With this My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and frankly I am not that good at games but I do understand how things should work and be used in games. With that being said, here is the next entry in this series.
#89: Frederick Douglas from For the People 25th Anniversary Edition from GMT Games
For the People is a strategic level Card-Driven wargame about the whole 4+ years of the American Civil War covering the conflict from Texas to Pennsylvania, from the firing on Fort Sumter to the end of the war at Appomattox Court House. Players take on the role of either President Abraham Lincoln or President Jefferson Davis and command armies, promote and relieve generals, conduct amphibious assaults, dispatch cavalry raids, and even battle incompetency and political intrigue among members of your own cabinet.
As a Card Driven Game, For the People includes a deck of strategy cards that are used for conducting campaigns and incorporating the many events and personalities of the war. The Confederate player can build ironclads, naval mines (torpedoes), submarines, conduct overseas purchases and work towards foreign intervention. The Union player can build up his naval blockade, his ironclad fleet, fight draft riots, secure the Border States and issue the Emancipation Proclamation. The cards are used in the classic sense of a CDG for either the Operations Points to fuel various actions or for the printed event. According to the designer Mark Herman, “The cards are designed to present the player with his political and operational options. The use of Strategy Cards as political instruments will slow the operational tempo of military operations. The converse is also true. Both sides spent the first year of the war, 1861, mobilizing and organizing their war efforts.
The game is extremely interesting and I recently had my first experience with it and very much enjoyed what it was that I was doing even though I really had little idea about my proper strategy for the Union and what it is that I should be focused on in the game.
The Frederick Douglas card from For the People really is a bit misnamed. While Frederick Douglas was a major influence for abolitionist activities as well as progressive thinking amongst the politicians of the North, the card really should have been named for the Negro soldiers who gave so much, their lives, their backs and their families, to volunteer and fight on the side of the Union during the American Civil War. The card’s text reads “Union receives five SP’s for raising freemen Negro troops. The SP’s can be placed in any single Union controlled space with an LOC in NJ, DE, PA or Washington, D.C. that does not contain Confederate SP’s or a fort”. This card gives a huge boost to the Union side especially if it comes up early in the game as Union SP’s on the board are spread out and defense of Washington is not as stout as it needs to be. In my recent play, I got this card in my opening hand and was able to place the 5 SP into Frederick, Maryland to add to the already existing 5 SP there. Along with the Army of the Potomac and its SP stationed in Washington, D.C. this effectively discouraged the CSA from invading the North and attempting to go for a capture of the capital. You will notice that the card is a 3 OP’s card, which is very valuable in and of itself, as most of the Union Generals at the start of the game, with the exception of Burnside, have a 3 Strategy Rating and require a 3 OP’s card to activate.
The issues of emancipation and military service were intertwined from the onset of the Civil War. News from Fort Sumter set off a rush by free black men to enlist in U.S. military units. They were turned away, however, because a Federal law dating from 1792 barred Negroes from bearing arms for the U.S. army (although they had served in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812). In Boston disappointed would-be volunteers met and passed a resolution requesting that the Government modify its laws to permit their enlistment.
The Lincoln administration wrestled with the idea of authorizing the recruitment of black troops, concerned that such a move would prompt the border states to secede. When Gen. John C. Frémont in Missouri and Gen. David Hunter in South Carolina issued proclamations that emancipated slaves in their military regions and permitted them to enlist, their superiors sternly revoked their orders. By mid-1862, however, the escalating number of former slaves, the declining number of white volunteers, and the increasingly pressing personnel needs of the Union Army pushed the Government into reconsidering the ban.
As a result, on July 17, 1862, Congress passed the Second Confiscation and Militia Act, freeing slaves who had masters in the Confederate Army. Two days later, slavery was abolished in the territories of the United States, and on July 22nd President Lincoln presented the preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet. After the Union Army turned back Lee’s first invasion of the North at Antietam, MD, and the Emancipation Proclamation was subsequently announced, black recruitment was pursued in earnest. Volunteers from South Carolina, Tennessee, and Massachusetts filled the first authorized black regiments. Recruitment was slow until black leaders such as Frederick Douglass encouraged black men to become soldiers to ensure eventual full citizenship. Volunteers began to respond, and in May 1863 the Government established the Bureau of Colored Troops to manage the burgeoning numbers of black soldiers.
By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war. Black soldiers served in artillery and infantry and performed all noncombat support functions that sustain an army, as well. Black carpenters, chaplains, cooks, guards, laborers, nurses, scouts, spies, steamboat pilots, surgeons, and teamsters also contributed to the war cause. There were nearly 80 black commissioned officers. Black women, who could not formally join the Army, nonetheless served as nurses, spies, and scouts, the most famous being Harriet Tubman, who scouted for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers.
In the next entry in this series, we will take a look at Mob from Time of Crisis: The Roman Empire in Turmoil, 235-284 AD from GMT Games.
As this month’s Wargame Watch posts on the blog, I will have just come back from attending the World Boardgaming Championships in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania where I was able to spend 5 1/2 days of fabulous gaming. I bring that up because this month I just didn’t have the time to do the deep dive that I normally do and only was able to find 27 games (including a new game from our sponsor Nuts! Publishing). I was also able to find 3 games to share being offered on Crowdfunding through Gamefound and Kickstarter.
This month we have a sponsor for the Wargame Watch feature in Nuts! Publishing. Founded in 2011, Nuts! Publishing is a French tabletop and board game publisher established by four wargaming and history enthusiasts. While initially famous strictly for historical and tactical wargames, the company has expanded its catalog to include cooperative, sci-fi, and family-friendly board games, while maintaining a strict selection process for those games they do publish. They are well known for developing popular original titles like Mini Rogue, Diluvium, and 300: Earth & Water, which is a part of their unique small format wargame series called Combat Rations that recently released the 3rd volume in the series called Guerre Eclair. The “Combat Ration” Series is a line of highly accessible, compact wargames designed to be played in about an hour including the 2 previous titles of 300: Earth & Water that delves into the Persian invasion of Greece in 492BC, and Port Arthur that retells the story of the 1905 Russo-Japanese War.
