Little-known cult board game takes over 1,500 hours to finish

There are many board games that can take hours to finish, and anyone who's had a go at Monopoly with a large group will know it can be fun until one or more players start losing their cool. But one cult board game makes even the most tense games of Monopoly seem like a walk in the park.

Campaign for North Africa, a war simulator from the late 1970s, has re-emerged online, gaining attention for one astonishing fact: finishing a single round is estimated to take over 1,500 hours. That's nearly two months of continuous play, without taking a single break.

This game was crafted as an ultra-detailed depiction of the World War II North African campaign - the detail is so extreme that rules even account for the Italian army's need to carry extra water for cooking pasta.

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Campaign for North Africa requires up to 10 players, each assigned specific roles to manage logistics, supplies, and combat manoeuvres for the war effort.

There are plenty of board games notorious for lengthy instructions and prolonged play times, but this game has become infamous as a game that "you'll never finish".

In the decades since the game's release, it has gained something of a cult status, although it remains unclear if anyone has actually completed it.

Some who have tried the game have claimed that the preparation time is about as long as it takes most board games to finish.

Other gaming experts even suggest that the play time exceeds the 1,500 hours recorded on the box, with The Gamer claiming players require at least 1,800 hours, which may account for some rest time between turns.

Graham Scutt, managing director of tabletop game retailer Loaded Dice, says: "Tabletop game players are used to lengthy campaigns, with Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer 40,000 games taking 4-5 hours and sometimes spreading across weeks or months. However, not many will be prepared for the months of gameplay required for Campaign for North Africa.

"The game's cult status means many have likely started it, aiming to tick it off their list of completed games, but it's generally believed that nobody has actually seen the game through to the end."