The second edition of Illusions of Glory: The Great War on the Eastern Front (“IoG”) is currently on the P-500 list.
Links to prototype unit counters, player aid cards, mapboard, and playbook can be found on the IoG webpage.
IoG is being published as a two-player game. Here is a variant for up to two players on a side.
When the Allied Powers (AP) have two players, one AP player controls Russian (RU) combat units. The other AP Player controls Serbian (SB), Montenegrin (MN), Italian (IT), British (BR), French (FR), and Romanian (RO) combat units—also Greek (GR) units if Greece becomes an AP ally.
To start the game, the AP Player controlling RU units creates a Draw Pile from the AP Strategy Cards from the “Mobilization” deck. Then, he shuffles the cards and picks either the “Drive on East Prussia” card or the “Galicia Offensive” card from the deck. He deals himself three additional cards from deck (so, he holds a total of 4 cards). He deals four cards to the other AP player.
Each of these cards give the AP player OPS Points to use for activating spaces, activating units in regions, or for strategic redeployment. Each card can also be used for Replacement Points.
In each Action Phase, the AP player controlling RU units plays a card (or chooses to make a cardless 1 OPS Point play) in Action Rounds 1, 3, and 5. The other AP Player plays a card (or chooses to make a cardless 1 OPS Point play) in Action Rounds 2, 4, and 6. In each Action Round, an AP player may choose to play a Strategy Card from his own hand or the other AP player’s hand, simulating the friction in Allied Powers decision-making and allowing some “interesting” and “exciting” table talk.
Each AP player controls Movement, Combat, Advance, Retreat, and Strategic Redeployment for his units, and chooses the units that absorb damage from Combat. Each AP player controls the accumulation of Replacement Points from the cards that he holds. The AP player controlling RU combat units controls the use of Replacement Points for those units. The AP player controlling IT and AP-Allied combat units controls the use of Replacement Points for those units.
The AP player controlling RU combat units also controls any RO units stacked with his during Action Rounds 1, 3, and 5. This simulates the dominant Russian relationship with Romania.
When the Central Powers (CP) have two players, one CP player controls Austro-Hungarian (AH) combat units. The other CP player controls German (GE), Turkish (TU), and Bulgarian (BU) combat units—also Greek (GR) units if Greece becomes a CP ally.
To start the game, the CP Player controlling AH combat units creates a Draw Pile from the “Mobilization” deck. Then, he takes a 4 OPS card from the deck. He deals himself three additional cards from deck (so, he holds a total of 4 cards). He deals four cards to the other CP player.
Each of these cards give the CP player OPS Points to use for activating spaces, activating units in regions, or for strategic redeployment. Each card can also be used for Replacement Points.
In each Action Phase, the CP player controlling AH units plays a card (or chooses to make a cardless 1 OPS Point play) in Action Rounds 1, 3, and 5. The other CP Player plays a card (or chooses to make a cardless 1 OPS Point play) in Action Rounds 2, 4, and 6. In each Action Round, a CP player may choose to play a Strategy Card from his own hand or the other CP player’s hand, simulating the friction in Central Powers decision-making and allowing some “interesting” and “exciting” table talk.
Each CP player controls Movement, Combat, Advance, Retreat, and Strategic Redeployment for his units, and chooses the units that absorb damage from Combat. Each CP player controls the accumulation of Replacement Points from the cards that he holds. The CP player controlling AH combat units also controls the use of Replacement Points for those units. The CP player controlling GE and CP-Allied combat units also controls the use of Replacement Points for those units.
The CP Player controlling German combat units also controls the units of any CP ally stacked with his during Action Rounds 2, 4, and 6, simulating German dominance in CP decision-making on the Eastern Front.
Other features of the game follow the IoG rules that can be found here.
Previous Illusions of Glory InsideGMT Articles
Author: Perry Silverman
