The armed forces and war have inspired a number of games. This perhaps followed the late 18th-century tradition of celebrating the exploits of king and country in board games. Strategy games were naturally the easiest to transform into battle games of all types. Men at war, be they soldiers, seamen or pilots, would play games in their spare time, re-enacting famous victories. They often created their own simple boards from paper and pencil.
This game was inspired by the Crimean War of 1853–6. The playing sheet illustrates the two sides in the war. In the centre on each side is a port, with Turkey on the left and Russia on the right. Players, either Turkish or Russian, start from the ports and have to go to the enemy one by a devious route filled with hazards that are marked on the playing surface itself. The original cost of the game was 1s. 6d. This was the price for the coloured version.