Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Discuss John Butterfield’s Battle of the Bulge: Crisis in Command Vol. 1
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Redwing6891
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
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Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by Redwing6891 »

Firstly, I am probably a bit nostalgic. ‘Battle of the Bulge’ relates a lot to personal experiences of many years ago. I can almost feel the cold again when looking at that map and empathize with my playing pieces. Lumbering a heavy machine gun over icy roads without falling over every other step is no mean feat, never mind actually achieving something way beyond that.

Secondly, it feels like a proper tactical scenario. Most wargames overly stress micro-management, where the player literally has to look after zillions of troops on a huge map, nearly down to the last machine gun emplacement in Western Europe. This is not what modern tactics is about at all, which stresses individual initiative and clearly defined responsibilities in the chain of command. As a general, you assign your army corps to an area, as corps commander you look after your divisions, and each subordinate commander what he/she is responsible for, down to brigade, battalion, company, platoon and squad level. Each level only looks after a very limited amount of units and space – and that is with the support of staff at the upper echelons. ‘Bulge’ neatly approximates that, keeping numbers of units to a manageable level, which greatly helps playability, and a straightforward combat system that leaves your 'in silico' subordinate commanders to sort out the actual combat on the ground. Maybe I am getting too old or too silly, but I can’t see the fun in assigning 50+ pieces on the map their individual objectives and keeping track of everything. I tried several of those type of wargames but eventually got bored with all of them.

Thirdly, the importance of the terrain to any sort of warfare is again nicely replicated. There are no hexes, and fields on the map have realistic boundaries, like already sketched out prospective areas of operation. Understand the terrain, and you understand what it needs to win – classic military philosophy.

Finally, the design of the game is just classy, a bold departure from established concepts. There are no toy panzers shuttling about here, instead we use stylish icons, just about what the next generation of tactical symbols might look like. The screen of your iPad starts feeling like the situation map that the commander would carry about with him all the time. It gets dirty with fingerprints and smudges all over it. You stare at it trying to see a way through, all the while the icy wind blows about you with airplanes and small arms fire menacingly sounding in the background. Brilliant.

This is why I love the ‘Bulge’. Thoughts anyone?
daviddunham
Staff Sergeant - StuG IIIF
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Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by daviddunham »

I didn’t see any reasons to hesitate in your post. Especially if you want an icy wind, check out Drive On Moscow (I think it’s my personal favorite of the Crisis In Command series).
Redwing6891
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
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Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:05 am

Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by Redwing6891 »

How many units do you look after in Drive on Moscow (and Desert Fox)? In Bulge it's approximately 25, that's about the maximum I can handle!
daviddunham
Staff Sergeant - StuG IIIF
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Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by daviddunham »

Ah, I see what you mean. Yes, there are more units in Moscow. But not hugely more, and you won’t get to move all of them anyway (which is one of the great features of the game system — you have to prioritize).

Desert Fox has more complicated rules for its campaign (Moscow is about the same as Bulge).
Redwing6891
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
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Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by Redwing6891 »

Hmmm, that changed my perspective somewhat. Maybe DoM is worth a go after all. I'll mull it over an Endgame in the Ardennes!
Redwing6891
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:05 am

Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by Redwing6891 »

... Ardennes secure, transferring East. Panzer marsch! ;)
Evzone
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Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by Evzone »

I have all three games, but I still revist BoB the most and personally it's my favourite to this day. Nothing against the other two, it's just that I enjoy BoB more because of the tactical challenge, map layout and genius simplicity.
Redwing6891
Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
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Posts: 31
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Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by Redwing6891 »

I agree that BotB is more of a tactical challenge and it will always be special, as it was the first to break into new territory, and it is well worth returning to from time to time. Just to keep that edge! I enjoy playing DoM a lot though now. It is a bit more varied and easier to get into than BotB. I can understand why others favour it. The three missions are a brilliant preparation for the main campaign. Or maybe the harsh school of the Ardennes has made me a better player. Still doing my fair share of blunders (saved by the bell twice!) but I'm learning.

Thanks to David for dispelling my hesitation to move on from BotB. Once I have secured the East, I'll maybe even head to warmer climes - despite the logistics and minefields!
sanimirza
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Re: Why I love the ‘Bulge’… and hesitate about the rest

Post by sanimirza »

If you want to see how it is done, invite me to a game on the Game Center (I am "Henleazey"). Once you know the basics, you should always beat the AI, especially when you are playing as the AXIS.
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