The Legend Begins: North Africa, 1940-42

About this board game

The Legend Begins: North Africa, 1940-42 is a two-player operational-level board wargame about the World War II campaigns in Libya and Egypt, with an approximate playing time of 480 minutes. Its map covers North Africa from Alexandria to Marble Arch, divided into 12km hexes.

The game offers multiple scenarios as well as an overall campaign game. Each scenario can also serve as a starting point for the campaign, giving players different ways to approach the conflict and its broader 1940-42 timeline.

• Operational-level simulation of the war in Libya and Egypt
• Map extending from Alexandria to Marble Arch
• 12km-per-hex scale
• Multiple scenarios and a 1940-42 campaign game
• Designed for two players

The game’s publication history includes three editions. The first and second editions, published by Rhino Games and available only in ziplock format, cover 1941. The third edition, published by Terran Games and also known as the Deluxe edition, expands the scope to 1940-1942 and includes a larger mix of scenarios alongside the full campaign.

This broader coverage is achieved in part by increasing the timescale, so that each turn represents a longer period. Counters in all editions share the same layout and combat values, while the third edition changes movement values to match its different timescale.

First released in 1991, The Legend Begins presents the North African conflict through a flexible collection of scenarios and campaign options, all set on the same operational map.