Ageod WW1 Manual Cover.qxd

points of passage of the Yser. The battle of Dixmude, starting on October
16th, was fought in an low-lying area and marshland, which caused the
trenches to be filled quickly with up to three feet of water. Despite being
outnumbered by the Germans and not having artillery, Ronarch’s force held
the city against several fierce German assaults. On November 11th, the
city was given up, because it had lost its importance as a bridgehead.
When General Joffre was told that Ronarch’s Fusiliers Marins were
fighting waist-deep in water in flooded trenches at Dixmude, he showed his
respect for them in replying “They are in their element”.
Conditions: see options.
Difficulty: automatic.
Enter in play: end of Military phase, from ‘August 1914’ (turn 2) to the end
of the war, provided the conditions are met.
Option #1: French Marine Corps deployed in Belgium (condition: Belgium
must be at war with the Central Powers).
Option #2: French Marine Corps deployed in I British army “BEF”
(condition: Great Britain must be at war with the Central Powers).
Option #3: French Marine Corps deployed in French GHQ.
Notes: once successfully in play, the event is discarded and cannot occur
again. Options are in priority order: #1, #2, #3. If option #1 can take place,
it's automatically performed. If option #1 cannot be performed, option #2 is
checked, and so on.
French Colonial troops redeployment
Description: This event will allow you to deploy the French Colonial troops
along the Italian border or the French GHQ.
Historical notes: The Armée d’Afrique (Army of Africa) was a common but
unofficial term used for parts of the French Army stationed in French North
Africa. It consisted of Arab and Berber volunteers, French settlers doing
their military service, non-French volunteers, and a small number of Muslim
conscripts. Although officers were predominantly French, a certain number
of positions up to the rank of captain were reserved for Muslim officers.
When World War One broke out, large parts of the Armée d’Afrique were
sent to serve in France. Of a total of 170,000 troops at the beginning of the
war, 36,000 were killed.
Conditions: see options.
Difficulty: automatic.
Enter in play: end of Military phase, from ‘August 1914’ (turn 2) to the end
of the war, provided the conditions are met.
Option #1: French Colonial troops deployed on the Italian border [HQ VII
army] (condition: Italy must be at war with the Entente).
Option #2: French Colonial troops deployed in French GHQ.
Notes: once successfully in play, the event is discarded and cannot occur
again. Options are in priority order: #1, #2. If option #1 can take place, it’s
automatically performed. If option #1 cannot be performed, option #2 is checked.
Germany
The Kaiser’s gold to Turkey
Description: This event will bring a valuable bonus on diplomatic
relationships between Turkey and Germany, but also an certain loss of
money for the Central Powers!
Historical notes: In the years before World War I, Germany and Turkey drew
closer together. On 2 August 1914, while still affecting public neutrality, they
signed a secret military alliance, and when the cannons started roaring in
Europe, Turkey quickly demonstrated her support for Germany – once it
had received evidence of Germany's good intent: two cruisers and £5
million in gold.
Conditions: automatic.
Difficulty: automatic.
Enter in play: beginning of the War-Plans phase, only during ‘Early August
1914’ (turn 1).
Option #1: Donate the gold – Central Powers will benefit of a diplomatic
bonus on Turkey (+1 die roll bonus modifier to all dice rolls on Diplomacy
table), Germany transfers 20 EPs to Turkish treasury.
Option #2 (historical choice): Keep the gold – nothing happens.
Notes: once successfully in play, the event is discarded and cannot occur
again.
Goeben battlecruiser seeks refuge in Constantinople
Description: This event will bring a valuable bonus on diplomatic
relationships between Turkey and Germany. As a counterpart, Goeben
battlecruiser will be assigned to the Ottoman fleet.
Historical notes: At the outbreak of war elements of the British
Mediterranean Fleet attempted to intercept the German Mittelmeerdivision
comprising the battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the light cruiser SMS
Breslau. The German ships evaded the British and passed through the
Dardanelles to reach Constantinople, where their arrival was a catalyst,
contributing to the Ottoman Empire entering the war on the side of the
Central Powers. In the words of Winston Churchill, the failure of the British
pursuit brought “more slaughter, more misery and more ruin than has ever
before been borne within the compass of a ship.”
Conditions: automatic.
World War One: La Grande Guerre 1914-1918 165