What's on your table right now?

[bob48]

OH come now - you've added a fair few new games of late. I must admit, it was toss-up between Victory Roads and Holland '44.

[mirth]

Let's not make this about me and my game purchases.

[bob48]

 ;)

[ComradeP]

Bob, you can't really go wrong with Holland '44 either, at least if you enjoy more traditional hex and counter games. The rules of play left some corner cases open, but mister Simonitch keeps an active forum presence over at CSW and possibly elsewhere so most if it has been covered by now.

I still stand by my initial impression that the airborne landings are a tad too easy. Allied victory around turn 10 is certainly possible (the reported results thus far tend to be German victory or Allied victories around turn 10), but the Germans are not powerless. Their OOB (and defensive line) is wafer thin though, so there all that many counters on the board and turns can be completed fairly quickly.

I've been working on a review for a while, completion of which has been delayed twice thus far, but it should be up next week.

[BanzaiCat]

Are the landings randomized or permanent/always in the same location?

[ComradeP]

The first turn landings are always in the same location. You roll 1D6 to see how the landing goes, 1-4: fine, 5: Scattered, 6-7 Scattered + step loss, 8+ Scattered + 2 step losses (this can kill some units). Scattered means units attack at half strength and can only move 2 hexes using Tactical Movement, it's removed at the end of the Allied turn. The step loss becomes a Returnee step that can be returned at a rate of 1 per turn starting the turn after it is earned/they are earned. An S-2 result only results in 1 returnee step, the other one is seen as an actual loss.

At the start of the AM turn for each day, you roll for the weather for the AM and PM turn. DRM of -1 for day 2 and +2 for day 3. You can get none, four or eight airborne landing points (1 unit=1 point regardless of size) and are limited to one landing per day, regardless of the weather. This can lead to some tricky decision making, as you might have to choose between immediate reinforcements this turn or more reinforcements next turn. In addition, the 1st Polish Airborne Brigade can't land until all turn 3 reinforcements have landed.

There are die roll modifiers for landing on non-clear hexes (+1 for polder, +4 woods and towns) or landing in contested (enemy ZOC) or enemy occupied hexes. Glider infantry and airborne artillery can only land on clear hexes. You can't land on city or marsh hexes.

Starting on turn 3, you can land on the designated drop zone/landing zone or the adjacent hex, if the unit type can land there. The first waves tend to be mostly para, the reinforcements mostly glider which means the German player only needs to put a ZOC on a handful of hexes to make a landing more risky. I rolled 5,5,5,6 on reinforcements for 101st Airborne which hurt three glider units and killed one due to a +2 contested DRM.

Starting on turn 6, you can land on or adjacent to any drop zone/landing zone of the parent division if terrain permits. The Polish can land at their own drop zones, or the 1st Airborne drop zone/landing zones.

Starting on turn 9, you can land on or adjacent to any drop zone/landing zone of any division.

Variability comes from the weather and which hex you pick for the jump/landing. It's simple on paper, but requires planning in advance for the Allied player as airborne landings happen before movement. Example: if the German player moves units in such a way that there's an EZOC on a landing hex that you want to land on during turn 3, you can't remove that EZOC prior to landing. Landings can be postponed without penalty, but any remaining airborne landing points are never moved over to a different (part of the) day. Use 'em or lose 'em.

[BanzaiCat]

Thanks for explaining that, ComradeP.

I thought I'd heard there was alternate set-up rules?

I have the game coming...today, hopefully. Regardless it should be a lot of fun.

[ComradeP]

In addition: the drop zones/landing zones are planned or historical. The difference between the two is primarily the flexibility to pick a drop zone/landing zone later on and one battalion from the 101st having its historical inaccurate drop at Heeswijk instead of Veghel. It doesn't necessarily suffer the historically poor landing, that's up to a roll.

On turn 1, you roll 1D6 per drop zone/landing zone, which means the American landings can still be rough as the British make a concentrated drop on 3 hexes and the Americans need 6 for the 82nd Airborne and 5 for the 101st. On other turns you roll 1D6 per unit.

I'm not aware of any alternate setups for Holland '44, this seems to be one of the most if not the most historical game of the "series" thus far in terms of setup options. No alternate reinforcements or entry areas, aside from those that open up during the game. Regardless of where the frontline is, the entry areas remain predominantly German aside from two areas directly adjacent to the southern map edge (this represents the, slow, advance on the flanks).

[bob48]

Thanks for the info, ComradeP - its a game which is firmly on my 'want' list.

[ComradeP]

There are a variety of player-created aid cards over at CSW in the Holland '44 topic, those might help you with learning how the system works and as a reference of course. I find myself checking the Rules of Play from time to time for specific rulings, but most of the rules are easy to grasp and remember.

[BanzaiCat]

There are a variety of player-created aid cards over at CSW in the Holland '44 topic, those might help you with learning how the system works and as a reference of course. I find myself checking the Rules of Play from time to time for specific rulings, but most of the rules are easy to grasp and remember.

O0

[mirth]

Christmas present

[ComradeP]

I've been looking at that one too mirth, but don't know if it's my cup of tea.

Any impressions would be greatly appreciated.

[mirth]

I've been looking at that one too mirth, but don't know if it's my cup of tea.

Any impressions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to try to play it in the next week or so and I'll let you know what I think. It's the same system as Dawn's Early Light, a game I very much enjoy. Simple to learn and fast-playing, but still very enjoyable.

[BanzaiCat]

1960: The Making of the President (GMT) just arrived at my door, thus ends my 2017 run of board game acquisitions.