North Africa: Afrika Korps vs Desert Rats, 1940-42

About this board game

North Africa: Afrika Korps vs Desert Rats, 1940-42 is a 1-2 player operational wargame released in 2021, with an approximately 600-minute play time. It covers the fighting in the Western Desert from the beginning of Operation COMPASS through the final battles at El Alamein.

Built in the faster-playing Standard Combat Series format, North Africa centers on a unique activation system tied to Supply Units. Players must save supply to launch large-scale offensives, while the scarcity of supply makes it easy to track and keeps logistics central to operations in the desert.

The game uses four full-color maps, with each hex representing 5 miles (8 km). A turn covers one month, an activation represents 1-2 days of intense combat operations, and units range in size from Companies through Divisions. Alongside combat and maneuver, the system includes Leaders, Forts, Mines, Random Events, Capture Awards, Withdrawals to Far Away Lands, and the Greek Campaign.

An optional Operations rule lets players connect individual moves into a larger plan of their own making, giving greater context to each activation. The scenario collection supports both focused engagements and extended campaigns:

• Short scenarios including Operation Brevity, Operation Battleaxe, Operation Crusader, Gazala, and First El Alamein
• Campaign starts covering Operation Compass, the Race to the Wire, Operation Crusader, the Battle of Gazala, and First El Alamein
• Campaign scenarios ranging from 5 to 24 turns, using up to four maps

North Africa includes the SCS Series rulebook, a game-specific rulebook, a scenario booklet, four 22-by-34-inch maps, 560 counters, a box, and dice. Together, these components create a substantial game of desert warfare where timing, supply, and the scale of an offensive all matter.