Sandstorm: World War II in North Africa

Sandstorm is a 2-player, card driven, hex and counter format game on the North African campaign. The map covers the area from approximately el Algheila in the west to just east of el Alamein in the east, aka 'the Western Desert'. The time period allows a start when the Italians invade Egypt in September, 1940, and ends December, 1942, when the Axis were driven out of Cyrenaica. The game has 2 months turns and use larger counters, 5/8th of inch, a full campaign should take between 10 to 14 hours.

Sandstorm is a 2-player game on the North African campaign with the recommendation to begin play when the German intervened in March 1941. However, one may start as early as September, 1940; albeit subject to Mussolini’s directive to invade Egypt, amongst other starting dates. The campaign game ends when the Axis were driven out of the ‘western desert,’ Cyrenaica and Egypt, December, 1942; other ending date may be selected. Players assume the role of the ground commanders trying to outperform their historical counterparts with the focus on the operational aspects. You plan and execute the sweeping maneuverers or head-first assaults. You have to make some of the same choices, do you press ahead in the hopes of a quick victory or pause to establish your line of supply? You will be bedeviled by the same problems, supply, the need to rest and refit, terrain, and, sometimes, your own superiors. Victory is achieved by eliminating the other player’s units from the region, delaying the opponent’s advance, or inflicting more casualties and taking few casualties than historically occurred.

A design aspect is toward playability in a reasonable table space within a manageable time commitment. The game map is 22” by 48,” at a scale of 12.5 miles or 20 kilometers per hex and encompasses the territory from the border between Cyrenaica and Tripolitania, Libya, in the west to just east of el Algheila, near the outskirts of Alexandria. Each game turn represents 2 months of calendar time. Unit sizes are generally regiments for the Axis and brigades for the Allies. An 11 turn campaign, from Mar/Apr 41 to Dec 41, game takes between 8 to 12 hours.

—description from the publisher