Into the Bastards!: First tank battle

About this board game

Into the Bastards!: First Tank Battle is a two-player, 240-minute wargame that recreates the second battle of Villers-Bretonneux on 24 and 25 April 1918. Set during the German Michael Offensive, it covers the last German attempt to take Amiens and the Australian counter-attack that followed.

The battle is remembered as the first tank action between the two belligerents, but the game also presents the wider struggle around Villers-Bretonneux. Successive attacks and counter-attacks, elite formations, a night attack, and the massive commitment of German A7V tanks all shape this bitter confrontation.

Each player commands elite troops represented at battalion scale. The forces include the German Guard Division, the French Moroccan Division, an Australian Brigade, and British and German tanks. From the initial German offensive through the Australian response, the game focuses on the changing fortunes of a pivotal First World War battle.

• Players: 2
• Playing time: 240 minutes
• Game turn: 2–3 hours
• Map scale: 219 yards / 200 meters per hex
• Unit scale: Battalion
• Complexity: Medium
• Solitaire playability: Medium

Designed as a low-complexity recreation of the battle, Into the Bastards! offers a focused historical scenario with a manageable presentation. The 2011 edition includes a 17 × 22-inch full-color map, a double-sided sheet of 160 half-inch counters, and a six-page rulebook.