The Great War

Origins of World War I Board Game

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Origins of World War I is a free print-and-play game by legendary wargames designer James Dunnigan. The game was re-implemented as Origins of World War II, an Avalon Hill game now long out of print. From the description:

A political/strategy game in which five players represent the five major nations in pre-World War I Europe. They must compete against each other to achieve each nation’s ‘national objectives’. While actual war is not allowed in the game, the play should show quite clearly how tensions developed to such a high pitch in 1914.

On The Firing Line With The Germans – WWI Era Film

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On The Firing Line With The Germans is a feature-length documentary shot in 1915 by two American filmmakers to show the Great War from the German perspective.

Thanks to reader Peter Schweighofer for the tip pointing me to the film. You should also visit his site.

Update: You may find that the YouTube copy of the film streams better than the one from the dot gov site. It does for me.

Raging Empires WWI Rules

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Raging Empires is a set of free wargames rules for WWI actions.

The authors write:

The Raging Empires rule system has been developed by WW1 enthusiasts to create a fast flowing game which captures the feel and flavour of this fascinating conflict.

This draft version of the rules contains all the game mechanics necessary to re-fight historical battles in all theatres and phases of the First World War, from the war of movement of 1914 to the major battles of 1916. This will be extended to cover 1917-18 in the full set of Raging Empires due for Autumn release.

One A4 Quick Reference Sheet is sufficient to contain all the information necessary to play. The main rules need only be consulted when players are learning the rules, and occasionally thereafter, to clarify situations as they arise.

Raging Empires is designed to be used for very large battles as well as relatively small encounters. The precision of the movement system and the speed and efficiency of combat makes the game flows quickly and even a closely fought battle of a moderate size can be concluded within 2 hours.

The game is designed to be played on modular hex terrain which can accommodate a range of different terrain features, e.g. open ground, trenches, strong points, hills and slopes, rivers, woods, impenetrable terrain etc.

Poilus – Short Film About WWI Rabbits

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The “Poilus” are waiting to leave for the battlefield.
Among them, Ferdinand, a young hare, is playing the harmonica.
A whistling signal is given, the attack begins.
It’s on the no man’s land that he first encounters his enemy, a horrible creature.

When Technology Meets Tradition Early 20th Century Rules

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From the Yahoo Groups Site:

“When Technology Meets Tradition” is a set of rules for wargaming early modern warfare conflicts, roughly from 1895-1915. The emphasis of the author is on early World War I (1914-1915) but other period wars are also of interest, such as the Russo-Japanese War or the Boer wars. The rules are fast-play and focus on the problems faced by military tacticians during early modern warfare: when outdated linear tactics and love of the offensive ran head-on into lethal, accurate, and rapid firing weaponry.