Tannenberg and the Opening Battles in the East 1914

About this board game

Tannenberg and the Opening Battles in the East 1914 is a 1–3-player game of the opening battles on the Eastern Front in August 1914, with an approximately 180-minute playing time.

Subtitled The Opening Guns, August 1914, the game focuses on the opening moves between Germany and Russia. German commanders include von Hindenburg, Ludendorff and the remarkable von Hoffman, while the Russian side features Rennenkampf and the tragic Samsonov.

The game uses the same system as the Great War in the East quad and was published in Strategy & Tactics magazine #69, from July–August 1978. Its scale covers 8 miles, or 12.87 kilometers, per hex, with each turn representing 72 hours, or three days.

• Players: 1–3
• Playing time: approximately 180 minutes
• Components: a 34-by-22-inch map and 200 playing pieces
• Unit scale: brigades, divisions and Russian corps

In the three-player variant, the historical hostility between the Russian generals becomes a striking rule: Rennenkampf and Samsonov are famously not permitted to talk to one another during the game. This restriction highlights the rivalry at the heart of the campaign.

Tannenberg and the Opening Battles in the East 1914 is also known for its controversial “iron maiden” victory conditions. Simulation fans praised these rules, while many gamers disliked them, making the victory system one of the game’s most notable features.