Holland '44 in depth

[@jjflash30]

Great video! Very thought provoking as well as providing a great overview of the game mechanics and rules. Thanks!

[@AdamH75]

Thanks for the great review - looking forward to diving into this one. Decided this will be my intro to the Mark Simonitch '4x series since it's the latest design/rules for the western front (at least as of July 2020). I know eastern front games of this series exist, am sure they too are great, but interest lies mainly in western front operations of WW2. Bit of a “Monty’s gamble” I suppose but purely based on reviews and ratings bought France '40, Ardennes '44 and have ordered Normandy '44 (currently a p500 3rd printing/edition). Sort of working my way back through the release years of these games. I'm anxious to see how rules have improved, been tailored for each game and which will hold up best for solitaire and replayability.

[@aluckyman9308]

Outstanding video, thank you !

[@jameycribbs]

Excellent overview, sir! Thank you for doing this. I have the game, but have not yet read the rules. Overviews like this always help me grok the rules more quickly.

[@evidentside]

Good point about missing scenarios - especially as a learning mechanism.

[@jamesmitchell7734]

Excellent take on one of my favorite games.

[@stevebohlin7245]

Excellent job, Jeff. Thanks!

[@war_gamer]

Wow nice work mate. Great detail and very interesting. Thanks for doing this!

[@usapatriot4163]

Like Patrick I too have many games of Operation Market Garden, most notably victory games Hells Highway and SPI Highway to the Reich. I don't see this one adding much more to the subject. However I do have the other 44 games by the same designer so I will most likely pick this one up sometime in the future. Question do ZOCs bonds extend off map I would assume no. What happens when a ZOCs bond is broken? Thanks for the video review I find it most helpful in making my purchase decisions.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

ZOC bonds can be established between a unit and a friendly (controlled) map edge. A bond is broken only when one of the units involved moves/retreats out of range, becomes disrupted, or strength falls to 1 step; or when control of a map edge switches to the other side. Otherwise, a bond cannot be breached by the enemy.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

My main motivation for acquiring the game was the strong reputation of the designer; I have no other titles by him and I thought it was overdue for me to try one. As history, I think the subject is compelling but I generally avoided it as a game due to the situation: there are really no "big" decisions for a player to make to alter the outcome. Allies simply have to pound their way up the road, Germans simply trade space for time. The only reasonable alternate decision is to cancel the operation and force 2nd army to secure Antwerp! But that's well out of the scope of a battle game like this...

[@Atttacca]

" I feel left out i dont gripe enough" lol. Love it. Thanks for the video. This is very much on my wish list now. I too need a Market Garden for my collection and I believe GMT has a 50 percent off sale now. Anyhow, thanks again. Question* What are the ww2 games you use to bring new people to the war gaming hobby? Mine are Victory Denied and Victory Lost

[@jeffcapuano3380]

Guess it depends on the topic. Today it would be Storm in the East from White Dog Games: light rules load but still plenty of nuance to keep it interesting.

[@rookieboards5598]

Can you do a tutorial? kind of a quick scenario to see how its all played out?

[@SlotraceDK]

How would you compare this game to Hell's Highway (if you have played HH)?

[@timothywhitman9357]

Where did find the reinforcement table cards? They don't come with the game, but I would like to find them.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

BoardGameGeek: www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/207572/holland-44-operation-market-garden/files

[@PHLewis1956ye1q9]

The question I always have is do I really need another Market-Garden game? I can think of at least six different titles in my collection that run the gamut from multi-map monsters to single-map quick playing games and there are some of them I haven't even punched out and played yet. I think I might pass on this one because it doesn't look like it really adds anything new to the story of this unfortunate fiasco. Thanks for a really good overview, Jeff. :D

[@varovaro1967]

Thank you, how would you rate the difficulty on a 1-10 scale? I want to play it with my 12 year old... I dont know...

[@jeffcapuano3380]

The box rates it a 6, and that is pretty fair. I would say it is a little slower (harder) to learn but quite easy to play. If you are the sort to hone in on a game and squeeze every last advantage out of a situation, there can be quite a few gray areas to chew on. But, if you focus on the big things and let the edge cases slide, it can be good fun.

[@Radio4ManLeics]

Is that a mounted map, or just a crappy paper one, please?

[@jeffcapuano3380]

It is paper, and as paper maps go this one is fair from a component quality point of view. The stock is of good weight, the graphics are good, but there is some flaking along the creases. When I was a kid all my games (war or otherwise) had mounted boards and I just expected it. When I unwrapped my first title with an unmounted map (whatever it was) I was kinda indignant; as if I was cheated somehow. Now, I prefer paper maps and avoid any kind of mounted map! Go figure...

[@caomhan84]

As someone new to wargaming, I unboxed my first game and said "What?! A paper map?! You've got to be kidding me," aloud. It was a $60 game, when most of the $35 Euro boardgames I'm used to come with a mounted board. I was indignant, as you put it. After thinking about it, given the small print runs of these games and the low profit margins the companies must have, it does make sense. But it also means that you have to buy more "stuff" in the form of a plexiglass sheet. I've cooled on the indignation, but I do wish that if a company must have a paper map, that they'd avoid the gloss finish. Gloss maps flake at the creases if you so much as look at them. Matte finish maps are much more durable. I don't know *why* this is, but they are. I have old National Geographic maps that are fine, and the game map from Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective shows no flaking at all despite me unfolding it probably 100 times.

[@Diabolik771]

@@RichardM333 I wouldn't recommend mounting it permanently, just get a piece of plastic from a Home Depot and be done with it. You will use it on multiple wargames.

[@ryandavenport3893]

@@caomhan84 Mounted map is on P500 now at GMT games for $16, not a bad price. I only paid $40 for my copy of the game, so it didn't put me out to much.

[@MrProsat]

Who plays on a paper map when you can get plexiglass cheap? Pft...

[@HistoricalConflict]

hopefully they fire the person responsible for the dice packing. probably that Deb lady pffft