Operation Cobra (aka BFP 2)

I received this magazine the other day along with Beyond the Beachhead 2. Again, I have not played anything out of this magazine, but I thought that I'd let you know what is included.

The magazine iteself is 58 pages. Inside are a number of articles, two pages of rules/Ch. H notes for the counters included, separate scenario cards, an overlay, and a half-sheet of counters

There is a very large (21 pages!) article on Bocage, with a large number of full-color examples of play. I have not yet read the article, but it appears to be incredible detailed and instructive…sections cover Wall Advantage, Concealment & HIP, Movement & LOS, etc. and a number of “Tactical Examples”. This looks like it may well be *the* difinitive Bocage article…I will definately be reading this in detail.

A 3-page article on the German 88mm Raktenwerfer 43 (aka Puppchen) details the history of the weapon, rules for it's play (including the TH chart), and examples of it's use. Lots of full-color examples of play in this article as well. (Counters are included for this weapon…see below.)

Next there is a 13-page article on the Designer notes for both Beyond the Beachhead 2 and Operation Cobra. The article covers some general sections relating to each (boards, overlays, rules, counters) and individual scenario design notes (ala Schwerpunkt) for all of the scenarios in each product (a total of 28 scenarios).

The next article is a 17-page overview of Operation Cobra, including Orders of Battle for both sides. Sorry, but these are my least favorite type of ASL articles, so I don't have much to say about this article…I'll definately read it, but not much that I can tell you about it as there are no examples of play or anything like that, but it does have a few maps, a couple of charts, and pictures from the operation.

At the end of the magazine the is an Errata page. Errata included covers the Into the Rubble and Hell on Wheels packs. Lastly, there is an advertisement for BFP 3 called Blood and Jungle. Holy smokes, this looks like it will be an awesome PTO addition. It is advertising 40+ scenarios, board BFP G as well as a “custom map” (does this mean a HASL map?), numerous articles, Chapter H and rules notes, and “multiple” sheets of counters for “new & rare equipment”. The PTO-freak in me is dying to get this already, sight unseen. It states that the scenarios will involve American, USMC, British/Commonwealth, Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Japanese, CCCP, Indonesian, Thai and Burmese forces…WOW!!!

There are 12 scenarios included, printed in full-color. The scenarios run the gamut from small, infantry-only to monster-sized combined-arms. There is one called From Villebaudon to Valhalla that might be a good one to try at the Burning Wreck BBQ in September…9 turns, 2 boards lengthwise, Americans defending with 11 squads w/support weapons, 12 vehicles and rocket armed FB's against attacking Germans with 20 squads and 16 vehicles (including 10 Panthers)…OBA for both sides…monster. All of the scenarios use a mix of BFP and standard boards, but only one can be played without any of the BFP boards.

There is one overlay, BFP O-6a, depicting a rural cross-roads. A few wooden buildings surrounded by Orchards and Hedges (no Bocage artwork).

There is also a half-sheet of counters. Most of the counters are American tanks that all have the Cullin Hedgerow Device on them. Quality of the counters looks to be on par with what we have been seeing lately from Heat of Battle…very close to “official” look, but one imporvement over HOB's counters is that BFP places their “BFP” along the left hand side of the counter (not directly over the vehicle image like HOB did). Another nice treat in the American tanks are versions with the information already on them for the option bow flamethrower that is in the US multi-applicible Vehicle Note F…very nice. A total of 57 American vehicle counters included. There are also a number (21) of American FB counters…various versions (44A, 44B, 44C & 44D) with a variety of rocket/bomb armaments. These are very similar to the Sturmovik counters from HOB's Onslaught to Orsha (for visual reference). Last but not least, there are counters for the German Raktenwurfer 43 counters…4 in German blue, 4 in SS black, and one in each color for their dismantled state. Overall quality of the counters looks very nice, with all counters cleanly cut with no artwork drift outside of the cuts.

Lastly, there are two sheets of rules and notes for the counters included in the magazine. The aircraft rules take up two pages, and look to be nearly the same as the rules for Sturmoviks from OtO. The other two pages are the ordnance notes and TH chart for the RktWfr 43 and the American vehicle counters.

Like Beyond the Beachhead 2, there is a lot going on in this magazine.

Semper Fi!
Scott