1944: Race to the Rhine - EN - Phalanx

EPIT-PHALANX

1944: Race to the Rhine - EN - Phalanx

Not enough gas, not enough ammo or not enough time. Not enough to cross the Rhine before the enemy closes all the gaps. You need to form the bridgehead before others do. That’s the only way to Victory and your personal glory.

1944 Race to the Rhine is a new game experience. You can’t win this game without proper planning. Your tanks need gas to move and ammo to fight. But don’t forget to feed your GIs. So what would be your transport priority?

Will you follow General Patton’s strategy to discard ammo in order to bring additional fuel barrels along to move boldly forward? Would you risk your prestige and gamble on Market-Garden as Field Marshal Montgomery did? Would you cross the Rhine more quickly than General Bradley did, with the help of your hard work and a little luck?

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” (General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe).

So, how are you planning your Victory?

The game is based on historical events of the year 1944. Players, in the roles of Allied commanders, take part in a true race to the Rhine. Whoever reaches the river first, wins the game and ends World War II before Christmas. But time is short, since the Axis defense is getting stronger and stronger, and the window of opportunity may not be opened for long.

Each player controls three or four Corps, and players move in turns. During each turn, players may take two actions: move their Corps (and fight a battle, if they encounter Axis troops!), get supplies, get transport trucks, and make use of their air supremacy. Cross the Rhine river first, and you win. Each of these Corps needs:

gas, to move,

ammo, to fight Axis units met along the way,

food, to prevent soldiers from starving.

Players must not only play the role of commander, but also of quartermaster in order to reach the Rhine before the others. During their march, players' Corps gain help from the French Resistance movement, find abandoned Axis supplies, and meet crowds of civilians who may be celebrating the liberation — or might just demand food to feed the hungry.

Will you use your transport capacity to send fuel to make your Corps move faster, or will you transport ammo to help them win against Axis troops met along the way? Will you lead like Patton and bend all the safety rules, or like Monty to make slow but certain progress? And don't forget about food for your soldiers, because if the supply check comes, it will be too late... Keep in mind that your situation will only get worse as the Axis defense will become stronger with each mile you advance toward the Rhine.

Game components:

rulebook (16 pages);

game board (ca. 22 x 33 inches);

wooden blocks in 3 colors: 4 red, 3 white and 3 blue;

110 cards;

wooden pieces: 35 gas barrels, 30 ammo, 25 food, 32 transport trucks;

3 counter sheets;

stickers (10) for blocks;

3 black 6-sided dice (used only in solitaire game);

plastic zip bags.