Newcastle Friends Play The Campaign for North Africa in Newcastle 2026

Key Points

• Never-Before-Done Project: Friends James Purcell, 29, and Andy Taeger, 30, from Newcastle plan to undertake the project named The Campaign for North Africa, a famous board game wargame from 1978 and known for never having been completed throughout history.
• Massive Time Investment: In total, the game contains 111 turns with one turn taking place during one week in World War Two history. The pair is expecting the project to require approximately 1,500 hours of gameplay over a period of two decades.
• Heavy Logistics & Administration: The game includes a significant number of logistics and administrative requirements that involve the use of spreadsheets to account for the amount of fuel, ammunition, food, and even the evaporation rate of water due to desert climate.
• Practice Session Done: Having pledged to take on the task back in October 2024, the pair has recently completed an 18-month, six-turn practice session resulting in a draw.
• Podcast Coverage: The friends record their experience in a podcast called War With A Mate with more than 90 episodes released to date.
• Campaign Start Date: The official campaign starts on 30 October at the same time as the 100th episode of their podcast.

Newcastle (Newcastle Times) September 26, 2026 – Two gaming enthusiasts from Tyneside have embarked on an extraordinary 20-year commitment to finish The Campaign for North Africa, a military simulation wargame famed for being so vast and complex that it has never officially been completed. James Purcell, 29, and Andy Taeger, 30, met a decade ago at a house party and built their friendship around tabletop gaming. After hearing about the game’s legendary status, the pair decided to tackle its grueling 1,500-hour runtime alongside their full-time jobs, chronicling their decade-long campaign via their popular podcast, War With A Mate.

How Did Two Newcastle Friends Decide to Tackle a 1,500-Hour Board Game?

As reported by Victor Mather of The New York Times, the journey began when the duo—who were established Dungeons & Dragons players but lacked extensive wargaming background—first learned of the game’s existence through a mutual acquaintance. Reflecting on the initial conversation, James Purcell stated:

“One day we were playing and this friend just mentioned off-handedly that there was a game that supposedly had never been finished and takes up to 1,500 hours.”

Purcell explained that while they initially laughed off the idea, the concept persisted. A few weeks later at a local pub, one of them revisited the topic, asking if the other had been thinking about the board game continuously. That pub discussion in October 2024 culminated in a mutual pledge to tackle the game in its entirety.

As highlighted by The New York Times coverage, Andy Taeger noted the psychological pull of the endeavor, stating:

“There’s something about the game that draws you in. Like, what is this crazy, huge thing? Like, why does it exist? And also, why is anyone trying to play it?”

Why Is The Campaign for North Africa Considered Unplayable?

Published in 1978 by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) and designed by Richard Berg, The Campaign for North Africa is renowned within the wargaming community for its unmatched level of granular realism. The game covers the World War Two theater in North Africa from 1940 to 1943.

As detailed by reporting across national media outlets, the game was never fully playtested prior to its retail release due to its massive scale. Purcell noted that there is no verified public record of any gaming group completing the entire campaign, meaning their attempt could represent the first documented full playthrough.

The physical and logistical footprint of the game includes:

• Massive Map Area: Five map sheets spanning multi-foot table layouts.
• Granular Logistics: Precise accounting of fuel consumption, ammunition stockpiles, rations, and water loss.
• Micro-Level Details: Environmental rules where water evaporation rates fluctuate based on desert temperature, and specialized rules such as additional water allocations for Italian troops.
• Personnel Requirements: Designed for 10 players split evenly between Allied and Axis forces, whereas Purcell and Taeger are managing the entire simulation as a two-person battle.

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How Did an 18-Month Practice Trial End in a Draw?

To familiarise themselves with the rulebooks and administrative load, Purcell and Taeger spent 18 months undertaking a six-turn practice session. In the game structure, a single turn represents one week of historical time during the North African campaign.

Because of the extreme level of detail, completing a single turn requires months of real-time effort alongside their standard work schedules—Purcell works in mental health services, while Taeger is employed as a software developer.

