The first "official" FAQ for Axis & Allies Battle of the Bulge is now available. However, it has only been posted to the Avalon Hill message forums so it does not have the appearance of being official. Use this link to view the FAQ on the AH forums or for your convenience it is listed below and attached as a PDF file. Thanks to Krieghund (who still is not a member of the Axis & Allies.org forums) for putting this great FAQ together.
Axis & Allies Battle of the Bulge FAQ
Errata
Page 11, Trucks – Special Abilities – Return: "At the beginning of the Movement & Reinforcement phase, before either player moves, you may return any of your Trucks that aren't in the enemy zone of control and can trace a path on roads to a friendly edge of the board without passing through an enemy zone of control or enemy-controlled city to your off-board area."
Page 12, Air Combat – Place Aircraft: "The player chosen by the player who won the Air Combat Initiative places all of his or her Aircraft in any hexes he or she chooses, and then the other player does the same."
Page 13, Anti-Aircraft Example: Only spaces that actually contain aircraft should be counted when applying hits. In the example, the "4" should be carried over to the first position (with the "1") rather than be applied to the empty space.
Pages 18-19, Basic Movement Rules: "An empty Truck that begins movement in a hex on a friendly edge of the board with a road going off the board in that hex (even if that hex is in an enemy zone of control) may move off-board, in which case you return it to your off-board area."
Combat
If multiple attacks are declared from a single hex, must all the attacks be resolved before passing initiative to the other player?
Yes.
Who moves units retreated in the Air Combat and Ground Combat phases?
The player who owns the units moves them.
Can two units that were retreated in the same battle retreat to different hexes?
Yes.
Can a unit retreat "forward" across the front line, assuming that no enemy zones of control or terrain features prevent it? Can it even retreat into an enemy-held city?
Yes.
Movement
On page 18 of the Operations Manual it states that "Whenever a ground unit enters or leaves a hex that falls within an enemy zone of control, its movement stops." Does the condition of a unit starting its movement in an enemy zone of control prevent it from moving to an adjacent zone of control hex?
No, an activated unit may always move at least one hex. In this case, you have two conditions that stop movement, but they occur simultaneously as the unit crosses the border between the two enemy zone of control hexes.
Trucks and Supplies
Can Trucks load and unload in hexes inside an enemy zone of control?
Yes.
If a German unit moves into a hex occupied by an Allied Truck, does the Truck get a chance to move away to avoid being commandeered, since it is not actually commandeered until the Board Upkeep phase?
No. Trucks are captured as soon as enemy combat units move into their hex, even though they are not commandeered until the Board Upkeep phase. When they are captured, they may no longer be used by their former owner. However, they also may not be used by their new owner until they are commandeered. This interrim period (the remainder of the Movement and Reinforcement phase) represents the time necessary to take prisoners and assign personnel to the newly captured Trucks.
If Tanks move through a hex containing undefended enemy Trucks and/or Supplies and keep on moving, are they commandeered in the Board Upkeep phase even if no combat units remain in the hex to claim them?
The Trucks/Supplies will not be commandeered unless at least one combat unit remains in the hex to claim them.
Can you waste Supplies with useless actions, say by paying two Supply tokens to move a Tank out of a hex, then blitz it right back into the hex? This would be an easy way for the Allies to keep supplies from falling into German hands.
Yes, destroying supplies before they fall into enemy hands is always possible (with limited results of course).
I am a little confused about how Truck movement works. Could you explain it to me?
At the beginning of the Movement and Reinforcement phase, you may return any of your "free" Trucks that are on the board to your off-board area. Free Trucks are Trucks that either a) are not in an enemy zone of control and can trace a path on roads to a friendly edge of the board without passing through an enemy zone of control or enemy-controlled city, or b) are in a hex on a friendly edge of the board (even if that hex is in an enemy zone of control) with a road going off the board. This is the only time at which Trucks may leave the board.
During the Movement part of the phase, each Truck that remained on-board may load and carry cargo. A Truck's cargo capacity is limited to six items. This includes any combination of Supply tokens and activated Infantry and/or Artillery units that have not yet moved. Such a Truck may then be moved to any location on the board that it can legally reach (see below) without leaving the board. It is important to note, however, that a Truck moving out of an enemy zone of control can only be moved to an adjoining hex that is linked by road. A Truck, beginning its movement in an enemy zone of control may load units that are in that hex.
Trucks can only be moved on roads. As a Truck passes through different hexes it can fill any remaining empty cargo spaces (maximum of six items) with supplies or eligible units (see above) picked up along the way.
Trucks must stop upon entering an enemy zone of control or enemy-controlled city. They may, of course, otherwise stop anywhere along a road. When a Truck stops, its cargo is completely unloaded, and it may not unload any part of its cargo until it stops.
During the Reinforcement part of the phase, each off-board Truck (including the current turn's reinforcement Trucks) may load up to its normal cargo capacity. This cargo can include units from the off-board area (including the current turn's reinforcements from any of the charts). Each of these Trucks may then enter the board in any valid reinforcement entry hex (see page 21), regardless of the reinforcement chart from which they or their cargo came. Each Truck may then move exactly as in the Movement part of the phase, filling any remaining empty cargo spaces as it moves.
Supply tokens may only be moved by Truck. No Supply tokens need to be paid to move either Trucks or Supplies. Supply tokens must be paid to activate combat units to be moved by Truck, unless those units are reinforcements coming from off-board.
