To the Green Fields Beyond (game)

On 20 November 1917, the British attacked the German trenches of the Hindenberg Line, using the newly invented tank as a spearpoint. In words attributed to the first commander of the British Tanks Corps, Brigadier General Hugh Elles, the Allies hoped that the tanks would lead them "Through the mud and the blood to the green fields beyond".[1] The attack went well at first, but then faltered on the second day as the Allies tried to advance on the strongpoint of Bourlon Woods. A strong German counterattack on 29 November forced the Allies back to the line they had gained on the first day of the battle. To the Green Fields Beyond is a two-player wargame at the operational level that simulates the Battle of Cambrai.[2]

To the Green Fields Beyond was designed by David Isby, and features art and cartography by Redmond Simonsen.[3] The game was eagerly anticipated, and pre-orders alone pushed it to #7 on the quarterly SPI Top 10 list six months before it was released. When it was published in June 1978, it rose another spot to #6.[4]

In the 1990s, Decision Games acquired the license and published a revised second edition with streamlined rules. In 2004, Excalibur Games acquired the license and republished SPI's original game.[3]

In Issue 18 of Phoenix, Donald Mack called the rules system "unique" and particularly well-suited to trench warfare. But his major problem with the game was the length of time needed to complete even one of the small scenarios. He pointed out that the rulebook suggests each turn should take 30–75 minutes to play; he found that this was a gross underestimation — in his playtest, each player took 1–2 hours to complete their portion of a turn, making the length of a complete turn between 2 to 4 hours. "In consequence, the game consists of bouts of hard work, especially if one is on the offensive, alternating with upwards of an hour of either gazing at the ceiling or roaming around the room looking for something to read." He concluded on an ambiguous note, saying, "[Designer David Isby] has devised a clever play-system to suggest the 'feel' of trench warfare in 1917 [...] [but] To the Green Fields Beyond is as ponderous as one of the Mark IV tanks which inspired it. [...] it can be recommended only to the enthusiast who really, sincerely, wants to see how Cambrai works out in game terms."[2]

In Issue 19 of Phoenix, Andrew McGee found major deficiencies in the rules around supply lines, and after examining them in depth, suggested a large number of substantive changes be made.[5]

At the 1979 Origins Awards, To the Green Fields Beyond was awarded the Charles S. Roberts Award for "Best Twentieth Century Game of 1978".[6]

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