From: Steven Bucey Subject: Re: Also Origins: New DG Bulge Game? ROBERT M TITRAN wrote: > Anyone try the Bulge CG "Nuts!" ? Decision was showing it off at Origins, > I never got around to checking it out. > > Thanks, > I posted this before (right after Origins), but I'll post it again. At Origins I also "demo'd" a copy of Decision Game's Nuts!, their new card game on the Battle of the Bulge (yet another Bulge game). By demo I mean they gave me a copy and I set up shop in the hallway near the board-game rooms and started playing it with another guy, and told anybody who asked all about it. Callie Cummings said that not to long after I did this they had a flurry of people stop by and buy the game, so I guess it worked. The cards are very nice, with scene from WWII France. Cards are of three types: combat formations, events, and terrain. Combat formations are rated for artillery, armor, infantry and cohesion. Combat cards include actual unit names and ensignia! The game comes in two sets, a north and south theater, though you don't need both sets to play the game. Thus, it could be two, three or four player. Each theater is a "grid" of three columns and 6 rows. US cards are usually played to a specific grid coordinate (or sometimes a range), but German cards (with the paratroop exception) simply enter at the start of specific rows. The game starts with the US player sorting out all those cards specifically marked for setup. The German then selects 5 cards to place in each row. The sequence of play is as follows Cohesion check phase (units which fail are removed, units which pass remove all hits). Draw Card Phase Move card phase (infantry one, mechanized two) Combat Phase (infantry which didn't move or mechanized which only moved one). Combat is done as follows. First, the defender decides what terrain he'll use (terrain aids defense, but you need cards to "occupy" them). Then the attacker decides if he'll only bombard or assault. If he only bombards then an exchange of artillery occurs and that is all. Otherwise, the attacker then decided whether or not to commit armor, then infantry (required whether the armor went in or not). For each type of attack, you total the value of that type of category (if three cards had 2 artillery each, you would have a strength of 6). Divisional integrity gives a bonus of +1 strength. You then roll a number of die equal to your total strength. Artillery and armor hit on 5 or 6, while infantry hits on a 6 only. If the attacker didn't commit his armor, the defender may still counter-attack with his, but at half strength. While there is no limit to the number of combat cards in a grid location, there is a limit on the number that can attack. Hits are more or less distributed evenly, though terrain can modify this. Units which take hits >= their cohesion are killed. There are rules for supply, Blitz movement and encirclement, but the rules are short. Most of the special activities are covered by the event and terrain cards, which include everything from "Famous Generals" and Truly Famous Generals, to engineers, mud, aircraft, suspicious MPs and even mass murder of prisoners. Some of the cards are down right funny, while others (as above) are deadly serious. The "feel" was surprisingly good. In both games the German more or less pushes half way across, and then he bogs down. I don't have a feel for play balance, but I got the impression that it might depend upon the cards the allied player gets at the start. This is not a collectible card game (as is one I saw at Origins call Crusade or something). Each of the two sets are complete games which can be combined. I was impressed enough to buy a copy myself, and I'm not even a card game fan. On the down side, the rules are not very clear. In particular, the effects of towns are very confusing, and took several questions to the designer and developer to get right. Another two pages for the rules would not have been remise. However, once you figure them out they play very well. Steve -- Visit the Columbus Area Boardgaming Society Web Site at: http://web.jadeinc.com/spqr When in doubt, call in an airstrike.