Westwall: Four Battles to Germany is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications (SPI) in 1976 that simulate battles in Europe in late 1944 and early 1945 during World War II.
Westwall: Four Battles to Germany is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications (SPI) in 1976 that simulate battles in Europe in late 1944 and early 1945 during World War II.
As Allied forces broke out of Normandy in August 1944 and crossed France, they came up against a strong German defensive line called the Westwall that prevented them from crossing the Rhine River. German defenses stiffened, and the Allies were stymied for many months in their attempts to find a way across the Rhine and into Germany. [1]
Westwall is a "quadrigame" — a game box that contains four separate wargames that use a common set of rules.
The game box contains:
The individual games were also released as "folio games", and included twenty random number counters in place of the six-sided die.
The system used for all four games is a revision of the games system developed for Modern Battles . [2] Each turn, which represents 12 hours of game time, consists of five phases:
Each game also has some rules unique to that particular game.
In 1975, SPI published their first "quadrigame", Blue and Gray , a set of four American Civil War battles. The format proved very popular, and SPI quickly produced more quadrigames, one of them being Westwall, published in 1976 with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. Westwall initially sold well, rising to #6 on SPI's Top Ten Bestselling Games list after its release, and staying in the Top Ten for six months. [5]
The four games were also released individually, packaged as "folio games" (games enclosed in a cardstock folio.) Arnhem, the top-rated game in Westwall, was also released in a boxed Designer's Edition. Following the release in 1977 of A Bridge Too Far , a film about Operation Market Garden, SPI immediately acquired the board game rights, and re-released Arnhem as A Bridge Too Far: Arnhem. The new box art featured stills from the film. [6]
In a 1976 poll conducted by SPI to determine the most popular board wargames in North America, Westwall was the highest rated quadrigame, placing an impressive 15th out of 202 games. [2]
In the 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nicholas Palmer noted "it is difficult to design good, simple games of modern combat, because modern combat is very far from simple, but Westwall brings it off, with a modification of the Modern Battles system." [2] In the same book, Charles Vasey reviewed three of the four games:
In his 1980 sequel, The Best of Board Wargaming , Nick Palmer added "This has proved the most successful World War II quadrigame, even though two of its games are far from satisfactory." He also reviewed three of the games:
In the same book, Marcus Watney reviewed Remagen, noting "Bearing in mind the scant German resistance to the American capture of the Rhine bridge at Remagen, it is hardly a surprise that this game is not a success. It is a very artificial game." He concluded by giving the game a zero for Excitement. [3]
In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Martin Campion commented on the possibility of using this game as an educational aid, saying, "The games are fairly simple, and I have used Arnhem and Bastogne as take-home assignments. Of the four, Arnhem is probably the one that comes closest to reflecting important aspects of the battle it presents." [7]
In Issue 6 of the UK wargaming magazine Phoenix , Jeff Parker wrote, "It has become customary to criticise the Quadrigame series for lack of detail and it is true that this feature is a minor irritant in those games dealing with periods of strict linear tactics. It becomes less important in the modern battle games where units are generally a well balanced mix of types and less vulnerable to attacks from flank and rear." He concluded " I am impressed by the way the games played, and this is high praise since I am not a devotee of the simpler type of game." Parker also reviewed each of the games:
In the October 1976 issue of Airfix Magazine , Bruce Quarrie wrote "The Quadrigame series is easy to criticise for its lack of detail, but if judged by the same criteria its designers aimed to meet, Westwall gives fair value." Quarrie also gave short reviews of each of the games:
In Issue 27 of Simulacrum, Dev Vandenbroucke noted, "Like all of the quadrigames, Westwall emphasizes simple rules and playability. [...] These games won’t teach you any deep lessons, but they are historical at their level of abstraction, and you can play each of them in an hour or two." Looking at the individual games, Vandenbroucke thought that "Arnhem, Bastogne, and Hurtgen Forest give you your money’s worth." Regarding Remagen, all he could say was "The best the Germans can expect in Remagen is to lose less badly than their historical counterparts." [9]
Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four battles from the American Civil War.
Battles for the Ardennes is a "quadrigame" — a board wargame that contains four different battles using one set of rules — originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates Second World War battles in the Ardennes Forest region in 1940 and again in 1944.
Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four modern-day battles set in the early 1970s.
Napoleon at War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates various battles fought by Napoleon.
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Thirty Years War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a "quadrigame" — four separate board wargames packaged in one box that use a common set of rules — published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976. The four games simulate different battles during the Thirty Years' War, and were sold individually as well as in the quadrigame format. Some of the games were well received by critics, but overall, the quadrigame did not sell well.
Lützen is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1632 Battle of Lützen during the Thirty Years' War. Lützen was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame". Many critics called it one of the better games of the four, and Lützen was also published as an individual game.
Rocroi, subtitled "19 May 1643 – The End of Spanish Ascendancy", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1643 Battle of Rocroi during the Thirty Years' War. Rocroi was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom called it a "bland tactical problem", while others declared it was the best game of the four in the Thirty Years War box.
Freiburg, subtitled "3–9 August 1644 – Conquest of the Rhine Valley", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1644 Battle of Freiburg during the Thirty Years' War. Freiburg was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received poor reviews from critics, who called it the weakest of the four games in the Thirty Years War box, "a series of slogging matches", "not much fun", and "relatively boring."
Arnhem, subtitled "Operation Market-Garden, September 1944" and also published as A Bridge Too Far: Arnhem, is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates Operation Market Garden during World War II, when Allied forces attempted to create a salient in the Netherlands, using paratroopers to take strategic bridges over the Rhine. Arnhem was originally published in the WestWall "quadrigame", but was also packaged for sale as an individual game.
Blue & Gray II, subtitled "Four American Civil War Battles", is a collection of four board wargames originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that each simulate a battle from the American Civil War. It is the sequel to Blue & Gray published earlier in the year. Each of the four games was also published as individual "folio games."
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Jena-Auerstadt: The Battle for Prussia is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the twin battles of Jena and Auerstadt in October 1806. It was one of four games that were part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but it was also released as an individual "folio game" packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardstock folio. Jena-Auerstadt was rated highly in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, but critics questioned whether its simplicity was capable of simulating a complicated two-part battle.
Quatre Bras: Stalemate on the Brussels Road is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Quatre Bras, one of the engagements leading to the Battle of Waterloo. Quatre Bras was originally published as one of four games in the popular collection Napoleon's Last Battles, but was also released as an individual game.
Bastogne: The Desperate Defense, December 1944 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the German attack on Bastogne during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. The game was originally part of the four-game collection Westwall: Four Battles to Germany, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
Crusader: Battle for Tobruk, November 1941 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates Operation Crusader during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Four Battles in North Africa "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Crusader was also published as an individual "folio game."
Remagen: Bridgehead on the Rhine, March 1945 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Remagen during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Westwall: Four Battles to Germany "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Remagen was also published as an individual "folio game."
Kasserine: Baptism of Fire, February 1943 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Kasserine Pass during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Four Battles in North Africa "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Kasserine was also published as an individual "folio game."