HB has a fascinating geography.  The southern portion of the map features the gorge of the Psel River and the village of Krasny Oktabyr, while the rest of the map is dominated by the depressingly (especially for the attacker) open terrain of south-central Russia.  Unfortunately, the map's coloring is very gray and depressing.  Its monochromatic nature also doesn't make obvious some of the drastic elevation changes.  HB also contains a countersheet, most of which consists of SS counters already depicted in the system (there are also some "tank ramming" counters).

The first scenario, HB1 (Psel River Line) depicts a contested river crossing by SS assault engineers.  Most of the remaining 5 scenarios take place in the more open areas of the map, where cover is scarce and lines of sight are long.  HB6 (Clash of Titans) is a massive armored slugfest that ranges across the entire map.   Most of the scenarios are fun and balanced.

HB also contains two campaign games.  CG1 is 7 campaign dates long and depicts the initial German assault.  CG2 is 5 campaign dates long and features the Soviet counterattack.  They are fun and have an interesting feel.

Upgrade Kit:  In 2005, Critical Hit released an upgrade kit, which featured a new historical map (slightly larger and with slightly larger hexes, but more importantly, more distinctively colored) and two new HB scenarios (plus one unrelated "freebie" scenario given away at the ASL Oktoberfest tournament in 2005).   Anybody who likes HB should definitely purchase the upgrade kit.

Overall, Hell's Bridgehead is a quality historical modules.  All ASL fans of East Front action should consider getting it.

Critical Hit Magazine Volume 6 Number 4 focuses on Kursk and Hell's Bridgehead.  It includes a new HB campaign game, which links the first two campaigns into a "mega" campaign game; it also includes new optional rules.  It features as well two new scenarios set on a new historical map depicting terrain near the map included in HB.  It also has an AAR by Kurt Martin of a playtest of CG1 in HB and various tactical tips for playing the module.

This may be one of the more legitimate re-uses of a historical map, as the original Pointe du Hoc might have daunted some with its amphibious-landing, cliff-scaling nature.  This module eliminates that whole part of the operation (as well as the 7-6-7 Army Ranger counters from Pointe du Hoc) and concentrates on inland battles with six new scenarios designed by Ray Tapio.  These include one large scenario and five small or medium-sized scenarios. 

2nd Edition:  Actually the third version of the Pointe du Hoc map, the 2nd Edition Busting the Bocage was made possible through the creation of an ATS game, D-Day Rangers, which used the same map.

3rd Edition:  Critical Hit's Web site at one point offered for sale a "3rd Edition" Busting the Bocage map, which it said was "brighter" and "has a new treatment for the German minefields."  Supposedly it was featured in "Busting the Bocage 3rd Edition," but only the 2nd Edition was available for sale on the Web site.  Eventually, the 3rd Edition actually appeared in late 2006 as an extra in Critical Hit Magazine Volume 7 Number 3.   It consists of a slightly reworked map and 6 slightly reworked scenarios (irritatingly, all of which were given different names). 

Like Guerra Civil, G48 is obviously a labor of love by designer Bob O'Connor, although unlike the former product, G48 displays more obviously the drawbacks of a labor of love as well as the advantages.  It centers on the fighting for Jersusalem during first Arab-Israeli War in 1948, although some of the scenarios take the fighting outside of Jerusalem (indeed, as far afield as the Sinai in 1956).  One of the most interesting aspects of this fighting, well represented in G48, was the hodgepodge nature of the equipment that all combatants used, scrounging, purchasing and stealing AFVs from battlefields, junkyards, and arsenals from all over.   G48 provides an incredible wealth of detail on AFVs and guns in the conflict, fully as interesting as anything in Chapter H (this is one of the positive aspects of a "labor of love").  Unfortunately, the extremely poor and non-intuitive Critical Hit AFV counter layout doesn't make the module more playable.