But, they also have a full line of more beefy traditional wargames including such titles as Urban Operations, Saigon 75, Stalingrad Roads, This War Without an Enemy, We Are Coming, Nineveh and Phantom Fury.
In addition to their own unique games, they also hold licenses to translate and distribute highly acclaimed international games for the French market, such as One Deck Dungeon, War of the Ring and the UndauntedSeries.
Their newest wargame release is called Guerre Eclair designed by Yasushi Nakaguro and is a part of the Combat Rations Series. Guerre Eclair is a remake of the 2019 game called The Rise of Blitzkrieg from Bonsai Games and is a card-driven game for 2 players lasting around 45 minutes. The setting is World War II in 1940 as the Germans unleashed their new Blitzkrieg tactic to invade France. The attacking Germans hide their intentions by choosing a conquest goal of either taking the Maginot Line, conquering Paris or controlling the ports at Dunkirk. Dice are rolled for combat and the highest 2 dice totals determine the outcome and if doubles are rolled losses to units will be inflicted. The French and British really cannot afford to lose many units as they don’t have a lot but neither can the Germans. The game is simple but fairly meaty with lots of decision points and we had a great time with it, as we have had with the other games appearing in the series.
Here is what Florent had to share on their upcoming slate of games:
In May, we released Guerre Eclair the third game in the CombatRations series and work on the next titles in the line is well underway (specifically Norway 40, followed by Bulge 20 – Yes, by Joe Miranda previously published by Victory Point Games). Urban Operations 2nd Edition is now available in stores worldwide. Please note that an upgrade kit is available on our website for owners of the 1st Edition.
Upcoming releases in early 2027 include The Coldest Winter, a card-driven game about the 1939–40 war between Finland and the Soviet Union (designed by Timo Pohja; art by Nils Johanssen), followed by Supremacy 2050, in which the world’s four major powers clash between 2020 and 2050 (designed by Pierre Razoux; art by Domhnall Hegarty).
Finally, we will launch two crowdfunding campaigns in 2027. The first will be for the second edition of Sword of Rome, covering the rise of Roman power in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC (designed by Wray Ferrell; art by Nicolas Roblin and Gabriel Pardon). The second will feature Nemto a cooperative sci-fi wargame (designed by Hermann Luttman; art by Nicolas Roblin and Christian Benavides).
Quite a variety of eras and gameplay styles!
Here is a link to an interview we did with one of the owners, designer and main bottle washer Florent Coupeau while attending Essen Spiel 2025:
Here also is an older video we did with Florent while attending SDHistCon 2024 where we discussed the excellent Combat Rations Series and Guerre Eclair (recently released) and the upcoming Norway 40:
1. Pacific Fleet: Rise & Fall of the Japanese Empire from VUCA Simulations
VUCA Simulations is a newer company on the scene the last several years (really since 2021) and they are coming out with some really great looking games. We have played several of their games and always have a great time with them. One of their newest pre-order offerings is called Pacific Fleet: Rise & Fall of the Japanese Empire designed by Hiroyuki Inose. I love a good Pacific Theater WWII game and this one looks pretty great.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Pacific War was unlike any other conflict of the Second World War. Vast oceans, isolated island chains, carrier task forces, long-range bombers, amphibious invasions, and industrial warfare all combined into one of history’s most complex military campaigns.
Pacific Fleet: Rise & Fall of the Japanese Empire places you in command of this global struggle. Lead the Imperial Japanese forces in their quest to establish dominance across Asia and the Pacific, or direct the Allied war effort as overwhelming industrial power gradually turns the tide. Every carrier strike, convoy, amphibious landing, and production decision shapes the course of the war.
This is not merely a naval game—it is a complete grand-strategic simulation where sea, air, and land warfare are seamlessly integrated into one operational system.
Fight from the opening attacks of December 1941 through the climactic campaigns that determined the fate of the Japanese Empire. Unlike many Pacific games that focus on individual battles, Pacific Fleet presents the entire theatre as one interconnected campaign where logistics, production, intelligence, and operational planning are equally important.
2. Modern Tactics: Afghanistan – British Forces Expansion from VUCA Simulations
We have played a lot of Old School Tactical from Flying Pig Games, which is designed by Shayne Logan. Shayne now has a design with VUCA Simulations that deals with modern warfare in Afghanistan called Modern Tactics: Afghanistan. That was announced on pre-order a while ago and has since been delivered but there is now an expansion of sorts to the game called Modern Tactics: Afghanistan – British Forces Expansion but it is being designed by another designer named Kenneth Tee of People Power from GMT Games fame.
From the game page, we read the following:
The war in Afghanistan was fought village by village, compound by compound, and patrol by patrol. Every operation demanded careful planning, disciplined infantry, close cooperation with allied forces, and constant vigilance against an elusive insurgency.
Modern Tactics: Afghanistan – British Forces Expansion places you in command of the British Army, Royal Marines, Special Air Service, and supporting Afghan forces during Operation Herrick. Experience thirteen new scenarios inspired by real operations fought throughout Helmand Province between 2001 and 2012, introducing new units, mechanics, and tactical challenges to the Modern Tactics system.
Whether conducting a night raid with the SAS, leading Gurkhas into hostile villages, defending isolated platoon houses, or escorting Afghan National Army units through dangerous territory, every mission presents unique tactical and operational decisions.
