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The Silver Bullet; Or the Road to Berlin Board Game

 Collection — Container: MSSP Game CC-0001
Identifier: MSSP_10091

Scope and Contents

British-made patriotic manual dexterity marble maze board game depicting the beginning of World War One and charting an imagined British and Allied military campaign to capture Berlin, the German capital . The object of the game is to maneuver a small metal ball around a recessed playing board and avoid holes distributed around the course. Players win the game by navigating the ball around the course to “Berlin” at the top of the board. The start of the course is labeled “To Berlin” with an arrow pointing the direction. The holes are labeled with numbers and the names of German cities to be conquered or obstacles to be overcome: “55 Entrenchments”, “50 Cologne”, “45 Bridge Destroyed”, “40 Leipzig”, “30 Magdeburg”, “25 Hanover”, “20 Road Mined”, “15 Hamburg”, “10 Spandau” (two holes), “5 Potsdam.”

The top of the game board features the words “British Design” and “British Made.” The game board is encased in a wooden frame under glass.

The back of the game features a printed label with rules and explanatory text. The manufacturer's initials “R. F. & S.” for R. Farmer & Sons are at the bottom.

The label on the back reads in full:

“THE NEW WAR GAME. THE SILVER BULLET OR THE ROAD TO BERLIN.

Registration applied for.

British Design. British Manufacturers.

Rules of the Game. Each player starts with an imaginary 500 men, and failure to pass the different fortresses entails a loss of as many men as indicated at the point of failure. The player reaching Berlin with the largest number of men wins the game.

Amateur Strategists will soon discover the methods whereby the danger zones may be successfully evaded, but the ever present difficulties tend to make the game of fascinating interest to players and onlookers.

A player losing his full complement of men is thereby put out of action, the next player continuing the attack.

As players become efficient, they may be handicapped by having a less number of men at the start.

Beginners will be encouraged to know that the proficiency generally begets over-confidence, and the expert often fails amidst the hearty laughter of the company when he least expects to.

R. F. & S.

Dates

  • Creation: c. 1914

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

R. Farmer & Sons was a British toy and games manufacturer. In 1915, the company published a similar patriotic manual dexterity marble maze board game called Trench Football.

Extent

.04 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Physical Description

9.5 inches (length) by 6.5 inches (wide) by 1 inch (tall)

Status
Completed
Date
2024
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Notre Dame Rare Books & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
102 Hesburgh Library
Notre Dame IN 46556
574-631-0290