Describing the operational nature of the gameplay, Purcell stated:

“It feels sometimes like a job as well, we’re filling out spreadsheets more so than playing a game, so a lot of the time it doesn’t feel like fun, it feels like admin.”

Despite the steep learning curve, the 18-month preliminary run concluded in a tactical draw, clearing the path for their official 111-turn effort.

How Are the Players Managing Friction and Rule Complications?

Simulating intense military operations over long durations can place strain on personal relationships. Both players acknowledge moments of friction caused by bad luck or rule misunderstandings.

Taeger explained that while they aim to keep the environment relaxed, critical moments produce real tension:

“We’re trying to keep it fairly chill, but sometimes it’ll come down to a single dice roll and someone gets unlucky and there has been a bit of, not quite throwing pieces around because the board’s too big, but there have been moments of frustration and tension.”

Purcell admitted to experiencing frustration when errors in past turns come to light:

“I’ve had a few hissy fits, just with the rules being so complicated. I’ve been a bit annoyed when we’ve been so far in and I’ve realised I’ve done something wrong and had to make new plans based on that. Because to finish a single turn, it takes us months at a time.”

To safeguard their friendship against in-game disputes, the pair incorporated a regular segment on their podcast called Common Ground. The segment mandates that both players reach a consensus on a specific topic at the conclusion of every recording session.

What Lies Ahead as the Official 20-Year Campaign Begins?

The players have scheduled 30 October as the official start date for the complete 111-turn campaign, aligning with the release of their podcast’s 100th episode.

Looking ahead at the two-decade timeline, Purcell expressed mixed feelings regarding the long commitment:

“I think when we start the full game, it’ll be exciting. And then from there we’ve got the sort of void of 20 plus years that it’ll take to finish the game. So I’m kind of worried that the excitement might wear off and then we’re just locked into this thing for two decades.”

Taeger reflected on the psychological journey for both themselves and their international audience, stating:

“I think at certain times it’ll be our biggest regret starting it and sometimes it’ll be some real highs. But I think it’ll be part people listening along to our deteriorating mental state.”

Purcell added that the game will serve as an unusual constant in their lives as their circumstances evolve over the next 20 years:

“It’s sort of weird knowing that we’ll be 20 years older. We can have any sort of different living circumstance, careers, so it’s strange that this game is going to be a constant through that and it already has for two years.”

Background of the Development

The Campaign for North Africa (CNA) was designed by prominent game designer Richard Berg and published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978. During the late 1970s, the wargaming industry experienced a peak in hyper-detailed military simulations. CNA was conceived to represent every operational variable of war, ranging from air support fuel burn rates to convoy truck maintenance.

Due to its requirement of approximately 1,500 hours of gameplay, the game quickly acquired a mythical reputation within board gaming culture. While designer Richard Berg previously speculated that dedicated hobbyists may have quietly completed the game in private, no verified or documented record of a complete playthrough exists in board gaming literature or database registries. In recent years, the rise of modern digital streaming, podcasting, and niche gaming content has sparked renewed interest in historical tabletop titles, prompting modern hobbyists to revisit ultra-complex legacy games.

Prediction: How This Development May Affect Tabletop Gamers and Content Creators

The 20-year undertaking by Purcell and Taeger is poised to influence both the niche wargaming community and the broader digital media landscape in several key ways:

1. Validation of Long-Form Endurance Content: The global traction of the War With A Mate podcast demonstrates a growing consumer appetite for “endurance storytelling”. Listeners consume the audio content not merely for board game tactics, but to follow the long-term personal dynamic and psychological resilience of the hosts. This may inspire other content creators to build media projects around multi-year challenges.
2. Resurgence of Interest in Legacy Wargames: By demystifying an unplayable game through structured play and public documentation, the initiative highlights historical simulation games to a younger generation of gamers who grew up on modern, streamlined board game designs.
3. Community Proxy Experience: For the wider board gaming audience, Purcell and Taeger provide a proxy experience. Gaming enthusiasts interested in extreme simulations can follow the administrative rigor, tactical shifts, and mechanical intricacies of The Campaign for North Africa without having to dedicate thousands of personal hours or physical table space to the effort.