Blocks in Afrika

About this board game

Blocks in Afrika is a World War II operational and strategic board game for 2–4 players, with a listed playing time of 60 minutes. It covers the North African campaign from the Italian drive to Marsa Matruh in summer 1940 through the collapse of the Italian regime in September 1943.

One side commands the Western Allies while the other controls the Axis Powers. Although rooted in history, the game allows players to alter the course of the Mediterranean theater through their decisions, operations, and management of military resources.

The game uses a large, fully laminated multicolor map-board and more than 400 wooden and plastic components. Its Fog of War system uses wooden blocks placed so opponents cannot see the forces they represent, creating uncertainty about enemy strength and deployment.

• Hexes represent approximately 53 miles, or 70 kilometers.
• Each turn represents one month.
• Full-strength counters represent 300 planes, 300 tanks, or 30,000 men, depending on the unit.
• More than 240 unit counters and 200 resource points support play across multiple scenarios.

Rules are introduced in stages. Basic Game Rules provide an accessible starting point, while Advanced Game Rules add features such as fuel and an advanced production system. Optional rules can introduce technology research, strategic warfare against German factories, the U-boat campaign in the Atlantic, amphibious invasions, and parachute assaults.

Scenarios include Operation Compass, Operation Exporter, Tobruk, El Alamein, and several naval battles. Blocks in Afrika can also combine with Blocks in the West and Blocks in the East for broader Blocks in Europe scenarios, including the massive 1939 campaign, “From Danzig to Hell.”