Monty’s Gamble: Market Garden

About this board game

Monty’s Gamble: Market Garden is a 1–2-player, approximately 180-minute simulation of the Allied attack in Holland during 1944. One side must land paratroopers, seize key bridges, and drive XXX Corps up “Hell’s Highway” to relieve the British paratroopers in Arnhem, while German forces attempt to break the Allied supply line.

This is an Area-Impulse game based on the system pioneered in Storm Over Arnhem and developed through Breakout: Normandy. It uses the same basic system as Breakout: Normandy, with infiltration from Turning Point: Stalingrad added to the design.

Movement is semi-simultaneous, creating constant interaction between the two sides. Every move may be countered by the opponent, and both players face urgent needs at different points along Hell’s Highway. Since each player can address only one need at a time, timing and priorities are central—especially with the variable turn length that may bring a turn to an end.

Monty’s Gamble includes two campaign formats, allowing players to choose between a shorter basic game and a longer extended challenge:

• Basic game: a four-day scenario.
• Extended game: a campaign lasting five to ten days.

The game’s layout, rules, and examples of play are similar to those in Breakout: Normandy. The box includes a 24 × 38-inch mapsheet, two countersheets, a rulebook containing historical background and designer notes, four setup cards, and four six-sided dice.