On August 3rd, 1914, Germany declared war on France. German armies poured into France and Belgium. Britain protested, then declared war on Germany on August 4th. The famous British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was sent to France and marched into Belgium on August 21st. They halted on the Condé Canal at Mons to defend against what they thought was a small German force to their north. Once that was brushed aside, they planned to turn east and roll up the German flank. However, they actually faced the entire German 1. Armee. The next morning, in a thick mist, German cavalry patrols stumbled into outlying British pickets. So began the long fight between the British and Germans in The Great War.
The Battle of Mons (August 23rd-24th, 1914) looms large in the legends of the British Army. Here the plucky BEF with their “rifle fire like machine guns” gave the dastardly Germans a bloody nose, or so the story goes. The Germans for their part were well satisfied. In their view, they met the “English,” pushed them back, then chased them all the way to the Marne. Which view is correct?
Mons had surprises for both armies. They expected a battle like in The Boer War or the Franco-Prussian War. Mons did have maneuver and even cavalry charges, but hard lessons were learned.
Mons, 1914: The Mad Minute is the second game in the Rifle and Saber Series, first used in Gallipoli, 1915: Churchill’s Greatest Gamble. The series rules have been completely overhauled to speed play and ease learning. Key charts have been simplified, and rules that were rarely used have been dropped, resulting in faster and smoother games. Gallipoli can be played with the 2.0 rules with some short upgrade instructions and a few replacement charts.
Mons is a big game. Two maps show the length of the Condé Canal. Over 1,500 counters cover every unit from the BEF and the German 1. Armee. Units are half-battalions and batteries with some platoon pickets. The game includes introductory scenarios, six historical scenarios, three hypothetical scenarios, and numerous variants.
In the meeting engagement scenarios, the armies enter gradually, led by their cavalry divisions. A wild period of maneuver follows as the cavalry and jägers attempt to sneak past the enemy until the infantry shows up, and the battle is joined in earnest. There are rules for cavalry charges, including debacles and impetuous charges. The command problems of the BEF and German 1. Armee are shown, although scenario variants give players all the freedom they could want.
Product Information:
- Complexity: Medium-High
- Solitaire Suitability: Low
- Players: 2-4
- Playing Time: 4-8 Hour Scenarios, 16-24 Hour Full Campaign
- Map Scale: 1 Hex = 400 Meters
- Time Scale: Daylight Turn = 2 Hours, Night Turn = 4 Hours
- Unit Scale: Rifle Step = 200 Men
- Game Designer: Geoffrey Phipps
- Game Artists: Geoffrey Phipps & Bruce Yearian
Game Components:
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- 2 22 x 34″ Game Maps
- 6 Countersheets (9/16″ Counters)
- 6 Single-Sided 8.5 x 11″ Player Aids
- 14 Double-Sided 8.5 x 11″ Player Aids
- 15 Single-Sided 11 x 17″ Player Aids
- 2 Double-Sided 8.5 x 22″ Player Aids
- 2 Percentile (d%) Dice
- 2 10-Sided Dice (d10)
- 1 Dry Erase Marker
- 36 Wood Cubes
- 1 Wood Block
- 1 Series Rulebook
- 1 Playbook
- 1 Setup Book
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