HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, member of the Black Hand, a political organization seeking for a merging of the Balkan area into a Greater Serbia or a Yugoslavia.

Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum against Serbia. As the ultimatum was rejected, Austria-Hungary then declared war, marking the outbreak of the war.

While France and Russia immediately sided with Serbia, Germany joined the Austria-Hungary and started a surprise offensive in the west with the objective of quickly defeating the French, to then turn east and knock the Tzarist Russia out of the war.

1914: GERMANY AT WAR
is a medium/light war game covering the grand offensive launched by Germany against France in August 1914.

Although based on historical events and much research, the players can try to change the course of history in early 20th Century Europe. Can the Germans make their “War Plan” *work for a quick end to the war? And for the Allies, it’s not enough to just frustrate the Germans. Can they be more successful than they were historically and avoid four years of trench bloodshed? The answers are up to you!

The game is recommended for two or three players, but we are told many players enjoy it solitaire as well
. * (In the years prior to 1914, the great German envelopment manoeuvre was called simply the “War Plan.” It was only after the war that the term “Schlieffen Plan” was created!)

GAME COMPONENTS
The game includes:

• N° 1 heavy stock Mapboard 86 x 62 cm (Mounted Map in the Limited Edition)
• N° 1 16-Pages Rules Manual (N° 2 in the Limited Edition)
• N° 121 PVC Standard Stickers (+ N° 121 PVC Icon Stickers in the Limited Edition)
• N° 119 Wooden Unit Blocks
• N° 20 Wooden Cubes (Area Control)
• N° 19 White Wooden Cubes (Valour Point)
• N° 35 Wooden Disc (Fortress Garrison)
• N° 2 Rules Summary and Player Aids
• N° 1 White Wooden Initiative Disc
• N° 1 Yellow Wooden Turn Track Marker

SCALE
In 1914: Germany at War, 1 cm is approximately 27Km.
A turn is equal to 1 month of battles.
A full-strength counter represents a major military formation, normally of Corps size, along with Army Leaders.

RULES INTRODUCTION
The rules are easy, players can start playing the game without too many rules to remember and the game is 4 turn long
(1-3 hours) taking place from August to November.

UNITS
There are four types of units in the game: Leaders, Infantry, Cavalry and Garrisons.
Leaders, Infantry and Cavalry are represented as blocks. Each has a sticker reporting the historical name, the Movement Allowance (Footstep or Horseshoes) and the Firepower (Dots or Stars).
A unique colour identifies all units belonging to the same Army and led by the Tactical Leader.

FOG of WAR
The game is played with "Fog of War" so units are placed upright with the sticker facing the owning player and the enemy player cannot see them. During the game - at a certain points - units are revealed.

Vento Nuovo Games