Highway to the Reich is a grand tactical monster board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the World War II Allied operation known as Operation Market Garden.
Description
In September 1944, Allied paratroopers attempted to seize 100 km (60 mi) of German-held highway and bridges in the Netherlands to open a bridgehead over the Rhine. Ground-based units were then sent up the highway in an attempt to consolidate the bridgehead. Highway to the Reich simulates this operation on a massive scale, using thousands of counters, a map board almost 3 meters (9 ft) long, and a 106-turn campaign game that can last hundreds of hours.
So many errors were found in the original set of rules, and so many errata issued that the company published a second edition of the rules six months after the game's release.
Components
four 22" x 34" paper hex grid maps, joined end to end to create a 22" x 136" map covering, scaled to 600 m (656 yd) per hex. 2400 counters 32-page rulebook (2nd edition) various charts and player aids
Game Mechanics
Units are infantry companies, artillery batteries and tank troops. They are rated for effectiveness (ie. firepower – this factor is not reduced by step losses), strength (a proxy for manpower) and morale; paratroops have low effectiveness but high strength and morale, whereas a tank unit would have high effectiveness but low strength. The game places great emphasis on unit integrity (i.e. units of the same parent organisation receiving a benefit for fighting together). Combat requires a great deal of die rolling, with a possibility of close combat between units after the exchange of fire.
Scenarios
The game includes an introductory scenario, "Hell's Highway", to learn the rules. Players can then choose one of five scenarios, each of which uses only one of the four maps: "Drop of the 101st Airborne Division, 17–18 September 1944" "Drop of the 82nd Airborne Division, 17–18 September 1944" "Drop of the British 1st Airborne, 17–18 September 1944" "Destruction of the British 1st, 19–21 September 1944" "The Breakout of the XXX Corps" All of these scenarios, and all four maps, can be joined together into a 106-turn campaign game. Wargamer Academy rates the complexity of the game 10 on a scale of 10.
Publication history
Highway to the Reich was designed by Jay Nelson and Irad B. Hardy, with cartography and artistic design by Redmond A. Simonsen, and was released in a large box by SPI in January 1976. Players immediately found many problems with the rules. SPI first issued several sets of errata, but finally hired Eric Goldberg to completely rewrite the rules. This second edition of the rulebook was released in July 1977, and was offered free to anyone who had already purchased the first edition of the game.
After the demise of SPI, Decision Games acquired the license to the game and in 2008 issued a revised edition titled Highway to the Reich: The Allied Airborne Invasion of Holland, 1944, designed by J.A. Nelson and Joe Youst, with artwork by Joe Youst.
Reception
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer warned that this was a "Massive company-level game," and that it "Covers the full operation, from the first paratroop landings to the final evacuation (if the game goes historically, that is.)" In his 1980 sequel The Best of Board Wargaming Palmer wrote that Allied paratroops had “astoundingly low” casualty limits in the scenarios, and that the Allies were advised to play for a draw in these. He added that he had never come across anyone who claimed to have played the complete campaign game, although there was doubtless somewhere "a pair of mad hermits" who had done so. Palmer quoted the opinion of Geoff Barnard (see below) that the game contained a level of complexity that belonged in miniatures play, and added that it was "a fine game of its type" but that those who did not want such tactical detail should stick to a simpler game, eg. the Arnhem game of the Westwall Quad.
In the Chicago Tribune, Roger Verhulst thought this monster game was "For the ambitious and those with a fondness for historical accuracy." Verhulst noted the "sophisticated refinements designed to increase realism." He warned that "you'll have to pay careful attention to the logistics of ammunition, supply and transport resources." Despite this, he concluded, "But you'll be rewarded with an understanding of the largest airborne operation in military history that no movie can provide. You'll have experienced it from the inside."