Balboa (1976, $12.00)
Designed by William A. Comito
Players 2-20
Period World War II, ETO
Scale Tactical
Turn 15 seconds
Map 10 feet
Unit one man

Components
1 12”x9” flatbox
12 unmounted 9”x11¼” geomorphic mapsheets
1 32 page rulebook
756 ½” counters (3 sheets with 252 die-cut counters)
8 cardstock sheets with upper floors (66 sections to cut out)
1 20 sided die

Counter Manifest
140 green on olive
112 green on tan
168 black on gray
84 black on white
126 red on pink
126 red on white

Green on olive
Capt, 1 LT, 3x2 LT, M/Sgt, T/Sgt, 4xS/Sgt, 11xSgt, xT/Cpl, 16xCpl, 25xPFC, 72xPvt

Green on tan
28xShadow, 8xDown, 20xSniper, 10xFortification, 10xUnnamed US infantry, 5xAT launcher, 4xAT rocket, 4xGrenade, 2xLMG/MMG, Aim Point

Black on gray
O.Leut, Leut, HFW, 4xOFW, 4xFW, 12xUFW, 16xUO, 27xOGF, 31xGefreiter, 20xO.Schutze, 36xSchutze, 15xUnnamed German infantry

Black on white
20xRubble, 20xShell Hole, 16xBlast Hole, 13xLMG, 6xGrenade, 3xAT launcher, 3xAT rocket, 2xMMG, Aim Point

Red on pink
Sr.Lt, 4xLt, M.Sgt, 4xS.Sgt, 12xSgt, 33xJr.Sgt, 32xSr. Soldier, 29xSoldier, 10xUnnamed Russian infantry

Red on white
23xPin, 23xStun, 23xLt Wnd, 23xHvy Wnd, 10xKIA, 10x“No Move”, 4xgrenade, 3xAT launcher, 3xAT rocket, 3xMMG, Aim Point

Balboa says:

“The game is designed to recreate, as close as possible, the ‘feel’ and ‘flavor’ of infantry combat and the problems and decisions faced by the small unit leader ... The combat units involved represent the average organizations of the U.S., Germany, and the U.S.S.R.

The playing area represents typical European buildings and streets. All names on the maps are in German, but represent typical small town architecture and street plans left over from the Middle Ages ...

Proceed with caution: the town is unfriendly, the enemy is experienced and your men aren’t expendable. You have your mission and your organization. As soon as you read the rules and set-up, it will be H-HOUR.”

The designer says:

“A game is one man’s view of a particular subject, and is only as good as the author’s research and experience. I designed this game from the viewpoint of a professional soldier who has spent 6+ years in the infantry, including two combat tours, and who has been an instructor in small unit tactics and map reading. My training has been in all aspects of infantry combat, and my research has included not only books but interviews with combat infantry veterans of WWII ... The game is, honestly, an attempt to combine a miniatures game and a boardgame together. Most of the rules are written from a boardgame viewpoint, but can be readily applied to miniatures.”

Comments:

I almost didn’t believe this game existed until I actually found a copy. I was not able to locate any reviews of it, contemporary or otherwise (certainly not in the major magazines of the era). Was it viewed as superfluous, coming so close on the heels of the popular man-to-man SPI games of Sniper and Patrol? Were gamers scared off by the amateur box and poorly printed rulebook ... or perhaps it was the multi-floor building levels to be constructed using legs made out of toothpicks?

H-Hour shows a great deal of attention to detail. Each soldier counter bears a surname and rank insignia. The random scenario system offers variable forces and objectives (somewhat similar to Victory’s Shell Shock). Variety is also added by the twelve geomorphic map sheets. Nonetheless, the game seems to have dropped right off the radar and there are no signs that it is regularly played or discussed today.

Collector’s Notes:

H-Hour was a tough one to find. I hunted around online for a couple of years before finally winning a copy on eBay. I later managed to track down another copy that was unpunched and complete (from a seller in Italy!) There don’t seem to be many people out there looking for this one. If you find one up for auction, there may not be much competition. Boone lists low/high/average prices of 7/20/13.50 at auction and 12/40/ 22.33 for sale. During my search I passed over an overpriced copy ($80) from an online dealer. When I made a counter-offer, the dealer justified the price by claiming that while most copies were mis-cut, his was “close to perfect.” Caveat emptor - all three copies I found have been cut just fine.

Other man-to-man WWII games:

Ambush (Victory), Battle Cry (3W), Battle Hymn (Victory), Behind Enemy Lines RPG (FASA), Combat (Gameforms), Commando (SPI), Iron Cross (3W), Patrol (SPI), Shell Shock (Victory), Sniper! (SPI, TSR), Soldiers (West End), Up Front (AH).

H is For Capsule Reviews

Introduction
H-Hour
Hell Hath No Fury
Hero
Hitler’s War (Metagaming)
Hitler’s War (AH)
Hougoumont
Hyper Battle