Kaiserkrieg! The Great War 1914-1918

About this board game

Kaiserkrieg! The Great War 1914-1918 is a strategic solitaire wargame for one player, designed to be played in about 120 minutes. You control the Central Powers—Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria—while automatic systems direct the Entente Powers and their attempts to defeat you.

The game presents an extremely strategic view of World War I, focusing on the conflict’s major themes rather than offering a detailed historical simulation. Its heart is the ground war, including the immense battlefield losses of the period and the defining realities of trenches, massed forces, and prolonged continental conflict.

Kaiserkrieg! adapts the States of Siege system into a new “vertical” model. Instead of enemy forces advancing along clear lines toward one central position, Entente armies gather in separate regions around the Central Powers, eventually building a numerical advantage that threatens your overall position.

• Play as the Central Powers in a challenging solitaire struggle.
• Manage the strategic ground war across a vertical, region-based system.
• Experience standout Great War themes such as Zeppelins, trenches, and U-boats.
• Face the British naval blockade and attempt to get pro-German blockade runners past British cruisers.
• Engage with simplified Near East and East Africa theaters.

The naval struggle highlights the blockade’s importance, while a simplified system covers the Near East, where the Ottoman ally faced Russia and the British Empire, including Indian troops. East Africa also appears, featuring the German-led Askari army’s resistance against Indian and British Empire forces even after Germany surrendered in Europe.

With its simplified points and broad strategic scope, Kaiserkrieg! aims to deliver a fun, demanding overview of the First World War while encouraging further interest in this fascinating conflict.