3. Thirty Years of Misery: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648 from VUCA Simulations
A couple of years ago, I came across a new designer named Brian Asklev and have done interviews with him covering Baltic Empires from GMT Games and 1812 – Napoleon’s Fateful March from VUCA Simulations. Brian is a pretty sharp designer and I very much like his approach to design as well as the choices in designs that he is doing. His new game is called Thirty Years of Misery: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648. The cover art is amazing, the topic looks great and the approach that he is taking seems to be very novel.
From the game page, we read the following:
Between 1618 and 1648, Europe was consumed by one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in its history. What began as a rebellion in Bohemia soon engulfed the Holy Roman Empire and drew nearly every major European power into a struggle over religion, dynastic ambition, and political supremacy. Millions perished as armies marched across Central Europe, cities were besieged, alliances shifted, and entire regions were devastated.
Thirty Years of Misery places you in command of the major powers that shaped this conflict. Lead the Imperial Habsburgs, the Catholic League, Sweden, or France as you fight to reshape Germany through military campaigns, religious influence, political maneuvering, and strategic diplomacy.
Victory requires more than battlefield success. You must secure electorates, protect your heartlands, influence the religious landscape of the Empire, and achieve your faction’s unique historical ambitions before peace is finally negotiated at Westphalia. Rather than recreating individual battles, Thirty Years of Misery captures the entire strategic conflict across three decades of war.
Every campaign combines:
Military operations
Religious conflict
Political objectives
Coalition warfare
Historical events
Dynamic diplomacy
Each round features a randomized turn order, ensuring that no two campaigns unfold the same way. Players must continually adapt to changing circumstances, unexpected interventions, and opportunities created by both allies and enemies.
4. Iwo Jima: Hell on Earth Revised Edition from Neva Game Press
Neva Game Press (formerly Neva Wargames) is a new publisher who appeared on the scene 2+ years ago. When I started seeing their posts on Twitter and Facebook, I was immediately impressed with their interesting topic choices for their upcoming games as well as the fact that they are trying to make small footprint wargames that pack a punch. And the art is also very appealing and brings an aesthetically pleasing and attractive look to their games! Their first release called Iwo Jima: Hell on Earth, which is a solitaire look at the amphibious invasion of the island of Iwo Jima in 1945 at the end of WWII, was both commercially and critically successful and has sold out and now they are bringing back a revised edition for pre-order.
From the game page, we read the following:
Iwo Jima: Hell on Earth is a hex & counter wargame based on this iconic battle. This challenging solitaire wargame puts you in command of US Marine Regiments as they battle entrenched Japanese Battalions during the iconic 36-day Operation Detachment. Each game turn represents approximately four days, condensing the intense conflict into nine turns of strategic decision-making.
In Iwo Jima: Hell on Earth, your mission as the commander of US forces is to conquer the island of Iwo Jima to secure its three airfields and the iconic Mount Suribachi. The game simulates the 36-day battle in nine turns, with each turn representing approximately four days.
Victory is determined at the end of Turn 9 by calculating your Victory Points. You earn VP’s by: Eliminating Japanese units, Capturing key objectives on time and Japanese surrender. You can lose VP’s if: You play too many Special Orders and/or you suffer too many US casualties. Your final VP score will give you an assessment of your performance, ranging from a “pen-pushing job” (1 or less to 5 VP) to an “incredible victory” (19-20 VP).
I think that a new company selling out their first release is probably pretty rare in our hobby but Neva did it and it is partly because a good solitaire game is always in demand and their focus on quality, in both game play and components, speaks to wargamers and word will spread fast once it is out. So what is different in this new Revised Edition?
Because we are heading back to the printers, we saw the perfect opportunity to integrate our community feedback directly into the game. The Revised Edition will feature:
Upgraded Map: A minor visual tweak where hill hex frames are slightly thicker, making them much easier to identify during intense gameplay.
Box Art Variant: A fresh, slight variation of the original box art (while keeping the classic spirit of the original design).
Fully Integrated Updates: All components from our Update Kit (detailed below) will come standard inside the box!
5. Rebels Against Rebellion from Flying Pig Games Currently on Kickstarter
About 18 months ago, while attending Buckeye Game Fest in Columbus, Ohio, we met up with David Thompson to get a quick look at a few of his newest upcoming games at the time including Line of Fire: Burnt Moon from Osprey Games and the very interesting American Civil War game with a twist called Rebels Against Rebellion from Flying Pig Games. I got to play Rebels Against Rebellion and very much enjoyed the game and what it was trying to convey about the lack of support for the secession of Tennessee from the Union as most of the residents of Scott County voted against breaking away during the American Civil War. The game pits the local groups against each other as the Free and Independent State of Scott fights against the local secessionist residents as violent confrontations between Loyalist and secessionist-aligned partisans and outlaws engaged in raids on farms, stealing livestock, and destroying property. Since that time, the game has progressed and has already launched on Kickstarter.
From the game page, we read the following:
Rebels Against Rebellion is a card-driven war game designed by award-winning designers, David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin. The cards in your deck represent the units and locations under your control. Each turn you will play cards to perform actions on the board and to add, remove, and improve the cards in your deck. The player who most successfully spreads their control across Scott County is the winner.
Tennessee’s role in the American Civil War and the Secession Crisis was marked by significant internal divisions between its eastern, middle, and western regions. In early 1861, when South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, Tennessee’s legislature resisted the idea. However, following the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, Tennessee was forced to readdress its position. On June 8, 1861, a state referendum resulted in a decisive vote to secede.
Despite this formal decision, Tennessee remained divided. In the eastern part of the state, loyalist sentiment was strong. East Tennessee had overwhelmingly voted against secession in the 1861 referendum, while West and Middle Tennessee overwhelmingly supported secession.
