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?
Race For Bastogne is a Grand Tactical Series (GTS) game that covers one sliver in the history of the Battle of the Bulge. On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched their great offensive through the Ardennes.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Chit-Pull System
Draw tokens to determine which units, factions, or events activate next.
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.
Read the full game description
Race For Bastogne is a Grand Tactical Series (GTS) game that covers one sliver in the history of the Battle of the Bulge. On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched their great offensive through the Ardennes. The XLVII Panzer Corps attacked with the 2. Panzer Division and 26. Volksgrenadier Division, reinforced by the Panzer Lehr Division. Defending was part of the 110th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. It should have been a blitzkrieg through the thin defenses but stubborn resistance, the terrain, and the well-managed commitment of American reinforcements caused the German attack to fail to take Bastogne just as the 101st Airborne Division arrived. Even as German forces by-passed Bastogne to extend the “Bulge,” the 101st was hard pressed to defend the critical crossroads town. Race For Bastogne simulates the German XLVII Corps attack across the Our River through the 110th Infantry Regiment, the delaying actions by Combat Command Reserve, 9th Armored Division, and Combat Command B, 10th Armored Division, followed by the defense of Bastogne by the 101st Airborne Division. The game covers the night of 15 December to the night of 25 December 1944. The German initially commands three “divisions” and the American two “divisions” on two maps laid end to end. Race For Bastogne includes one Campaign Game and six scenarios; five of these use a single map (or portions of a single map), and the sixth uses both maps. Race For Bastogne components: • Grand Tactical Series (GTS) 2.0c Series Rules (40 pages, color) • Race For Bastogne Exclusive Rules (60 pages, color) • Rules Summary (8 pages, B&W) • Race For Bastogne TRC/TEC set (2 cards, color) • Race For Bastogne Divisional Charts set (5 cards, color) • Race For Bastogne Off-Map Display & Turn Record Chart (2 cards, color) • Two single-sided 22" x 34" maps • One double-sided 8-1/2" x 11" map • Eight countersheets (5/8") • Four 10-sided dice • One box and lid (*Note: this is our standard 3” box and is not the same style of box used for The Devil’s Cauldron, Where Eagles Dare, and The Greatest Day). Designer: Joe Chacon Developer: Nick Richardson Game Art: Nicolas Eskubi