The Lions of El Alamein (2025)

North Africa, 1942: The  Battles of El Alamein  were a series of battles fought in Egypt between Axis and Commonwealth forces between July and November 1942.

The terrain of El Alamein, close to the Qattara Depression, was chosen by the British after the Tobruk rout because it was the only geographical segment that could offer a defense in depth capable of protecting the Nile Delta and the Suez Canal.

The game offers five scenarios to play all the battles fought at El Alamein from July to November 1942.

A turn is made of Impulses and each turn represents a month of real time. Each hex represents a distance of about six kilometers from side to side. Units vary from brigades to battalions, most of them HQs, armored, artillery, motorized, or infantry. 

The game employs the newly developed SLIT engine.

Complexity depends on the scenario played and the optional modules applied, thus varying from 2 to 4 out out of 5. Average game duration is less than a hour for the short battles, and about 1-4 hours for the three major battles.

GAME COMPONENTS

• 1 large box – 34x25x7 cm
• 1 higly detailed 1:100.000 topographic 3mm thick MOUNTED MAP  – 62×84 cm (22×34 inches)
• 110 wooden blocks (16x16x8mm) in four colors: Commonwealth (red), Germans (black), Italians (green), and German 164th Light Afrika/Ramcke (grey)
• 1 PVC sticker sheet – 110 counters in total
• 3 countersheets with over 417 counters with pre-rounded corners, 3mm thick
• 2 player aid and table cards
• 2 tutorial scenarios (Lightfoot South and Lightfoot North)
• 3 scenarios: First Battle of El Alamein, Alam Halfa, Second El Alamein
• 3 setup sheets and 6 order of battle cards
• 1 color rulebook in English
• 8 dice
• ALL UNLOCKLED STRETCH GOALS
• KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVES: Your Name in the rules, 2 large wooden blocks for the 8th Army and Panzer Army Afrika, 20 alternative blue blocks for the Germans, and 110 ICON PVC Stickers

THE MAP

The 3mm thick MOUNTED MAP [62x84cm 1:100.000 scale] has been vectorially drawn thanks to recently declassified documents and without any kind of Artificial Intelligence. The map included in the game is highly detailed and there is a larger (100x135cm, 1:60:000 scale) edition available on VNG UberTex canvas.

COUNTERS AND MARKERS

The map and the graphics, although very close to the final version, might change – for the better.

DESCRIPTION OF PLAY

The initial setup is very quick: For each of the five scenarios, the game provides detailed setup instructions in the form of graphics illustrations.

The game is played in Impulses that are not strictly alternated and depends on Air Superiority. Thus a player with Air Superiority has more chance to play a second consecutive impulse.

The phasing player may choose between a Tactical Impulse, a Strategic Impulse, or a Pass.

The game mechanics is somehow similar to the legendary Waterloo 200, Barbarossa Trilogy, and BLACK SWAN, but employs a newly developed engine called SLIT: Strategics, Logistics, Invention and Tactics, as all these four features must be mastered by each player to achieve success.

After the phasing player has completed his move and added pioneer, air and artillery support and before resolving battles, the defender has the chance to call for Air Support, armor reaction, and artillery support fire for defending key spots that must be held at all cost.

Depending on his Logistcis and Strategic Value a player can commit a huge number of resources to each battle. This is true for the attacker and for the defender, but keep in mind that when attacking you must avoid an all out frontal assault along all the line and you must instead find a weak spot to create a SLIT through which your armored formations can infiltrate and exploit the success.  And the non-phasing player must remember that defending everywhere equals to defending nowhere.

Thus no matter if you are the Axis or the Commonwealth, or if you are attacking or defending: Create a solid logistics chain by controlling the vital Logistics Hubs and keep your HQs at the highest possible strength as these two factors represents available ammo, fuel, personnel, supplies, water, and – most important – trucks.

There is no forage and no horse available in the desert, thus to resupply your army and win a battle of manouver you must count on your available trucks.

And whatever either general might need in the Western Desert, must come by sea. Thus, goods will be subject to shipping losses.

Second, set your strategy according to your Logistics and work on improving the latter to assist the former. Warfare science does not work the other way round.

Then, apply your invention ability to deceive the enemy about your real intentions thanks to the fog of war and find a weak spot in the enemy line.

Finally, employ your best tactical assets to the hot spot and watch the enemy formations fleeing from the battle hex and leaving a sweet gap open for your armored formations.

In addition, both players have various events they can play to influence the game in different ways, such as Devil’s Garden, Temporary Motorization, Independent Battalion Support, Medics, and more.

Here you can take a look at the draft of the rules (examples and layout are not final!)

STRETCH GOALS

ADD ONS

EXTRA BLOCKS, UBERTEX MAP, T-SHIRT and more are available.

