1914: Offensive à outrance

About this board game

1914: Offensive à outrance is a historically researched World War One campaign game for 1–4 players, covering the opening battles on the Western Front from the fall of Liège to the exhaustion at Ypres.

The game encompasses Belgium, France, and Germany across a detailed map stretching from the English Channel to the Swiss border. Its accurate order of battle and 8-kilometer hex scale allow the German advance to follow historical routes while preserving the prominent Open Flank, rather than extending units from one map edge to the other.

Derived from the 1914, Twilight in the East system, the streamlined rules are designed to speed play without losing the distinctive character of early World War One warfare. Game turns represent two to four days, with units represented at division and brigade scale.

• Grand Campaign: Covers the campaign from August 16 to mid-November.
• The Battle for Lorraine: A learning scenario.
• From the Marne to Stalemate: Follows the later phase of the opening campaign.

Allied players can attempt to recreate a “Miracle of the Marne” victory or halt the German advance sooner, while the German player can pursue a different outcome and defeat the Allied armies in 1914. The system also supports one to many players and is particularly suited to four dedicated participants.

Designed as a playable monster game, 1914: Offensive à outrance was created so that most of the game could be completed by four players during a five-day Expo. With its concise 24-page rules booklet, detailed map, and focused campaign scope, it offers a substantial examination of one of the twentieth century’s most important military campaigns.