The "labor of love" drawbacks make themselves felt primarily through a presence of too much detail.  This overabundance of chrome can be seen, for example, with the rules for Israeli "Molotov Tank Hunting Heroes," which take up almost an entire page.  However, these rules mostly seem to duplicate the existing tank hunter hero rules; it would have been much simpler to have given the Israelis tank hunter hero capability as if they were Japanese.  The "overchrome" can also be seen in the plethora of new squad types.  Not contented with the many different combinations of squad values that already exist in ASL, the designer introduced new types, including 6-3-8s and 4-2-7s.   There are also a host of special rules for each type of Israeli troop (Haganah, Palmach, HIM, Irgun, etc.), although an included play aid helps in that regard.  Perversely, the Israelis have counters that are the same color as German counters in ASL.  For the Arab forces, one must pull out a number of counter-trays--Syrians and Lebanese primarily use French counters; Iraqis, Egyptians, and the Transjordanian Arab Legion use British counters; Palestinian militia and irregular forces use Italian counters; and 1956 Egyptians use Russian counters.

Only 2 of the 15 scenarios use the historical map; the others use geomorphic maps.  This has been a source of complaint.  On the other hand, still others have complained about the map itself, saying that it is too detailed and hard to understand.  There is some merit to these complaints; a little bit more abstraction (both in building detail and in the number of elevation levels) would have gone a long way.  Also, the map would have profited by larger hexes.  Of the geomorphic map scenarios, several use desert rules, but most do not.  Most of the scenarios are moderately sized, with a couple of large scenarios thrown in.

The Platoon Leader campaign game (O Jerusalem), uses the Jerusalem map and features the Arab assault on and capture of Jerusalem in May 1948.  It is 6 campaign dates long.

For ASLers interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict, this is basically their only option.  Luckily, though not as streamlined as it could be, it is not a bad one (although it is not as strong a product as either Guerra Civil or Dien Bien Phu).

Critical Hit Magazine Volume 6 Number 3 focused on G48, providing more scenarios for it, a small historical map, and more.

GC deals with the Spanish Civil War, one of several attempts by third party publishers to represent this conflict in ASL terms.  It was designed by Juan Carlos Cebrian and Francisco Javier Cebrian and is clearly a labor of love.  The 16-page rulebook is mostly taken up by rules for the various combatants in the long struggle and notes for the new AFVs.  The Republicans have Regular Army troops, Northern Army troops, guerrillas, and militias.  For flavor, they also have Basque priest counters who act as field chaplains.  The Nationalists have Regular Army troops, troops from right-wing Monarchists and Falangists, African troops, and the Spanish Foreign Legion--as well as their own field chaplains, the Navarrese Carlist priests.  What is particularly nice about all of these units is that, though they do have their own counters, they all use established squad types (4-4-8s, 4-4-7s, 4-3-6s, 3-4-7s, 3-3-7s, 4-5-8s, 4-5-7s), and not gratuitously different squad values (a problem particularly in Genesis '48).  Thus Guerra Civil combines the novel with the familiar and doesn't seem too "out there."  Moreover, there is just enough "flavor" in the different units without loading them up with huge amounts of chrome.  The designers did a really good job creating and characterizing the two opponents.

The 12 scenarios, 8 of which use at least one of the included geomorphic maps, take place from 1936-1938 all across Spain.  They definitely tend towards largeness; the smallest scenario is still medium sized.  Nevertheless, though considerable in size,  they have few special rules and are not hard to play.  For people who like meaty scenarios without exotic or complicated rules, this may be just the ticket.   There is no campaign game included.

Overall, despite the less-than-perfect counters, this is a good product and worth getting.

Critical Hit Magazine Volume 7 Number 3 contains two scenarios for Guerra Civil, one of which uses the SCW geomorphic mapboard and one that uses an SCW overlay.

Note:  Because there is no historical map (unless one counts the castle overlay), some may question why this product appears in the historical module section rather than the scenario pack section.  This is a valid question, but the product seemed so substantial in its components, as well as its attempt to recreate a new historical situation, albeit a very broad one (the Spanish Civil War), that it just didn't seem "right" in the scenario pack section.

