Newcastle friends prepare for a 20-year board game
28th September 2026, 11:51 CEST
Two friends from Newcastle are preparing to begin a board game they expect could take more than two decades to finish. James Purcell and Andy Taeger plan to start the full campaign of The Campaign for North Africa on 30 October 2026, following a practice game that alone took 18 months.
Created By Adam Davis Fernsby
According to BBC reporting published on 26 September, that rehearsal covered just six turns—and ended in a draw. Their next challenge stretches to 111 turns.
A friendship measured in turns
Purcell and Taeger became friends around a decade ago and regularly play Dungeons & Dragons together. The idea for their unusually lengthy challenge emerged after someone mentioned a board game reputed to require around 1,500 hours.
They committed to tackling it in October 2024. Since then, learning the rules and finding time around work have been substantial parts of the project.
The twenty-year estimate reflects their circumstances and expected pace. It is not a rule requiring players to keep the game running for that long.
Their planned October start will coincide with the 100th episode of their podcast, War With A Mate.
A weekly record of the challenge
On the pair’s own website, they describe the podcast as a way to keep themselves accountable. Recording their progress gives them an audience to answer to if enthusiasm starts to fade.
Episodes combine game updates with listener correspondence, historical discussion and a recurring “Common Ground” segment. For anyone intrigued by the undertaking, the podcast offers a way to follow along without organising a similarly ambitious game themselves.
The website divides their journey into learning the rules, practising, a hiatus and the full campaign. That preparation is part of what makes this story unusual: the friends have already devoted considerable effort to reaching the starting line.
What is The Campaign for North Africa?
Published by SPI in 1978, The Campaign for North Africa is a detailed Second World War strategy game covering the North African campaign of 1940–1943.
The scale helps explain the commitment. The pair’s website lists a ten-foot map, approximately 1,600 playing pieces, five rulebooks and an estimated 1,500-hour playing time. It recommends ten players; James and Andy are taking it on as a duo.
Beyond moving forces across a map, players must manage the supplies that keep them operating. It is a demanding exercise in military logistics and record-keeping—and, for these two friends, potentially a recurring appointment for much of their adult lives.