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From the publisher's website:
Ultimatum delivered by the German Ambassador at Brussels von Below Saleske, to M. Davignon, Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs:
2 August 1914
Very Confidential
Reliable information has been received by the German Government to the effect that French forces intend to march on the line of the Meuse by Givet and Namur. This information leaves no doubt as to the intention of France to march through Belgian territory against Germany...
The GUNS OF AUGUST simulates the first three months of WWI in the West, when mobility reigned and the fate of France hung in the balance. Game mechanics compensate for players’ 20/20 hindsight to encourage historically accurate play that makes “sense” in game terms while avoiding a “straight jacket” of special rules to force irrational play. Players maneuver corps and divisions through 9-mile wide hexagons in turns that span three days each. Chit pull activation, along with modest movement point allowances, generates a highly interactive game. Combat uses artillery and rifles to reveal the comparative strengths of the opposing armies. Optional rules for variable set up and fog of war counters shroud the game in uncertainty and increase replay value.
“The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time”, Sir Edward Grey.
- Deluxe edition with upgraded components
- Modernized production quality
- Sharp counters and boards
- World War I (first three months)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat — Features combat for the first three months of World War I.
- Hex and counter — Units are represented by hex counters.
- Reworked rules — Reworked rules to incorporate known errata.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's checking off a lot of boxes for me and that it's solitire, individual man, campaign, strong narrative elements, events.
- I love to see new games, new companies popping up and see newcomers into the field. It only helps us have more creativity, more innovation, and more people pushing the edge of the design envelope.
- This is a new and interesting direction for them.
- This is a lot of fun. I think it's going to spin great narratives.
- My understanding of World War I combat of course listening to him went up through the roof.
- And this game focuses on the reconnaissance at Verdon as the part of the combat.
- Warfare traditionally was a situation especially as you go farther back in time where you didn't have anywhere close to full information and getting that information and what you did with that information and analyzing that information and making decisions on incomplete information was such a huge part of warfare that really hasn't been captured in a lot of our modern wargaming experience.
References (from this video)
- stunning map artwork and thematic presentation
- high-quality deluxe components with sturdy trays and well-designed punch boards
- clear organization in rulebooks with multiple sections (intro rules, deployments, reinforcements)
- tiny tokens can be hard to read, potential storage issues
- punch boards can be delicate and require careful punching and organization
- learning curve due to many tables and conventions (fog of war, zone of confusion)
- early-war strategic/operational warfare with campaign-level decisions
- Western Front, early World War I (first three months)
- historical simulation
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- combat charts/tables — Rifle and artillery effects on combat outcomes
- Combat: Damage Based — Rifle and artillery effects on combat outcomes
- dice-based combat resolution with cross-referenced tables — Cross-referencing rifle and artillery tables to determine outcomes
- fog of war and zone of confusion — Partial information and hidden elements affecting decisions
- Hidden Deployment — Partial information and hidden elements affecting decisions
- map-based movement and tokens — Token counters and map tracks for date and records, with punchboard components
- reinforcement and supply phase — Phases for reinforcements and supply movement
- scenario-based victory conditions — Immediate vs campaign victory conditions depending on scenario length
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Worthington has put out some really fantastic two-player war games.
- this map though, that's what we want to look at. Okay. I never get tired of these maps.
- I do like those combat charts where you'll sit there. You have to cross reference your numbers.
- I cannot wait to get this one to the table.
- Looks really good. Worth 10. I think you did it again.