FIRST EDITION:  Valor of the 37th Guards is one of the most disappointing products Critical Hit has produced.  Ostensibly, it is a historical module depicting the German 305th Infantry Division's attack (with supporting elements) on the Dzerhezinsky Tractor Factory, defended by the 37th Guards Rifle Division, in October 1942.  The map is actually the same artwork used in Critical Hit's previous module, The Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works (DTW), except that the hexes are larger and the map area somewhat smaller.  Ownership of Red Barricades is required to play.

Because many ASLers were disappointed by the small-hex size in DTW, it is probable that many of them might have been willing to purchase a large-hex version of the map.  However, Critical Hit did not simply release a large-hex version of the map; rather it bundled the map with a few very shoddy looking "scenarios" and a "campaign game" that seemed more like an excuse to jack up the price and help it find a place on the shelf in retail outlets than anything else.  The nine scenarios are, first of all, generic.  There is no indication that any of these actions actually took place.  Secondly, the scenarios themselves are in a horrible format.  Ostensibly, each side will have its own scenario card for a particular scenario, which depicts its own forces, assigns a victory condition, gives a rational for the fight ("The Communists are forming up for another fruitless attack.  We must stop them before they re-take any important terrain..."), and provides special rules.  This apparently was a muddled attempt to provide "fog of war," since one's opponent's order of battle and victory conditions will not appear on one's own card.  Of course, anybody purchasing the module will have access to all scenario cards.  It was a bad idea, equally poorly realized.  Some players used scissors and photocopiers to put together their own versions of the scenarios, while others did the same using desktop publishing programs.

Perhaps the most laughable aspect of the module is the so-called "campaign game," which consists of essentially four rules.  These rules tell players to use the Red Barricades campaign game rules with a couple of minor modifications.  There was not even an attempt to include a Platoon Leader Campaign Game.  It is difficult to come away from this product without getting the feeling that there was no playtesting (unlike DTW, no playtesters are listed) or, really, any particular effort put into it.  It seems more like the definition of a shoddy ASL product.  The only reason to get this module is if a large-hex map of the Tractor Works is really desired (the 2nd Edition may be marginally better). 

SECOND EDITION:  In 2005, Critical Hit released a 2nd Edition of Valor of the 37th Guards.  It contained the map that appeared in the first edition, as well as a gratuitous copy of the small-hex version of the map that appeared in The Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works (presumably because there were a lot of extra copies lying around; it is included "for use in tracing LOS").   The 2nd Edition was sold in a Full and Upgrade versions, the only difference being that the Upgrade versions did not contain the Valor of the 37th Guards map (although they did contain the older DTW map).  The scenarios do not use the awful format of the first edition.  Ostensibly they are "all new," but in fact they are all simply variants of the original scenarios, with some differences in the orders of battle. 

The counters are nice enough--certainly better than those in Guerra Civil--but the MMC artwork leaves something to be desired.  At that time, Critical Hit made its MMC outwork out of a single head-on standing soldier, which it would use in triplicate for the requisite three-figured MMC artwork.  As a result, Critical Hit counters of this period have a peculiarly static appearance to them, unlike official artwork, or for that matter, artwork Critical Hit itself used both in earlier and later points in time.  The French mostly use British counters (i.e., Free French); most of the included counters represent Vietnamese forces.  There are counters for everything from Bangalore torpedoes to recoilless rockets to Chaffee tanks.  The guns and tanks, of course, are rendered in Critical Hit's fairly inscrutable "variant" counter layout.  Luckily, the scenarios are not vehicle heavy.

