tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post5654592300743006166..comments2024-03-28T16:32:41.081+00:00Comments on Battlefields and Warriors: Battle of the Bulge 1944Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-49203536193129358292018-12-27T14:55:49.551+00:002018-12-27T14:55:49.551+00:00I am now increasingly intrigued at wanting to look...I am now increasingly intrigued at wanting to look at different approaches to this battle by different and can better understand those who collect games on this subject alone.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-84449780299145445242018-12-27T13:18:15.895+00:002018-12-27T13:18:15.895+00:00Thanks the clarification.Thanks the clarification.Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-38213499619539253492018-12-27T13:12:03.516+00:002018-12-27T13:12:03.516+00:00Thinking of Danny Parker, what about his Dark Dece...Thinking of Danny Parker, what about his Dark December with its day-glow dark green and orange map, but with some cracking ideas. Following this epic AAR+ and our recent experiences with Holland 44 made me wonder about getting the reprint of Ardennes 44 about to come out, but I honestly think that Bitter Woods gives a better and definitely more playable experience. The other that I want to return to is John Butterfield's Enemy Action: Ardennes to solo the Germans again and then try the ftf game with you.Polydorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08875339847623732683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-60448080302952641922018-12-27T05:31:47.168+00:002018-12-27T05:31:47.168+00:00Thanks Iain, I know it now looks a big chunk as a ...Thanks Iain, I know it now looks a big chunk as a single entry, but broken down into a serialised account, the bite sized reports seemed to work rather well. In part, I found that after writing up a day's account, the process of turning that into narrative actually increased my enthusiasm to find out how the next day would unfold. The story telling and putting translation on what the dice results 'really meant' seems to intensify the gaming experience. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-74701929793977462552018-12-27T05:22:37.331+00:002018-12-27T05:22:37.331+00:00I should say that RtM is narrower in focus as it p...I should say that RtM is narrower in focus as it picks up the campaign a little later, 22nd rather than 16th and concentrates on the operations of 5th Panzer Army alone. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-53964770662964391662018-12-27T00:33:22.567+00:002018-12-27T00:33:22.567+00:00Really entertaining and interesting read every day...Really entertaining and interesting read every day with tension kept up throughout,I totally enjoyed it and it seemed like you did too!<br />Best Iaincaveadsum1471https://www.blogger.com/profile/02174163740406928172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-20797643008642986942018-12-26T23:22:57.664+00:002018-12-26T23:22:57.664+00:00I see Race to Meuse often on eBay. Perhaps, I wil...I see Race to Meuse often on eBay. Perhaps, I will keep an eye out for that one and the others.Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-5159295559713534362018-12-26T22:22:35.884+00:002018-12-26T22:22:35.884+00:00Thanks Dave, and likewise, I have appreciated all ...Thanks Dave, and likewise, I have appreciated all the positive comment that has fallen out of this replay.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-56581028410968788712018-12-26T20:05:10.369+00:002018-12-26T20:05:10.369+00:00Thank you Norm. I loved following this. I really a...Thank you Norm. I loved following this. I really appreciate the hard work you put in for everyone to enjoy. I raise a glass to you. Cheers!<br />DaveDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00810917899000829312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-46850253637140106632018-12-26T18:48:44.369+00:002018-12-26T18:48:44.369+00:00Hi Jonathan, yes the entry for 26th read a bit str...Hi Jonathan, yes the entry for 26th read a bit strange with an almost abrupt ending. It reminded me of one of those old English lessons from my young school years, in which we used to have to write a story. You would do something that seemed very involved, the teacher would then say 'just 10 minutes left' and you would have to rush with something stupid like 'then the boat came and rescued them all .... the end'! :-) But of course the game did just end as a partly resolved cliff-hanger. As you say, the following notes were there to sort of pick that ending up.<br /><br />I have been doing boardgames for just on 40 years, so would not be able to recall even a fraction of what passed across the tabletop, especially for this battle as it seems we are treated to something new at least once a year. But collectively, Bulge games have left me with that expectation of a mid-game American counter-attacking juggernaut.