Italia 1917-1918: A Farewell to Arms

Manufacturer: Ares Games

On 24 October 1917, after two and a half years of bitter fighting over the frist 11 battles of the Isonzo, the Austo-Hungarian army supported by several elite German divisions, launched a stunning offensive which would become known to prosperity under the name of the Battle of Caporetto. Three weeks later, the Italian frontline had retreated about 65 miles (100km) and had reformed on the Piave River.

It was on this river and the surrounding mountains, such as Monte Grapa, that the Italians would put up a desperate resistance for months, finally halting the last Austro-Hungarian offensive in June 1918 before themselves launching the final offensive, itself known as the Battle of Vittorio-Veneto, exactly one year after Caporetto.

These are the great battles of the period that Italia 1917-1918 allows you to simulate. An operational wargame, it offers 6 large scenarios of variable lengths featuring all the troops that fought in this little-known theatre of operations: Italian Alpini and Bersaglieri, Tyrolean Kaiserjäger and the Bosnian regiments of the Austro-Hungarian army, German Alpenkorps and the Stosstruppen, French Chasseurs Alpins.

Italia 1917-1918 also allows you to simulate the whole period running from the Battle of Caporetto right up to the Armistice of Villa Guisti, signed on 3 November 1918, thanks to a campaign game that uses randomly drawn event cards and a system of unit reconstruction.

The third game in the "1918" series that illustrates the resumption of the war of movement in the last year of the First World War, Italia 1917-1918 uses the game system developed by Nicolas Rident in Marne 1918: Friedensturm and Somme 1918: Bloody Spring, adapted for the specificities of the Italian front.

Contents:
2 Double-Sided Maps
1 Single-Sided Map
700 Mixed Counters
1 Rulebook
1 Advanced Rules Booklet
105 Event Cards
2 Double-Sided Screens
5 Player Aids
4 Double-Sided Player Aids
4 Dice

Ages: 14+
Players: 2
Game Length: 60-240 minutes

Mechanisms:
• Dice Rolling
• Hexagon Grid