Europe Aflame
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Europe Aflame is a board wargame published by TSR in 1989 that simulates the European and Middle East theatres of World War II.
Europe Aflame is a two-player game with Europe, North Africa and the Middle East represented on the board. One player is the Axis commander while the other player is the Allied commander.[1]
The game uses a "fog of war" strategy to prevent the other player from seeing the exact strength of units arrayed before them. The cardboard counters are placed in plastic holders so that the owning player can see the front of the counter, while their opponent only sees the blank back of the counter.
Rather than using a hex grid, the map is divided into areas. To resolve combat, the attacker rolls a six-sided die. If the number rolled is equal or less than the defender unit's strength, that unit's strength is reduced by one.
The game includes rules for fortresses, amphibious invasions, naval transport, strategic movement, partisans, paratroops, U-Boat wolf packs, and lend-lease and non-aggression pacts.[2] To add an element of randomness, the timing of the entry of the United States, the Soviet Union and Italy vary from game to game.[2]
Publication history
In the 1970s TSR was mainly known as the publisher of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. With the takeover of Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1982, TSR entered the board wargame market, but just as the wargame market sagged, and TSR divested themselves of SPI's old assets and staff by 1985. TSR re-entered the wargame market in 1989 with The Hunt for Red October, a board game based on the Tom Clancy novel. This was a bestseller for TSR, and they decided to follow up the same year with Europe Aflame, a board wargame designed by David "Zeb" Cook. However, unlike The Hunt for Red October, this game failed to find an audience.[2]