The Guns of August

About this board game

The Guns of August is a World War I strategy board game for 2–6 players, with a listed play time of 1080 minutes. It recreates the conflict from the summer of 1914 through the final surrender in November 1918, using monthly game turns.

One player commands the Central Powers—Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey—while the Allied player controls the other European powers, including Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Rumania, Serbia, and the United States. Players face the strategic demands of a two-front war while maneuvering forces across the major theaters of the conflict.

The game includes four mapboard panels covering the Western Front, Eastern Front, Italian Alps, and Balkan foothills. Its large counter mix represents hundreds of infantry and cavalry corps, along with supporting artillery and engineer regiments. Counters are colored to match the uniforms of their respective countries.

• Ten historical scenarios cover the war’s full span and offer different game sizes, difficulties, and playing times.
• Separate scenarios focus on each front during individual years of the war.
• Two-front scenarios are provided for 1914, 1915, 1916, and 1917.
• Charts cover weather, including rain and mud, the entry of new combatant countries, and combat results.

With 1,040 counters and a complexity rating of 5 on a 1-to-10 scale, The Guns of August presents a substantial historical campaign while also supporting shorter scenario formats. Its combination of expansive maps, varied forces, and changing wartime conditions puts military strategy at the center of every decision.