As tensions escalated, residents of East Tennessee found themselves forced to take sides, often leading to violent confrontations. Loyalist- and secessionist-aligned partisans and outlaws engaged in raids on farms, stealing livestock, and destroying property. The establishment of local militia groups known as the home guard sought to defend loyalists. These small militias acted in secret, launching surprise attacks on Confederate soldiers and secessionist raiders, but they also faced constant threats from the Confederate army and local secessionist groups.
Of the thirty-one counties in East Tennessee, none voted against succession by a higher margin than Scott County. With a vote of 521 to 19 in favor of rejecting secession, the county’s stance was clear. Local residents so opposed the Confederacy that later in 1861, the county court approved a protest resolution declaring the county’s secession from the State of Tennessee and the creation of a “Free and Independent State of Scott.”
This is the story of the Free and Independent State of Scott during the Civil War.
If you are interested, we did an interview video with David while attending Buckeye Game Fest in the spring of 2025 and you can watch that at the following link for more information on the game:
Because I know that many of you will be paying this one solitaire, Denver did an overview video of the solitaire mode and you can watch that at the following link:
As of August 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $24,531 toward $10,000 funding goal with 450 backers. The campaign will conclude on Tuesday, August 18th at 12:00pm EDT.
6. Lee’s War: The War in Virginia 1861-65 from Worthington Publishing Currently on Kickstarter
One of the subjects that Worthington Publishing does really well is the American Civil War. They have their Civil War Brigade Battle Series that we have enjoyed and they really have a way of making these ACW games playable yet integrating some of the most important historical aspects to keep them grounded in history. Their newest series is focused on the Strategic Level and is supposed to be a 3 volume series. The first entry in the series is called Lee’s War: The War in Virginia 1861-65 and is currently on Kickstarter.
From the game page, we read the following:
Lee’s War is Volume I in what I hope to be a 3 Volume set on the American Civil War. It is meant to show the difficulties each side faced during the war. There is no plan currently for a full war campaign scenario. Players are given scenarios based on the campaigns and complete years of the war. I hope you enjoy playing the short crisp 2 – 3-hour scenarios giving an intense game experience as well as a study in Civil War command.
If this game is successful then Volume II, tentatively titled Grant’s War will be the Western Theater along the Mississippi from 1861 to 1864. Volume III, titled Sherman’s War, will be the Western Theater and the battle for Eastern Tennessee and Georgia from 1861 to 1865.
The game is for 2 or more players but is highly solitaire friendly (one player playing both sides) due to the random nature of certain rules such as Dice Differential and combat die rolls.
Lee’s War is a strategic level hex and counter war game for 2 or more players of the entire American Civil War in Virginia from 1862 – 1865. Leadership is highlighted using counters representing the combat leaders of the war. The destruction of the opposing players forces are the main objectives of the game, followed by the occupation of key cities or rail lines. The political aspects of the war are not reflected in the game per say, however they are reflected in the Victory Conditions. The longer the south drug out the war, and the more Union casualties inflicted, the better the chance that Lincoln would lose the 1864 election, and a peace Candidate (probably McClellan) would end the war with southern independence.
Here is the current 14 scenario list:
First Manassas / Historic 4 turns or optional long game 8 turns (July 1 – August 31, 1861)
The Peninsula Campaign / 10 turns (April 1 – June 15, 1862)
The Peninsula Campaign Plus Seven Days 16 turns (April 1 – July 31, 1862)
Second Manassas / 7 turns (July 14 – August 31, 1862)
As of August 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $27,212 toward its $1,861 funding goal with 304 backers. The campaign will conclude on Saturday, August 15th at 4:00pm EDT.
7. Warfighter: The WWII Eastern FrontSpecial Forces Card Game from Dan Verssen Games Currently on Kickstarter
The Warfighter system from Dan Verssen Games is a card based game designed for 1 to 6 players. You can play solo or cooperatively against the AI to complete World War II squad-level combat missions. One of my favorite parts of the game is at the start of each mission, you will select one or more Player Soldiers, equip them with skills, weapons, and combat gear within the mission’s Resource limit. You then fight your way through hostile territory and engage enemy soldiers, as you attempt to reach and complete your mission objective. Every mission is a stand-alone game. You build your Soldiers, select your Gear, and then run your mission. Within 30 to 60 minutes you will have succeeded or failed. We simply love the system and prefer the WWII focused modules (we really hated Fantasy!) and are very excited to see that they are doing this WWII Eastern Front offering as I think that it will offer a new and interesting view of the history.
From the game page, we read the following:
Warfighter WWII Eastern Front recreates the brutal skirmishes fought across the vast Soviet battlefields of World War II, where Soviet Red Army and German forces clashed for shattered cities, strategic strongholds, and hard-won ground in some of the harshest climactic conditions of the war. You will face fierce resistance from enemy troops, but the battlefield itself, from deep snow and choking mud to bitter cold and broken terrain, can prove equally deadly.
Do you have what it takes to defend the Rodina and drive the invader from our soil?
Warfighter WWII Eastern Front is the latest title in the Warfighter WWII Series, which includes other core sets for the Europe, Pacific, Mediterranean and North Africa Theatres of Operation. The Eastern Front has been an area of interest which we have been discussing for a time, and we began research and design work in January 2025. Now, the game design is complete, and we are ready to present it for crowdfunding support.
A key part of the game is squad building and mission planning. You decide which soldiers go on the mission, and which skills, weapons and gear to equip them with, best suited for the objective you are attacking. You control their actions and resolve all combat against hostiles and events encountered, but do not take too long, as the timer is counting down!
As a solitaire wargame, the game’s hostile response system handles all the enemy decisions and actions which will oppose your squad and thwart your mission plans. You will have to respond to the unexpected events and hostile attacks, as well as challenging weather and terrain, to make it to the objective and complete the victory conditions. Glory for the Motherland! Slava Rodina!
