The Last Gamble

The real deal. Parker's magnum opus. The original HJ edition is much preferable to the 3W effort. If you're a Bulge fanatic you need to have this game!

After trying to find a copy of this game for over three decades, I have a PnP version from scans of the actual game. This rating is after an initial playing of the game and may go up or down.

It's Hitler's Last Gamble Lite but with clearer rules, although they do have a few quirks of their own. I and my game partner have played HLG several times and playtested the new Compass version so the rules were a breeze for us. But...There are some nuanced differences in several of the rules so we had to read carefully.

From a historical standpoint, the game appears to be on very solid ground. The Germans look overwhelming but they still have a very time tough getting their army moving; it is not the well oiled machine of 1940.

All in all, my partner and I are enjoying the experience but it remains to be seen whether or not it will replace Danny Parker's Battles for the Ardennes in my affections.

The 'holy grail' of Battle of the Bulge games. Not with mounted map boards unlike most of the other Hobby Japan titles, the map is beautifully colored and very easy to read. Comes with rich historical notes and various scenarios and optional rules. I have complete English rules and studies, etc.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise; this is the very best of the Danny Parker BotB designs, and an absolute delight to play. Rich with history and not unbearably complex. We used this version as a playtest template for another of Danny's designs. The graphics hold up very well when compared to some other recently released Bulge games claiming to be state-of-the-art. Alas, the cash value of the game has now entered the realm of "highly collectible." Short of selling the farm, do what you can to obtain a copy and enjoy the history.