STORM OF STEEL (SoS) is a complete simulation of World War I.

Three maps cover Europe from the Pyrenees to the Urals along with the Middle East.

Nearly two dozen scenarios allow players to focus on one year and one front, one year on all fronts, start a campaign game from the beginning of any year, play the eastern front for the entire war, play an alternative history 1919 scenario, or play the entire war.

Turns are quarterly. Ground forces are at corps level, including infantry, shock, mountain infantry and cavalry. There are also armored car and tank brigades, as well as tank corps for 1919, plus the planned-for American airborne division. Naval units are at the squadron level for capital ships and fl otillas for cruisers and destroyers. Surface engagements, bombardment, blockade and amphibious assaults are possible.

There’s also commerce raiding, including unrestricted submarine warfare for attacks on merchant shipping, as well as convoy escorts for defense. Aerial warfare is represented by strategic and tactical wings.

As doctrine improves, players employ increasingly sophisticated aerial missions, including interception, supply and paradrops. Land combat uses three different tables to model variable tactics. Assault combat is bloody and often results in exchanges.

Probes are used to try to push the enemy back while minimizing losses. Tank and shock troop units can use infiltration.

Mobilization and production give players the capability to produce different forces. That allows players to build specialized forces for particular objectives. Output varies as the home front reacts to the need for greater force, but eventually collapses if morale and other factors overtake efforts to sustain the economy.

SoS uses cards to generate major operations. They give players the opportunity to recreate the major campaigns of the war or refocus those efforts in different ways. Some cards provide for improvements in weapons and tactics, such as Air Doctrine, Poison Gas and Tank Brigades, while others generate events such as conducting campaigns in the colonies, reacting to enemy efforts on quiet fronts, influencing neutrals to join the war and attempting to convince enemy countries to quit the war. Some bring personalities into the confl ict, such as Hindenburg, Brusilov, Lawrence of Arabia, Foch and Pershing.

SoS is the comprehensive simulation of World War I, yet the rules are easy to understand.

The main rule book is only 32 pages.
The scenario book details set-ups and special rules.
The campaign game lasts 18 turns. It can be played by two players and makes a weekend game for four to six.