The African Campaign: Designer Signature Edition brings back John Edwards' classic World War II wargame in a remastered and expanded Deluxe Edition, covering the North African campaign from December 1940 to December 1942. With updated components, a larger mounted playing surface and additional optional rules, this edition retains the original game's straightforward approach while providing a more detailed and enjoyable playing experience.
The campaign begins with General Archibald Wavell's Operation Compass, the British offensive against Marshal Graziani's Italian forces in December 1940. What followed was a series of dramatic advances and retreats across the Western Desert, as Axis and Allied armies fought for control of Libya, Egypt and the vital supply routes linking their forces.
The arrival of Erwin Rommel and the German Afrika Korps transformed the campaign, bringing fast-moving armoured warfare and renewed Axis offensives. The fighting continued through 1941 and 1942, with both sides repeatedly gaining and losing territory before the tide turned against the Axis. By December 1942, following the Allied victory at El Alamein and American landings in North Africa, Rommel's forces faced an increasingly difficult situation.
The African Campaign recreates these shifting fortunes through a system that emphasises operational planning, supply management and manoeuvre. With relatively few counters and manageable rules, players can experience the major decisions of the Desert War without the complexity often associated with large-scale historical wargames.
This game includes:
2 Mounted Map Sections, Forming a 17" × 50.75" Playing Surface
1 Countersheet with 176 Larger 5/8" Playing Pieces
2 Order of Battle Appearance Cards
2 Player Aid Cards
1 Rules Booklet
Key Features:
Operational-level recreation of the North African campaign from December 1940 to December 1942
Remastered edition of John Edwards' classic The African Campaign
Begins with Operation Compass and follows the changing fortunes of Axis and Allied forces
Covers the arrival of Rommel and the Afrika Korps
Fast-moving gameplay with relatively low counter density
Supply, ports and replacement systems influencing operational decisions
Axis fuel restrictions and strategic movement rules
Air power, anti-aircraft units and minefield operations
Historical order of battle and reinforcement schedules
Updated rules incorporating known errata
Additional optional rules and variants from Panzerfaust/Campaign #74
Deluxe mounted maps and larger 5/8" counters
Suitable for both two-player competition and solitaire play
A complete campaign that can be played in a single sitting
About the Game:
The North African campaign was characterised by rapid advances, unexpected reversals and the constant challenge of keeping armies supplied across enormous distances. Unlike many other theatres of the Second World War, the open desert allowed armoured and motorised formations to conduct sweeping manoeuvres, but the limited road network and long supply lines could quickly bring an offensive to a halt.
In The African Campaign, players command either the Axis or Allied forces, attempting to achieve their operational objectives while responding to the changing situation on the battlefield.
The Allied player begins with the opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of the Italian Army during Operation Compass. As the campaign develops, the arrival of German reinforcements presents new challenges, requiring careful management of available forces and defensive positions.
The Axis player must overcome logistical difficulties while making effective use of Rommel's armoured formations. Capturing important ports, maintaining fuel supplies and choosing the right moment to attack are essential to sustaining an offensive across the Western Desert.
Both sides must balance aggressive manoeuvres with the practical limitations of supply, replacements and available resources. A successful advance can create opportunities for further gains, but moving too far beyond established supply routes may leave an army vulnerable to counterattack.
The Challenges of Desert Warfare
The African Campaign incorporates several important features of the historical campaign without burdening players with excessive rules or large numbers of counters.
Supply plays a central role, reflecting the difficulties of transporting fuel, ammunition and equipment across the desert. Control of ports and important locations can influence the ability to maintain operations, while replacements help determine how quickly formations recover from losses.
Axis fuel limitations introduce further decisions, particularly when planning major armoured offensives. Strategic movement allows forces to be repositioned across the theatre, but commanders must consider where reinforcements will have the greatest impact.
Air power, Flak units and minefields provide additional tactical and operational considerations, helping to recreate the conditions faced by both armies during the campaign.
The relatively low number of playing pieces keeps the action moving, allowing players to concentrate on the wider operational situation rather than managing large numbers of individual units.
Designer Signature Deluxe Edition
This Deluxe Edition is an updated version of the original John Edwards design, based on the Jedko Second Edition and incorporating corrections to previously identified errata.
The standard rules remain faithful to the original game, preserving the accessible system that made The African Campaign a recognised classic among historical wargamers.
Additional optional rules and variants, originally published in Panzerfaust/Campaign #74 in July–August 1976, provide further opportunities to explore different aspects of the North African campaign.
The Deluxe Edition also improves the physical playing experience with a larger 17" × 50.75" mounted map and 176 enlarged 5/8" counters, making the battlefield easier to follow and the units more convenient to handle.
These improvements give players a more spacious playing area while retaining the manageable scale and relatively short playing time of the original design.
Whether revisiting a familiar classic or discovering it for the first time, The African Campaign: Designer Signature Edition – Deluxe Edition offers an accessible way to explore the operational challenges of the Desert War.
Game Details:
Players: 1–2 (Best with 2)
Playing Time: 3–4 Hours
Complexity: Medium (4/10)
Solitaire Suitability: Very High (8/10)
Time Scale: 2 Turns = 1 Month
Map Scale: 1 Hex = 12 Miles (19 km)
Unit Scale: Battalion to Division
Historical Period: December 1940 – December 1942
Recommended Age: 14+
The African Campaign: Designer Signature Edition – Deluxe Edition combines the fast-moving nature of desert warfare with the operational challenges of supply, manoeuvre and reinforcement. With its remastered presentation, larger mounted maps, updated rules and optional variants, this edition offers a faithful return to John Edwards' original design while making the classic North African campaign more accessible to today's wargamers.
