L'Attaque

Lore & Background

L'Attaque was developed by Frenchwoman Hermance Edan in the 1880s, and she filed a patent for it on November 26, 1908 with the French Patent Office. The patent (number 396.795) was released in 1909, and the game began being sold by French game manufacturer Au Jeu Retrouvé in 1910 under the name L'Attaque. It was sold in France by department store La Samaritaine and appeared in Britain before World War I. In 1925, English game maker H.P. Gibson and Sons bought the rights and published the game at least until the 1970s, initially retaining the French name before eventually changing it to 'The Attack'.

The game shows similarities to the Chinese game dou shou qi (jungle) and the Japanese game Gunjin Shōgi. Historian R.C. Bell stated that Jungle was first published in the 20th century and cannot have been a predecessor. In 1932, Gibson and Sons published Tri-tactics, a combination of L'Attaque, Dover Patrol, and Aviation. Stratego, a nearly identical game with additional pieces, was first published in the Netherlands in 1946; historians Fred Horn and Alex de Voogt state that the idea for it was likely derived from or transmitted as a result of L'Attaque.

Reader's Guide

L'Attaque is significant as one of the earliest commercial board wargames to use hidden piece identities and a strict rank hierarchy for combat resolution. Its design directly influenced Stratego, which became a globally popular game. The game's patent and publication history illustrate the early 20th-century development of abstract strategy games in Europe. L'Attaque also demonstrates cross-cultural connections, with similarities to Chinese and Japanese games, though the direction of influence remains disputed. The game's longevity—published from 1909 through at least the 1970s—and its role as a precursor to a major commercial success underscore its importance in the history of board games. Its simple rules and fast pace, as noted by reviewer Eric Solomon, helped establish a template for hidden-information war games that continues to be used today.

Did You Know?

• Hermance Edan filed a patent for L'Attaque on November 26, 1908, based on a game she had developed in the 1880s.
• L'Attaque was sold in France by department store La Samaritaine and appeared in Britain before World War I.
• In 1932, Gibson and Sons published Tri-tactics, a combination of L'Attaque, Dover Patrol, and Aviation.
• Historians Fred Horn and Alex de Voogt state that the idea for Stratego was likely derived from or transmitted as a result of L'Attaque.