n June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg crowns of Austria and Hungary, was assassinated by Serb nationalists in Sarajevo, then the capitol of Austrian controlled Bosnia-Herzogovina. The murder of Franz Ferdinand provided an excuse for the Austrian Army's chief of staff, Conrad von Hotzendorff, to "settle accounts" with the upstart Serbs, and on July 23 Austria presented Serbia with an ultimatum with a 48 hour time limit. The Serbs appealed to their traditional protector, Russia, for help. When Russia mobilized, Germany, Austria's ally, declared war on Russia on August 1. Having no plans for a war against Russia alone, Germany soon declared war on Russia's ally, France, and demanded the neutral Belgian government allow German troops passage through Belgium in order to execute the infamous Schlieffen Plan. This demand was refused, and the invasion of Belgium brought Britain into the war against Germany on August 4. In little more than a month the murder at Sarejevo had led to the First World War. Over four years later the war ended on November 11, 1918. The three great dynasties that had begun the war, Habsburg, Romanov, and Hohenzollern, had been destroyed. Lenin was waging a civil war for control of Russia, while Austria-Hungary had dissolved into its various ethnic components. The victors, France and Britain, were in scarcely better shape than the vanquished. The United States of America, which entered the war in April 1917, was disillusioned by the peace that followed and withdrew into isolationism. The Second World War was the result of the First. Paths of Glory: The First World War is a game that allows two players to simulate the Great War in a fun and historically accurate game. The Central Powers player is attempting to use his central position and the quality of his German armies to defeat his numerically superior opponents. The Allied player is attempting to bring his larger numbers to bear against his opponent, hoping to avoid a Revolution in Russia at least until the forces of the United States can arrive. Overview Paths of Glory is a corps/army game covering all of WWI in Europe and the Near East from August 1914 to the winter of 1918-19. Turns cards to his deck. a single army) anywhere within generally represent three months. The friendly territory. SR also allows for game uses a point-to-point style map Each Strategy Card may be used in the movement of corps into and out and card driven play sequence. To one of four ways each Action Round: of a player's Reserve Box, and give some feel for the game's me- Operations, Strategic Redeployment, between ports for sea movement. A chanics, an expanded sequence of Replacements or as an Event. Use of a player may not perform SR two play is presented below. card as an Event will usually cause its Rounds in a row in a single turn. removal from the game. A. Mandated Offensive Phase Replacements are accumulated Both players roll on the Mandated Operations consist of activating 2-to-5 during a turn through card play, and Offensive Table on the appropriate spaces (depending on the card's OPS used to rebuild reduced or eliminated Allied or Central Powers line to rating) for movement or combat. units at the end of the turn. Unused determine which nation they control, Generally combat units cannot both replacements are lost-they may not be if any, must perform a Mandated move and attack in a single Round. saved from one turn to the next. As Offensive. Place the appropriate MO with SR, a player may not perform 2 marker on the Turn Record Track as a Combat in Paths of Glory involves Replacement Actions in a row in the reminder. A player may choose not to the use of fire tables, with armies same Turn. perform a Mandated Offensive at the firing on a better table than corps. cost of a Victory Point. Attacker and defender fire is gener- If a player chooses not to play a card ally simultaneous, though the he can take an automatic 1 OPS. The B. Action Phase attacker may attempt to gain first fire player who is currently ahead can Each Action Phase is divided into six through a Flank Attack under certain also offer Peace Terms, generally in identical Action Rounds. Each conditions. A failed Flank Attack the hope of picking up a cheap Round allows both players to take gives the defender first fire. Trenches propaganda VP. But he must be wary one action. The Central Powers prevent flank attacks and provide - if he is too far ahead the other player takes his action first in each other combat benefits to the defender. player may accept his terms, ending Round. Each player Action consists the game in a draw. of a Card Play, a Peace Offer, or the All corps and armies are two step automatic activation of a single units. You do not build up or C. Attrition Phase friendly stack for movement or breakdown between corps and Eliminate all OOS Corps and Armies. combat. armies in Paths of Glory. However if Eliminated OOS Corps are placed in an army is eliminated it combat it is the deadpile. Eliminated OOS Armies Each player has his own deck of 55 replaced by a corps from that side's are permanently removed from the Strategy Cards. These decks are in Reserve Box, and if no such corps is game. Supply is traced through any turn divided into Mobilization, in Reserve the army is permanently friendly controlled spaces to a supply Limited War, and Total War cards. eliminated. Balancing the need for source. Each player starts with 14 Mobiliza- corps on the map and in Reserve is a tion cards. The play of certain Events key element of the game. D. Siege Phase gradually increases a player's War Forts are printed on the map and may Status, adding first 20 Limited War Strategic Redeployment allows for be besieged when an enemy force and later 21 additional Total War the movement of corps (or sometimes enters that space. During this phase, players roll a die for each besieged fort to determine if it surrenders. Place a DBS Marker on each fort, which surrenders. E. War Status Phase E.I. Determine if either player has won an Automatic Victory. Only the CP player earns Victory Points. If his total reaches 20 (it starts the game at 10) he wins an Automatic Victory. If it falls to 0 the Allies win an Auto- matic Victory. E.2. Each player determines if their commitment level to the war has increased, adding Limited or Total War cards to their deck as appropri- ate. E.3. Determine if an Armistice has and Limited War scenarios). With Kaiser's legions are very capable been declared. When the Combined four potential uses per card each indeed. Six French or Russian armies Total War Status of both sides hits 40, play, and 110 different cards in the attacking a 5-3-3 German army an Armistice will be declared, ending game, Paths of Glory will never play (backed by a corps in the Reserve the game. (If no Armistice is declared the same way twice. Box) sitting in a Level 2 Trench the game ends automatically at the would have only a 33% chance of end of Turn 20.) When an Armistice It should also be noted that the capturing the space. If properly used is declared you check the current multiple uses for each card make the fighting power of the German Central Powers VP level to determine Paths of Glory a better than average soldier will go a long way towards if the game has a winner or ends in a game for the solo gamer. Simply evening the odds. draw. If one side has won the other is examine each side's hand to note for assumed to have asked for the Combat Cards that might be used Historically German tactical skill was Armistice. If it is a draw, general war during battle, and randomly choose ultimately wasted because of strate- weariness has caused both sides to your Strategy Card each round. gic shortsightedness. It is very easy come to terms. Having to choose exactly how to use for the CP player to fall into a similar each randomly selected card will trap and strike out blindly in pursuit F. Replacement Phase leave you with plenty of decisions to of tactical victories without a clear F.I. Allied Powers Segment: The make and add suspense to solo play. strategic goal. The result will most Allied player spends any Replace- likely be an impressive string of ment Points (RPs) accumulated battles won on the way to losing the through play of RP Cards this turn, as Playing the Central Powers war. marked on the General Records The good news for the Central Track. Any RPs not spent are lost. Powers in Paths of Glory is that they In order not to repeat history the CP have the advantage of interior lines. player needs to control the initiative F.2. Central Powers Segment: The The bad news is that means they're as much as possible. This means Central Powers player spends any surrounded. Playing the CP is a playing cards and taking actions on Replacement Points (RPs) accumu- matter of juggling fronts, of maintain- the map that force the Allied player lated through play of RP Cards this ing just enough defensive strength to to react.