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Hobby games trade organisation GAMA is facing another shake-up of its senior leadership, with interim executive director Melinda Prickett and board vice president Ross Thompson both announcing they are leaving their roles.

Prickett’s departure is a significant blow for GAMA, having emerged as a key figure in stabilising the organisation and its finances following the resignation of long-serving executive director John Stacy last year.

She joined GAMA as its first chief operating officer in September 2025, before stepping up to become interim executive director just eight months later – and was understood by BoardGameWire to be under strong consideration for the permanent position.

GAMA said its board of directors scheduled a “rapid response meeting” after being informed of Prickett’s departure on October 26, in an effort to determine its next steps – and would be taking immediate steps to appoint temporary leadership to oversee day-to-day operations.

Prickett is set to leave the organisation in less than two weeks, on November 6 – the day before GAMA’s much publicised Game Store Day, and amid the organisation’s preparations for moving its flagship GAMA Expo trade show to Baltimore for the first time.

Her departure leaves GAMA still hunting for a permanent executive director more than a year after its previous leader, John Stacy, announced his resignation.

A statement provided to BoardGameWire from GAMA board president Meredith Placko and secretary Tiffany Reid said, “Recruiting top talent for an executive position is a laborious process, and finding the right fit for our organization has taken longer than anticipated.

“As well, we have been forthright during public board meetings that the biggest reason for the delay was that we needed to get the foundations of the organization in better order, as we had been advised. To that end, Melinda Prickett did amazing work in bringing our financials from a planned deficit for the year, to a resounding success and raised more money than we anticipated for the organization.

“She also worked on creating stability amongst for the organization, the staff, and membership. Her work helped GAMA grow and succeed in the year she was with us.

“That being said, GAMA’s Board of Director’s had interviewed a strong candidate and we were in negotiations with them, but ultimately it did not work out. Because of that we will need to begin the search again.”

The pair said they could not comment on why Prickett’s notice period was so short, or whether she had been a formal candidate for the permanent executive director role.

They added that GAMA was currently working through a short list of people to bring in a new interim executive director “very soon”, adding that the goal was to “make sure GAMA Expo and Origins are a success, and the overall day to day running of the organization is met”.

The statement said, “To that end, the Board of Directors is currently seeking RFPs from firms that specialize in hiring executives in the trade association and member organization sectors. We feel it will be valuable to have the expertise of a company that knows how to recruit top talent in our search for an Executive Director.”

Placko and Reid said there was currently no estimate on when a permanent executive director would be appointed, but said an interim “to handle the most immediate needs of the organization should be decided upon very soon”.

Prickett’s exit comes after GAMA reported a significant improvement in its financial position during her tenure, with the organisation saying it had moved from a deficit budget at the beginning of 2026 to an expected surplus by the end of the year.

In a statement emailed to GAMA members, the board credited Prickett and treasurer Jamie Mathy with stabilising the organisation’s finances, as well as increasing member participation in events outside GAMA Expo and Origins Game Fair and developing new partnerships.

The statement said, “Though it is a bittersweet announcement to make, we are grateful for Melinda’s tireless work with our organization. She has been an incalculable force in leading GAMA during a transition period, setting us up for success in a way that is visibly reverberating through the organization.”

Prickett previously spent more than a decade at Girl Scouts of Ohio Heartland, including almost five years as chief operating officer, before being hired by GAMA last September to oversee its growing day-to-day operations.

Her appointment came just weeks before Stacy announced he was leaving the organisation after seven years as executive director, having just unveiled an ambitious 10-year plan aimed at expanding its international reach, membership and industry advocacy work.

GAMA appointed veteran leadership consultant Zaria Davis as interim executive director last November, initially saying it expected to find a permanent replacement for Stacy by spring 2026.

But Davis’s contract ended in March, with Prickett subsequently confirming to BoardGameWire that she had taken over as interim executive director on May 21.

The latest leadership departure follows a period of significant change for the organisation’s board.

Former president Nicole Brady lost her re-election bid in April to publisher representative Meredith Placko, who had previously served as GAMA vice president.

Ross Thompson, who was elected as vice president following Placko’s elevation to president, has now also resigned from the board after just over six months in the position.

Thompson only joined GAMA’s board in October last year, winning a special election to replace former secretary Monica Rasso, who had stepped down after five years as a director.

His resignation means the organisation will now hold its second special election for the same Media & Events board seat in little more than a year.

The latest departures also follow a turbulent period for GAMA’s board, which publicly apologised in March after some directors were accused of being rude and disrespectful towards members during a heated annual general meeting over proposed changes to the organisation’s bylaws.

GAMA did not give a reason for Thompson’s departure, but praised his work alongside Prickett in streamlining organisational processes and strengthening representation for its Media & Events members.

