Designer's Notes

It turns out it is much easier to write a long You will find it difficult to capture five
Goal and very complete set of rules than it is to cities: plan on executing the Link Up.
write a very short but sufficient set of Finding the right point and the right way to
This game teaches, through play, a basic
rules. This is especially true for Market- make the Link Up happen is the art of this
history lesson on Operation Market-
Garden because there are so many game. It helps to make full use of the river
Garden.
interesting things going on: airdrops, crossing rule.
ferries, rowboats, supply issues, and loss of
Germans
Process communications to name only a few.
For the Germans, simply be as much of a
After several aborted efforts to be concise hassle as you can. If there is ever an open
The Map city get to it and stay there; it may take
(which resulted in overly clever
I wanted a small game with a small map so
approaches) I changed course. I wrote all several turns to push you out.
I set a limit of two pages. The aesthetic
the rules I could think of covering every bit
followed from this restriction. A simple By the fifth turn the Allies have a lot of
of historical detail I wanted, then pared it
graphic style fit the hex scale and my firepower on the map but this is also the
down, removing everything I could not
artistic capabilities perfectly. turn when the supply rule kicks in. Punish
prove needed during play.
the Allied player who does not protect his
There were many minor revisions, but the drop zones and Hell's Highway.
The day I realized that many of my very
most memorable change to the map came
cute and clever rules were almost never
late in development when I placed Beware the Link Up. Put units in the
actually put in use by a player in such a
Oosterbeek one hex away from Arnhem. polder south of Arnhem before Allied
small game was liberating. I became cruel
This changed the opening of the game and motorized units reach Nijmegen.
in my approach, culling the rule set to a
gave more weight to 1st Airborne's drop
single page.
zone, allowing for more interesting
continuations. It also allows for a From there a few of the simple but colorful Balancing
perimeter to form around Oosterbeek, if rules, such as Early Celebration and
the players take things in that direction. Airborne Retreat Resistance, were brought Play testing proves the game is chaotic yet
back in. I also restored the rule tying well-balanced with inexperienced players.
Units With experienced players the Allies have a
bridge demolition to the turn number: it
I made the easy decision to assign airborne slight advantage. Remove the Artillery
motivates the Allies.
units with high defense strength ratings Support rule to balance the game.
because of their proven historical ability to
hold out for long periods against
determined attackers. These counters
Strategy Thank You
hardly changed during development, Here are some thoughts to get you started.
except that their reduced strength ratings My thanks to everyone who assisted with
were eventually increased to make them Allies play testing. This includes: Raymond
less brittle. As the Allies you have a few decisions to Bourke, Peter Collins, Kara Fightmaster,
make in the first turn. Up north, you can Leonard Kay, Brian Mason, Carl Paradis,
XXX Corps needed high attack and defense Joseph Paquet, Todd Sanders, Jeremy
ratings but could be more delicate than try for Arnhem or keep 1st Airborne
huddled at Oosterbeek. In the middle of Sebens, Ed Stat, Eddy Sterckx, Fred
the airborne units on the basis that the Thomas, Peter Weyhrauch, and Adam
Allied player should not be taking many the map, the 82nd can take a shot at
Nijmegen or secure Grave, but it can't do Wilson.
losses to these units and will be justly
punished if he does! both. At the south side of the map there is De'Shan Perry and Kerry Anderson helped
too much for the 101st to do: capture the me understand how to work the art tools.
The German army was harder to quantify. bridge at Veghel, advance on Eindhoven,
Historically, these were called in from all defend your drop zone, and protect Hell's Frank Chadwick inspired this game with his
over the area at various levels of fitness. I Highway? Pick three of those. beautifully simple Battle For Moscow.
began earnestly hoping to make a science
There is no puzzle for XXX Corps. Advance! The works of Dean Essig and Pete Belli
of this. I confess to much trial and error.
were also influential.
Rulebook Do not worry about supply until turn 4.
In a good game the weight of the rules After this turn you must keep Hell's
must match the weight of the visuals. Highway clear or your advance will be
weakened.

Battle For Arnhem Designer Notes v1.0

Copyright 2015 C3 Simulations
Designed by Jim Bourke
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