The 16-page rulebook might seem at first as if a lot of rules have to be digested to be able to get into DBP, but the reality is different.  The rulebook includes a title page, 3 pages of historical commentary, 1 1/2 pages of rules and notes for the French forces involved, 1 1/2 pages of rules and notes for the Viet Minh forces, some charts, and the campaign game.  The last page has a very useful play aid--a quick reference chart for the rules and capabilities of all the squad types in the game.  Unfortunately, the designers of DBP--the redoubtable Carl Nogueira and Dave Lamb--did succumb to the lure of adding yet more new squad value combinations to the system (in this case, there are 6-3-8s, 4-2-7s, 3-2-6s, and 6-4-8s with a 9 broken side morale).  One might think that the myriad squad value combinations already in the game might be enough.  Most of the special rules are for the Viet Minh, but none are complicated or out of line.  Overall, the presentation of forces is done well. 

There are 15 scenarios; 6 use the historical map, 5 use geomorphic mapboards, and 4 use the included 8" x 22" mapboards (these last 4 all have extensive trench and/or wire networks as well).  Unfortunately, 5 of the scenarios are night scenarios.  Several scenarios involve French air support.  The majority of the scenarios are large; even the smallest still features 12 squads and 3 AFVs versus 6 squads and 3 guns.  One Platoon Leader campaign game (Champs Elysees) is provided; it is 6 campaign dates long.  To win it, the Viet Minh must control two of the three French strongpoints on the historical map.  Both sides have a fairly wide range of purchase options.  Two of the campaign dates take place at night.

Critical Hit Magazine Volume 7 Number 1 focuses on DBP, providing an analysis of several of the scenarios in the module, a countersheet that contains a number of counters to go with DBP, and several scenarios.  These include CH169 (Against all Hope), pitting French and Japanese against each other in Vietnam in 1945 (using DBP counters); CH168 (The Last Musketeer), which features French paratroopers and Egyptian militia in Egypt in 1956 during the Suez Crisis (combining Genesis '48 and Dien Bien Phu); DBP17 (By Land, Air, and Sea), which uses 6 halves of geomorphic maps to present a wide-ranging 1952 Vietnam scenario; and DBP16 (Under Old Baldy), which is a medium-sized scenario that takes place on the historical DBP map.  All in all, this issue adds considerable value for purchasers of DBP.

Since its release, DBP has garnered a number of fans, as well as some detractors.  In all likelihood, it may be a matter of individual taste.  But for anybody interested in the wars in Southeast Asia, Dien Bien Phu is certainly an attractive possibility.

Blood & Iron has an attractive historical map, dominated by muted earth tones.  About this time, the map graphics used by Critical Hit finally seemed to stabilize and all of its historical maps since Blood & Iron have had a similar and consistent look (consistency on the part of Critical Hit is always appreciated!).  There are interesting terrain features such as razor-back ridges.

The majority of scenarios (7 of 10) utilize caves, so players need to be familiar with the cave rules.  Critical Hit provides a play aid with pre-determined cave complexes to make play easier, but the use of caves may scare some players off (as might the occasional appearance of irrigated rice paddies).   Scenarios definitely tend towards the small end of the scale in this module.  The smallest is IP8, Fists and Fury, a 4-turner which easily can be decided by a single die-roll.  It features 9 Japanese squads attacking from a variety of different directions against 2 American squads and 1 half squad.  However, the Americans also have a 10-2 leader and two heroes (leading to the possibility of a rarely seen -6 fire drm).  In this scenario, it is a race between the American player zapping Japanese units to oblivion and the Japanese player hoping to break units in the tiny American order of battle.  Luckily, the module does feature more meaty scenarios than that.

The specialized nature of Blood & Iron insures that it will never be one of the more popular modules.  But PTO enthusiasts should definitely take a look.

The centerpiece of BBH is its large historical map, dominated by a long ridgeline running down its length.  It is a very attractive map, colored with the earth tones typical of Critical Hit products of this period.  It also creates some really interesting tactical situations.  Unfortunately, in order to fit it into a ziplock bag, Critical Hit folded the map in a very awkward and irritating way, pretty much guaranteeing that the map will have to be played either laminated or under plexiglass.  Doubly unfortunate, this has become a standard practice for Critical Hit maps of this size.

