Now all roads lead to France and heavy is the tread
Of the living; but the dead returning lightly dance.
Edward Thomas, Roads

Friday, July 31, 2026

World War One War Games – An Introduction



By Dana Lombardy

War games are useful tools, both for by military professionals and history enthusiasts who wish to study the past. Today, they come in two types: board games and electronic and digital. The interest in applying both kinds to World War One's strategies and battles is growing as is the sophistication of the games.

For the opening article in this series, I'd like to recommend to readers two World War One game reviews, one for a board game and a second one featuring a digital war game. These will help familiarize newcomers on how each type of game works, and how some of the major aspects of World War One are now being built into them.  In future articles, I'll present additional games and information on how readers can find other players and competitors, who share your interest in the Great War.




Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918  uses wooden blocks that hide the strengths of units until they engage in combat, simulating the “fog of war”. A video review can be seen HERE.


Fields of Despair Display Board




The Great War: Western Front  is a computer game for the PC described by  this reviewer as “quite possibly, the finest effort yet” to make a strategy video game about WWI. Read the game review HERE.


Note the two British heavy tanks in the lower half of the battlefield
display and the German A7V tank at the top


Our Series Contributor: Dana Lombardy is a Hall of Fame war game designer who created several WWI board games and a card game. His work can found at LombardyStudios.com

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