Along with the Eastern Front Core Box, there are seven Expansions which will allow you to extend your gameplay to include more armed forces and battles. The expansions offered with the Eastern Front core box feature Penal Battalions, Airborne, Partisans, as well as the Soviet Winter, Soviet Winter Vehicles and the Raid on Peenemünde.
We have also created the Critical Hit Deck pack, a new type of expansion which introduces critical hits to Soldiers and Hostiles alike, to add some cinematic flair and drama to your stories. All expansions are designed to be playable with the core set, and they add new Soldiers, Missions and Objectives, Gear, Skills, Locations, Hostiles and Events to your gameplay.
As of August 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $24,469 toward its $20,000 funding goal with 151 backers. The campaign will conclude on Monday, August 3rd at 3:00pm EDT.
8. Lee Moves North: Campaigns of Antietam and Gettysburg from GMT Games
Several years ago, Mark Herman designed a unique and simple American Civil War game called Gettysburg that appeared in C3i Magazine #32. That game became the basis for his new Civil War Heritage Series with the first volume being Rebel Fury that focused on five battles from the Chancellorsville and Chickamauga Campaigns and Volume II being Army of the Potomac. Mark has now advanced the series with the upcoming Volume III called Lee Moves North: Campaigns of Antietam and Gettysburg that was announced this past month by GMT Games.
From the game page, we read the following:
Lee Moves North is a standalone game that covers the Confederate invasions that led to the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. Lee Moves North is the third volume in Mark Herman’s Civil War Heritage Series that began with the Charles S. Roberts Award winning Rebel Fury (Best American Civil Wargame of 2024).
Lee Moves North is a low-complexity, grand tactical simulation that won the James F. Dunnigan Award for Playability and Design. Its unique combat system generates a detailed narrative that perhaps for the first time allows you to fully experience the risk calculus of a Civil War Army General.
If you know how to play Rebel Fury or Army of the Potomac, you can play the one map battles of Antietam and Gettysburg right out of the box. The game comes with 13 scenarios, 7 of which are played on one map to include 4 DOG (the four days of Gettysburg) with the remainder using all or some number of its EIGHT grand tactical maps, plus a standalone Theater scenario. The thirteenth bonus scenario covers Jubal Early’s 1864 invasion that led to the battle of the Monocacy River.
Through Lee Moves North you will experience these famous battles in a way that you have not seen them before. The grand tactical level is about maneuver combinations prior to and during a battle but make no mistake you will also see the brutal nature of Civil War combat. As the general leading an army, you will have player agency over when, where, and how often to attack using the unique Rebel Fury combat system. Following the combat narratives that are in every book that you have ever read on the Civil War you will experience the frustration of seeing your assaults fail more often than they succeed yet the better general is the one whose plans turn this historical reality into victory.
While we have not yet played Army of the Potomac, we have very much enjoyed the system and its first volume Rebel Fury. Here is a look at our video review for Rebel Fury:
If you are interested in Lee Moves North: Campaigns of Antietam and Gettysburg, you can pre-order a copy for $82.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1253-lee-moves-north.aspx
9. Rowing to Hades: Fast Playing Naval Battles of the Ancient World from GMT Games
Ancients games are always a good time and if that game has naval units, including triremes, Greek fire ships and the like sign me up. This past month, GMT announced this new game from designer Jason Walonoski called Rowing to Hades:Fast Playing Naval Battles of the Ancient World. Jason is a newer designer with his first game called Epipolae: The Athenian Expedition in Sicily, 415-413 BCE, which is a part of the Levy & Campaign Ancients Series. I share that because he knows something about Ancients and I also think that he is a good designer with a good approach.
From the game page, we read the following:
Rowing to Hades is a squadron-level naval wargame set in the ancient era. The era of oars, not sails. Rams, not broadsides.
Inspired by classics such as War Galley (GMT), Trireme (Avalon Hill) and the Commands & Colors system, it will appeal to gamers who want to enjoy quick naval battles at a different scale and complexity level.
A single battle can be completed in 30-60 minutes. There are scenarios for the Greco-Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars as well as a campaign system to link multiple battles together in an afternoon.
A key design goal was to create a fun quick-playing game, not a simulation. Many details are abstracted, while maintaining historical flavor.
Combat is simple and quickly resolved. After all units have moved, they may Ram. If units have not moved, they may conduct Melee.
Attackers roll a base number of dice determined by the unit type (different types of units roll different numbers of dice for ramming and melee), with the number of dice increasing or decreasing for factors like attacking from the rear, using a special maneuver card, or the enemy formation (for example, line abreast, line ahead, or kyklos).
I am very much interested in this one. Tactical level naval combat is something that is very appealing and this one looks to be on the lighter side of the spectrum but offers enough depth that it should be a very interesting experience.
If you are interested in Rowing to Hades: Fast Playing Naval Battles of the Ancient World, you can pre-order a copy for $55.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1252-rowing-to-hades.aspx
10. Commands & Colors: Ancients 8th Printing from GMT Games
Commands & Colors: Ancients depicts warfare from approximately 3,000 BC to the opening of the Middle Ages in 400 AD, which is quite a spread across time encompassing different strategies, tactics and even technology. CC: Ancients uses the standard card activation system which identifies a number of units that can take actions in one of three areas on the board, including the Left, Center and Right. This card system is standard to the series and really keeps the game light and fun as you sometimes simply cannot control take the actions you need to in order to win the game.
One of the reasons that I like Ancients and how it implements the system is that the scale changes during each of the battles represented. This means that some of the scenarios will have an Infantry unit representing an entire legion of fighters, while in other scenarios a unit may just represent a few warriors. This flexibility makes the game really interesting and you have to learn how best to use each of your units in each of the settings. This really adds to the replayability factor as well because you are learning from each scenario.