Thompson wrote on Facebook, “After being part of GAMA for many years, I was happy to lend my time, energy and experience to GAMA serving on the Board during the past year and a half. It was wonderful to be able to work with passionate people, identfying projects that needed support or upkeep, along with bringing new ideas to life.

“By far, GAMA is one of the best organizations to grow your business in the tabletop game industry. The connections made at events like GAMA Expo can revolutionize the way your work and that is truly special.

“There are things that need attention within GAMA, at the Board level and the Organization as a whole. I hope the membership, staff and current Board are able to continue to support GAMA’s mission and identify the obstacles it faces so the tabletop industry can continue to connect.

“I’ll still be around and am not going anywhere, but needed to end my time on the Board.”

The organisation said it would hold a special election to replace Thompson as Media & Events director, with nominations opening today and closing on November 8. Voting will take place between November 10 and 16, with the successful candidate serving until the next annual election in March 2027.

The changes come at a key time for the organisation’s professional trade show GAMA Expo, which has experienced rapid growth in recent years and is preparing to move from Louisville, Kentucky, to Baltimore, Maryland to accommodate rising demand.

This year’s event attracted a record 3,820 attendees, almost 12% above the previous year’s 3,425, continuing a run of growth that had put pressure on the show’s available exhibition and seminar space.

The first Baltimore edition is scheduled for April 25 to 29 next year. A statement provided to BoardGameWire from GAMA board president Meredith Placko and secretary Tiffany Reid said, “We are currently working to ensure there is no visible impact on the preparations for GAMA Expo.

“GAMA staff has been diligent in doing an excellent job to bring us to our new home in Baltimore. They continue with the work that needs to be done, including finalizing programming, working with vendors on booth placement, and everything that needs to happen to make GAMA Expo a success!

“Melinda has led an amazing team, and even in her absence, they will continue with the work that needs to be done.”

GAMA’s other major convention, Origins Game Fair, is set to return to Columbus in June. That show has struggled to recover its pre-pandemic attendance, with visitor numbers falling 2.5% this year to 18,700 – the show’s first annual decline since Covid-19, and still below its 2019 record of 20,642.

The event could face further pressure next year from the launch of PAX Unplugged Houston, a new tabletop gaming convention scheduled to take place just 12 days after Origins, which could potentially force publishers and exhibitors to choose between the two shows.

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Verräter an Bord ist ein Partyspiel mit geheimer Identität für drei bis acht Personen. Thematisch geht es um eine Piratencrew, die versucht, eine Schatztruhe zu füllen, während sich unter ihnen Meuterer befinden, die genau das sabotieren wollen. Alle Spieler sind

The post Verräter an Board first appeared on Spiele-Akademie.de.

An Impossible War: The First Carlist War in the North, 1834-1838 from Bellica Third Generation is a block wargame that recreates the First Carlist War in the North of Spain which was a civil war between the Carlists who supported the succession of the late king’s brother Carlos de Borbón and the progressive and centralist supporters of the regent Maria Christina acting for Isabella II of Spain who were referred to as the Liberals. The game uses blocks representing units but also includes counters and uses cards. I was able to play the game about a month or so ago with Francisco Ronco who owns the publishing company Bellica Third Generation and very much enjoyed the game and how it represented this interesting struggle.

In Action Point 1, we took a look at the Game Map, discussing the point-to-point movement configuration, the various spaces and the delineation of the Carlist versus the Liberal Zones, as well as explained the use of the Rest of Spain smaller map. In Action Point 2, we examined the units available to both sides and covered the importance of Supply. In Action Point 3, we took a closer look at the Carlist Uprising Phase and what it means for the game. In Action Point 4, we examined the activation system and the use of Action Point Markers. In this Action Point, which is the conclusion to the series, we will take a look into how Battles work, focusing on the tactical aspect of combat with the use of the Battle Board.

Battle

One of my favorite parts of the game is the Battle mechanic. With Battle, I very much enjoy the use of the Battle Board but also like that there are several different types of combat. Battles focus on asymmetric combat rather than massive open field engagements and are typical of the First Carlist War. These Battles boil down to 3 primary types including Skirmishes, Battles and Assaults and each type have their benefits and uses and one of the important things about the game is the need to learn their best uses and then how to perform them. If both sides have at least 3 Infantry or Cavalry units in a contested space, then there is a Battle. Also if 1 or both sides has less than 3 Infantry and Cavalry units in the space, or only has Cavalry units, then there will be a Skirmish. And finally, in order to launch an Assault on a Fortress, the besieging player must have a Field Artillery unit of any value in the enemy Fortress space.

