Italia 1917-1918: A Farewell to Arms

Description

Italia 1918 – A Farewell to Arms is an operational wargame which simulates the fierce fighting which pitted the troops of the Entente (Italy, France, Great-Britain and USA) against those of the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary and Germany) during the period between the Battle of Caporetto (Oct 1917) and the Villa Giusti Armistice (Nov 1918).

Two A1 maps, printed front and back, are included. The global one covers the terrain between the Adige River and Trieste, to allow the players to simulate the whole campaign from Caporetto onwards. The zoom map, with enlarged hexes, covers the terrain from Adige to the Adriatic sea in order to concentrate on the main combat zone after the Italian retreat: the Piave River, the Monte Grappa Massif, the Asiago Plateau and the Trento area & for the second one the zone of the Austro-German offensive on the Isonzo that has been immortalised under the name of the battle of Caporetto.

The 2 countersheets include a complete OB for all the belligerents, from tenacious Italian Alpini to the redoutable German Alpenkorps, along with Austrian Kaiserjger, Hungarian Honvd divisions or French Chasseurs des Alpes.

Basic rules allow the players to tackle 6 variously sized scenarios, from 1 to 6 hours of play, using either a part of the board, or the map in its entirety. 5 of the scenarios are designed to be played on the zoom map, in order to take maximum advantage of the improved play experience provided by the larger hexes.
In chronological order, the scenarios are:

Thunder at Caporetto (4 turns/ portion of the global map) covers the offensive of von Belows XIV. Armee, which caused the collapse of the Italian IIa Armata and set in motion the retreat to the Piave.
1st Piave: the stopping battle (3 turns / all of the zoom map) simulates the last attacks launched jointly by AH and German units, before the Germans were withdrawn to the Western Front. These assaults were only contained by the fierce resistance of the Italian army on the Monte Grappa-Piave line, the last obstacle before the Venetian plain.
Radetzky: Conrads last gamble (1 turn/ half of the zoom map) is a 1 turn scenario covering the offensive launched in the Asiago region in June 1918 by the former Imperial Chief of Staff Conrad von Htzendorf, an offensive that was stopped by the joint efforts of Italian, French and British troops. This is the games introductory scenario.
Albrecht: Boroevics missed opportunity (3 turns/ half of the zoom map) simulates the offensive launched by Army Group Boroevic on the Piave at the same time as Radetzky.
2nd Piave: The Battle of the Solstice combines Albrecht and Radetzky in a big 4 turn long scenario using the whole of the zoom map.
3rd Piave: Revenge at Vittorio (4 turns/ whole zoom map) simulates the final Entente offensive which is now known as Battle of Vittorio-Veneto.

Advanced rules allow the players to simulate the whole campaign; they introduce the reconstruction of destroyed units, the management of strategic reserves and the use of random events cards (50 for each side) with various effects and evocative titles such as Rommel, Hemingway or I ragazzi del 99 (The boys of 99), for example.
The campaign game is played on the global map, beginning with the Caporetto offensive and lasts 23 to 36 turns.

Optional rules will allow players to explore several what-if possibilities.
For those who do not know the system, the basic rules of Somme 1918 can be consulted while waiting for the online rules of Italia 1918, which will be similar but with some adaptations and novelties.
Boxed game
2 A1 double-sided maps
1 A1 single-sided map
700 counters
Rules booklet in english
24 pages campaign rules booklet in english
1 set of 100 event cards
2 A3 double-sided player aids [ Allied screen, Central powers screen ]
3 A4 single-sided player aids [ Strategic reserves for both sides & other tracks ]
4 A4 double-sided player aids [ Scenario setups ]
2 A4 single-sided player aids [ Reinforcements & Terrains ]
4 dice

(from Nuts Publishing website)