Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918
Contents - Description
Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918 is a 2-player hex-based strategic level block war game set on the Western Front of the First World War. Players take control of the Allies or Central Powers fighting the war on land, at sea, and in the air all the while making tough economic and technological decisions at home.
Fields of Despair has a unique block system designed to maintain the fog of war throughout the entire game. In most games, block combat values range from one to four. In Fields of Despair the range is zero to twenty.
The range in values makes Fields of Despair a very deceptive game. Players can build up a large force with a single block instead of giving away their strategy with a stack of blocks.
Movement is simple and free flowing. Players are allowed to “make change” during the movement phase. Thus a block with a combat value of 16 could be broken in two blocks of 8 before moving, or conversely two blocks could be combined into one. Zero-value blocks known as “Deception” blocks could also be part of the exchange. Thus after every movement phase you never really know the strength of your enemy.
The fog of war isn’t lost after first contact with the enemy. Blocks remain hidden even when enemies occupy the same hex and stay hidden until one player decides to allocate an air squadron for reconnaissance or sends his men across no man’s land.
Components:
1 Mounted Board 22" x 34"
1 Rule Book
1 Playbook of Scenarios and Examples of Play
2 Player Boards (to track Econ and Tech)
140 Blocks and Stickers
– 48 Black
– 49 Light Blue
– 30 Tan
– 10 Olive
– 3 Orange
240 Counters
– 162 5/8” Counters (+14 blanks)
– 18 1/2" Counters
– 60 1” Counters (Air, Artillery, Tanks)
74 1/4” wood cubes (Economic Points)
– 30 Blue (Allied Naval/Production)
– 30 Black (CP Naval/Production)
– 12 Red (Eastern Front)
– 2 White (Naval, no effect)
2 Bags for drawing Naval War and Eastern Front chits/cubes
Various Player Aids (Solo & 2-Player)
Additional information
| Ages | 13+ |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 Players |
| Play Time | 180m – 180m |
| Designer | Kurt Keckley |
| Mechanics | Hexagon Grid, Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment |
| Theme | Wargame, World War I |
| Publisher | GMT Games |
Video
Ratings
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A_Rebours
I seriously doubt that WWI West front at this scale (like really really large scale) can be strategically interesting so the designer felt the need to add gimmicky bluffing and cumbersome subsystems that have little or no impact on the main action (such as the War in the East cube drawing subphase). This is compounded by goofy supply rules: units can survive indefinitely behind enemy lines with no attrition whatsoever, cut off from any communication with their base, and the French draw their supply only from the West, which creates an end of the world effect where a two-hex advance from the Germans east of Paris would cut off the entire eastern part of the frontline (because obviously, as everybody knows, supply cannot be diverted south and towns like Lyon have no industry). Overall I could overlook these flaws if the game were strategically more interesting but alas it is just a ponderous slog once the race to the sea is over. I know that's the way it's supposed to be but still, not much fun.
MikeOberly
Mercy, GMT has been releasing beautiful games the last three years or so (they have been doing so for quite a while, but particularly the last few years). I was trying to resist this one, but finally pulled the trigger - I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. The game is physically stunning...one of the best GMT has done in this regard. The reason I bought it, however, was because it looked like a unique and interesting design. A different take on the block game, with its own personality. Truly looking forward to playing.
Gareth00Simon
An excellent 1914 opening scenario, but from 1915 onwards it goes completely off the rails of history - every game that has gone into 1916 sees the Somme offensive of 1916 fought on the Meuse. It simply can't handle trench warfare - the very thing that defined the Great War in Western Europe. The designer has actually recognised this - even if he has not admitted it - by his victory conditions for the Campaign Game, which are achievable in his game but which are historical fantasy. His trench warfare system here is more akin to trench warfare in the ACW or the Franco-German War - though without the tanks.