The African Campaign: Designer Signature Edition brings back John Edwards' classic World War II wargame in a remastered and expanded Deluxe Edition, covering the North African campaign from December 1940 to December 1942. With updated components, a larger mounted playing surface and additional optional rules, this edition retains the original game's straightforward approach while providing a more detailed and enjoyable playing experience.
The campaign begins with General Archibald Wavell's Operation Compass, the British offensive against Marshal Graziani's Italian forces in December 1940. What followed was a series of dramatic advances and retreats across the Western Desert, as Axis and Allied armies fought for control of Libya, Egypt and the vital supply routes linking their forces.
The arrival of Erwin Rommel and the German Afrika Korps transformed the campaign, bringing fast-moving armoured warfare and renewed Axis offensives. The fighting continued through 1941 and 1942, with both sides repeatedly gaining and losing territory before the tide turned against the Axis. By December 1942, following the Allied victory at El Alamein and American landings in North Africa, Rommel's forces faced an increasingly difficult situation.
The African Campaign recreates these shifting fortunes through a system that emphasises operational planning, supply management and manoeuvre. With relatively few counters and manageable rules, players can experience the major decisions of the Desert War without the complexity often associated with large-scale historical wargames.
This game includes:
2 Mounted Map Sections, Forming a 17" × 50.75" Playing Surface
1 Countersheet with 176 Larger 5/8" Playing Pieces
2 Order of Battle Appearance Cards
2 Player Aid Cards
1 Rules Booklet
Key Features:
Operational-level recreation of the North African campaign from December 1940 to December 1942
Remastered edition of John Edwards' classic The African Campaign
Begins with Operation Compass and follows the changing fortunes of Axis and Allied forces
Covers the arrival of Rommel and the Afrika Korps
Fast-moving gameplay with relatively low counter density
Supply, ports and replacement systems influencing operational decisions
Axis fuel restrictions and strategic movement rules
Air power, anti-aircraft units and minefield operations
Historical order of battle and reinforcement schedules
Updated rules incorporating known errata
Additional optional rules and variants from Panzerfaust/Campaign #74
Deluxe mounted maps and larger 5/8" counters
Suitable for both two-player competition and solitaire play
A complete campaign that can be played in a single sitting
About the Game:
The North African campaign was characterised by rapid advances, unexpected reversals and the constant challenge of keeping armies supplied across enormous distances. Unlike many other theatres of the Second World War, the open desert allowed armoured and motorised formations to conduct sweeping manoeuvres, but the limited road network and long supply lines could quickly bring an offensive to a halt.
In The African Campaign, players command either the Axis or Allied forces, attempting to achieve their operational objectives while responding to the changing situation on the battlefield.
The Allied player begins with the opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of the Italian Army during Operation Compass. As the campaign develops, the arrival of German reinforcements presents new challenges, requiring careful management of available forces and defensive positions.
The Axis player must overcome logistical difficulties while making effective use of Rommel's armoured formations. Capturing important ports, maintaining fuel supplies and choosing the right moment to attack are essential to sustaining an offensive across the Western Desert.
Both sides must balance aggressive manoeuvres with the practical limitations of supply, replacements and available resources. A successful advance can create opportunities for further gains, but moving too far beyond established supply routes may leave an army vulnerable to counterattack.
The Challenges of Desert Warfare
The African Campaign incorporates several important features of the historical campaign without burdening players with excessive rules or large numbers of counters.
Supply plays a central role, reflecting the difficulties of transporting fuel, ammunition and equipment across the desert. Control of ports and important locations can influence the ability to maintain operations, while replacements help determine how quickly formations recover from losses.
Axis fuel limitations introduce further decisions, particularly when planning major armoured offensives. Strategic movement allows forces to be repositioned across the theatre, but commanders must consider where reinforcements will have the greatest impact.
Air power, Flak units and minefields provide additional tactical and operational considerations, helping to recreate the conditions faced by both armies during the campaign.
The relatively low number of playing pieces keeps the action moving, allowing players to concentrate on the wider operational situation rather than managing large numbers of individual units.
Designer Signature Deluxe Edition
This Deluxe Edition is an updated version of the original John Edwards design, based on the Jedko Second Edition and incorporating corrections to previously identified errata.
The standard rules remain faithful to the original game, preserving the accessible system that made The African Campaign a recognised classic among historical wargamers.
Additional optional rules and variants, originally published in Panzerfaust/Campaign #74 in July–August 1976, provide further opportunities to explore different aspects of the North African campaign.
The Deluxe Edition also improves the physical playing experience with a larger 17" × 50.75" mounted map and 176 enlarged 5/8" counters, making the battlefield easier to follow and the units more convenient to handle.
These improvements give players a more spacious playing area while retaining the manageable scale and relatively short playing time of the original design.
Whether revisiting a familiar classic or discovering it for the first time, The African Campaign: Designer Signature Edition – Deluxe Edition offers an accessible way to explore the operational challenges of the Desert War.
Game Details:
Players: 1–2 (Best with 2)
Playing Time: 3–4 Hours
Complexity: Medium (4/10)
Solitaire Suitability: Very High (8/10)
Time Scale: 2 Turns = 1 Month
Map Scale: 1 Hex = 12 Miles (19 km)
Unit Scale: Battalion to Division
Historical Period: December 1940 – December 1942
Recommended Age: 14+
The African Campaign: Designer Signature Edition – Deluxe Edition combines the fast-moving nature of desert warfare with the operational challenges of supply, manoeuvre and reinforcement. With its remastered presentation, larger mounted maps, updated rules and optional variants, this edition offers a faithful return to John Edwards' original design while making the classic North African campaign more accessible to today's wargamers.
