Some action with the ww1 version of 'Iron Cross' and 'Seven Days to the River Rhine'.
'1914' is early war stuff, so cavalry and not tanks. We did not get to try the cavalry rules here, though they have nice mechanisms surrounding elements which have to be 'reconned' before establishing where the main force is vs scouting elements, which is a nice touch, and might see some hacking if this scale (units are battalions) were used for a ww2 version in terms of armour.
Other differences (as noted) include the scale - where a stand is a company and moves as part of a battalion sized 'line' unit, as opposed to 'Iron Cross' and 'Seven Days' which are tank to tank.
Now in the past, great fun has been had with WW2, WW3 and Arab-Israeli War versions for these rule-sets.
Advantages there have been very obvious, in terms of act / counter-act for tokens and general excitement, and despite a lot of play and refinement of the ww2 version, we have found that ww3 play - with tokens, and nail-biting action - actually 'feels' like fast moving action in 1980s West Germany (absence of artillery notwithstanding).
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| Bekaa Valley 1982 action in 20mm with 'Seven Days'. This one was particularly 'down to the wire'. |
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| Action in West Germany 1985 - in 1/200 with 'Seven Days' |
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| 20mm WW2 Eastern Front with 'Iron Cross' |
Therein lies the problem for ww1; the units are battalions with MGs - moving essentially in lines, and though we still have the move - counter-move etc, there is nothing like a large Main Battle Tank to break the monotony of an advance or defence. Obviously, those are absent here, and so I did question the validity of the 'game' mechanism for this type of confrontation. It does make for drab gameplay as it becomes a game of numbers, odds, and staying awake.
Little nuances like the activation chit, and the d6 conversion for d10 hits, become a chore rather than a nail-biting line in the narrative.
'Seven Days to the River Rhine' for me, was the pinnacle of this design mechanism - it rocks along and is exciting - moving tanks, or revealing armour on the crestline, helicopter popups, infantry assaults at the infantryman level view...First World War feels regressive in nature due to the absence of same.
That said, there is still a game here, but with lots of add-ons for ww1 'fun', such as MG proclivities and large calibre guns, and battalion upgrades etc.- perhaps a stretch. For ww1, perhaps 'Field of Battle' might be a more viable option, with that system's degree of battlefield chaos lending credence to the difficulties of command, rather than attempting to graft a system based on 'gamey excitement' onto a level and period of conflict where it can not exist in the same context as the previous offerings of this system.
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| German MGs |
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| The objective - guarded by French units |
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| The French right flank, would fall to superior numbers |
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| Red trousers |
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| The German Assault |
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| The last French company - more red trousers |
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| Lots of command chits |
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| Excellent 10mm units on both sides |
