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A Time for Trumpets: The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944

Weight:  5.0000
COMPONENTS
  • 5 full size game maps (65"x48" total playing area)
  • 12 counter sheets (2304 playing pieces)
  • 1 Rules booklet
  • 1 Scenario booklet
  • 1 Play Aid Manual
  • Four 11"x17" player aid cards
  • Four 8.5"x11" player aid cards
  • 2 dice
PUBLISHED: 2020
DESIGNER: Bruno Sinigaglio
DEVELOPERS: John Clarke, John Devereaux, Randy Heller, Jeremy Osteen, and Bruno Sinigaglio
ART: Steve Bradford, Charlie Kibler, and Mark Simonitch
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Tony Curtis
PRODUCERS: Mark Simonitch, Andy Lewis, Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, & Gene Billingsley
Price: $149.00

Description

A Time for Trumpets (ATFT) is a battalion level game of the Battle of the Bulge. The game system incorporates a number of concepts from two the highly playable games on the same subject: Bitter Woods by The Avalon Hill Game Company and the iconic battalion level Wacht am Rhein from SPI in 1977. In addition, the command and control concepts devised for the TAHGC version of The Siege of Jerusalem were utilized.

Most of the ground combat units in “ATFT” are battalion sized combat units. The battalion is homogeneous with regard to mission and functionality. Homogeneous, because an infantry battalion is comprised primarily of infantry companies, a tank battalion is comprised primarily of tank companies, etc. A battalion based game is designed with differentiation inherent to the system, whereas a regimental level game is designed with integration inherent to the system. For example, in a battalion level game, Kampfgruppe Peiper will include at least two separate panzer battalions, a panzer grenadier battalion, an AA battalion and an artillery battalion; whereas in a regimental level game, KGP will be comprised of one counter representing all of the aforementioned units. 

The Divisional compositions include HQ, the front line battalions and the combat support battalions: recon, engineers, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and artillery. The individual field battalions perform game functions that attempt to simulate the battlefield actions of their real-life models. The aircraft squadrons include those that were most numerous over the battlefield in December 1944: P47, B26, ME109, JU88 and ME262.

Front line battalions are the primary forces that try to wrest territory from the enemy, while also being assigned to prevent the enemy from doing likewise. Armored recon units function as cavalry, which is a difficult proposition given the   weapons employed. Engineers perform the specialized missions that can only be approximated in higher level. In addition to lending their expertise to direct combat in a combined arms fashion, they construct strong defensive positions and bridges, and of course, they blow things up. Anti-tank units provide a strong backbone to defensive positions while still possessing a moderate offensive potential. Light anti-aircraft provides defense against aircraft while effectively creating problems for enemy infantry not supported by tanks. Heavy anti-aircraft provides enhanced defense against aircraft while stiffening resistance against enemy tanks. Last, but not least, conventional field artillery (FA) and massed German rocket artillery (NW) rules the battlefield when they are able to achieve local superiority.


In order to maintain the combat Divisions and Brigades as cohesive and compact entities, the successful command and control concepts similar to those of Wacht Am Rhein 1977 have been utilized. Division/Brigade combats units must be in Command Range of their HQ, while their HQ must be in Command Range of their Corps HQ, etc. Much effort has been expended to make this system easy to play. Every formation has been color-coded, so that visual segregation and recognition are immediately obvious. 

The game map is at the scale of one hex equals a mile and was developed using the 1-50,000 1943-1944 GSGS 4040 and GSGS 4507 topographical maps. Players will easily recognize the influence of the Bitter Woods game map as terrain is easily recognized and differentiated.

Game concepts include: HQ activation status (active or resting), fatigue and exhaustion, command and control, formation supply, supply by air, German fuel shortages, American supply dumps,  ground conditions, atmospheric conditions, air strafing and interdiction, construction of defensive positions and bridges, demolition, sacrosanct formation boundaries, limited winter movement across rivers and streams, strategic movement, infiltration due to limited visibility, over-run of vulnerable units, German night combat advantage, Kampfgruppe Peiper Breakout, German Nebelwerfer Operations, German FA Operations, Allied FA Operations, Time on Target, terrain effects for ground combat, weapons effects on ground combat, exploitation after combat, etc.

