Axis & Allies Battle of The Bulge
A Desperate Struggle for Victory in the Most Brutal Conflict of WWII
German tanks thunder into the snow-covered Ardennes forest, opposed only by a few unsuspecting divisions of exhausted American troops. As Axis forces plunge into the countryside, Allied troops must struggle to hold the front line in order to repel the all-out offensive. Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulgechallenges you to control territory and contend with supply shortages, while directing infantry, artillery, tanks, and aircraft in one of the most decisive conflicts of World War II.
Axis & Allies Battle of the Bulge features detailed game components including a new truck piece, a hex-based game board with original artwork. Other elements of this new Axis & Allies variant include circumstances that played key factors in the historical battle, such as supply shortages and late-battle air support, mechanics for overland vs. road movement, and randomized war casualties.
Axis & Allies depicts Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhein), the German code name for this counteroffensive that took place toward the end of World War II. The objective: To capture the port city of Antwerp. It was expected the capture of Antwerp would cause great disruption in the Allied supply lines, and threaten to fracture the great Anglo-American alliance.
One player controls Germany, whose massive military build-up has gone undetected by the Allies, and are poised to unleash hell upon enemy forces. The second player controls the United Kingdom and the United States -- they must stem the tide of German armor and hold their positions until reinforcements arrive.
User Reviews (2)
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Old school Avalon Hill wargamer’s can find a simplified way to kick their old habit into a more recent decade.
The gist of the game:
This is a non-traditional Axis and Allies game. There is no labor intensive production phase, research phase, or any of that non combat stuff. This game is all about the superior forces of the Germans trying to push their way through the initially weak Allied forces to capture the fuel reserves and win the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans are better in the beginning of the game as they crush through the Allies forces. The game is a lot about force conservation and choosing your battles rather than just fighting everywhere. There are mechanics for capturing fuel reserves, which the Germans must do to keep their juggernaut going. The rules for this are not totally straight forward and easy to understand, and they are a VERY important part of the game. Make sure you do that part right.
Replay Value:
If you have two lovers of history or hardcore wargamers, there is some replayability. It is fun to try to defy history as the Germans or to keep the Allied streak of victories alive. Non-wargamers will probably not enjoy the pre chosen reinforcements and the one objective feel of the game.
Components:
The components are pretty high quality. They have less fiddly bits on the plastic units and they all look pretty cool. Some of the components might seem a little bit large for fitting on to some of the tighter board spaces though.
Easy to Learn:
If you have played old Avalon Hill war games or some Axis and Allies, this will not be difficult to understand. If you don’t have at least a historical understanding of this battle, it will not be the easiest thing to learn.
2 players There isn’t much to say here, but that hopefully the two players are into historical wargaming. 13+ age would only be appropriate again if the teenager(s) were into history or war reenactment. Otherwise, the game might be more suitable for 16+. 180+ minutes could be beaten by two players that know the rules fairly well. If neither player knows the rules going in, the game could take up to 4 hours. And then if you find out 2 hours in that you have messed up 1 or 2 rules, the game will feel frustrating.
Conclusion:
I liked this game, although I feel that the rulebook did not emphasize the most important rules of the game that have huge impacts on the game. If you do not understand the fuel mechanic, the game will be imbalanced and not have the proper feel. That being said, the design of the game really does make it feel like the Battle of the Bulge. If the proper players engage in this Battle it will be fun. If not, I suggest that you stay away.
well not a bad game but i’d stick with the normal one