Falling Crescent is an operational-level wargame covering the British offensive against Ottoman forces in Palestine during September and October 1918. One player commands the Turkish, German, and Bedouin forces, while the opposing player controls the British, French, and Arab forces. The game also includes an option for additional players, allowing the Arab forces to be commanded separately.
Set during the final months of the First World War, Falling Crescent recreates a fast-moving campaign of cavalry operations, encirclements, surrender, air power, and elusive Arab guerrilla forces. Rather than the static trench warfare often associated with the Western Front, the campaign in Palestine presents players with a fluid operational battlefield where timing, manoeuvre, and the ability to react to unexpected developments can decide the outcome.
Two 22" × 34" Game Maps
Two 5/8" Die-Cut Counter Sheets
Four Player Aid Cards (2 Sets)
Two Scenario Set-Up Cards
One British Card Deck
One Turkish Card Deck
Rules Booklet
Two 6-Sided Dice
Operational-level recreation of the September–October 1918 Palestine campaign
Command British, French, and Arab forces or the opposing Turkish, German, and Bedouin formations
Designed around manoeuvre, encirclement, surrender, and mobile warfare
Strategic and Operational cards introduce changing events and tactical opportunities
Features cavalry operations, Arab guerrillas, and early military aviation
Includes rules for 2 to 4 players
Medium complexity with scenarios playable in approximately 2 to 6 hours
Suitable for solitaire play
By 1918, centuries of Ottoman control in Palestine were under severe pressure. British forces and their allies were preparing a major offensive while Arab forces continued their revolt against Ottoman rule. The resulting campaign would become one of the First World War's most mobile and decisive operations.
In Falling Crescent, designer Roger Nord brings this campaign to the tabletop with particular emphasis on the elements that made the fighting in Palestine so distinctive. Players manoeuvre brigades and divisions across a large operational map, seeking opportunities to outflank and encircle enemy formations while managing the uncertainty created by rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
Cavalry has a particularly important role, reflecting a campaign that saw some of the last major mounted operations in modern warfare. Arab guerrilla forces add another dimension, threatening communications and creating problems behind Ottoman lines, while air power provides a glimpse of the increasingly important role aviation would play in future conflicts.
The card system adds further uncertainty to the campaign. Strategic and Operational cards can influence plans, create new opportunities, or force players to adapt when events do not unfold as expected. This helps capture the fluid character of the campaign and ensures that players cannot rely on exactly the same approach from one game to the next.
With its emphasis on movement rather than prolonged attritional warfare, Falling Crescent offers a very different First World War experience. The combination of cavalry, aircraft, guerrilla operations, and rapidly changing fronts gives the game a character that in some ways foreshadows the mobile campaigns that would emerge during the Second World War.
Players: 2–4
Playing Time: Approximately 2–6 Hours per Scenario
Complexity: Medium
Solitaire Suitability: Medium
Time Scale: 1 Turn = 2 Days
Map Scale: 1 Hex = 2.3 Miles
Unit Scale: Brigades / Divisions
Recommended Age: 14+
Command the forces of the collapsing Ottoman Empire or lead the British and their allies in the offensive that could finally break Ottoman control of Palestine. With cavalry charges, guerrilla warfare, air operations, and constantly shifting opportunities, Falling Crescent delivers a distinctive operational treatment of one of the First World War's most dramatic final campaigns.
Falling Crescent is an operational-level wargame covering the British offensive against Ottoman forces in Palestine during September and October 1918. One player commands the Turkish, German, and Bedouin forces, while the opposing player controls the British, French, and Arab forces. The game also includes an option for additional players, allowing the Arab forces to be commanded separately.
Set during the final months of the First World War, Falling Crescent recreates a fast-moving campaign of cavalry operations, encirclements, surrender, air power, and elusive Arab guerrilla forces. Rather than the static trench warfare often associated with the Western Front, the campaign in Palestine presents players with a fluid operational battlefield where timing, manoeuvre, and the ability to react to unexpected developments can decide the outcome.
Two 22" × 34" Game Maps
Two 5/8" Die-Cut Counter Sheets
Four Player Aid Cards (2 Sets)
Two Scenario Set-Up Cards
One British Card Deck
One Turkish Card Deck
Rules Booklet
Two 6-Sided Dice
Operational-level recreation of the September–October 1918 Palestine campaign
Command British, French, and Arab forces or the opposing Turkish, German, and Bedouin formations
Designed around manoeuvre, encirclement, surrender, and mobile warfare
Strategic and Operational cards introduce changing events and tactical opportunities
Features cavalry operations, Arab guerrillas, and early military aviation
Includes rules for 2 to 4 players
Medium complexity with scenarios playable in approximately 2 to 6 hours
Suitable for solitaire play
By 1918, centuries of Ottoman control in Palestine were under severe pressure. British forces and their allies were preparing a major offensive while Arab forces continued their revolt against Ottoman rule. The resulting campaign would become one of the First World War's most mobile and decisive operations.
In Falling Crescent, designer Roger Nord brings this campaign to the tabletop with particular emphasis on the elements that made the fighting in Palestine so distinctive. Players manoeuvre brigades and divisions across a large operational map, seeking opportunities to outflank and encircle enemy formations while managing the uncertainty created by rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
Cavalry has a particularly important role, reflecting a campaign that saw some of the last major mounted operations in modern warfare. Arab guerrilla forces add another dimension, threatening communications and creating problems behind Ottoman lines, while air power provides a glimpse of the increasingly important role aviation would play in future conflicts.
The card system adds further uncertainty to the campaign. Strategic and Operational cards can influence plans, create new opportunities, or force players to adapt when events do not unfold as expected. This helps capture the fluid character of the campaign and ensures that players cannot rely on exactly the same approach from one game to the next.
With its emphasis on movement rather than prolonged attritional warfare, Falling Crescent offers a very different First World War experience. The combination of cavalry, aircraft, guerrilla operations, and rapidly changing fronts gives the game a character that in some ways foreshadows the mobile campaigns that would emerge during the Second World War.
Players: 2–4
Playing Time: Approximately 2–6 Hours per Scenario
Complexity: Medium
Solitaire Suitability: Medium
Time Scale: 1 Turn = 2 Days
Map Scale: 1 Hex = 2.3 Miles
Unit Scale: Brigades / Divisions
Recommended Age: 14+
Command the forces of the collapsing Ottoman Empire or lead the British and their allies in the offensive that could finally break Ottoman control of Palestine. With cavalry charges, guerrilla warfare, air operations, and constantly shifting opportunities, Falling Crescent delivers a distinctive operational treatment of one of the First World War's most dramatic final campaigns.
