War Comes Early (WCE) is a low to intermediate complexity two-player alternative history wargame. It investigates the parameters of the six weeks of the conflict that would have resulted had the Czechoslovakians refused to accept the Munich Agreement. Had they been willing to fight the Soviets were pledged to come to their aid as fully and directly as possible. That intervention would have immediately escalated the crisis beyond a Czech German one and into the realm of a major war. The game is restricted to covering the hypothetical war’s first six weeks in October and the first half of November. That is because none of the participants had the logistical wherewithal to go on fighting longer than that without a pause to resupply.

Components:

22x34 inch map, 280 1/2-inch die-cut counters.

Articles:

• War Comes Early: Czechoslovakia 1938: Those who believe the Allied diplomatic giveaway at Munich was a disaster for the West emphasize the fact the German military was still small compared to what it would later become. Neville Chamberlain, chief architect of the deal, forever after maintained the year gained before the start of war in 1939 was crucial in helping Britain prepare for it. Here is our analysis.
• The First Arakan Campaign: 1942–43: The 1942–43 Arakan Campaign was the first British counteroffensive against the Japanese following the loss of Burma. In that sense it was as significant for them as was the Guadalcanal campaign for the US. Even so, what was broadly demonstrated by the outcome was the fact Anglo-Indian forces were not yet ready for offensive operations.
• Bulgaria in World War II: At the start of the war, Bulgaria remained neutral. With the German triumph over France in 1940, however, all that began to change. Here is our analysis.
• The Dodecanese, 8 Sept–22 Nov 1943: After the Allied victories in Tunisia and Sicily, Churchill advocated seizing the Dodecanese Islands. He believed that would make Turkey join the Allies, and open a convoy route through the Dardanelles to the USSR. The Americans resisted diverting any strength from the new campaign on mainland Italy. We offer a cartographically detailed analysis.