Clervaux: Breakout of the 5th Panzer Army
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Designers | Danny Parker |
|---|---|
| Illustrators | Redmond A. Simonsen |
| Publishers | SPI |
| Publication | 1978 |
| Genres | WWII |
Clervaux: Breakout of the 5th Panzer Army is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that was a part of the Battles for the Ardennes "quadrigame" (four thematically-linked games in one box using the same rules system). Clervaux simulates part of the German surprise attack during the Battle of the Bulge.
In December 1944, after a four-month Allied offensive that had pushed German forces across France and back into Germany, Allied intelligence believed that German forces were close to collapse and were incapable of mounting a counterattack. However, Germany surprised the Allies with Operation Wacht am Rhein, a major offensive through the weakly defended Ardennes. In the southern sector of the assault, the Fifth Panzer Army broke through Allied lines and drove towards Bastogne.[1]
Description
Clervaux is a wargame for two players in which one controls the German forces, and the other controls the Allied forces. The hex grid game map shows the heavily forested terrain of the Ardennes Forest.[2]
Gameplay
At the start of each game turn, both players determine if all units are supplied. The German player and then the Allied player take the following phases:[3]
- Construction of fortified positions and demolition of bridges
- Deploy or move artillery
- Movement (either convoy mode or normal mode)
- Combat
Each turn represents 12 hours of the battle, and the game lasts for twelve turns.[2]
Supply
To be supplied, a unit must be within four hexes of a friendly road (unhindered by enemy units or enemy zones of control) that leads to a friendly edge of the map. If a unit is unsupplied, it moves at half rate and cannot attack, although it can defend itself at its full Strength.[2]
Movement
All units in supply on a road, not stacked with other units and not in an enemy unit's zone of control, can be placed in convoy mode. This allows mechanized units to move three times their normal speed, while non-mechanized units move at double their normal speed.[3]
Victory conditions
Both players earn Victory Points for occupying key towns and cities, and for eliminating enemy units. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game is the winner.[3]
Publication history
In 1975, SPI published its first quadrigame, Blue & Gray. This proved to be popular, and SPI immediately produced further quadrigames. In 1978, SPI released the quadrigame Battles of the Ardennes featuring three games about the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, including Clervaux, and one game about the German invasion of France in 1940, Sedan, 1940. All the games were designed by Danny Parker, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. The Ardennes quadrigame proved popular, immediately rising to #6 on SPI's Top Ten Bestseller List, rising as high as #3, and remaining on the list for the next eight months.[4] Each of the four games, including Clervaux, was also released as an individual "folio" game, packaged in an LP-style cardstock folder.