1914 Offensive à outrance (Oào) is a monster game designed to be played to its conclusion. Specifically, that its 30 GTs can be completed in the time available at one Consimworld Expo (about six days). The rules were written to enable players to accomplish this feat while being careful not to compromise the historical simulation value of the game. To achieve this goal, rules that were found to have only a minor effect were simplified. One set of rules that fell into this category were those that pertain to Railroad (RR) Engineering.

During the design process, the first iterations of the 1914 Oào rules contained a relatively complex RR Engineering system. This is due to the appreciation of the fact that RR lines were enormously important during WW1 campaigns. However, playtesting showed that the actual effects of the complex system were subtle. During numerous playtests the player controlling the German right wing spent considerable time (too much time) occupied in organizing and conducting the RR Engineering task. Sadly, after that time expenditure, it was determined that the outcome of the endeavors had little effect on the game’s progression. It was undesirable to have arguably the most important player in the game, the German commander of the right wing, be distracted from his primary tasks by time consuming minutia. Therefore, the rules were simplified and the “as published” rules contain an effortless RR Engineering system.