. Play as British and use your large but poorly trained and equipped force to capture all German colonies without causing the Empire bad press.

 

[oscar]

A campaign as Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck would be awesome. I can't really think of any wargames with a strong emphasis on guerilla warfare. Perhaps the AGEOD engine could do a decent job.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Still a huge problem to fit the different scales together. Campaigns in Europe should be fought with Armies / Divisions, the ones in Africa with Regiments.

There is also a huge naval component on a global scale: the Cruiser war, the Uboat war, the Economic war.

Such a game on a complete worldmap is going to be too large and cumbersome (remember the Pride of Nations fiasco?) that's why I would be fine if it concentrates on Europe / Russia / Middle East / Mediterranean.

But I think in the end WW1 is not considered sexy enough because it is hardly touched in media / pop culture. If there were as many documentaries about it on TV as there are on increasingly irrelevant aspects WW2 there would suddenly be a huge demand.. So all we will get are either get small / abstracted game like Commander WW1 / Strategic Command or trainwrecks like La Grande Guerre.

 

[oscar]

Problem is All Quiet on the Western Front and Blackadder creating stereotypes of suicidal infantry charges ordered by incompetent tea-sipping fops. It really does deserve more attention and I found it more captivating than the Second World War to read about. Interesting developments of infantry and artillery tactics (small-unit tactics, creeping barrages etc) and actually quite a lot of mobility (you even had one of the most successful cavalry actions in history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Megiddo_(1918)).

 

[Burning Bridges]

Wars are won by the offensive, and the WW1 Generals knew that. But as it was, tactics favored the defender. Already the second half of the American Civil War had demonstrated that in order to successfully attack an entrenched position, you needed at least a 3:1 superiority in men. Lee had used this against Grant from 1864, and the Union suffered 2:1 losses in most battles from then on. The Germans and Austrians used this for their advantage when they were outnumbered, to gain time, but it didn't help them win the war.

Eventually the solution was found in the form of tanks, stormtroopers, motorization, new tactics, etc. In the process many new weapons were tried, like flamethrowers and poison gas.

As most people today hardly know a thing, and just repeat stuff that has been written in the 1920s - 1930s, I would question a lot of stereotype about WW1.
For example, there was an extremely high number of casualties among WW1 generals. I think this demonstrates that they may have not just been sitting in opulent French castles and sipping tea, as is shown in most films.

 

[Burning Bridges]

oscar Have you ever watched The Lighthorsemen by the way? It shows the famous charge of Australian Light Horse, in which a previously impenetrable position was stormed by cavalry. The best film about horses I know!!

This is such a great movie sequence that I had to look it up:

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Nice, they even distinguished between shrapnel and HE. Also, I like how there's a dude with a rangefinder dictating range.

 

[Erzherzog]

Hell, they even pointed out the riflemen overshooting their targets. Great attention to detail one of the greatest battle scenes I've seen.

 

[Phelot]

I would love to try out a Battle of Jutland style game, though I don't know how well it would work what with prior knowledge of the battle. Maybe just a general capital warship flagship simulator with different scenarios. I guess a lot of it would boil down to who crosses the T first and I'd imagine dealing with shitty signal commands wouldn't be all that fun. Maybe it wouldn't work out all that well but still, I think just the randomness of shells hitting might make it entertaining if the engine was nice enough.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Great scene and I had never even heard of the whole movie.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

I would love to try out a Battle of Jutland style game, though I don't know how well it would work what with prior knowledge of the battle. Maybe just a general capital warship flagship simulator with different scenarios. I guess a lot of it would boil down to who crosses the T first and I'd imagine dealing with shitty signal commands wouldn't be all that fun. Maybe it wouldn't work out all that well but still, I think just the randomness of shells hitting might make it entertaining if the engine was nice enough.

When playing Dreadnoughts, the shitty signal commands were the fun part.

 

[Brayko]

oscar Have you ever watched The Lighthorsemen by the way? It shows the famous charge of Australian Light Horse, in which a previously impenetrable position was stormed by cavalry. The best film about horses I know!!

This is such a great movie sequence that I had to look it up:

If this really happened the movie portrayed it poorly, for any direct assault towards a well defended position without armor support will almost always fail unless special tactics are used (were totally absent in the film).