The unit variety in this one is interesting as compared to other games in the series such as Battle Cry and Memoir ’44 as each of those volumes had just three types of different units. In Ancients though there are multiple different types or classes of Infantry. Units are rated according to their makeup and in some ways their tactics and are placed in three neat and tidy categories including Light, Medium and Heavy. In the ranks of the Light Infantry, there are the standard Light Infantry, Auxilia, Light Bow and Light Sling for example. In looking at the other types of units there are Cavalry, Chariots, War Machines, Leaders, and the best part Elephants. The game comes with very clear and well done player aids that outline the different abilities of each type of unit and help you with an understanding of their movement, combat dice and any special abilities.
The final best thing about the game is the number of different engagements portrayed and how each of them uses different units and will require you to think on your toes about how best to utilize your assets. The battles covered include Akragas, Crimissos River, Ticinus River, Lake Trasimenus, Cannae, Dertosa, Castulo, Baecula, Ilipa, and Zama. All in all, I find Ancients to be a simple yet fulfilling gateway to the series and would recommend it heartily to anyone interested in getting on board.
From the game page, we read the following:
Commands & Colors: Ancients allows you to re-fight epic battles of the ancient world. Here the focus is on the two rivals for power in the Western Mediterranean – Carthage and Rome. Will you, as Hannibal, triumph over larger Roman armies; or as Scipio Africanus, will you beat Hannibal with newer tactics of your own?
Units in both armies can only move and fight when ordered. The command playing cards supply those orders, providing an element of luck that creates a fog of war and presents players with both challenges and opportunities. You must maximize your opportunities by playing your command cards judiciously. How well you handle the diverse units, their weapons, and the terrain, will determine victory.
Commands & Colors: Ancients contains the battles of Akragas, Crimissos River, Ticinus River, Lake Trasimenus, Cannae, Dertosa, Castulo, Baecula, Ilipa, and Zama.
11. Commands & Colors: Napoleonics 6th Printing from GMT Games
I will be honest with you, when we first played Commands and Colors, I was really leaning toward Ancients as my favorite one. But that all changed once we got the grand daddy of them all on the table in Napoleonics. To me, I really enjoy the added layers of depth to this one. It has six expansions for a reason as they have tried to capture the intricacies of each nation and their unique abilities and fighting styles to make for very highly stylized game.
Of all the C&C games this one is on the richer end of the scale, especially as you add in the expansions. The little bits of chrome make the combats more tactical. You can put your infantry into square formation to counter cavalry charges, but that comes with it’s own sub set of limitations. Each nation has their own special ability, and then each of their units have their own characteristics. An example of which are the Spaniards’ Infantry being straight up not as good as others. They roll dice equal to their number of blocks -1 for example. Each faction has strengths and weaknesses which gives you a little more to think about. Again, nothing overwhelming, and nothing you can’t handle but Napoleonics just has that extra richness and detail that brings the game to life and makes each play feel different from the last.
There are a few new differences in this one. Leaders play a very important role on the battlefield. They don’t add to attack but keep units in formation and from breaking. You must try to keep the Leaders away from the front line because they can become casualties but you need them to keep order on the battlefield as they will allow units to ignore some symbols.
Another major difference is in how units do when they are reduced. In all previous versions of the C&C system, the number of remaining blocks in a unit was not factored into the strength of that unit’s attack. If they had three units left, they would still roll their maximum 2 dice. But now that has changed and I really like this one. The basic attack strength of a unit is equal to the number of its blocks.
The color and the pageantry of a Napoleonics battle is hard to ignore and this one has a lot of substance to the game that the other volumes don’t approach. I will play Napoleonics at any time and relish the chance to learn new strategies and try out new tactics with the multitude of different units found in each expansion.
In the end, Commands and Colors is a fantastic system that has a little bit of everything that will appeal to any wargamer’s taste. I recently played Tricorne and man was that a fascinating experience. We also played the new one from GMT from 2019 Medieval and enjoyed it, and actually really liked some of the new additions, but just were let down by the theme. If you haven’t tried C&C yet, what are you waiting for? Pick a historical period you like and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!
From the game page, we read the following:
The Napoleonic historical period has always been one of our favorites and was actually the second historical game that we developed using the Commands & Colors system. The Wars of Napoleon rules at first glance may seem more complex than other Commands & Colors games, but if you are familiar with the game system, you are only a few short steps away from taking Command. Even if you have never played before, learning the fundamentals of the game system is straightforward and will be an enjoyable endeavor.
For the game group in Orlando, Wars of Napoleon is one of our favorites. There is a wealth of subtle and bold features that set it apart from other historical periods and it truly embraces the tactical doctrines of France and the various nations that fought against Napoleon.
The Napoleonic period showcases a unique balance between the roles of Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery on the battlefield.
In combat, a unit’s battle strength is directly tied to the number of blocks present in the unit. Therefore, as a unit suffers block loses its combat effectiveness is reduced.
An Infantry unit, by forming square, can reduce the effectiveness of the most gallant Cavalry charge.
Artillery in combined arms combat along with an Infantry or Cavalry melee attack can produce the most devastating results.
As with other Commands & Colors games, the battle dice resolve combat quickly and the Command cards provide a fog of war and will present players with new challenges and opportunities for victory.
When in Command, the battlefield tactics you will need to execute conform remarkably well to the historical advantages and limitations inherent to each Napoleonic Army. For example, as the French Commander you will want to maneuver your infantry units into a position to take advantage of their melee attack dice bonus. While a British Commander will want his line infantry to take up a defensive position and stand and volley fire with a dice bonus. The other major powers also have similar seemingly simple advantages that can impact a battle and will influence your Command style for that army.