A number of the scenarios in BBH are very small; in fact, BBH1 (Last Word), features just 4 American squads attacking 1 1/2 German squads.  This will not be very satisfying to many ASLers.  Luckily, there are more interesting scenarios among the dozen included.  The one that looks the most interesting is actually the largest scenario in the module, the only one that uses the entire map, BBH7 (Beyond the Right Tit).  It features a major American attack up the ridge.  It should be noted that 4 scenarios are Night scenarios.

This is a module which is definitely worth a look.  It has a very interesting geographic situation and a varied set of scenarios.

The centerpiece of TTF is its large historical map, which is centered on a fortified hill position.  The map is very attractive, with typical mid-2000s Critical Hit map graphics, dominated by green and brown earth-tones.  Alas, as do other Critical Hit maps of this size in this era, it is awkwardly folded (in order to fit into a ziplock bag), which necessitates lamination or plexiglass to play on the map with ease. 

Most of the scenarios are medium-sized, with a few large and small ones to add spice.  The largest is TTF4 (Tigers on 'The Balcony'), which features a wild and wooly contest over the entire map.  Tigers, flamethrowers, OBA, air support, and all sorts of other tanks and guns range freely over the battlefield.  The scenario special rules are typically quite light, save for the occasional air support or OBA, and there really isn't much special terrain to have to get used to, so players can start playing right away. 

2nd edition:  Critical Hit announced on its Web site a "2nd Edition" of TTF with a "newly printed" map.  However, based on the map graphic on its Web site, it is difficult to see any differences between it and the 1st edition map.  No other changes are mentioned.

Tigers to the Front! looks interesting for any fan of East Front action.

Unfortunately, some of the scenarios are less interesting.  Pedro Ramis has tended, over time, to design smaller scenarios.  A number of the SFC scenarios are indeed small, including SFC2 (Grabbing Some Houses), which features only 3 German squads and 2 American squads and 2 tanks.   Moreover, 4 of the 8 scenarios are night scenarios, which are a turn-off for many ASL players.  Another is all armor.  One scenario, SFC8 (Kraut Disinfected), looks interesting.

The map is a nice map, but the scenario selection in this module leaves much to be desired.

The scenarios, like many Pedro Ramis scenarios, tend to be small.  Four are night scenarios, but otherwise have little in the way of special rules.  Most of the scenarios feature elite Americans (6-6-7s and 7-4-7s) pitted against elite Germans (5-4-8s).  Only two of the scenarios do not have AFVs.  Overall, DitW has a better selection of scenarios than the companion module, Sudden Full Contact, has, and DitW is probably a better buy.

The four scenarios are mostly tournament sized, not too large or too small.  The most interesting is AaC3 (Green Devils), which is extremely replayable.  The orders of battle for both sides are divided into a number of groups.  Players randomly choose who will go first; that player places one of his groups in one of a number of designated setup areas.  The second player then places one of his groups in one of his own setup areas.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  Players then randomly determine who goes first.  Because the different setup areas are all over the map, forces begin intermingled.  These setup rules create a wild and woolly situation every time, as every unit feels isolated and surrounded.  It is a very interesting and fun scenario that seems quite balanced.

This is not the reincarnation of Red Barricades, but this tiny module is not a bad buy.  It has some fun scenarios.

 This time, only a small portion of the map artwork is used, blown up to huge (near DASL size) hexes, with a few new items like water towers thrown in to change the terrain to a sort of "generic" Stalingrad terrain.  As such, the artwork will be familiar to most purchasers of Critical Hit products.  One nice aspect of the map is that it does not have the weird extra folds that most of Critical Hit's mid-2000s 22" x 34" maps have had.

The 4 scenarios include one large scenario (well suited for 4 players) and three medium or medium-small scenarios.  Probably only Stalingrad fans will rush to buy this module.

