Time Track Each round of turns represents four months of real time. The rounds are designated by a Roman numeral, followed by the year, so the game starts in II 1914 (to represent the war's beginning in August of that year). Map Changes The following minor changes should be made to the mapboard: 1. The territory of Constantinople does not border Greece, but only Bulgaria. 2. The territory of Sevastopol should be split in two, with the southern part becoming Caucasus, worth 2 IPC's. Sevastopol is also worth 2 IPC's. 3. Moscow is worth 5 IPC's instead of 6. Political Situation The game starts in the II 1914 round, with Germany and Austria-Hungary at war with Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia and Serbia. All the other countries on the board, including Ottoman Empire and Italy, are neutral. Just as Austria-Hungary must attack Serbia during its first turn, Germany must attack Belgium during its first turn as well. Ottoman Empire: May enter the war any time from II 1914 on. Italy: May enter the war any time from II 1915. Bulgaria: May enter the war any time from II 1915 on, or if Serbia is conquered. Portugal: May enter the war any time from I 1916 on, and aligned with the British Empire, not France. Romania: May enter the war any time from II 1916 on, or if Russian forces capture any territory in Austria-Hungary. Albania: Only if attacked. Albania is worth only 1 IPC. Greece: If Serbia falls to the Central Powers, the British Empire player may roll one die to see if Greece will allow Allied units to base there. On a roll of 5 or 6, Greece will give Allied units basing rights. The British player may roll for this each turn once Serbia falls, until a 5 or 6 is rolled. Once basing rights are granted, Greece may enter the war any time from II 1917 on. United States: May enter the war either after 1) the Central Powers attack North America; or 2) after the Central Powers have attacked U.S. shipping two times (if before I 1917), or one time (from I 1917 on). If neither of these events has occurred, roll one die at the beginning of the United States' turn,
starting in the I 1917 round. On a roll of 5 or 6 in that round, the Unites States enters the war; in all subsequent rounds, the Unites States enters the war on a roll of 4, 5 or 6. Until the United States enters the war, it receives no IPC's and may not build new units, nor may its forces move outside of the United States territory, or its naval forces outside of Sea Zone 1. Switzerland: Absolutely neutral. May never be attacked by any major power. Neither Italy nor the Ottoman Empire may move forces into a territory belonging to a country on the opposite side, nor may they conduct any type of attack, while they are still neutral. Rail Movement Each major country may move a select number of units by rail each turn. The number of infantry units that can be moved by rail is determined by the roll of two dice. The number of artillery, air and tank units is determined by a separate roll of two dice (these unit types may move by rail in any combination, provided their total number does not exceed the number shown on the dice). Units to be moved by rail must start in an uncontested friendly territory. Their path cannot go through or end in contested territories. Rail movement may not be used in Africa. Rail movement may not be used in conjunction with any other type of movement (i.e., regular ground movement or amphibious reinforcement). Air Units Air units are used exactly as outlined in the rules, with one exception. Surviving air units after a dogfight may not fire at enemy ground units. However, they still allow the owning player to promote his/her artillery pieces as per the rules. The Colonial War Germany, the British Empire and France may build new forces in Africa. Each of these major powers has one colony in which new forces may be built. A maximum of two new units may be built by each major power each turn, and they may only be infantry or artillery. Players may only build artillery if there are already at least three infantry units present in the colony. If a player's forces win any battle, resulting in that player's uncontested control of the territory, and the opposing force consisted of any artillery units, the winning player may immediately add one artillery unit to his force free of charge. This represents artillery and munitions captured from the enemy, a valued prize in the war for Africa. The colonies in which these major powers may build new units are: British Empire Union of South Africa France French West Africa Germany German East Africa
Additionally, the British Empire player may only build a maximum of four new units every turn in India, with the same restrictions as above. Central Powers Capitulation Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire must sue for peace when certain conditions are fulfilled. The conditions are different for each of these major powers: Ottoman Empire Controls no territories outside of its original territories, and the Allies control two original Ottoman territories and contest control of a third. Austria-Hungary At least two of its original territories are in revolt. Beginning in I 1918, roll one die for each original Austro-Hungarian territory. On a roll of 5 or 6, that territory is in revolt. Add 1 if the Allies control any territory in the Balkans besides Greece. Units moving by rail cannot move through territories in revolt, but may move into them. The Austro-Hungarian player loses the IPC income from this territory as long as its in revolt. The revolt is put down by either moving ground forces into the territory, or by not moving ground forces already in the territory. This roll is done at the very beginning of Austria-Hungary's turn, and if it results in two territories going into revolt, Austria- Hungary immediately sues for peace. Germany Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire have already sued for peace, and German ground units no longer control or contest any territories in France. Capitulation is determined at the beginning of the round, with the Ottoman Empire and Austria- Hungary doing so before Germany (so that Germany's first condition for capitulation can be fulfilled). When Germany sues for peace, the game ends. Victory Conditions The victory conditions are the same as outlined in the rules, but with the following additions: The Central Powers also win if they conquer either London, Paris, Rome or Bombay, and they force the Russian Revolution. The Allies also win if they conquer Bulgaria and force at least two of the Central Powers countries to sue for peace, as outlined above.