Extensive research using the most modern sources available has assured an accurate and complete Order of Battle. Also included are optional random events that will provide additional challenges for those inclined. Scenarios will include the Campaign Game, 6th Panzer Army, 5th Panzer Army, 7th Army, Patton's Relief of Bastogne, and the Race to the Meuse.


Time Scale: 4 turns per day

Map Scale: 1 mile per hex

Ground Unit Scale: Battalion

Air Unit Scale: 25 aircraft per counter

Number of Players: 2 to 5


 



 


Customer Reviews
(3.95)
# of Ratings: 20
1. on 6/9/2023, said:
I really like what I have learned so far. But the amount of errors is slowing me down. There are even errors in the errata. Can you please publish a new errata of the counters, because I think the description of the background of the 3 American battalions is not correct. And the new image of the British Engineer counter is a copy of a very different counter so no fix is yet available.I feel this may be a masterpiece - but not in this buggy revision that needs a lot of reprinting by the customer, when the fixes are ready. Even they are not yet. Getting there, I hope.I think the rules book should be rewritten from scratch. Redundancy is supposed to make reading easier (no need to navigate), but I think it just makes learning a lot more difficult, because the reader needs to read everything carefully to spot what is similar and what is different between mostly similar parts of text. Combat Commander and Conflict of Heroes manuals are good examples to mimic.
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2. on 8/20/2021, said:
Too many Allied AFV battalions mistakenly upgraded to division/brigade echelons. Almost a train wreck!
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3. on 2/11/2021, said:
This game is actually playable but you need to invest a lot of time in playing it - particularly during the first three game days (Dec. 16 to 18) where the game is overloaded with special rules! The complexity of the game is not as bad as Campaign for North Africa but there is an alarming fact that the game requires three [SIC!] rulebooks, totalling 178 pages, that the player needs to look in all the time during these first three game days.Due to the complexity of the game, I find it more enjoyable as a game on Vassal than as a real life table top (I have tried both). This particularly relates to keeping track of what Artillery Factors that has been allocated to which combat as well as all the Dec 16th special rules for individual units. In Vassal you can pick a Number marker with the corresponding fire strength and put it on top of each artillery unit and you can add Comments markers to put on the units that are under certain restrictions. This really simplifies the flow of the game. There are some features in the game that I find unnecessary complex and that could have been simplified without any loss of game accuracy. First I would like to comment on the game mechanism for calculating the combat odds. This is a very complex process with a lot of calculations that at the end adds little added value to the game in my opinion. As a first step the attacking player calculates the "raw" odd, which is capped at 7-1 (all odds above that are lost). Then the shifts for terrain, fieldworks and weapon types are applied where the 7-1 cap is not applied any more. On top of that, then the players calculate the +/- die modifier for various other effects such as morale, flanking, combined arms, etc. Hence you can start a combat phase with 100-1 against a 1 point company, defending in a fort in a forest in a village behind river. Since the 100-1 odds is capped to 7-1 with all the effects applied afterwards, you end up with a final odds of 2-1 with +2 DRM (which is identical to rolling the dice on the 1-1 column). The modifiers are as follow: forest -1 shift (6-1), behind river -2 shifts (4-1), fort -2 shifts (2-1), Village +1 DRM, Efficiency rating from fort +1 DRM. As can be seen from this example, keeping track of calculating the shifts and DRMs is really what this game is all about. The only odds that the +/- DRM deviates from being equal to a shift is the 3-2 and 3-1 odds columns, otherwise DRM mechanism is in essence just the same as combat shifts. Replacing the DRM mechanism with either shifts or a D10 Combat Result Table, if more variance in outcome on certain odds is needed, would have reduced the complexity in the odds calculation process significantly. Second, the complexity of the weather and movement mechanisms requires the players to keep track the Cost of terrain as it varies significantly between the game turns. There are 12 [SIC!] different Cost of terrain situations