Cover art for Last Blitzkrieg: Wacht am Rhein, The Battle of the Bulge

Last Blitzkrieg: Wacht am Rhein, The Battle of the Bulge

2016 · BGG
Avg rating
8.70
Bayes rating
5.85
Weight
3.78 (Heavy)
Players
2-4
Playtime
16 hr
Ratings count
315

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Description

Last Blitzkrieg is the first entry in the new Series: Battalion Combat Series (MMP), which simulates combat in World War II (and beyond) at the battalion scale. Its subject is the German Ardennes offensive Wacht Am Rhein (the Battle of the Bulge) on four detailed maps (at 1km per hex) and with 1,680 counters. Last Blitzkrieg covers the battle in a level of detail rarely seen before and does so in a very playable manner. The BCS itself was designed to show that battalion level combat is its own subject, being neither "small divisions" nor "large platoons". The results may surprise some players, but will hopefully pique the interest of all and allow them to see many things they thought they already knew in a fresh light.

Key Battalion Combat Series concepts include:

 Objectives
 Recon Units
 Concentrated Armor and Support
 Prepared Defense
 MSRs and Combat Trains
 Set Piece Combats vs. Shock Attacks vs. Engagements
 Artillery Barrages
 Artillery Asset Points
 Attack by Fire
 SNAFU
 Activation by Formation
 Traffic and Coordination
 Fatigue
 Memory Markers


Last Blitzkrieg also adds:

 Bridge Blowing
 Greif Teams
 Weather
 Tiger Maintenance Woes
 Voraus Units


Game play commences on 16 December 44 and ends on 31 December 44 (with each turn being one day) allowing the first phase of the Allied counterattack to proceed. The winner is determined by comparing the German high water mark in Victory Point hexes against the situation at the very end of the game.

In addition to the full campaign, which uses a 4-map "box" layout, there are 9 additional scenarios for a total of 10 scenarios of various sizes:

 Two 4-map scenarios:
 Last Blitzkrieg Campaign: 16 turns 
 Final Blitzkrieg: 10 turns
 
 Two 2-map scenarios:
 Breakthrough Campaign: 6 turns using Maps C and D
 Advance & Destroy: 10 turns using Map D and a portion of Map B
 
 Six 1-map scenarios (including two scenarios on portions of a single map)
 Northern Campaign: 6 turns using Map C
 Southern Campaign: 6 turns using Map D
 Kampfgruppe Peiper: 5 turns using portion of Map C
 The Goose Egg: 5 turns using portion of Map C
 Bastogne: Screaming Eagles Under Siege: 8 turns using portions of Maps B and D (total playing area is less than one map)
 Tip of the Spear: 4 turns using Map A
 


Last Blitzkrieg was designed to bring all of this—and much more—to your table in a most historically accurate game that is jam-packed with information. The BCS was designed with twin goals: to provide the most insight possible into a battle and to provide games that have maximum playability.

Last Blitzkrieg contents:

 Four 22" x 34" maps
 Six countersheets
 One Battalion Combat Series rules booklet
 One Last Blitzkrieg specific rulebook
 One Battalion Combat Series Crib Notes booklet
 Two Battalion Combat Series Charts and Tables booklets
 Two Last Blitzkrieg Charts and Tables booklets
 One box and lid
 Two 6-sided dice


(description from MMP website and user)



Mechanics

Dice Rolling Hexagon Grid Simulation

Themes

World War II

Publishers

Multi-Man Publishing

Designers

Dean Essig