Today I am going to write not-so-typical post. I was playing Paths of Glory for pretty long time since its being published. However, some time ago I had possibility to discuss with one of my fellow boardgame colleagues Krzysztof about YouTube channels focused on history. Especially we touched the The Great War  channel which is wonderful and very accessible source of World War I material (highly recommended!). In the meantime, Marcin – another dedicated boardgames player – joined in and pretty quickly our debate diverted towards the great simulation of WWI – Paths of Glory.

The decision to try and play the game was immediate. I decided to be “master of the game”, not taking part in the encounter but rather making sure both player get into game quickly and helping with the rules. Marcin was commanding Allied forces while Krzysztof was in charge of Central Powers. The scenario – introductory one, 3 turns – was perfect to introduce new players to the game. Let us see what happened…

TURN 1

2015.06.25_turn1
Click to enlarge situation map (pictures description initially created in Polish)

WEST:

  • standard beginning, with Guns of  August played as event in consequence of which Liege and Sedan have fallen while French army in Sedan escaped annihilation thanks to “Withdrawal” card
  • British Expeditory Force (BEF) in Brussels is being attacked, weakened but not pushed out

EAST:

  • fights around Belgrade ends with unexpected and unusual quick victory for Central Powers – city falls to their hands in a blink of an eye…
  • another standard – German 8th Army takes over Lodz and Plock
  • Russians (Marcin) attacks decisively in Galicia, hitting hard and deep into Carpathians to the extent of endangering the Austro-Hungary capitals

TURN 2

2015.06.25_turn2
Click to enlarge situation map (pictures description initially created in Polish)

WEST:

  • BEF is finally beaten and almost destroyed
  • nothing more happens in the West (“All Quiet on the Western Front”)

EAST (here we have real action!):

  • German 8th Army conquests Cracow but…
  • …their southern allies (Austro-Hungary) are mercilessly beaten in Carpathians, losing Lemberg, Stanislaw, Uzhgorod and – what is most important – Przemysl
  • in the South, Serbian armies try to counter-attack but are to weak to take the Belgrade back

TURN 3

2015.06.25_turn3
Click to enlarge situation map (pictures description initially created in Polish)

WEST:

  • finally, the action started there! Germans move forward, destroying Belgian Army and taking over Antwerp and Oested
  • enormous French counter-attack on Brussels backfires in  spectacular way…

EAST:

  • Warsaw fort is being destroyed
  • Russians push forward without a stop – they take over terrain up to Czestochown…
  • …but they over-extend and are being counter-attacked  by a single corps, which takes back some of the provinces previously lost

At this moment the third turn ends! The victory points are at 10 which results in minor Allied (Marcin) victory. However, what is more important, new adepts are very eager to play again and cannot wait to do it. And all this thanks to the channel The Great War ….

The final situation on the map:

2015.06.25_summary
And here it is – the end of turn 3

Next games for sure will follow!