"I have just made a momentous decision. I shall go over to the counterattack."

In the Fall of 1944, the thousand year Reich was crumbling. Desperate measures were necessary while a strategic reserve could still be available from units reforming and refitting in Germany. The Soviets were advancing into East Prussia. The Germans might have preferred a counterstroke on the Russian Front. However, the politics of the time (and the small relative effect 40 divisions would have against Stalin's 500+) dictated deployment against the "shaky" alliance of British, US and French forces attempting to close up on the Rhine.

Against this back-drop, The Gamers' latest release in the Standard Combat Series (SCS) puts the player in the shoes of Field Marshall Walther Model or General Omar Bradley. The map stretches from Liege in the north to Martelange in the south, and from Namur eastward to Prum behind the Westwall. Units are primarily regiments, although parts of the 28th ID are broken down to battalions, and there are German Kampfgruppen of indeterminate size.

The map is attractive and functional, although the terrain key incorrectly identifies water courses as Rivers and Streams while the rules and charts refer to Major Rivers and Rivers. Unit counters are up to the usual quality expected from The Gamers. There were some problems with die-cuts being too close across the bottoms of some German counters on the reduced-step sides, but this was a mere annoyance.

[Ed. Note: We will gladly correct this type of problem. You call us here in Homer.]

Those of us who remember Avalon Hill's 1965 classic will note that each US Armored Division's Combat Command Reserve is the same strength as Combat Commands A and B. Even Danny Parker's Hitler's Last Gamble from 3W four or five years ago carried the CCRs as slightly below the CCA/B level. I certainly would not know what went into the decision. It is entirely possible that strength returns of the time were suspect anyway. It may be that TAHGC's based their decision on prior practice of assigning attached assets more than on any formal Table of Organization or doctrine. In any event, the US player will not complain. He will need all the help he can get to withstand the steamroller.

For those who have not seen the predecessor games in this series, Stalingrad Pocket and Afrika, the SCS utilizes a set of standard series rules plus a game-specific booklet. In this instance, the game contains Series Rules version 1.6 and a 16-page game specific rule book (5 pages of rules, setups for the 5 scenarios, designers' notes, players' notes and charts and tables-one page, front and back). Personally, I would like to see the charts on a separate card, preferably on card stock, but I understand that would increase the price. My solution was to make two copies of the charts page and have them laminated at Kinko's for a price of about a dollar.

That brings up another good selling point. Many readers will recall that The Gamers will answer rules questions by telephone. I did not realize just how consumer oriented they were until I managed to leave my game-specific rule booklet in the copier and learned by telephone that no one had turned them in. I had less than four days until the CCMGS meeting where we would run through the game (see "After Action Report," below); it looked like time to call Gamers' customer support. I learned that they will correct any problem if the purchaser provides a photo (usually an off-center countersheet, I suppose). In this instance, they cheerfully suggested that I send them a photo of the Kinko's Copy Center, with the rule booklet coming Express Mail. Hats off to a company with customer support above and beyond the call of duty!

The sequence of play is simple yet uniquely asymmetrical. After the preliminary Weather Determination and US Air Point phases, there is German movement followed by US and German Barrage phases. However, there is no German barrage in the US Turn. The designer explains that both fuel and artillery shells were short for the Germans, which comes across quite well in play.

After barrage is the combat phase, followed by supply and exploitation. The order is key, because a unit in supply and properly placed in reserve may exploit well out of supply range, knowing that supply will catchup in the ensuing turn's movement phase. However, in this game, only units that did not move and were specifically marked with "Reserve" counters are eligible for exploitation. This requires fine planning but can really make the American's life miserable when trying to reform a front.

Artillery, particularly US artillery, can be quite telling. In the barrage phase, units with a bracketed attack factor may barrage units within range. German Nebelwerfers and US 155s have a range of 4: all others are 3. The most common result of barrage fire is disorganization, which lasts until the final "Clean Up" phase of the owning player's turn. DG counters placed on top of the victim units indicate an inability to attack or bombard. Movement and defense factors halved.

Overrun may occur during movement in Ardennes but is less telling than in prior series games due to a game-specific rule that movement (and hence overruns) must be done unit by unit; that is, units do riot move in stacks. In addition, there is a penalty any time a unit attempts to enter by road any hex already occupied by a friendly unit. There is a companion rule and map symbol for German roads that were especially congested during the first two days, such as the Losheim Gap area. However, the two rules are exclusive-you apply the rule that most hinders German movement. While this does slow down play, it helps to accurately reflect the problems of mechanized combat in terrain unsuited to off-road vehicular movement.

For those not acquainted with the system, overrun is surprising. It is simply regular combat results determined upon entry of the occupied hex. However, with the Germans moving one unit at a time, there will be a lot more 2: 1 resolutions than 5: Is or better, such as were seen in Afrika. I seem to recall seeing a discussion on GEnie@ that the intent was for the German player to be able to overrun a I - or 2-factor blocking force but to have some hard choices when faced with anything larger. It certainly accomplishes that, but it may surprise players how infrequently they can successfully use this rule in the game.

Step losses reflect combat results. Most counters are backprinted, and most infantry regiments are 3 steps. After you flip counters to their back side, hit markers placed underneath record subsequent losses without further detracting from the unit's abilities. Many results also entail retreat, but there is a No Result row on the table. Unlike previous games in the Series, units may not advance beyond the hex attacked even if the defender must retreat two hexes. Defenders may opt to trade a retreat hex for an additional step loss.

If you have played or watched Afrika, you know that the Series uses a fluid zone of control rule. It simply costs two additional movement factors to enter a hex in an enemy zone of control. In addition, retreat through enemy ZOC tacks on an additional step loss, so the only way to destroy a large unit by surrounding it is to have units in all six adjacent hexes.

