Buy Gary Grigsby's War in the West PC key

Gary Grigsby's War in the West is a World War II strategy game covering the Allied campaigns in Western Europe, from the invasions of Sicily and Italy in summer 1943 through the invasions of France and the advance into Germany. You direct the land and air campaigns and can replay the Western Front with alternative strategies. German players can also use East Front Control in long campaigns to make decisions about balancing forces between the Western and Eastern Fronts.

The map and forces

The game uses a detailed map of Europe with 36,000 hexes. It includes the terrain types found in War in the East, as well as bocage, tundra, desert, sand, escarpment and impassable terrain, and ferries. Road quality varies by country and affects the impact of weather. Map graphics show ground, air and water conditions in each hex, and an improved projection reduces distortion from depicting the round world on a flat map. The map forms part of a 378-by-355-hex War in Europe map.

The order of battle tracks forces down to individual squads, vehicles and planes. The game models both ground and air warfare, logistics and weather, including individual weather fronts as they move across the map.

Direct the air war

Air operations use a separate resolution phase. Air Force HQs receive Air Directives that generate missions, with six types available: Ground Support, Ground Attack, Strategic Bombing, Air Recon and Air Superiority, and Naval Patrol. Ground Attack missions can prioritize seven target types: ground units, airfields, railways, railyards, ports, ferries and general interdiction of units, reserves and resupply. Strategic Bombing can prioritize among 14 target types.

You can track pilots and adjust standard mission profiles and pilot training through Air Doctrine screens. An Auto Air Direction Creation screen can generate Air Directives from your high-level priorities. Airfields are fixed on the map, with additional construction possible.

Manage logistics and weather

Rail capacity and movement are tracked by hex. Congestion restricts the movement of troops and supplies, while railyard locations and capacities affect total rail capacity and the costs of loading and unloading units. On-map depots model the need to stockpile freight near the front, particularly when vehicles are scarce. Bombing railways and railyards or interdicting supply movements to and from depots can restrict or damage freight. You can set supply priorities by HQ and depot to direct limited resources.

Weather is tracked across eight zones, with moving fronts and individual hex conditions. Six ground conditions affect unit movement and combat, and six air conditions affect flying as well as water and snow levels on the ground. River ice is also modeled. Weather zones and five possible fronts determine conditions, while water, mud and snow levels change dynamically in each hex.

Conduct the campaigns

The game includes amphibious and airborne landing rules. You set preparation points and target hexes, and airpower affects naval movement. Amphibious HQs provide naval support, temporary ports and Mulberry Harbors, while Commandos and Rangers can support landings. Amphibious and supporting airborne landings have a separate phase at the start of the other player's turn; coordinated airborne landings with non-amphibious forces take place during your own turn. Multi-role support units can switch between off-map support and on-map unit status. Large multi-role units divide into three battalions when converted from a brigade or regiment into support units, and Ranger and Commando support units have special amphibious abilities.

Axis garrison requirements apply to regions and cities, change over time and can be affected by major events. Regions require minimum garrisons measured in troop combat value; cities require security units and a large garrison. Failing to meet these requirements increases partisan attacks on railways in the area and costs substantial victory points.

Control the Eastern Front

In long campaigns, East Front Control provides information about German forces, the front line and Soviet offensive potential. You can move units between fronts and choose whether to pull German units back from the Eastern Front to refit. Soviet-controlled hexes appear on the map. With East Front Control, the game ends when Berlin falls or can continue until the beginning of August 1945. Without it, the game ends in early May 1945, or earlier if the Allies capture Berlin, and movement between fronts follows historical movements.

Campaign outcomes and opponents

Victory conditions consider the cities held each turn, damage from Allied strategic bombing, partisan activity resulting from Axis garrison failures, Allied casualties, the failure to establish Italian and French beachheads, and political targets: U-boat and V-weapon factories and V-weapon launch sites. With East Front Control, the timing of Berlin's fall also affects progress on the Eastern Front.

The AI handles tactical, operational and strategic decisions, including invasion locations and strategies. It can also help create Air Force Directives based on your target priorities. Multiplayer uses an updated PBEM++ implementation with an improved game information interface.