Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Bitter Woods is a mid-complexity 2 player wargame on the last great German offensive in Dec 1944, commonly known as the "Battle of the Bulge". The map depicts the area of operations, the Ardennes area at the borders of Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxemberg.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Zone of Control
Restrict or influence movement through areas controlled by nearby pieces.
Read the full game description
Bitter Woods is a mid-complexity 2 player wargame on the last great German offensive in Dec 1944, commonly known as the "Battle of the Bulge". The map depicts the area of operations, the Ardennes area at the borders of Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxemberg. Prominent features like roads, rivers and cities are depicted. A hexagonal grid is superimposed over the map to regulate game play. Each hexagon is 2 miles across, unit size is brigade and regiments. Each turn represents 12 hours of real time. Game features include morale, prominent leaders, blitzkrieg tactics, German army boundaries, initial surprise, Allied air power and much more. Game components include one 22 x 32" unmounted map, 320 counters including markers, 16-page rulebook.