Decisive Victory 1918, Volume One: Soissons

Decisive Victory 1918, Volume One: Soissons is a standalone wargame covering the French 10th Army sector during the Allied offensive of July 1918, part of the Second Battle of the Marne.

The game focuses on the realities of late First World War combat: surprise attacks, tanks, artillery preparation, rigid command limits, exhausted formations, stubborn machine-gun defence, and the difficulty of sustaining an advance once the first breakthrough has been made.

The Entente player must make the most of the initial offensive without burning out their attacking power too quickly. Tanks and artillery can be powerful, but they are limited assets that must be used at the right moment. The German player must manage a fighting withdrawal, deciding when to fall back, when to hold, and where a determined stand can blunt the offensive.

The system uses mandatory multi-hex attacks, strict zones of control, extended threat zones, attritional combat, remnants, prepared assaults, and night reorganisation to reflect the difficulty of coordinated operations in 1918. With low counter density, one-sitting play, and good solitaire suitability, this is a focused treatment of a key late-war campaign.

Contents include: one 22" x 25.5" map, 352 0.6" counters, a 32-page colour rulebook, a 24-page colour playbook, six colour player aids, and one scenario.