Why The Campaign for North Africa is the Most Ridiculous Game Ever Made

Let's be real. Most people who talk about The Campaign for North Africa have never actually played it. They’ve seen the memes. They’ve heard about the "pasta rule." They know it’s the "longest board game ever." But honestly, calling it a board game is like calling the Pacific Ocean a swimming pool. It’s a logistical nightmare masquerading as entertainment, a 1979 release from SPI (Simulations Publications, Inc.) that basically demands you quit your job, divorce your spouse, and move into a basement for the next decade.

Richard Berg, the lead designer, once famously admitted that the game was "published but not finished." That’s not a joke. It’s a warning.

If you’re looking for a casual Friday night activity, this isn’t it. The Campaign for North Africa is a monster. We’re talking about a map that covers 10 feet of table space and a rulebook so dense it could stop a bullet. It’s a simulation of the North African theater of WWII from 1940 to 1943, but it doesn't just track tanks and planes. It tracks individual pilots. It tracks the evaporation of water in truck radiators. It tracks the exact amount of fuel used by every single battalion as they crawl across the desert. It is the peak of "monster wargaming," a subgenre that cares more about accuracy than whether or not the player is actually having any fun.

The Literal Math of a Thousand Hours

How long does it take to finish? Estimates vary, but the consensus is around 1,500 hours. Think about that. If you play for three hours every single weekend, you’ll be done in about ten years. You could get a pilot’s license, learn a new language, or raise a child to middle school in the time it takes to complete one full campaign.

Most games use "turns" to represent a day or a week. In The Campaign for North Africa, a single turn represents only 12 hours of real-time history. And there are hundreds of turns. To play it "properly," the rules suggest a team of five people per side. You need a Commander-in-Chief, a Logistics Commander, an Air Commander, a Rear Area Commander, and a Frontline Commander. Each one has a specific job. If you try to play this solo, you’ll probably have a breakdown by the third turn.

The sheer volume of components is staggering. We're talking 1,600 cardboard counters. The map consists of five massive sheets that, when laid out, require a dedicated room. You can't just fold this up and put it away when guests come over. If you start a game of The Campaign for North Africa, that room belongs to the Sahara now.

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The Infamous Pasta Rule and Other Absurdities

You can't talk about this game without mentioning the macaroni. It’s the most famous bit of board game trivia in existence.

Basically, the Italian troops in the game require an extra ration of water. Why? To boil their pasta. If you don't provide the extra water, the Italian units suffer a morale penalty and become less effective in combat. It’s a hilarious, slightly stereotypical, and incredibly granular detail that perfectly encapsulates what this game is about. Berg added it as a joke, but in a game where you’re already tracking the "evaporation rate" of fuel in the summer heat, it fits right in.

Logistics is the real enemy here. Most wargames focus on the "pew-pew" part—the combat. In this game, combat is almost an afterthought. 90% of your time is spent filling out spreadsheets. Yes, actual paper spreadsheets. You have to track how much fuel is in every depot, how many trucks are currently in the repair shop, and which specific pilots are fatigued.

Imagine spending forty minutes calculating the fuel consumption of a supply convoy only to realize you forgot to account for the humidity, which slightly changes the evaporation rate. That’s the "gameplay." It’s a clerical job that you pay money to perform.

Why Does This Even Exist?

To understand why SPI released this, you have to look at the late 70s wargaming scene. It was an arms race of complexity. Designers like Jim Dunnigan and Richard Berg were pushing the boundaries of what a "simulation" could be. They weren't just making games; they were building historical models.

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The Campaign for North Africa was meant to be the "ultimate" simulation. It was the "Everest" of board gaming. You don't climb Everest because it's a comfortable walk; you do it because it’s there. People buy this game for the prestige of owning it, or the slim hope that they might one day find nine other lunatics willing to play it with them.

• The Map: Over 10 feet long.
• The Counters: 1,600+ individual units.
• The Rulebooks: Multiple volumes covering land, air, and logistics.
• The Time: 1,200 to 1,500 hours for a full campaign.

Is it Actually a Good Game?

Honestly? No. Not by any modern standard of game design.

A "good" game usually involves meaningful choices and a reasonable feedback loop. In The Campaign for North Africa, the weight of the administration is so heavy that the "game" part gets crushed. You spend so much time accounting for the past that you barely have time to plan for the future.

However, as a piece of performance art or a historical curiosity, it’s brilliant. It captures the reality of the North African campaign better than any other medium. That campaign was won and lost on logistics—on the ability to move fuel and water across a featureless void. By making the player suffer through the bookkeeping of every gallon of gas, the game forces you to understand the frustration of Rommel or Montgomery in a way a book never could.

There are also weird glitches in the design because, as mentioned, it wasn't fully playtested. The air war rules are famously broken. If you play strictly by the book, it’s almost impossible for the British to effectively use their desert air force in the early game because the administrative requirements are so lopsided.

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The Modern Legacy of CNA

You might think a game like this would be forgotten, buried in the 1970s. But it has a weirdly strong heartbeat. In the digital age, people have actually built modules for it on VASSAL (an engine for playing board games online). This at least solves the problem of needing a 12-foot table, though it doesn't solve the problem of needing 1,500 hours.

There’s also a spiritual successor in the works. For years, there have been rumors and various attempts to "streamline" or "remake" the game. Decision Games currently holds the rights, and there has been talk of a "North Africa" project that would fix the broken rules while keeping the massive scale. But would a "fixed" version even be the same? Part of the charm—if you can call it that—is the broken, sprawling, impossible nature of the original.

How to Approach This if You’re a Masochist

If you actually want to experience The Campaign for North Africa, don't just dive in. You will drown.

First, find the manual online. Read it. If you find yourself enjoying the section on "Common Logistical Procedures," then maybe, just maybe, you're the target audience. Most people recommend starting with just a small scenario. Don't try to play the full campaign. Pick a single battle, skip the air rules for your first try, and see if you can handle the "basic" logistics.

1. Get a VASSAL module. Unless you have a spare room and $500 to $1,000 for an original copy on eBay, digital is the only way to go.
2. Recruit a "Logistics Officer." Find a friend who loves Excel spreadsheets more than they love their own family.
3. Focus on the "Pasta." Embrace the absurdity. If you’re going to play a game this detailed, you have to appreciate the fact that you’re tracking individual liters of water.

The reality is that The Campaign for North Africa is less of a game and more of a legend. It’s a monument to a specific era of hobby gaming where "more" was always "better," and realism was the highest virtue. It’s the "Finnegans Wake" of board games—widely cited, rarely read, and nearly impossible to finish. But for those who value the journey (and the accounting) over the destination, there is nothing else like it in the world.

Practical Steps for the Curious

If the idea of a 1,500-hour wargame still appeals to you, start by exploring "monster games" that are actually playable. Look into Case Blue or Atlantic Wall by the same era's designers. These give you the "huge map and thousands of counters" feel without requiring you to track the evaporation of radiator water. If you still crave the North Africa experience after that, then you'll know you're ready for the pasta rule.

Check out wargaming forums like ConsimWorld or BGG (BoardGameGeek) to find groups that are occasionally running "long-distance" CNA games online. It’s the only way to play without losing your living room.