First of all I will say I realy hope they make more products like this, because many of the senarios in this book are a great much more fun than the regular senarios. Still, there is lots of typos and also uncorrected typos. Some of these makes the senario completly different.

Most of these senarios I havent played, so if I'm saying its unbalanced, take into concideration that I'm only geussing

Twin Villages:

After the errata, this seems like a nice senario.

Whats fun about this senario is that the americans got artellery I+II, and start the senario with 4 cards, one of which makes artellery cards cheaper. In addision the americans got the camuflage operation card, which is fun for the americans and realy irritating for the german. Are these bonuses strong enough to counter the massive german advantage in numbers? I fear not, cuz the victory condition seems easy for the german. However I'll give it the benefit of doubt And if artellery is good enough to counter the german adanvtage, I would be trilled

One thing, the camuflage op. card is poorly done I think. It makes the defender attack and hope not to hit to well. Personaly I hate that kind of thing. I think a seperate independent die roll would be better.

Rat Patroll

Some people say they like this senario because it is different. I agree that the victory conditions are fun and the basic setup is fun. However, there are two many issues, even after the errata.

1) Whats point in German victory points? I've heared a rumor that they are supposed to be suptracted from the britsh.

2) Since heavy weapons can be given specilization tokens, this means that it can also be given anti-tank specilization, right? Are you nuts? A double-anti-tank-marchine gun with a firepower of 7 versus infanteri? Even a single MG gun with a anti-tank specilization with firepower of 5 is nasty enough. It can kill all trucks on sight...

3) The balance seems to strongly favor the british. The panzer III is not that significant.

Dash to the wire

Only the biritish move first round. I like that. Seems fun way to start. However what about comand points? Does the british gain comand point first round? What about the German? Strictly speaking its only the british which gain comand points. If thats the case, I guess it will be realy hard for the german to ever retake the initiative and as initiative is realy important in this senario, it will strongly favor the British. This senario may be balanced, but I strongly doubt it if only the british gain command point first round.

Bloddy Lindern

I've played tis senario and its a great senario. The thing which balances this senario is that the germans got 3 MGs for its defending forces, while the americans got only 1 MG squad for its defending force. Thus allthough the americans are far more numerius, the german are better defended.

However I've also got a few question about this senario?

1) Are you suppose to be able to place units in half hexes? Some hexes can be used by boht US and german

2) If two concealed troops starts next to each other, are they still both concealed?

Night Hunt

The author of this senarios statis that ' Something about the idea of a bunch of German panzergrenadiers loaded up with rocket launchers and hunting Shermans in the narrow streats of a town - at night- was just an image to wild to pass up'. I completly agree. Sneaking up with on shermans tanks to blow them appart with anti-tanks squads totaly makes my day. This senario seems like a very fun senario and definitivly the next on my list to 'actually play'.

However there is an unaddressed typo in this senario which completly ruins the senario if you dont release its a type: the starting position of the opening senrio are switch. The shermans are supposed to be placed in the town.

Hell Week

Finaly a tank trap that is actually well placed and do hamper tanks A very short senario, only 4 rounds. Thats a big plus, as it must be a lot faster to play. Seems like a nice senario, however once again I have question regarding setting up in half-hexes? If the german place their flamethrower in the half hexes between 4B and 11A, would that make an insane advantage? I mean, normaly flame-throwers need to move first, and can be fired upon by MGs and other troops in OP fire mode. However if they can be placed in the half-hexes, it will seriously reduce the americans possibility to defend the hill on 4B.

Tottensontag

Seems fun as the to me it seems like the British realy dont want to fight. They want to destroy the initial german forces, but after that they realy should try to 'hide' and avoid contact.

So near and yet so far

I dont like this senario. You are more or less forced to put two MG troops on same squad base, which to me seems very gamey. The victory conditions are new and fun, however it is also claimed that this senario is highly unbalanced. That the US has an to easy job taking out the defenders. A bit strange to me as tweaking the victory conditions to balance this senario should be realy realy easy.

Night Drop

My gut feeling about this senario is that if the US has averrage or better luck in setup, they would win preaty easily. The havoc caused by a burning building next german troops could be quit harsh. However this senario gets a big plus for 'no comand, no operation card and lots and lots of caos'. However I would not expect a fair fight.

Smoking Cobras

I realy enjoy the half track used in this senaro. I'm also currius to see how the -1 movement rules play out? How important is movement? Nice, simple, straight forward senario with not to many units.

Fire and Brimstone

The US should act fast in the town. If not I fear that the german will bombard the US to death and that the german will win quit easily

2 on 2

I realy enjoy the scale of this senario. However is it balanced? I dont thing so, and according to a reviewer on this forum which has played that senario 10 times, it does favor the US.

New Mission:

Finaly an official mission with the Lay Razor wire op card. I think this is a balanced senario. AT troops in an entrencement in the forrest is powerfull. Plus artellery and morter fire does kill tanks. The town and the brideg are ideal position to defend. Lack of comunication between the tankers and infanteri However one question:

1) How does the US determind the use of command?

