Most people tend to think of the Western front in WW I as one long, uniform, trench line, with any one section much like another. Two places, however, had conditions far worse than the average These two places, Verdun and Ypres Flanders), have come down to us as symbols of the futility of WW I strategy and tactics, and the horrors of trench warfare.

In both cases, the area was a small allied salient which contained some objective which, for primarily psychological reasons, the Allies were not prepared to yield. The Germans held the commanding ground for most of the campaigns in both areas, and the extensive trench and dugout systems of other fronts were often precluded in them, at Ypres because of the swampy nature of the ground, and at Verdun by the incessant bombardment. The casualities on both sides were increased by the constricted nature of the battle areas - there was no room to defend in depth, so the trenches were more heavily manned than was usually the case. Verdun was unique - a battle designed not to be won, the quintessence of all WW I battles in that its purposes were nothing more or less than attrition. The name for the operation. "Gericht" or "execution place" was unusually apt.

The Conflit Game Company's VERDUN succeeds in reflecting many aspects of the "mincing machine" characteristics of combat in these circumstances, and it does so with remarkably little complexity. Naturally, certain aspects of the game can be altered to better reflect the actual situations, at the cost of adding some additional complexity.

Historical Background and Context

The following is a discussion of some of the important aspects of the Verdun fighting, after which are a number of independent suggestions for additions and changes to the existing game.

Verdun: The Situation

Introduction
Artillery
Other Weapons
Barrages
Observation
Forts and Terrain
Infantry

Verdun Game Variants

Introduction
Initial Order of Battle
Forts
Artillery CRT Variation
Observation
Use of the Artillery Shell Table