Designed by Mark Porterfield, BFTR is built around a large, detailed and reasonably attractive (given the glum terrain) attractive historical map of the area of Berlin surrounding the Reichstag.  Much of the terrain is the same terrain features in the Heat of Battle module Berlin: Red Vengeance, although the BFTR maps cover a much larger area.  Although folded in the frustrating style of latter-day Critical Hit historical maps, the maps are nevertheless impressive.  They represent the biggest lure that BFTR offers.

In its marketing of the game (which, as usual, is a port of a game originally produced for the ATS system), Critical Hit strongly emphasized the color counters that came with the module.  Though they are indeed more colorful than the 1970s era counter graphics of official ASL products, the MMC counters have figures that seem somewhat static, and counter values that are small and close together.  In addition, the counters use awkward methods to represent certain features--assault fire, for example, is represented by a little SMG silhouette.  The vehicle counters, moreover, are still rendered in the non-intuitive and unattractive variant format they pioneered with Genesis '48.  However, the counters are attractive enough.  There is some counter errata, but it is actually fixed by the small counter strips that come with the module (the explanation of this fact is buried in the rules booklet).  Some of the countersheets were not very well die-cut, with some of the counters having torn corners, so it is a good thing that Critical Hit provides a duplicate set of the countermix. 

Many of the 1/2" counters represent new units.  These include SS Tank Hunter Teams, Volksturm Tank Hunter Teams, Soviet Red Banner Infantry (which have inherent but detachable Red Banner Heroes), Gestapo Troops, Hitlery Youth Troops, and Liberated Prisoner Squads.  Counters also represent the massive 128mm guns of the Berlin Zoo Flak Tower, which can be used for direct fire with a ROF of 3 (!), or as indirect fire as 150mm FFE and onboard rocket artillery.  New SMC include Gestapo Leaders and Hitler Youth Leaders.  One possibly handy thing about the counters is that ostensibly, except for markers, all the SMC/MMC/SW counters needed to play the game are included.

In addition to rules for the new counters (the rocket artillery takes up a fair amount of space), rules detail the terrain of downtown Berlin, including the Reichstag, the Kroll Opera House, elevated railroads, subways, Moabit Prison, the Ministry of the Interior, and other terrain types.  Overall, the terrain rules seem reasonable at first glance. 

Sixteen scenarios are included in the module.  Of these, one uses a geomorphic mapboard, but the remaining 15 use the historical map.    In size, the scenarios definitely lean towards the large.  Two scenarios are smallish; the remainder are either medium-large or large.  There are a lot of meaty scenarios here.  Because of the module's recent release, none of the scenarios have had time yet to develop a reputation, good or bad.

Of the two included Platoon Leader campaign games, the first, PLBER1 (Götterdämmerung in Berlin), pits elements of the Soviet 79th Rifle Corps against a variety of German remnants, including men from the SS Anhalt Battalion, the 9th Fallschirmjäger Division, naval infantry units, and Berlin Volkssturm.  It is 11 campaign dates long; to win, the Soviets must place a Red Banner on the Reichstag and maintain it there for an entire campaign date.  The second campaign game, PLBER2 (Race to the Reichstag), features the same combatants but a slightly different time frame.  It is 9 campaign dates long.  Both sides have a wide variety of purchase options, from Volkssturm platoons to Tiger tanks, from companies formed from hastily liberated prisoners to Stalin tanks. 

After Berlin: Fall of the 3rd Reich sold out, Critical Hit printed a new 2nd Edition in 2007.  This was substantially the same as the 1st Edition, except that it incorporated discovered errata and clarifications into the rulebook and scenario cards and had new countersheets.  Critical Hit also made available for sale a 2nd Edition Upgrade Kit for people who already owned the 1st Edition but wished to get the latest versions.

Critical Hit also made the new versions of the scenarios and rules freely downloadable, so that people who had purchased the 1st Edition did not have to purchase another product in order to get the errata. 

There are few additional rules (2 1/2 pages) needed to play the scenarios in Witches Cauldron.  These rules delineate the British troops (who may suffer from severe ammunition shortage, but on the other hand get Gammon bombs) and the terrain (none of which is complicated). 

