Desert War: Tactical Warfare in North Africa

Desert War: Tactical Warfare in North Africa 1973

5.7 /10
BGG rating
#25730
BGG rank
3.1
Weight
2–4
Players
2
Best at
120–180
Minutes
12
Age

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About the Game

Desert War: Tactical Warfare in North Africa, 1940-43, is an historical simulation of the tactical Combat in North Africa from 1941 to 1943. The scenarios show several common situations involving German, British and Italian Units. The combination of situations with varying forces allow an almost innumerable amount of different scenarios to be played.

Desert War is basically a two-Player game. It is played in sequenced turns, during which the Players use a new & unique simultaneous plotting and moving system to move their units on the map, have combat and attempt to achieve certain objectives. The game is played in Scenarios which are various mixtures of forces and objectives.

The Western Desert, stretching 1,400 miles between Tripoli and Alexandria, was described by one German general as "a tactician's paradise and a quartermaster's hell." Between March 1941, when Rommel's Afrika Korps arrived in Tripoli, and May 1943, when the last Axis troops surrendered in Tunisia, the conduct of the Desert War furnished the proof for that general's impression.

Desert War is a tactical simulation designed to recreate the mechanized struggles which took place in the "perfect" tactical terrain of North Africa during World War II. The 22" x 34" two-color mapsheet depicts a composite desert battlefield on which the flat sands are sparsely interrupted by patches of rocky cover or slight differences of elevation. Each mapsheet hex represents a hundred meters of distance and each Game-Turn represents three and a half minutes of actual time. Four hundred die-cut units represent the Allied, German and Italian combat units that contest the differing Desert War situations and scenarios. Opposing infantry companies, supported by tank platoons and anti-tank and artillery batteries engage each other within the tactical game scale of Desen War.

Desert War is a tactician's simulation tool. Those of you who have been following this series from PanzerBlitz and Combat Command: Tactical Armored Warfare, France 1944 through Red Star/White Star: Tactical Combat in Europe in the 1970's, know that Desert War is a development of game you won't want to miss.

Game Scale: Game Turn: 3.5 minutes Hex: 109 yards / 100 meters Units: Platoon to Company

Game Inventory: One 22 x 34" two-color map One single-side printed countersheet (400 1/2" counters) One 10-page folded rulebook One Simultaneous Movement Plot pad Two Scenario & Tables players aid sheet One 6-sided die

Solitaire Playability: Low Complexity Level: Medium Players: 2 or more Playing Time: 2-4 hours

Filed Under

Categories
Mechanics
Also known as
Desert War: Tactical Warfare in North Africa · 1940-43
BGG ratings
57 · geek rating 5.50
BGG data
refreshed Sep 7, 2026