Drive on Paris

About this board game

Drive on Paris is a two-player World War I strategy game about the first 100 days of fighting on the Western Front, with an average playing time of around 300 minutes.

The 1914 campaign was shaped by ambitious plans on both sides. Germany prepared the Schlieffen Master Plan, a sweeping right hook into France, while France expected offensive action in Alsace-Lorraine to succeed through elan. In Drive on Paris, players can pursue historical campaigns or create variations by changing how their forces are allocated.

Both players must attack and defend at the same time, but neither has enough troops and power to do both perfectly. Scarce-resource allocation is therefore central to the game: Mobilization Points can be rearranged to reinforce an offensive or counter the enemy’s plans.

Victory uses a distinctive two-tracked system. Rather than having one side focus only on an objective while the other simply prevents it, each player works toward personal goals while also dedicating enough effort to stall the opponent. Both sides can potentially “win,” producing a net draw if neither player commits sufficient resources to stopping the enemy.

• Game turns represent one-half week.
• Each hex covers 6.2 miles / 10 kilometers.
• Units range from brigades to divisions.
• The game includes a full-color 22 × 34-inch map and 420 half-inch counters.
• Play uses the Standard Combat Series version 1.6 rules.

As the seventh game in the Standard Combat Series, Drive on Paris is designed to be approachable for newcomers while retaining meaningful decisions for experienced players. Its low complexity level and medium solitaire playability support a broad range of play, while the campaign’s competing objectives keep every allocation consequential.