From: David Ferris Subject: Re: One Page Bulge Jeff Legay asked: > Who published this game? Steve Jackson Games. It was one of the very first batch of SJG games to come out back 'round 1982, right after Steve Jackson left Metagaming and formed his own company. All the first games were tiny "ziplock" bag games, running for about $4 or $5 US. I still have the lot, I think: Raid on Iran, One Page Bulge, Undead, Car Wars (first edition!), Kung Fu 2100. What am I forgetting? > Is it still available? Nope. Didn't sell real well so I don't think any reprints were ever done. Originally it was done almost as a dare, to prove that it was *possible* to produce a Bulge game with one page of rules. As the only historical game in the set (Raid on Iran was quasi-pseudo-historical) it didn't fit in with the rest of the games released in that batch. You can still find copies of One Page Bulge all over in auctions and flea markets. > What is the general consensus for a quick wargame? I liked it, I thought it was fun. (Note that I'm not a Bulge expert, so I can't compare it to Drang Nicht Irvanian or whatever those old Bulge monster games were.) Played in a couple of hours, seemed to give a pretty good feel for the situation, seemed balanced, was an enjoyable gaming experience. Definately worth the cover price. The graphics weren't anything to write home to Mom about, but whaddaya expect for four bucks? > How big is the map? The rules and map were on one big folded sheet of paper, that had to be cut a bit to take out the map and IIRC a small chart sheet. I think the map ended up to be about the size of a 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, give or take. The counter sheet was a separate piece of cardstock, IIRC was not die-cut and had to be cut apart with scissors. > Any comments appreciated. Don't mix Cat 3 and Cat 5 cabling. Make sure your Linux swap partition is at least 64 megs. I like cars with cup holders! Milk is good. :) DLF From: "Walter K. Daniel" Subject: One-Page Bulge mini-review One-Page Bulge was published by Steve Jackson Games. They have a Web site but I don't recall the URL. I don't think the game is in print but you could probably find a copy if you looked. (sound of rummaging through storage box...aha!) The map itself is about 13 by 16 inches and the rules are printed on one 8.5 by 11 inch page. In fact, the map, rules, and turn record track were printed on one large 16 by 21.5 inch sheet; the three parts had to be cut apart. The counters were only die-cut in one direction so more scissoring was necesary. The Allied units have red lettering and blue symbols on a white background whilst the German units are black on a blue background. There are no unit designations. The Allied side has 8-8 armor, 4-8 armor, and 4-7 infantry units. The German side has lots of armor units (10-6, 9-6, and 5-6) with many 4-5 infantry counters. The map ranges from the Meuse (west) to German start positions (east) and from Liege (north) to Rossignol (south). There are four terrain types: clear, forest, town, and (prohibited) swamp. Rivers, bridges, and roads are present. Town names are shown but the only named river is the Meuse. Designer's and Historical Notes are printed on the back of the map. The rules are pretty much what you'd expect from a 1980 game. The turn sequence is: 1. Reinforcements, 2. Isolation (i.e., German supply), 3. Movement, and 4. Combat. Combat is required for units adjacent to enemy counters unless the unit is in a town or across a river. The Allied player gets air power points. Combat is based on a ratio table with results of DE, DR, EX, NE, AR, and AE. If defenders are in a town or forest hex, 2 is subtracted from the die roll. If all attackers are on the other side of a river, 1 is subtracted. Air power points can be used to defend Allied units and attack German ones. What's a bit suprising for a basic game like this one is the number of optional rules. There are bridge rules (blowing bridges, air attacks, pontoon bridges) and rules about German capture of Allied supplies. Victory is based on the number of supplied German strength points west of the Meuse at the end of 11 game turns. If I recall correctly, the Germans never got any units west of the Meuse, so the historical campaign ended as a decisive Allied victory in this game. I really like One-Page Bulge. I would have liked unit designations but the lack of them doesn't affect game play. Too bad that Steve Jackson didn't design more games like this one!