Friends embark on 20-year board game battle

Two friends from Newcastle, James Purcell and Andy Taeger, have committed to fully playing Campaign for North Africa, a massive 1978 strategic wargame that simulates the entire North African theatre of World War Two and is believed never to have been completed or fully playtested. The game spans 111 turns - each representing one wartime week - and is estimated to require around 1,500 hours. The pair, who have been gaming together for a decade, ran a six‑turn practice to learn the dense rules, tracking logistics such as ammunition, food, fuel and even water evaporation via spreadsheets. Purcell plays the Axis side while Taeger commands the Commonwealth; the game suggests ten players but they are managing it as a duo.

Their practice run took 18 months and ended in a draw, completed alongside full‑time jobs (Purcell in mental health services, Taeger as a software developer). To hold themselves accountable and share progress, they produce a podcast, War With A Mate, which will hit its 100th episode as they begin the official campaign on 30 October. The project already breeds tension over complex rules and luck‑driven outcomes, so they use a podcast segment called Common Ground to smooth disputes. They expect the full campaign to span more than 20 years, acknowledging it will track major life changes while attracting a global audience following their slow, obsessive undertaking.