Somme: Life in the Saps

A simple yet engaging, tactical trench warfare card game themed around the misery and glory, the hope and despair of one the most historic battles in human history i.e. World War I - Battle of the Somme. It features a patently new and unique COVER AND REQUISITION wargaming system that allows for:

1. 2 player fast paced action
2. Tactical turn-based strategy
3. Grinding trench warfare
4. Simple game mechanics
5. Easy to learn
6. Quick setup
7. Challenging gameplay
8. Suitability for ages 10+
9. Short 15 minutes playtime
10. and much more!

Somme: The Story

The year is 1916. A great war rages across the world. “The war to end all wars” some call it and it seems to be living up to its name, for a more terrible yet strange war the mankind had not seen before.

It is definitely nothing like those that came before it, for here the men lie, waiting, almost peacefully, in the lines they have drawn. For months together, nothing has stirred over the now, black land. No bird flies over, nor any beast roams here. The silence is almost unbearable, as the men eat, sleep and go about their business in absolute monotony.

Suddenly, the frail sense of security is shattered by a deafening noise, as a bombshell explodes nearby, causing the men to drop their jobs and scuttle for cover. One explosion is followed by another and another and another… and so the pounding goes on and on… for days and days… till all nerves are frayed and every muscle is jittery. Just when they were beginning to think that it would never stop, it ends, as abruptly, as it had started.

Deafened by the onslaught on their ears, the soldiers strain to hear, fearful of that which is to follow. Soon enough, they hear a distant pattering of feet, getting closer and closer or are they? Surely, it is the sound of gunfire that they hear now or are their ears still playing tricks on them? The men arise as if from a great slumber and peer over the parapet. What they see is incredulous, for what was earlier a barren wasteland is now a rising sea before them. Their knuckles whiten as they tighten their grips over their weapons and wait for the incoming tide to draw closer, nay, wash over them.

It is clear, that thousands will die this day and whether or not they themselves would survive, will ultimately depend on your wisdom, as their commander and the support of the brothers, by their sides. So take charge and stand fast. For the empire!

Somme: The game

Setup: To play, each player chooses and commandeers a faction, the British or the German, consisting of a squad of 6 soldiers that are laid out in a couple of trench lines on the table. From among the rest of the shuffled cards, 20 cards are passed between the players and 10 are drafted by each player. Of these 6, are assigned to the soldiers already on the table while the rest 4 are held in the player’s hand as faction reserve. 2 cards are opened at the draw pile to form the common supply line.

Strategy: Each of the fighting units under the player’s command has a different loadout and a susceptibility to specific hardship cards. Further, the unit loadouts keep changing over the game and may also be affected by unveiling of certain event cards. The crux of the game's strategy however lies in bidding from the supply line which will ultimately decide the actions available in the future.

Objective: The object of the game is simple, eliminate the rival faction before they eliminate you.

Turn Mechanics: The play alternates between the players as they play cards from their reserve to the Personnel Cards in the trench lines seeking to form compatible sets of Attack-Defence Cards in order to launch attacks, counter-attacks or to defend. Dictated by the ensuing card play outcomes, the soldiers may either loose morale, gain morale or be eliminated. At the end of each turn, both the players may bid to draft the available replacement cards from the common supply line as they prepare to face another sapping day in the trenches. Thus, the grinding battle continues, till only one side remains standing.