Notes For the sake of historical justification, I suppose it's only proper for me to write a few words, to explain why and how I came up with these rules. No doubt a lot of people have already come up with their own house rules for this game, even at this still early date (25 March 2013, scarcely more than a week after the game's general release). Some will wonder why I included one or two of the ones that I did, while skipping over or neglecting others they thought were important. Here, then, is my rationale for these rules, as I have outlined them on the previous pages. First, I feel that the game needs some sort of time track because it helps to keep it all in some sort of historical perspective. A time track adds structure to the game that it otherwise lacks. I'm not sure just why the Axis & Allies games don't have a time track by now, since this is a standard feature in typical wargames. Of course, there are those who argue that, because of their abstract nature, the Axis & Allies franchise is not one of true wargames, but I disagree strongly with this argument. It is impossible in my view to make a game depicting an era of history or a particular war, complete with units representing the units of the actual war, without its becoming a wargame of some sort. To make it anything less than a wargame, no matter how simplified the rules may be, does a disservice to the event in question, to say nothing of those who actually took part in it. The map changes were included to correct inaccuracies, as well as to provide one crucial element. The war between the Ottoman Empire and Imperial Russia for control of Armenia and the Caucasus was a critical element of the larger war, and it was one of the contributing factors in the Ottoman Empire's exhaustion and subsequent collapse. Culturally and historically, the Caucasus has little to do with Sevastopol and the Crimea, so they should be treated as two separate territories. The political rules, as they are in the rulebook, do not even begin to reflect the complex political relationships between the countries that Larry Harris mentions in his introduction. They also greatly simplify what in my view was one of the most interesting aspects of the Great War, at the expense of historicity. Although my rules changes are far from perfect and simplified in their own way, I hope that they will better reflect the impulses that drove the various countries to enter the war (or to stay out of it) while still keeping the game fast-paced and interesting. It was the limited movement capabilities of the various units across long distances that led me to develop the rail movement rule. I already have an extensive rail movement rule in my expansion rules to the original Axis & Allies Europe and Pacific games (in which I link the two games to form one global conflict involving six players). It is ridiculous to have units walk into battle over a long distance that they otherwise would never travel in real life, taking three or four turns to reach the front. The First World War was the first European war to be fought between armies that traveled by rail en masse from the rear areas to the front. The month of August 1914 saw what may well have been the largest mass movement of armies by train in history. Deployment by rail was a critical component in the war plans of every major European power in the years leading up to that fateful month. And of course new units had to be moved across long distances toward the front by train. To leave this element out of the game is, in my view, a strange oversight.
My rule regarding air units is bound to generate the most controversy because it is a departure from what veteran Axis & Allies players are used to, but it has a very sound basis in fact. Air units in a real war are not able to destroy whole ground formations, and they were especially unable to do so during the First World War. In the expansion rules to the Europe and Pacific games that I mentioned, I had tactical bombers and strategic bombers support ground units by subtracting 1 or 2 from the roll of those ground units in combat. But it's the ground units that do the main part of the fighting. This works very well in those games, but during the First World War, when the aerial support tactics and the technology that makes them possible are only just emerging, I feel that it's most realistic to leave any similar rules out of the game. This, again, ensures historical accuracy. The war for the African colonies is a part of the war seldom touched upon in general histories, so it is a pleasant surprise to see it included here in this game. My rules regarding it are meant to expand upon it by including a way for the players to replenish albeit to a limited degree their forces, without having to move more forces by transports from Europe. Far removed from their home countries and industrial infrastructure, Allied and German military commanders had to rely on whatever sort of human and material resources they could call to hand. The German colonies of Togoland, Kamerun and Southwest Africa were quickly overrun, but the forces in German East Africa, under the command of Col. von Lettow-Vorbeck, were able to hold out until the very end of the war, fighting a guerrilla campaign against pursuing British forces. This interesting part of the war should be recreated in the game in some way, and I hope that I have provided a means to do so. Finally, the rules on the capitulation of the Central Powers countries and the victory conditions were something that I felt were sorely necessary. The First World War was not fought to the total conquest of the Central Powers. The rigors imposed by the Allied blockade and their own internal weaknesses saw to their exhaustion and collapse long before the Allied armies could reach Berlin and Vienna. So the conditions for the Allies to win don't reflect the political and military realities that prevailed in the late part of the war (i.e., nationalist movements in Austria-Hungary, Turkish military collapse in the wake of the Allied victories). No historical simulation of the First World War is complete without a provision for these pivotal events. It is my hope that the addition of these rules adds a welcome amount of historical depth and accuracy to your game while still keeping it all exciting.