1914 (1968)

1914 is a traditional hex and counter wargame that attempts to simulate the opening phases of WW I on the Western Front. This was James Dunnigan’s second game for Avalon Hill. Like many wargames combat is resolved through the use of dice and a Combat results table (CRT).

The players accumulate victory points by occupying 24 key areas at the game end as well as points for enemy units destroyed. The Eastern Front with Russia is abstracted and the German player may receive victory points for deploying part of his initial forces there, and will lose points for invading Belgium, Luxembourg or Holland. The player who most effectively wears down his opponent and holds geographical objectives will win the game.

This game is particularly complex in comparison to other Avalon Hill games at the time. Not only does it have a 34 page rulebook, use unit facing, supply line limitations, and a CRT, there are also multiple options for fog of war (counters turned upside down or dummy counters), and step losses for units. There is a short and long version of the game as well as cards for several variants. Several options such as simultaneous movement and delayed commands require a third player as a referee. The long version of the game may take multiple sittings to accomplish.

While not an easy 'game' to play, 1914 is a rewarding simulation both innovative for its day and enjoyable to play. While this game is very different from other games from the period and has a couple of faintly tedious mechanics it is worth the effort and can be quite exciting to play. By today's standards we would like to see forced march and some command hurtles for the over extended Germans but one could say something similar about most old games. This game does not allow players to ramp up a decided combat advantage from a god's eye point of view. No individual combat is decisive and one can only manage this not overcome it. The game needs to be played with all its bells and whistles (minus those requiring a referee) and when one bothers to do this they find an intriguing game of deception where planning pays off.

For those who do not have the revision kit:

Forced March:
Each unit rolls on a D6 (as I recall this is limited to infantry and cavalry units)
1,2 Cannot move at all.
3-6 Gain 1 mp.

The Plan 17 rule requires the French to make 6 attacks on turns 1-3.

From "The Avalon Hill General Index and Company History, 1952-1980"

1914 (1968) Discontinued 1973
Freelance design revised by Avalon Hill
Designed by James Dunnigan

1914 was a sales success. Unfortunately, it was a lousy game. The mapboard, though innovative for its day, was an unplayable monstrosity and the rules suffered from being incomplete. Perhaps it was too good a simulation in reflecting the trench warfare of World War One because it sure wasn’t much fun to play. Convinced that it was losing them long range customers, the game was discontinued despite continuing relatively strong sales.

I strongly beg to differ with the above 'opinion' and will provide my own. Consider the above statement one players opinion. You can certainly find the above criticisms echoed over the years but I strongly doubt the majority of this originates from contemporary players writing in the games prime. The above commentary evinces this by implying that the simulation may be boring because it simulates trench warfare. 1914 is not about trench warfare. It is easy to tear apart a game design in retrospect especially if you haven't actually played it.

While not an easy 'game' to play, 1914 is a rewarding simulation both innovative for its day and enjoyable to play. The game is neither incomplete nor any more unclear than most other games of the day. And the map is beautiful and works just fine. While this game is very different from other games from the period and has a couple of faintly tedious mechanics it is worth the effort and can be quite exciting to play. By today's standards we would like to see forced march and some command hurtles for the over extended Germans but one could say something similar about most old games.

This game does not allow players to ramp up a decided combat advantage from a god's eye point of view. No individual combat is decisive and one can only manage this not overcome it. The game needs to be played with all its bells and whistles and when one bothers to do this they find an intriguing game of deception where planning pays off.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.4,No.6
  • ”COVER STORY: 1914 - New Game of Battlefield Strategy” (Commentary)
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.2
  • 1914 – “1914-2nd Edition Rule Clarifications” (Discussion)
  • 1914 – “Wargamers' Clinic Exercise #3” (Strategy) M.R. Brundage, M. Kohn, & M.J. Frankwicz
  • 1914 – “Belgium - When?” (Strategy) 2nd Lt. Carl F. Knabe II
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.3
  • 1914 – “How to "Elim" the Russians in 1914” (Strategy) Geoff K. Burkman
  • 1914 – “Belgium? - Never” (Strategy) Andrew P. Engebretson
  • 1914 – “1900 Variant for 1914” (Variant Discussion)
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.4
  • 1914 – “Belgium - A Must” (Strategy) Brooke Duvall
  • 1914 – “Historica1 Simulation Game for Two - 1914” (Discussion) James H. Alley
  • The Question Box - The Battle of the Bulge, Blitzkrieg, D-Day, 1914
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.5
  • The Question Box - 1914
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.1
  • 1914 – “Inverted Schlieffen” (Strategy) Donald Wolff
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.2
  • 1914 – “Air Power in 1914?” (Variant Discussion) Lawrence Valencourt
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.3
  • Jutland, 1914 – “Jutland - 1914?” (Variant Discussion) Michael La Torra, Jr.
  • 1914 – “Home Before the Leaves Fall” (Historical) Scotty Bowden
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.4
  • 1914 – “The Schlieffen Plan & 1914” (Historical) Mark M. Lowenthal
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.6
  • The Question Box - Afrika Korps, 1914, Stalingrad
• The GENERAL Vol.7,No.1
  • 1914 – “Invade Belgium, or Switzerland?” (Strategy) Larry Custead
  • 1914 – “The Ardennes” (Strategy) Jeff Stein
  • The Question Box - 1914, Gettysburg, Anzio, Midway, The Battle of the Bulge
• The GENERAL Vol.7,No.3
  • The Question Box - The Battle of the Bulge, Blitzkrieg, Football Strategy, Le Mans, 1914, Jutland, Anzio, Afrika Korps, D-Day
• The GENERAL Vol.7,No.4
  • 1914 – “Holland 1914” (Strategy) Lawrence Valencourt
  • 1914 – “The Dutch Alternative” (Strategy) Peter Wilbur
• The GENERAL Vol.7,No.6
  • 1914 – “1914 Strategy & Tactics” (Strategy) Alan Augenbraun
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.1
  • 1914 – “Simplified 1914 with Optional Rules” (Variant Discussion) S. Frank Fogg IV
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.3
  • 1914 – “French Strategy - 1914” (Strategy) Louis J. Jerkich
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.4
  • 1914 – “French Tactics in 1914” (Strategy) Louis J. Jerkich
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.5
  • 1914 – “Plan of the Month: The How-to-do-it Kit: 1914” (Strategy) Robert Harmon
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.6
  • 1914 – “German 1914 Assault Tactics” (Strategy) 1st Lt. Charles L. Crow
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.1
  • 1914 – “Time to Invade Holland” (Strategy) David Kimberly
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.2
  • The Question Box - Blitzkrieg, Bismarck, Kriegspiel, D-Day, France, 1940, Midway, Anzio, 1914, Luftwaffe, Jutland
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.3
  • 1914 – “1918; The Elusive Victory” (Variant Discussion) Charles L. Crow
  • The Question Box - France, 1940, Luftwaffe, Jutland, PanzerBlitz, 1914, Midway
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.4
  • 1914 – “The 1914 Offensive” (Variant Discussion) Rick Biernacki
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.6
  • 1914 – “Assault: A Strategic Decision” (Strategy) John H. Van Devender
  • Reader Buyer's Guide - Luftwaffe, 1914
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.1
  • Reader Buyer's Guide - 1914
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.3
  • Series Replay - 1914 Roy Easton

Magazine References:

• Number 56 Nov-Dec '72
  • 1914 - "Let's Play 1914" (Review), Chuck Holland