Unfortunately, players may not be able to satiate their desire to play scenarios on the map as much as they might like to.  Though Witches Cauldron contains 16 scenarios, most of them are smallish and use only a fraction of the map.  There is no large scenario which utilizes all or most of the map, nor is there a campaign game provided.  As a result, much of the promise of the map is currently unfulfilled.

The 16 scenarios (numbered in chronological order) included are mostly small.  WC1 (Tiger Route), for example, is 3 1/2 turns long and features 6 British squads attacking 4 German squads.  WC3 (Piercing the Veil) has 6 British half squads fighting 4 German squads and an AFV.   WC11 (Won on Points) is also 3 1/2 turns and features 6 British squads attacking 4 German squads.  Only one scenario, WC15 (Through the Side Door) can be considered large.  It has 20 German squads and 7 AFV attacking 15 British squads and 4 guns.  Both sides also have 80mm OBA.  Only one scenario is a night scenario.  Few of the scenarios feature complicated SSRs.  Some players will like the ability to play short and sweet scenarios on a historical map, while others might wish for some more meat on the bones.

One of the four scenarios in Roman Glory is large; the others are medium-sized.  Three of them use the entire map, while the fourth uses half a map.  Three feature Italian attacks while one depicts a Soviet attack.   One scenario employs a Creeping Barrage, another uses Night Rules, and a third uses OBA and Air Support.  The fourth uses no unusual special rules.  Three of the four scenarios use some sort of random force selection to determine the OBs of one or both sides, which adds some interest and replayability.  Of the scenarios, RG1 (Colonna Chiaramonti) is probably the simplest to play. 

The original Baraque de Fraiture, a small historical module depicting a hard fought action during the Battle of the Bulge, was produced by Front Line Productions; indeed, it was the only product ever released by Front Line Productions (its second project ended up being the MMP-published Operation Watchtower).  One of the BdF scenarios was later reprinted in MMP's Out of the Attic. 

Thus is was with a bit of surprise that ASLers learned that Critical Hit was printing a new edition of the old FLP game module.  However, the project's origins go back some time.  When BdF was originally released, some European ASLers criticized the historical map in the module as not depicting accurately enough the battlefield terrain (a common refrain from European ASLers, who have many of the battles in their own backyards).  Belgian ASLer (and frequent Critical Hit contributor) Pedro Ramis and American ASLer Brian Martuzas wrote an article for Critical Hit Magazine in 1997 (Volume 4, Number 2) highlighting what they thought were the shortcomings of the BdF historical map (this article is reprinted in BdF2).  

A decade later, BdF2 emerged with the notion of creating a revised version of the historical map that would reflect the terrain more accurately.  The new edition contains essentially the same components as the original edition:  a rules and historical overview booklet (slightly expanded), 9 scenarios, and a historical map (at 22" x 36", slightly larger than the original).  Some of the scenarios have been tweaked slightly to improve play balanced based on the play result records of the original scenarios.  The scenario cards also have a new layout, of course (the original edition had scenario cards that impermissibly used "official" ASL artwork and styles).  See the World of ASL entry on the original BdF (link above) for more on the scenarios included.

The main difference, though, is in the map.  Actually, most of the terrain on the map is the same as in the original; the major differences include the addition of Slope hexsides in several places, as well as some Level 1 terrain.  The artwork is also different (use the link above to compare the original with the 2nd edition map shown below).  The 2nd Edition artwork has a darker, gloomier palette that some might find not as attractive as the crisper, brighter original.

Whether BdF2 represents a significant improvement over the original is open to question, but it is nice to see this product, out of print for some years, available again to gamers.

Note: the booklet that comes with BdF2 includes several "BdF Play Notes," one of which is incorrect.  It "reminds" people that the presence of Snow precludes the use of most types of SMOKE.  However, this is not true.  Only Deep Snow has those effects on SMOKE, not Ground Snow.  This is important, because some BdF scenarios have Deep Snow, while others have Ground Snow.