
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,789
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Balance of Powers
- 2–7 players
- 120–1440 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2015

2010
Rules assistance for Red Poppies: WWI Tactics
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Red Poppies: WWI Tactics is a board game released in 2010 for 2 players and 60–90 minutes per game. It was designed by John Gorkowski and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
Red Poppies simulates regimental-sized engagements from WWI with company-level units in 10 minute turns on maps scaled at 200 yards per hex. The game strives to illustrate the sort of command and control trade-offs that typified WWI battles. The units involved are companies and platoons, making this one of the few games to cover World War I small unit tactics. In addition, there are rules for tanks, barbed wire, artillery support, infiltration tactics, cavalry, and machine guns. Scenarios will include German, French, Belgian, and British forces, with battles spanning the entire conflict on the western front. Scenarios 1. "Opening Day", July 1, 1916, La Boiselle (Somme) 2. "Storming La Boiselle", July 3, 1916, La Boiselle (Somme) 3. "Meeting Engagement", August 22, 1914, Neufchateau 4. "Heavy Section Machine Gun Corps", September 15, 1916, Flers 5. "Kaiserschlacht", March, 1918, Flers 6. "Cavalry Charge", August 12, 1914, Haelen 7. "Attack on Mort Homme", April 9, 1916, Mort Homme 8. "Tank Assault", April 16, 1917, Juvincourt
Red Poppies: WWI Tactics supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Red Poppies: WWI Tactics is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Red Poppies: WWI Tactics has a complexity rating of 2.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Red Poppies: WWI Tactics belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War I. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Red Poppies: WWI Tactics are: John Gorkowski. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Red Poppies: WWI Tactics as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.