But before we take a look at these different types of Battle, I want to cover the Combat Cards. Combat Cards provide background events and assist tactical maneuvers without running the game on their own. Each player holds a distinct 36-card deck (Liberal or Carlist) representing historical, operational, and tactical modifiers. These cards simulate unpredictable elements, like sudden skirmishes, political shifts, or logistical hurdles. The Liberal Player generally leads larger, but lower-quality forces plagued by supply issues. Their Combat Cards tend to focus on maintaining order, quelling uprisings on the Rest of Spain Map and chasing Carlist expeditions. The Carlist Player will command smaller, high-quality troops. Their Combat Cards focus on exploiting superior mobility, terrain knowledge, and sudden strikes. Since this is an “impossible” war featuring guerrilla tactics, siege warfare, and frequent skirmishes rather than massive battles, the cards adapt to these asymmetric scenarios.

There are 3 types of cards found in the decks, including Event Cards, Operational Cards and Tactical Cards. Event Cards are played immediately when drawn and provide both positive and negative benefits to the players. Operational Cards can be played when the conditions stated on the card are met, during the player’s own Player Phase or sometimes during the opponent’s Player Phase. Tactical Cards can be played in combat as stated on the card. Each player can use a maximum of one tactical card in each Skirmish, Battle Round or Assault Round.

At the beginning of a player’s Player Phase each Turn, that player will take the top card from their draw deck. If it is an Event Card then it is applied immediately. If it is not an Event Card, the card is kept in the hand so that the other player cannot see it. A player can have up to 8 cards in their hand and these can be played as indicated on the card itself.

These cards are very well done and keep the game very interesting and tense as you just don’t know what type of cards your opponent has that they can spring on you in combat. These cards alter the conditions of the battle and cannot be planned for but must be kept in mind as players enter conflicts. From adding defenses that absorb hits (such as the Stone Walls Tactical Card) or provide additional Effectiveness Rating to units in battles when they are firing (such as the False Retreat Card), these cards make a difference and keep the game feeling like a game.

Now that we have looked at the cards, let’s now take a quick look at the various forms of Battle. A Skirmish consists of just 1 single round of fire. First the defender will fire and applies all hits to the attacking units, then the attacker will fire and applies hits to the defending units. There are no morale rolls in the game. In a Skirmish a player fires with a maximum of 3 Infantry and Cavalry units. The player must choose which units will fire with several limitations. maximum of 1 Cavalry unit in rough terrain and a maximum of 2 Cavalry units in open terrain.
A player always fires with all Artillery units.

The Battle Board operates as a dedicated, zoomed-in tactical area where the details of combat are resolved. When opposing blocks meet on the main strategic map, units are moved to this board to fight out the encounter safely separated from global troop movements. When a Battle begins, players move their hidden army blocks from the main map onto the Battle Board. Depending on the terrain where the battle takes place (such as rough terrain for a city or plains for the countryside), players deploy their units into specific zones on the board. The Flanks are outside positions that trap or outmaneuver the enemy. The Front Line are the units taking the direct hits and dealing the damage to the enemy and the Reserve is where extra units are kept on standby to join the battle as losses are suffered.

Combat on the Battle Board happens in rounds. As a block wargame, the number of dice rolled by any unit is based on the number of pips shown on the block and the to hit number is equal to or less than their Effectiveness Rating printed on the block. Modifiers may be added from terrain or from the play of Combat Cards. Dice are then rolled and hits are determined with the defending units taking losses by reducing their pips by rotating the block counterclockwise. It is as simple as that.

The big difference in the types of Battle are the duration. A Skirmish last only 1 round while a Battle can last up to 3 rounds. The Battle ends immediately when 1 of the following situations arises. If the Battle lasts the full 3 round, when the 3rd Battle Round ends the defending player remains in the space and the attacking player retreats. There is no Rout or Pursuit A player has no Infantry units in the front line. The other player wins,
gains 1 VP, and causes a Rout by the losing side, which will then retreat. Or, a player decides to retreat voluntarily in the End of Battle Round phase. The other player wins and can carry out Pursuit.

The Battle mechanic in An Impossible War captures perfectly the frustration of asymmetry in both competing sides and their troops. The name of the game is specifically reference to the the Liberals’ massive, clunky numbers versus the Carlists’ nimble, guerrilla style of warfare. 2 different armies with 2 different philosophies has created a situation where neither side can feel comfortable with the war and their chances at winning it. I frankly think that the designer David Gómez Relloso did an exceptional job at creating this asymmetry and creating a highly playable and engaging game. If you didn’t know, I chose to add An Impossible War to my Top 10 Wargames of 2025!. It landed at #8 on the list, and probably would have scored higher had I had a chance to play the game further and experience all of the parts of the design.

If you are interested, we posted an interview on the blog with the designer and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2025/07/14/interview-with-david-gomez-relloso-designer-of-an-impossible-war-the-first-carlist-war-in-the-north-1834-1838-from-bellica-3rd-generation/

I also was able to shoot a fairly short video summary of my game play with Francisco Ronco who is the owner of Bellica Third Generation and you can watch that at the following link:

-Grant