Death in the Trenches: The Great War 1914-1918 (Second Edition)

About this board game

Death in the Trenches: The Great War 1914-1918 (Second Edition) is a strategic World War I wargame for 1–2 players, with games lasting about 300 minutes. Covering the conflict from the opening fighting in Serbia and Belgium through 1918, it places the Entente and Central Powers in command of nearly forty nations.

The 2022 edition uses a map stretching from the Pyrenees to Moscow and from Norway to the Sudan, plus a separate map for the German colonies. Its 520 counters represent armies and specialized forces, from the major powers to units such as Gurkhas, Cossacks, French Foreign Legion troops, Italian Arditi, Armenians, South Africans, and the Czech Legion.

Armies contain divisional-level formations represented off-map, while each battle unfolds on an additional display. The revised combat system has no CRT: attacks begin with a spearhead force driving into a target area, and simple entrenchment rules reflect how time and manpower create different levels of defensive strength.

• Historical military abilities, artillery barrages, tanks, poison gas, flamethrowers, air power, and other wartime developments
• Detailed random events featuring revolutions, revolts, espionage, disease, political intrigue, and influential historical figures
• Reworked reinforcements based more closely on historical production and manpower
• Great Power sponsorship and support for minor countries, including distinctive Army Reserves for Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria

Russia may follow several paths after revolution, while instability in the Balkans can produce unexpected political reversals. With expanded possibilities involving the Hindenburg Line, German siege guns, and changing governments, Death in the Trenches challenges players to confront the military and political crises faced by wartime leaders.