1918: Storm in the West

About this board game

1918: Storm in the West is a two-player wargame with an approximately 240-minute play time, simulating the final nine months of the Great War on the Western Front.

The German player begins by seeking decisive gains through offensive action. The spring offensives, led by German Stosstruppen, may even create the opportunity to knock the Allies out of the war. After this initial effort, Germany must shift toward a defense strong enough to contain the approaching Allied counteroffensive.

The Allied player faces a different challenge. First, the Allies must grimly hold against the Teutonic onslaught. Then, as the year advances, they must counterattack and push the German forces back far enough to break Germany’s will to fight.

The game covers the conflict’s dramatic change of momentum, from the German offensives of the spring to the final Allied “Big Push” in the fall. Both players take on the role of their nation’s or alliance’s military high command, making the contest a focused clash of strategic priorities.

• Two-player Great War wargame
• Simulation of the last nine months on the Western Front
• Rules, map, and 163 counters included
• Originally published in Command magazine #16, May–June 1992

With its clear historical arc and opposing offensive and defensive objectives, 1918: Storm in the West presents a concentrated study of the Western Front’s final campaigns. One side must turn early momentum into a sustainable defense, while the other must survive, recover, and transform resistance into a war-winning advance.