and 4 different ways that ZOC may be exerted due to the time of the day and the atmospheric conditions. This does not include all the special rules on movement during the first game turns. Hence calculating movement and combat is really time consuming and error prone, while calculating artillery support is fairly simple, aside from checking all artillery units’ range all the time. As can be easily understood, there is lots of opportunities to make errors here and this bogs down the speed of the game. Another issue I have, relates to the StuG III-bonus as defined on Player Aid Card 4A. This is a very diffuse feature that is not described in the rules – only on the Player Card 4A. As it is written, the StuG III-bonus DRM only applies only to the specific Sturmgeschütz III units. Hence the Sturmgeschütz IV units do not receive this bonus for some odd reason. And what about Jagdpanzer IV or the Hetzer? They had the same gun as the StuG III/IV and where by 1944 tactically employed in the same manner as the StuG. And why should not the Sturm Panzer and Sturm Tiger units receive the same benefit? They where afterall specifically designed to smash infantry in all sorts of terrain. Yes, I know that the Sturmartillerie was allocated to the Artillery branch by OKH, after an in-fight between Guderian and the Artillery generals before the war, but by 1944 this belonging had no relevance at all except for the piping on the uniforms. Hence, this rule really needs to be clarified and added to the rule book. All in all and albeit all my seemingly negative comments above, A Time for Trumpets is a really good game, particularly when played on Vassal, and the game designer should have credit for this. I can really recommend this game to others.
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4. on 11/27/2020, said:
Components are top notch. 5 maps largely overlay creating playable footprint. Large hexes. large thick counters. On the surface it appears to be an overwhelming rule set but in reality it is not. Setup charts and scenario book make set up and play easily done. Do not be intimidated. This is a very playable monster along the lines of The Battle for Normandy.
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5. on 11/16/2020, said:
I've had the opportunity to play the game out and compare to the game systems of Ardennes '44 and MMP's Last Blitzkrieg. Time for Trumpets is an excellent game as it brings the historical battle to the map. The game really brings the king of the battle field into play - artillery. It's a big game but very playable. I suggest starting with the end game small scenarios - adding one scenario at a time...less pieces and you'll learn the ZOC rules and importance of terrain and weather. I'm using seven counter trays to organize the pieces. You must use the living rules given key errors. My only recommendation is to rethink the rules structure and wording - it's a real hunt to find key concepts. Perhaps start with adding a VERY detailed and cross referenced index to the living rules section. Get you favorite Bulge books out and play and read. Nice job GMT!
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6. on 11/10/2020, said:
Arrived yesterday and all I can say is WOW!
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7. on 11/3/2020, said:
Got my copy today, usual excellent GMT production quality with beautiful maps, thick color-coded counters (yes with the unit reg/bat IDs), color rules, many play aids. Looks like a playable monster with an interesting vision, I expect many hours of enjoyment. I don't know if we can have to many Bulge games, I have gotten "Bulged out" in the past sometimes, but there is room for this one for me anyway.
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8. on 10/3/2020, said:
Combat counters need regiment/battalion ID on them. Too sterile.
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9. on 2/29/2020, said:
This is shaping up to be a really good game and at the battalion level, should be intense. Its been well playtested and highly researched by Bruno Sinigaglio (as I learned from the ATfT thread on CSW). The counter and map artwork looks top-notch as well. My only quibble is the wish that the smaller settlements (villages, hamlets, etc.) be portrayed like the larger towns showing the small building symbols instead of a generic yellow circle. I noticed that "Bitter Woods", "Normandy '44", and the "Eastern Front Series" have maps that follow this pattern.
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10. on 3/16/2018, said:
If this game is designed by Bruno Sinigaglio it is a no Braine must buy..No brag. Just fact.
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