At Villers Cottérêts

World war one conjures up images of trenches, attrition, and overall stalemate. Indeed, much of the war beginning around 1915 was static and miserable with little hope of any decisive battle that would immediately end the war, but that was not the case in 1914.

The German Schlieffen Plan intended to outflank the French fortifications by moving through Belgium. The price was a British entry into the war to fulfill the international guarantee of Belgium's borders. Apart for some delay outside Liege, the German advance through France was nearly flawless in overwhelming the French & Belgians in key opening exchanges which caused the BEF to avoid encirclement through a long retreat. At Villers Cotterets portrays the desperate rearguard action near Marne in which the British managed to severely wound a much larger force all while successfully withdrawing to fight another day, one of the first times the Germans had seen any kind of delay.

AVC portrays the desperate rearguard action nearing the end of Mons in which the British managed to severely wound a much larger force all while successfully withdrawing to fight another day. History is unclear about who really “won” the conflict, but you can settle it here and now, although 102 years later. AVC is a Grand Tactical game meaning units will have ranged capabilities and are rewarded for sophisticated planning towards a shared objective.

Players active regiments via random chit pull, maneuvering battalions on the board. The inactive player can interrupt the active player's maneuvers unleashing lead during their advance. The limits of historical doctrine & command resulting in stacking/firing limits accurately reflect unit frontages and individual unit initiative. Events dropped into the activation pool can realistically dramatically change the course of the game.

No two games of AVC will ever be the same. The situation lends itself to a naturally competitive scenario with an adversary, but the mechanics are intuitive as to compliment solo play. Action moves quickly back and forth between the two sides, but the game also rewards careful planning. AVC recreates the excitement of the young men off to war during the guns of August with the tactical realities of early 20th century warfare without having to charge into a machine gun nest in the open.

Product Information: Complexity: 6 out of 10 Solitaire Play – 7 out of 10 Time scale: Sixteen thirty-minute turns. Map Scale: .3 miles per hex Unit Scale: Battalion, Cavalry Squadron, Company, Batteries, Brigade HQ Players: 1 good for historical play, 2 best for competitive play. Playing Time 3-5 Hours