La Der des Ders - The War to End War

From Hexasim:

Relive the Great War. Replay history.
11 November 1918. Silence. At last. But it's not over yet. A century later, we invite you to replay history, with a capital H.

In a nutshell
In La Der des Ders, you take command of the Entente or the Central Powers to relive the entire First World War at a strategic level. Manage your resources, develop your technologies, launch offensives in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, and try to break your opponent before the war consumes you. Far from the din of shells and the incessant rain that seeps in everywhere, you will decide the fate of your armies.

How to win
One game turn equals four months of real time. A game can last up to 14 turns, unless the war is won - or lost - before then, or peace talks have begun. Victory is achieved by launching powerful offensives that will undermine the morale of enemy nations, forcing them to withdraw from the conflict. But each battle will come at a high cost to the attacker.

How to play
Turn after turn, players must make crucial choices: with limited resources, they guide their strategy by reinforcing their troops, developing new technologies or launching decisive offensives.

• Reinforcements: these allow you to make up for losses. A weakened sector will be less effective during offensives and will be closer to surrender.
• Technologies: Each side has its own technology tree, offering around twenty technologies each divided into six categories:
• Attack (attack bonus)
• Defence (defence bonus)
• Artillery (more dice during offensives)
• Aviation (roll again for Artillery dice)
• Naval (reduction of enemy resources)
• Raid (influence on Events)
• Offensives: a player who launches an offensive rolls as many dice as the operational value of the attacking sector (a value that decreases as losses are suffered). Bonuses are applied according to the technological levels of the two opponents. The defender suffers a loss for each die showing a result greater than or equal to 5 (4 for Germany, 6 for Greece). The larger the offensive, the more resources it will cost.

Relive history
Historical events punctuate the game, recreating the historical course of the First World War: new countries entering the war (Italy, Romania, Greece, etc.), bonuses (Belgian fortifications), penalties (ammunition shortages), or obligations to launch offensives (Battle of Verdun, Battle of the Somme, etc.).

Solo mode
Want to play alone? La Der des Ders offers a solo mode with a virtual opponent: Athena. Managed by a simple deck of cards, Athena offers a credible challenge without unnecessary complexity.

Amazing components
Speaking of enjoyment, we have made it a point of honour to offer a beautiful and solid game that makes you want to play furiously. You'll find a game board with an impeccable finish (covered edges and canvas back), thick cards, double-layer Technology boards that keep the wooden cubes and cylinders in place during play, and an insert to store everything.

Relive four years of war in two hours of play, alone or with a friend: that's the promise of La Der des Ders.

Components:

• 1 mounted map
• 1 countersheet
• 86 wooden pieces
• 4 Technology boards (double layer)
• 55 cards (Event, Solitaire)
• 1 player aid
• 7 dice
• 1 rulebook (including designer's notes and historical notes)

Designer: Arnauld Della Siega
Game art: Marc Von Martial
Complexity : moderate