1918

1918, subtitled "Operation Michel: March 21–30, Germany's Last Chance in the West", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1970 that simulates Operation Michael, the final German offensive on the Western Front in which they tried to win the war or at least force peace talks before American soldiers started to arrive on the Western Front in force. The game was well received by critics, but did not sell well. Background The United States declared war on Germany in 1917, and it was obvious that overwhelming numbers of American soldiers would be arriving in Europe by the latter part of 1918, swinging the defensive stalemate on the Western Front in favor of the Allies. The German High Command knew they had a limited amount of time to somehow force the Allies to come to the negotiating table seeking peace on Germany's terms. The withdrawal of Russia from the war in late 1917 gave Germany this opportunity, as large numbers of German soldiers were transferred from Russia to the Western Front, where they were secretly trained in new infiltration tactics using Stoßtruppen (stormtroopers). Germany unexpectedly launched Operation Michael in March 1918, a major offensive that sought to drive a wedge between the British and French forces. In only seven days, German forces tore a large hole in the Allied lines and advanced 65 km (40 mi), coming within 75 km (45 mi) of Paris. Unless the Allies were able to blunt this attack, it would be a sudden end to the war. Description 1918 is a two-player wargame in which one player controls the German attacking forces, and the other player controls Allied defenders. The Germans begin with an overwhelming advantage mainly driven by a limited number of Stoßtruppen units; as they advance, supplying the offensive units becomes difficult. The Allied player must give ground and play for time, waiting for an opportunity to resist the offensive. Components The original "Test Series" game was packaged in a plain manila envelope and included: 23" x 29" paper hex grid map scaled at 2.8 km (1.8 mi) per hex a sheet of 255 paper counters (to be cut apart by the players) a typewritten rule sheet The second edition of the game featured professionally printed components and die-cut counters, was packaged in a "flatpack" box, and included a small six-sided die.