The core Wars of Napoleon game will feature French, British and Portuguese troops, while the expansions will showcase one Coalition army that opposed Napoleon.
12. Pacific War: The Struggle Against Japan, 1941-1945 Deluxe Edition 2nd Printing from GMT Games
Both Alexander and I love Empire of the Sun and really enjoy Mark Herman designs. Now I know that Pacific War is not EotS but it definitely was a precursor and led to its design and development. Unfortunately, I did not play the original Pacific War as I was 12 years old and focused on other things (baseball, football) and other games (mainly Dungeons & Dragons and other role playing in my teens). So, this one interests me because it will be a new experience for me.
From the game page we read the following:
Pacific War is a Strategic wargame that takes you from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the climatic summer of 1945… from Australia to China… from Burma to Hawaii… from the defense of Wake Island through the invasion of Guadalcanal culminating in the desperate battles to defend the Japanese Home Islands.
Strategic wargame that covers the entirety of the Pacific Theater of World War II…pretty big game, both in scale and distance. For a game to cover the entire theater, it has to be deep and have various systems to cover all of the different types of actions. Here is an answer on this aspect frog the game page:
For the first time in a Pacific Theater game, size, subtlety, and ease of play has come together in a game of sharp action and historical accuracy. Players can become familiar with the layered Pacific War systems in the solitaire Engagement scenarios, then fight their way through increasingly panoramic Battle, Campaign, and Strategic two player and multi-player Scenarios. As they learn the game’s basic maneuver and combat systems, they will then layer on more advanced systems for Strategic bombing, submarine attacks on merchant shipping, search and detection, amphibious assaults, and extensive Operations driven by their command decisions.
As this game is a reprint and updating of a classic, the first thing I thought about was what has changed in the design? Mark answered this question very well in the game write up on the game page:
So, what will change in the new version? The structure and feel of the design will be unchanged, so if you played it in your youth, you already know how to play. That said, a devoted number of players have been playing this game for 35 years and I have incorporated the best of their feedback into this new and final edition for this title. I am going over each scenario and updating them with information that I did not have available back in 1985. For example, I now have several Japanese translations of their official records that were only published in the last few years. Toward this end, I am adding at least six new campaign and strategic scenarios, so you can experience the entire panorama of the war in a long afternoon .
The key question that I consider when buying a new game is will it hit the table? The owners and reviewers who created the game’s reputation were excited that Pacific War had a layered set of scenarios that incorporated fifteen-minute solitaire learning engagements, two hour battles (such as Coral Sea and Santa Cruz that were used in a decade of tournaments), two to eight hour Campaigns (such as Malaya, Guadalcanal and Breaking the Bismarck barrier), and of course the Strategic scenarios that cover the entire war from a single year to the entire war. Will you ever play the entire war? It’s unlikely (to date I have only done it three times). However, Pacific Waris an operational level game and the Campaign scenarios are the heart and soul of this game system. Most play in an afternoon to completion. So, will it hit the table? Only you can answer that question, but from a time and learning perspective this game will support any time commitment you wish to make, to include the 100+ hour Strategic Scenario.
No cards, as this one is not a Card Driven Game, and lots of counters with 9 counter sheets listed. This is going to be blast and I hope that we get around to playing this game so that I can get a view of the original work from one of my favorite designers.
1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Battles of Wimpen: May 6, 1622 and Hochst: June 20, 1622 from High Flying Dice Games
Paul Rohrbaugh and his company High Flying Dice Games is a designer I love to follow. He is always doing games on smaller or lesser known conflicts and I just find his work to be superb and really draws me in. Recently I saw where he was releasing a new series of games covering the Thirty Years War called Bohemian Rhapsody – Battles of Wimpen: May 6, 1622 and Hochst: June 20, 1622.
From the game page, we read the following:
Bohemian Rhapsody – Battles of Wimpen: May 6, 1622 and Hochst: June 20th, 1622 is a game with 2 battles and both battles were part of the so called “Bohemian Phase” of the Thirty Years War and were one the result of the other. The first took place when the Catholic forces of Tilly and Cordoba surprised the smaller force of George Fredrick of Baden who was trying to cross the river Neckar near Wimpfen. Even if the Protestant forces made their best in the battle, thanks to a favorable uphill position, theywere defeated.
A month and an half later, another part of the Protestant troops moving around the Rhineland, the part commanded by Christian of Brunswick, was stopped by the same catholic army under Tilly and Cordoba near Hochst, while trying to cross the river Main. The ensuing battle was a sort of a draw, as at least a part of the catholic army was able to join the other catholic force under Mansfeld, but at so high a cost in losses, that the Palatinate theatre of the war was de facto closed.
If you are interested in Bohemian Rhapsody – Battles of Wimpen: May 6, 1622 and Hochst: June 20, 1622, you can order a copy for $20.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: https://www.hfdgames.com/bohemia.html
2. La Conqueste: The French and Indian War 1754-1763 from White Dog Games
I have really enjoyed my plays of several games designed by R. Ben Madison. He has a knack for including elements of the history into the gameplay while placing the events into the framework of his chosen system, which is usually the States of Siege Series…but not always. His newest offering called La Conqueste: The French and Indian War 1754-1763 from White Dog Games uses the States of Siege Series System and dives into the French & Indian War.
From the game page, we read the following:
Over 270 years ago, France controlled most of North America east of the Mississippi River. The British had colonized only along the Atlantic Coast and wanted to expand further west. Conflict between these two great powers in the New World was inevitable. The immediate issue in the new World was whether the upper Ohio River valley was to be a part of the British Empire, and therefore open for trade and settlement by English colonists, or part of New France. When, in 1754, war broke out between France and England in Europe, it quickly spread to the New World, where it was called the French and Indian War, and where two of the most famous generals in history fought one another: Wolfe and Montcalm.
