Cover art for 4th Reich: Puremen vs. the Mutants for Control of the World

4th Reich: Puremen vs. the Mutants for Control of the World

1985 · BGG
Avg rating
5.05
Bayes rating
5.48
Weight
2.11 (Medium Light)
Players
1-2
Playtime
2 hr
Ratings count
64

Log in or make an account to save this game to your lists.

Description

"4th Reich: Puremen vs. the Mutants for Control of the World" is a somewhat obscure wargame by Task Force Games based on (albeit without attribution) the SF-novel "The Iron Dream" by the Jewish author Norman Spinrad. This very controversial novel describes a parallel world in which Hitler wasn't successful with his "Kampf" in Germany and became a successful SF-pulp-novelist in the US. The main part of the book is the actual text of Hitler's "Iron Dream", a pulp-tale about "Ubermenschen" conquering a future world filled with mutant "scum." The idea of Spinrad's novel was to expose fascist tendencies in 50's American literature. The TFG designers transported this "theme" into a board game which plays like a wargame: future Nazis against future mutants. The names of all protagonists have been changed in an apparent attempt to avoid infringement, but the game clearly takes its slightly tongue-in-cheek approach directly from the book.



Mechanics

Dice Rolling Grid Movement Hexagon Grid Movement Points Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game Secret Unit Deployment Simulation Variable Set-up Zone of Control

Themes

Economic Novel-based Science Fiction Theme Alternate History World War II

Publishers

Task Force Games

Designers

Dana Lombardy Howard Anderson