<br /><br />For Sheer playability and my most played Bulge game, I did like the one mapper, The Last Blitzkrieg, by Michael Scott Smith and published in 1994 by 3W. Interestingly to me, as I have just looked it up, in 2002, it was being closely compared (i.e. similarities) to Bitter Woods, so perhaps that says much.<br /><br />I also liked the mechanism's, in Race to the Meuse, a magazine game from the WARGAMER magazine (run by Keith Poulter I think). That got a lot of play.<br /><br />At the time that the original Hitler's Last Gamble was released, I had started doing reviews for a now long defunct UK gaming magazine and they sent me HLG to review, the main thing I can remember is that back was ragging from just setting it up! I think I should have appreciated it more because of the Bulge Pedigree of Danny Parker, but I recall finding it hard going. I am guessing that the development on the new edition will put it into another league. <br /><br />The only two other Bulge games that I presently have are Celles by Revolution Games and The Bulge, issue 3 of the World at War magazine (Decision Games). The former is a nice tidy game that concentrates on part of the battlefield that I never seem to reach in other games and latter is interesting because Liege is possible due to the Germans having unusually large movement allowances, this drives the game to force the Allies into setting up blocking positions to prevent the Germans making really massive advances to cross the Meuse. The game becomes on of managing all the road network to make sure you have really closed it down. Form memory, the Allies can blow bridges if the Germans get within 3 hexes of them. Regardless of the opinion of those large movement allowances, they are in effect an abstract way that causes the Allied player to be almost over attentive to the possibility of breakthrough and in that regard, it is just another mechanism that puts the Allied players mindset into the important emotional states of fearing German breakthrough and it works, while the German player gets frustrated by avenues of advance being closed down to them - a fun game with an interesting feel.<br /><br />The perennial question seems to be 'do we need another Bulge game'? but the subject has interest and there are always clever designers to bring a new twist to play.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-43988449015519159372018-12-26T17:51:36.481+00:002018-12-26T17:51:36.481+00:00Thanks Doug for the shout. There is just so much g...Thanks Doug for the shout. There is just so much good stuff about, I'm sure 2019 holds some promise. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-66819153252685806862018-12-26T17:49:42.094+00:002018-12-26T17:49:42.094+00:00Thanks Mike, we have done a fair few Bulge games, ...Thanks Mike, we have done a fair few Bulge games, but I think we could have a go at this and get something different from it. I take it you enjoyed the Blenheim package, one for an early listing I think.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-33825945749399043472018-12-26T16:55:00.491+00:002018-12-26T16:55:00.491+00:00Norm, the battle ending on the 26th seemed anti-cl...Norm, the battle ending on the 26th seemed anti-climactic but your post game review and analysis was energizing. The points brought out about tactical possibilities and missteps are fascinating as I envision how the game may have turned out differently. Your comparison against other Bulge games is very interesting especially about the importance of Liege in this one and not others. The lack of a mid-game arrival of an American juggernaut is equally interesting. What other Bulge games have you played and how does this version rank among them? What about Parker's Hitler's Last Gamble? I see Compass Games is re-releasing that one. Perhaps, I should pull one of the MMP games off the shelf and give this battle a try with either OCS or BCS? <br /><br />Great work, Norm, and very enjoyable replay. Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-18450875751267052712018-12-26T16:23:45.656+00:002018-12-26T16:23:45.656+00:00What a pleasure this has been to follow, a splendi...What a pleasure this has been to follow, a splendid mix of wargaming and storytelling. I'm looking forward to what you will be cooking up in 2019!Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09762034922329743373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-85779618549444493722018-12-26T12:22:57.806+00:002018-12-26T12:22:57.806+00:00All good things come to an end. A totally engross...All good things come to an end. A totally engrossing account. Being able to keep up the tension right to the end was incredible. Really liked the additional historical detail and your thoughts on each day's events. A major undertaking which deserves all our thanks.