At 7:30am on July 1, 1916, the British 4th Army went "over the top" against the German line in the Somme sector of northern France. At the end of the day, nearly 60,000 of her soldiers had fallen, the most costly day of fighting in British history. The generals had hoped for a breakthrough during the Big Push; none materialized. When the offensive was finally called off in November, the front had shifted only a few miles to the east, at a tremendous cost in human life.
First Day of the Somme is a simple, solitaire game based on the pivotal first day of fighting that set the tone for the following months. The gamer plays the British while the Germans are handled by the game system. July 1st was filled with tragedy for the British... could you plan and execute better than the original commanders? Perhaps even achieve the big breakthrough?
The game includes 75 counters (division level), 8.5 x 11 point-to-point movement map (about one inch to the mile), rules, and five playing aids (casualty rosters, movement rosters, various combat and game tables), and optional rules.
Also included in issue #5 is Dogger Bank: Battlecruiser Action in the Great War. This is a simple, miniatures-style game. Players maneuver the fifteen included ships (featuring 5/8th x 2 1/2 inch top-view counters) on the floor or tabletop and try and sink the opposition. Rounding out the games in the issue is Commando Raid on Rommel, a Mini-Sim with map and counters included in the pages of Panzerschreck. All told, we're sure you will enjoy this issue!