You can either pick them up individually or expand your gaming experience to the maximum with the “EL ALAMEIN FIELD MARSHAL” that includes ALL the over 900 bits developed for “The Lions of El Alamein”.

Other games from VentoNuovo:

Several other VentoNuovo games are available at a special price and you can add them while backing this brand new project.

CREDITS

Historical Intro: Paul Comben; Historical Research, Design, Map & Graphics: Emanuele and Antonio Santandrea; Developers: Monica Achilli, Antonella Fucecchi, Marcello Ruscio, Alessandro Tamoni; Icon Counters: Simone Gubert; English Rules Mastermind: Jason Valdespino; Videomaking: Ken Mc Elhaney.

SHIPPING

• EU, SWITZERLAND, UK: €15
• USA and CANADA: €20
• REST OF THE WORLD and REMOTE DESTINATIONS*: €45

*Any island with fewer than 1,000,000 inhabitants or any place unreachable by a main road (e.g. only by a dirt road)

Be sure to pick your reward level based on the reward you want. For EU countries, VAT will be charged extra in the Pledge Manager. For some destinations outside the European Community, once a certain duty-free threshold has been exceeded (for example for the United States it is now $500,00) the local customs may apply duties at the time of customs clearance. Duties and taxes applied at customs are the responsibility of the backer. Remember to check the limit for your country so as not to run into surprises.

Want to know more about the game? Check this links:

1. October 2024: VentoNuovo announces the new game!

2. November 16, 2024:  El Alamein: The Beginning of the End Part I

3. December 7, 2024:  El Alamein: The Beginning and the End Part II

4. December 14, 2024:  El Alamein: Unfolding the Battlefield

5. January 11, 2025:  El Alamein: Air Force and Superiority

6. January 17, 2025:  El Alamein: The new engine

7. January 20, 2025:  El Alamein: The new high resolution map

8. January 23, 2025:  El Alamein: More details about the game

9. January 27, 2025:  El Alamein: Tobruk, Malta, Alexandria and Cairo

10. January 29, 2025: El Alamein: Kickstarter Exclusives disclosed!

VentoNuovo Games

BIBLIOGRAPHY

To carry out the historical research project of the game is part of it, we used various sources, all reliable and verifiable, that we have read with passion in decades of studies. A short list follows.

Main pubblications:

• The Mediterranean and Middle East, Vol 2, 3, 4, 5, by John Playfair et al, 1960;
• The German infantry, Handbook, 1939-1945, by Alex Buchner, Schiffer Military History, Atglcn, Pennsylvania, 1991;
• Notes on the German Army in War, by General Staff, War Office, London, 1943;
• The Campaign in North Afriea 1941/3, Volume 2, The Campaign in the Year 1942, by Walther Nebring;
• Orders of Battle, El Alamein, 23 October 1942, by Doctor Lco Nichorstcr, 1980;
• The Afrika Korps. An Organizational History, 1941-1943, by George F. Nafziger, 1997;
• Italian Order of Battle. World War II, Volume 1, (Armored, Motorized, Alpini,
  and Cavalry Divisions), by George F. Nafziger, 1996;
• Italian Order of Battle. World War II Volume 3, (Black Shirt, Mountain, Assault and Landing Divisions, Corps Troops, and 1944 Liberation Army), by George F. Nafziger, 1996.
• Foreign Military Studies, Headquarters, US Army Europe. 1948;
• Handbook on German Military Forces, TM-E 30-451, 1 September 1943, Military Intelligence Division, War Department, Washington, D.C.;
• Le Operazioni in Africa Settentrionale, Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito Italiano, 1990
• Diari Comando Supremo, 1942;
• Historical Battle Analysis: El Alamein and the Principles of War, by Major Dennis C. Green, USAF, 1984;
• Breaching the “Devil’s Garden” – Operation Lightfoot – The Second Battle of El Alamein, by William Schneck, 2005;
• History of the Second World War – United Kingdom Medical Series,
  by F. A. E. CREW , F.R.S. – Campaigns VOLUME II, 1957;
• The Field Artillery Journal – The Axis invades Egypt, By Colonel Conrad H. Lanza 1942;
• Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series One – Army – Volume III – Tobruk and El Alamein, by Barton Maughan, 1966;
• Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2012, v.362; – Aspects of German military geology and groundwater development in World War II, by D. Willig and H. Häusler;
• El Alamein to the river Sangro, by Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, 1949;
• US National Archives, Captured German Records Division, Series T-313, Roll 430, frames 8,722,655-8,722,656.

Main Historical Military Archives:

• Australian War Memorial Historical Archive
• New Zealand War Memorial Historical Archive
• British War Museum Historical Archive
• Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito Italiano, Archivio Storico
• US National Archives