To the Green Fields Beyond (game)

On 20 November 1917, the British attacked the German trenches of the Hindenberg Line, using the newly invented tank as a spearpoint.

A strong German counterattack on 29 November forced the Allies back to the line they had gained on the first day of the battle.

[4] Although wargames based on World War I had not been popular to this point in time,[3] To the Green Fields Beyond proved to be a surprise hit, with pre-orders alone pushing it to #7 on the SPI Top 10 Bestseller list six months before it was released.

[4] In Issue 18 of Phoenix, Donald Mack called the rules system "unique" and particularly well-suited to trench warfare.

"In consequence, the game consists of bouts of hard work, especially if one is on the offensive, alternating with upwards of an hour of either gazing at the ceiling or roaming around the room looking for something to read."

He concluded on an ambiguous note, saying, "[Designer David Isby] has devised a clever play-system to suggest the 'feel' of trench warfare in 1917 [...] [but] To the Green Fields Beyond is as ponderous as one of the Mark IV tanks which inspired it.

"[2] In Issue 19 of Phoenix, Andrew McGee found major deficiencies in the rules around supply lines, and after examining them in depth, suggested a large number of substantive changes be made.