Torch

About this board game

Torch is a two-player World War II strategy game with an approximately 360-minute play time, covering the Allied invasion of Northwest Africa in November 1942 and the campaign for control of Africa through May 1943.

One player commands the American and British forces, while the other controls the German and Italian forces. Across two maps, the campaign spans North Africa from the Safi-Casablanca region to Tripoli in Libya, with base areas also shown in Gibraltar, southern Sardinia, and western Sicily.

The map presents a demanding variety of terrain, from wooded coastal areas and mountainous inland regions to the sand dunes and wadis of the Sahara. The counters represent American, British, Free French, German, Indian, Italian, New Zealander, and Vichy French forces, ranging from armored divisions to commando battalions.

War in the Desert rules cover the major elements of desert operations, including armor effects, antitank abilities, supply, air power, and the movement of troops and supplies by sea. Air units represent groups of 40 to 50 aircraft, including German Fw 190A and Me 109G fighters, British Spitfire IXs, and American P-38Gs.

• Parachute drops, amphibious landings, and commando actions
• Political rules for the uncertain response of the Vichy French army
• Playable independently or combined with Western Desert
• 480 die-cut counters and two 20-by-26-inch maps

Torch includes a dedicated rules and chart set for the Operation Torch campaign, along with the War in the Desert set linking it to Western Desert and The Near East. Together, these games portray the struggle across the North African and Near Eastern theater from December 1940 through May 1943.