<br />And so to Blenheim and more battlefields, old and new in the coming year. Cheers.Polydorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08875339847623732683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-25424902507161790162018-12-26T11:05:42.647+00:002018-12-26T11:05:42.647+00:00Thanks, I know you are a fan of 'the replay...Thanks, I know you are a fan of 'the replay' post, I am just going through your Durrenstein 1805 post for the third time! :-)Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-51002061174224379122018-12-26T11:03:45.903+00:002018-12-26T11:03:45.903+00:00Thanks Paul, even though on day one I talked about...Thanks Paul, even though on day one I talked about playing through to the 26th, I did initially wonder whether by time the 22nd / 23rd came along, things would have settled into a less exciting game - but thankfully none of that! it played down to the last die roll, even Bastogne swapping hands more than once kept things tight.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-66595230955149428872018-12-26T11:00:26.383+00:002018-12-26T11:00:26.383+00:00Thanks Steve for supporting posts, both here and a...Thanks Steve for supporting posts, both here and at the Pendraken Forum. The Beevor text did help and on that back of that, I have just picked up Lloyd Clark's Blitzkrieg in anticipation of the new 1940 module from the Panzer (GMT) series that is due out shortly..Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-54966137176268834442018-12-26T09:44:28.321+00:002018-12-26T09:44:28.321+00:00Great write-up and interesting post game comments,...Great write-up and interesting post game comments, thanks very much.JWHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01637785437909299947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-60537566820369421572018-12-26T09:17:42.575+00:002018-12-26T09:17:42.575+00:00Thanks Norm for what has become a labour of love
...Thanks Norm for what has become a labour of love<br /><br />It has been fascinating to follow the developments and I am glad you found the game interesting to the endAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03701424813374551654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-4123758789421391542018-12-26T08:17:39.705+00:002018-12-26T08:17:39.705+00:00Well that has been a thoroughly entertaining read ...Well that has been a thoroughly entertaining read Norm! Thankyou for your efforts which I, and I'm sure many others, really appreciate. The whole thing was enhanced by reading Beevor, which added greater understanding to each days events as they unfolded. So once again 'Thankyou!' and I hope you take a well earned rest before embarking on your next project.Steve J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12143308117853983963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-47679451649751881062018-12-26T07:19:15.445+00:002018-12-26T07:19:15.445+00:00Thanks Ellis (and to everyone who stayed with this...Thanks Ellis (and to everyone who stayed with this), with the game being written up as it was played, it was interesting to me to see how the unfolding developments shaped the narrative. It kept me engaged and surprised in equal measure, which considering most of us have played a lot of Bulge games, says much. Bests wishes, 2019 is looking good :-)Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-90792139838827768252018-12-26T06:31:35.355+00:002018-12-26T06:31:35.355+00:00Terrific post, Norm. I read and recognized some of...Terrific post, Norm. I read and recognized some of these events - or variations of them - from my own experience with the game. It was great to see how the whole campaign played out. Thanks for all your efforts. Oh, and compliments of the season to you and yours, and have a super 2019.Ellis Simpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11824084848258716512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-63212461574776358972018-12-26T05:08:37.777+00:002018-12-26T05:08:37.777+00:00Mike the thing about Liege is that the actual city...Mike the thing about Liege is that the actual city itself, once you get past the barriers of rough ground and river, is only a cluster of 3 hexes and then you have the edge of the map. <br /><br />As leaving the map with mech is the thing that ensures victory and that 6th Panzer Army is chock full of mech and so easily able to make that small leap, then to say 'that' moment of three failed attacks averted disaster for the Allies is probably an understatement.<br /><br />At that moment, the Germans also controlled their three 'musts have' towns of Bastogne, St. Vith and Marche, which would mean that a map exit would provide a total victory.<br /><br />If ever a game could have been described as hanging on a few die rolls, that was pretty close to it. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-66449464811665863542018-12-25T19:55:21.224+00:002018-12-25T19:55:21.224+00:00This game is really making a gripping read! Really...This game is really making a gripping read! Really great stuff! Wonder what would have happened had those three German attacks in Liege succeeded. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing Norm!Mike Vellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01220933613292414697noreply@blogger.com