Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
From the publisher's website: Ultimatum delivered by the German Ambassador at Brussels von Below Saleske, to M.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Chit-Pull System
Draw tokens to determine which units, factions, or events activate next.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Zone of Control
Restrict or influence movement through areas controlled by nearby pieces.
Read the full game description
From the publisher's website: Ultimatum delivered by the German Ambassador at Brussels von Below Saleske, to M. Davignon, Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs: 2 August 1914 Very Confidential Reliable information has been received by the German Government to the effect that French forces intend to march on the line of the Meuse by Givet and Namur. This information leaves no doubt as to the intention of France to march through Belgian territory against Germany... The GUNS OF AUGUST simulates the first three months of WWI in the West, when mobility reigned and the fate of France hung in the balance. Game mechanics compensate for players’ 20/20 hindsight to encourage historically accurate play that makes “sense” in game terms while avoiding a “straight jacket” of special rules to force irrational play. Players maneuver corps and divisions through 9-mile wide hexagons in turns that span three days each. Chit pull activation, along with modest movement point allowances, generates a highly interactive game. Combat uses artillery and rifles to reveal the comparative strengths of the opposing armies. Optional rules for variable set up and fog of war counters shroud the game in uncertainty and increase replay value. “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time”, Sir Edward Grey.