France 1914
A Note on Copyright
FRANCE 1914 is COPYRIGHTED -- NOT Public Domain -- and FREE under the following conditions:
- Schools, libraries, and museums are free to make and keep copies for in-house educational use or nonpermanent loan/circulation ... in gratitude for the fine education and research assistance I have always received from such institutions.
- An individual is free to make one personal copy of France 1914 for his/her own personal use.
- All other rights -- including publishing rights -- are reserved to me.
France 1914, is a relatively simple, straightforward simulation of Germany's long-planned but only nearly successful attempt at a quick victory in Northwest Europe in 1914. My game Blitzkrieg! The Attack on the West, 1940, using the same basic map and infantry units, shows what more happened when close air support and massed armor/panzers were then added to the German arsenal.
Dedication:
France 1914 is dedicated ...
A. to all those who suffered in the First World War - especially, in the West, the Belgian and French peoples.
B. to my children Rebecca, Robert, Rohan, and Johanna, in the hope that they may never have to go through a world war:
The more we learn about the world wars, the better our chances that they will be the LAST world wars.
C. To my good friend and a proud Frenchman in Gothenburg Sweden, Patrick Tremoureux, and his beautiful little family, for their generous hospitality and his contagious joie de vivre.
D. To my two Rock Island (Illinois) Senior High School French teachers who inspired my appreciation for people and things French, each in their own way.
A Request: If you do assemble and play this free game of mine, PLEASE let me know at ELCOAT@hotmail.com what you think of it and whether, after more than a couple games, you think one side or the other has an advantage. Thanks!
And now: Here are France 1914's components, to print off and assemble so that it may be played. Players-students will also need a single six-sided die (or chits numbered 1-6, to be drawn out of a hat) for the randomized combat results tables.
- Rules in Rich Text Format, revised 20Feb17. These will probably be revised frequently, with feedback. Note the greater prevalence of X (exchange) combat results and that exchanges are VOLUNTARY.
- Examples of movement vis a vis ZOCs and rivers.
- Allied and German Units, Revised 15Apr14 - 9th French Army added
You will want to print the units off at maximum size possible and then photo-reduce them from that, for best detail/quality. 5/8"--15mm--wide is about right. French and Allied units should be printed/photocopied off onto light tan/khaki (or NATO good guy light blue) paper/cardstock, for mounting on the back of blue-backed posterboard or (better) matte board. German units should be printed/photocopied off onto light gray (or NATO bad guy pink) for mounting on the back of red (bad guy) posterboard or matte board.
I've made the German Guards Korps a 2 instead of a 1, for play balance. If winning is still impossible for the Germans, don't use the French 9th Corps.
- The mapboard. Revised 15Apr14
You will want to print this off as large as possible, and you should enlarge it with a photocopier after that. Ivory is an excellent color. I will be improving these .jpgs from time to time, but unless I have committed a major oversight somehow the map will stay unchanged.
- Historical and Game Design Commentary, DONE, 25Feb13 with more explanations of design rationales and with Advice on Play of the Game.
- Accounts of games of France 1914 played, in HTM with photos - First to be posted soon.
- To record the game's significant moments, as well as have a momento (and analysis) of your games.
Comments by myself and others about the game can be read on ConSimWorld
If you are a friend, and/or if you would like to share info and ideas about military and naval history and game designing and cardstock model shipbuilding, and/or you have any questions about France 1914 feel free to e-mail me at ELCOAT@Hotmail.com
Thank you for your interest in France 1914.
(20Feb13, Revised 21Feb17)