Gela beachhead

I've played this senario and its a good balanced senario. The german should sloughter the starting units of division 1, but how much wil it cost them? I also enjoy the wide range of german tanks in this senario, from the outdated panzer III to the tiger. However, playing the US could be a bit frustrating. The german should be able to take the command point and win the initiative. In my game, when two sherman arrived, they were basicly destroyed emiddetly, cuz having the initiative will grant the german up to 6 shots at the shermans before they can fire back. Thats a lot. The german troops were basicly killed by MG fire and all which remained was the tanks. Since tanks cannot assault a position, they question was wether the germans were able to KILL all the US forces garding the victory points in time. In our game the german won, berly, but me (the US) did a few inititial misstakes I geuss. However forget about trying to fight the germans. The german will destroy the US, but will they destroy them in time?

This senario also proved to me that an AT gun is of far less imporatance and power when tigers are around. With only panzer III an AT gun can be quit powerfull as it has further range that the panzer III. However panzer IV and tigers kills them with easily.

Neck of the gap :

In my mind this is an unplayable senario. The extreme amount of command point available to the US, and every single one of them is equal to one victory point. The US could gain over well above 100 victory point only in command points. In addition the victory points are not clear, and just the bookholding and points calculations are difficult. In this senario the german has no chance whatsoever to win, as the US has far to many comand points.

Ring around Achen

Something is wrong with the setup. How is the germans suppose to stop the american simply waking into all three victory hex first round? They cannot. In addition the germans has to few hexes compared to troops. I'm geussing that the germans are supposed to be able to place some units close the vicotry hex in 3a. If thats the case, this could be a fun senario as the german will have get some nice shots at the shermans first round. But sadly, without an errata on the german setup in this senario, I see no point in even trying this senario. Its nothing fun about setting up a game only to see the US stupidly win the game first round.

...

I'll take the rest of the senarios later.

I've written a detailed review of " Rat patrol" on boardgamegeek. I'm afraid you're correct in your assessment of this scenario. It's absolutely unwinnable for the Germans! ( If the British follow a certain strategy which I've explained in detail in that review!)

I'm sorry for all the types... (had no time to reread my post and it was to long to just delete. I wish I could edit it... )

Kingtiger, I think I have read your review. But how did you play the 'anti-tank MG squad'?

Rest of the senarios:

The bridge at chambois

Seems like a challenging senario for the german: being on the ofensive, outnumbered AND having to fight to obtain further comand. On the other hand, if the german do get a clear shot with their tigers on the US tanks, they should be toast, giving the german an tank advantage. From reviews I have read that this one is hard to win has the german. Another complain was that sergent Hawk is killed first round. But the senarios seems atleast simple and fast paced.

To Save Bostogne

This is a battle between quantity and quality, which ofcourse is not a negative thing. I also enjoy the placement of german reinforcements. I think it is important for the german not to fall into an US ambush: if the US can attack first by using OP-fire mode, and then win the next initiative, quantity will kill too many tanks. This seems like one of the better senarios.

Crisis at Kasserine

This senario has one issue which I hope to clearify before I'm willing to play it. Special rules reads: ' for attacking purposes only, units may use their longest range, regard-less of target type'. Does this realy mean that infanteri are supposed to have a range of 4 versus tanks? This means that any infanteri has a fair shot at damaging a tank at long range. It just tweaks the balance between tanks/infanteri to much... On the other hand, a flak gun that basicly is able to fire over the entire battlefield, me enjoy...

The road to ossterbeek

Original and extremly fun victory condition. The german must basicly kill ALL british troops to win. Might be more fun to play as the german than the british, but I'm geussing that its a balanced senario. I imagine a single british oficer saving the british glory to the german players dispair.

But, what effect has the Panzer IV Aust. E. op card in this senario? As far as I can see, this is not needed as the british has no Vehicles.

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As a conclution, many of the senarios are stranger, more fun and more balanced than the original senarios. Even though many senarios do have some issues, the senarios are great, are so good that they by far compensate for the less balanced ones.

Rat Patrol

Richard Berg had cleared up the confusion over the VP issue in some thread. Sorry can't point you to that source. What he explained was that the British win if they have at least 6 more VP's then the Germans at the end of round 6. So I wrote "more" in this line so I don't forget. Conversely the Germans win if the British don't have at least 6 more VP's than the Germans at the end of round 6. Put simply if the German's have 4 VP's the British need 10 to win not 6. This should have been in the errata from FFG but someone dropped the ball here as well as a few other times for the last errata.

That would definitivly help balance rat patrol. If you in addision dissaload the stupid anti-tank marchine gun I would be a lot more happy about that senario.

And yes, I would realy like an updated errata, cuz then maybe senarios like ' Ring around the AAchen' would be playable. I could ofcourse make an ad-hoc fix myself, but I would hate to ask my enemy if I could set up my unit in a hex where I'm not suppose to because : 'this is not fairplay'.

I've just resently played night hunt and I can now confirm that it is a great scenario. Night fighting rules, extremely slow vehicles... The german needs to be sneaky.

In our game the german won, but with a slightly more aggressive US player and a bit more luck it could have gone either way. Can also confirm that there is an error in the setup in this scenario. It is extremly important to know that the shermans are suppose to be placed in the town. The other way around would make for a compelty different (and probably unbalanced) scenario.

Grand Stone said:

It's been more than a year since I last played that scenario (and won't play it again without modifications, since it's so unbalanced), so I don't really remember...

I can confirm that "To save bastogne"is indeed a very good scenario. We've played and re-played it at least four times and it was always very close.