The Franco-Prussian War (wargame)

France, egged on by inflammatory rhetoric from Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck, declared war on Prussia in July 1870.

"[3] The simpler Basic game is meant to familiarize players with the rules, and uses a standard "I Go, You Go" alternating system, where the Prussians add reinforcements, move and attack.

If and when the corps is flipped over, the unit's formation status will be revealed as either: Due to the inverted counters, movement is a more complex procedure in the Standard game.

During the Movement phase, the active player moves units as desired, but can also launch "probe attacks" at enemy counters to reveal their strength at a minimal risk.

"[6] In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicky Palmer called it an "operational level simulation of the war which alerted the world to Prussian strength."

Campion also noted that the game was unbalanced in favor of the Germans, writing, "The French seem to have little chance of winning the historical scenario but can play for a draw and hope that the Prussian gets careless."

"[2] Writing a retrospective review for The Wargamer, Bill Gray called this "not only one of the most playable yet historically accurate games on the 1870 tussle between Bismarck and Napoleon III, but unlike most, one that completely immerses the player in the same swamp of frustration and bewilderment of the original commanders.

Gray concluded, "Of the several different titles that have attempted, over the years, to simulate this somewhat obscure conflict, this game still remains my personal favorite.