There is a lot of game-specific chrome. but it does not bog things down much. There is the 150th Panzer Battalion and a von der Heydte Parachute unit, although it scatters to death about a third of the time. The US may roll to blow bridges, and the German 5 Pz and 6 Pz Armies have bridge engineer units to throw temporary bridges. The German must also take care to stage forward his supply units after the first couple of turns or capture US dump markers that may or may not be real depots. Being out of supply quarters attack strength and halves defense and barrage, while movement is quartered for mechanized units and halved for others.

One streamlined item of chrome is the Greif teams. These counters have a Hide and an Open side. When hidden, they ignore US zones of control, can occupy hexes with US units and never suffer a traffic jam or stacking penalty. When they occupy one hex of a bridge, they may become open and prevent the bridge from being blown. When hidden, they may misdirect US units down the wrong road, although on a die roll of 5 or 6 the team is discovered and destroyed.

Play balance may still be a concern, and it is too soon for me to venture an opinion on that. Both the first and second scenarios, which use only one of the two maps, have fairly tough victory conditions for the Germans, so the more experienced player should play them. On the campaign scenarios, the graduated victory point schedule itself may take care of play balance.

Overall, I really like the game. Though the lack of over runs may seem strange considering the way Hollywood portrayed the battle, it is historical. (The 8th Armored Cavalry Battalion of the 14th Armored Cavalry Group Succeeded in holding up the advance through the Losheim Gap and withdrew as a cohesive unit.) Adding some sort of first turn bonus would just seem to dirty up an otherwise elegant system. It feels right over the long haul.

After Action Report: Ardennes

David Carpenter and I both had limited experience with the SCS. I had solitaired Stalingrad Pocket and David had played Afrika at a previous CCMGS meeting. We decided to make this playthrough a learning session and set up for scenario 2, The Drive on Bastogne. This scenario uses only the southern map. There is no contiguous front of US zones of control, making for a fluid start. It is not entirely clear, but we agree that the intent of the rule Suggests that the German player does not roll 1 for weather change on Turn 1 but is guaranteed one turn with weather at the Soup level.

[Ed. Note. This is incorrect. Rule 1.12a instructs the German player to roll for any possible weather changes from the initial weather given in the scenario.]

Of course, my US Air Point die roll resulted in no assistance from the fly-boys.

On Turn 1 the Germans cross at Dasburg and push toward Clervaux. The units crossing at Gemund cannot reach Hosingen, and progress in the South is slow due to lack of bridges over the Our River. (The game does not account for fords.) The first US barrage against the 2nd Panzer Recon is ineffective, but so is the Nebelwerfer barrage that follows. The second shot further south clisorganizes the 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry of the 28th ID. The ensuing combat destroys it. A 4-to-1 on Hosingen by 28th Volksgrenadier carries the town in what David describes as a fiery assault. Marnach falls to the von Boehm Recon unit.

As David has moved all of his units rather than marking some as Reserve, there is no German exploitation. The first US turn begins with a substantial reinforcement appearing-Combat Command R and Division Artillery of the 9th Armored Division. At the time, Clervaux looked like a good spot for them. In retrospect, such an aggressive advance almost blew the game open. Out of three attempts, the only bridge to go up is on the Wiltz-Consthurn road.

The German response on Turn 2 is to skirt the north edge and cross behind Clervaux on the Bastogne-St. Vith highway. Of slight consolation to my US HQ is that the von Boehm Recon unit is out of supply. This compels the Americans to abandon Clervaux, arcing around the 2nd Panzer Division spearhead at 23.26, 24.19 and 24.20. To stall the drive, the CCR and DivArty of 9th Armored Division hunker down at 21.20. The south edge is equally messy, but the German options are fewer with only infantry and paratroopers to exploit early success.

In the mid-game the hour and the long week start to tell. David has completed a second overrun and is starting a third when I realize that he is doing so by stacks-clearly a risk of having played prior games in the series, like Afrika. Fortunately, we can return the units to their original positions, and a couple of overruns take place correctly at lower CRT columns. The Germans finally lose a step! Amazingly, American artillery is a non-event until the third or fourth turn. Bad dice at barrage time did not help. [Eventually, the DG counters start coming out.

Due to time constraints, we call the game after 5 turns, with the Germans holding Mersch and Ettlebruck. They have a Kampfgruppe next to the unblown bridge northwest from Wiltz. They also have the 2nd Panzer spearhead bloodied (finally) northeast of Longvilly, where they are poised to renew the push to Bastogne. On the other hand, US 10th Armored Division is holding its own in the South around Bissen. The 4th Armored Division's arrival (turn 7) on the south edge looms large. The 101st Airborne has pulled up in a line from Margaret east and astride the Houffalize road, 3 hexes north of Bastogne. The CCA of 9th Armored Division is on the dangling east flank at Longchamps.

At this point, I fell that the strongest probability was a drawn game with the Germans able to seize one but not both of their objectives, Wiltz and Bastogne. The next day, I solitaired through Turn 7, when the American 4th Armored, 26th and 80th Infantry Divisions come on to save the day. The German Volksgrenadiers had four hexes around Wiltz, mostly on the wrong side of the river. The fast armor had gotten next to Bastogne on the west and north. However, with attrition mounting, the weather improving and Allied air power finally making an appearance, German chances looked slim. David probably would have done better, knowing his own plan for either enveloping or seizing Bastogne.

Surely, additional play will improve our performance, Reserve utilization was virtually nil, but like the Germans historically, one reaches a point where the temptation to commit the armor to helping the infantry effect the breakthrough is overwhelming. David adds that he was probably too concerned about German casualties early on, when destroying one-step American units will pay dividends as the game progresses, even if doing so reduces a German unit. Wait 'til next time!