Expansion 2 - The French Army
In this second expansion for THE GREAT WAR, we focus on battles involving the French army. The French army, like other European powers, prior to the war was caught up in an arms race of sorts and when Germany declared war on Russia, on 1 August 1914, France honored their treaty with Russia and mobilized to meet an expected German offensive. Germany, as anticipated, marched through Belgium, and as they say the rest is history. Early on in the war on the Western Front, France would fight in many battles and campaigns: Marne, Ypres, Champagne, Somme, Frontiers, Lorraine, Charleroi, the “Race to the Sea” and Verdun. It is the latter, The Battle of Verdun, which is the main focus of the scenarios in this second expansion. That is not to say that the engagements prior to Verdun or following were of less importance. Rather, the Battle of Verdun, lasting from February through December 1916, is a testament to the strength and fortitude of the French Armed Forces.
In addition to the soldiers of the French army, PSC Games as a bonus has included in this expansion a set of special personnel figures for the French, British and German armies. Like the bomber special personnel figure already introduced, each of these new special personnel figures, when added to a unit will allow the unit to modify its normal actions. Many of the scenarios in this expansion already have a number of the new special personnel figures deployed.
For the official scenarios prior to this expansion, players should refer to the Scenario Special Personnel Deployment listing, which will recommend the number of special personnel figures that can be deployed for each side in a scenario.
In this manner, any scenario can be customized by adding special personnel figures of your own choosing prior to the start of a game.
Welcome and Enjoy!
Richard Borg