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 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 Luxemburg.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Movement Points
Spend a movement allowance across spaces with different costs.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Scenario Campaign
Play linked or standalone scenarios with their own setup, objectives, and consequences.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Combat Results Table
Compare opposing strength as a ratio, then consult a table to resolve combat.
Read the full game description
Bitter Woods is a mid-complexity 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 Luxemburg. 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. This is the Deluxe Edition, an entirely new version (fourth edition) of the game. First off, the map is printed on heavy cardstock to avoid the problems with paper mapsheets. Improved & updated the graphics for everything all around, and increased the size of the game counters to 5/8". Enhanced the Rulebook with new scenarios, additional variants, rule updates & clarifications, included a Players Handbook, updated the designer's notes, and much more! There are full COLOR player aid cards, Random Events are introduced, they've updated the cartography (the map graphics), provided an updated Order of Battle, the hexes have been enlarged to contain the larger game counters, and variant counters are also introduced. For those of you with distinguishing tastes in their choice of wargames, this has also been acclaimed by the noted designer and expert on the subject, Danny S. Parker. The beautifully rendered tank graphics, especially for the Germans in their Autumn camo-pattern, is superb to say the least. Game Scale: Game Turn: 12 hours Hex: 2 miles / 3.5 kilometers Units: Battalion to Regiment Game Inventory: One 30 x 44" full color map One dual-side printed countersheet (384 5/8" counters) One 24-page rulebook One 28-page Players' Handbook Two Players' Aid Cards (TEC & CRT) One German Order of Appearance Card One American Order of Appearance Card Two Variant Scenario Cards Solitaire Playability: High Complexity Level: Medium Players: 2 or more Playing Time: 4-15 hours