In this exciting game of that titanic struggle in America designed by R. Ben Madison, you control the forces of New France against England and the British colonies as the epic nine-year long French and Indian War breaks out.
If you are interested in La Conqueste: The French and Indian War 1754-1763, you can order a copy for $60.00 from the White Dog Games website at the following link: https://www.whitedoggames.com/french-and-indian-war
3. Fortress of Oblivion: Iran in the Sasanian Era 224-651 AD from White Dog Games
Another new solitaire States of Siege Series offering this month from White Dog Games takes us to ancient Persia and Iran in the Sasanian Era covering the years of 224-651 AD. This one is also designed by R. Ben Madison and looks to be very interesting.
From the game page, we read the following:
Fortress of Oblivion is an exciting solitaire game by designer Ben Madison that puts the player in the role of the ancient Shahs of Iran during the Sasanian Era, 224-651 AD – or even later, if you survive! You will use the economic, military, and social resources of the Iranian Empire, called “Persia” in the west, to defend your realm against invading foreign armies from the west (Armenians and Romans, later called Byzantines), the east (China, Central Asian nomads, and the mighty empires and petty states of India), and marauding Himyarites and Ethiopians from the south, soon to be routed by your greatest foe: the giant Arab Caliphate!
If you are interested in Fortress of Oblivion: Iran in the Sasanian Era 224-651 AD, you can order a copy for $60.00 from the White Dog Games website at the following link: https://www.whitedoggames.com/fortressofoblivion
4. Santa Cruz 1797 Reprint from Bellica 3rd Generation
One well recieved wargame from 2017 was called Santa Cruz 1797 from Bellica 3rd Generation which was designed by Iván Cáceres. The game covers the British amphibious assault on the fortress at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in Spain and is a card driven siege game. Bellica 3rd Generation is now reprinting this game which has been out of stock pretty much everywhere with a new edition.
From the game page, we read the following:
Early morning on July 25, 1797…A squadron of His Britannic Majesty under the command of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson set out to assault the fortifications of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The fight would be desperate and the first light of day would find the
On this occasion, in addition, Nelson lost his right arm due to an impact from a cannon (“El Tigre”) that is still preserved in the Museum of the Castle of San Cristobal, in Tenerife.
Santa Cruz 1797 is a game for two players in which each player has a well-defined role: the British must storm the city and occupy its key points while defeating the Spanish military forces, the Spanish must wait to see where his opponent lands and then launch into a tenacious and aggressive defense to defeat him.
The game is a block wargame and works with a card engine that allows players to act on the opponent’s turn and creates a situation of unparalleled tension and uncertainty until the end of the game.
If you are interested in Santa Cruz 1797Reprint, you can purchase a copy for 50,00 € ($57.00 in US Dollars) from the Bellica 3rd Generation website at the following link: https://bellica3g.com/en/product/santa-cruz-1797/
5. Lone Panther from Mike Lambo
Over the past several years, print and play solitaire wargames have gained a lot of traction in our hobby. A solitaire wargame that is very affordable at $10-$15 and can be purchased and downloaded online. What is not to like? And the name of Mike Lambo has been tied to a lot these games as he has designed 20+ of these titles and has built quite the rabid and loyal fanbase. His newest game is called Lone Panther and can be downloaded from Wargame Vault. I do know that typically these games are sold on Amazon but I have not seen this offering make it there as of yet.
From the game page, we read the following:
The German front in the Italian Po Valley is collapsing. Months of retreat, shattered divisions, and dwindling fuel have left the once‑proud Panzerwaffe reduced to scattered pockets of armour fighting desperately to hold back the Allied advance. In this flat, misty landscape of farms and villages, marshland, narrow roads and orchards, tanks are no longer committed in massed formations. Instead, single vehicles are thrown forward to plug gaps, delay Allied spearheads, or hold a vital crossroads.
You command one such machine, a Panther Ausf. G, operating alone, cut off from its parent battalion and reliant on its crew. Allied forces push north with growing momentum. British armour probes ahead, infantry screens advance through the fields, and fighter‑bombers circle overhead searching for targets of opportunity.
In this final phase of the Italian campaign, a Lone Panther can still shape the battlefield – if its Commander keeps his nerve.
Whilst this game is not a ‘narrative driven’ game as such, with a little imagination it will provide memorable stories. Some events are randomly generated, but the Player always has at least some degree of control over the level of risk they wish to take and how vulnerable they leave their Tank to these Events.
This game is designed to be easy to learn and good fun to play.
This is a solitaire wargame. You play the game, and the enemy is controlled by the game (or the Artificial Intelligence or ‘AI’). You will need at least 7, but preferably 9, standard six-sided dice (not included). There are 10 very replayable missions included with full colour maps and clear instructions.
It is highly recommended that the counters provided on the final page of the game are used to play this game. Simply stick them to card and cut them out. A video demonstrating how generally to do this can be found on the Mike Lambo Games YouTube channel. The easiest way to make these counters is to print or copy them onto an A4 printer label, leave the ink to dry completely, then peel the back and stick to 1-2mm card. Alternatively, any standard paper glue will do such as PVA. You can also find ‘Instructional Playthrough’ videos on the Mike Lambo Games YouTube Channel to see how the game plays.
6. Great War Battles Volume 2: Tankschlacht: Cambrai, 1917 from Revolution Games
World War I is always an interesting war to game. We have played our fair share of WWI games and pretty much enjoyed them all. The Great War Battles Series from Revolution Games is a wargame system designed by Kerry Anderson that simulates World War I engagements at the brigade and regimental level and the newest offering in the series is called Tankschlacht: Cambrai 1917, which is now available for purchase.
The Battle of Cambrai was a massive British offensive on the Western Front in France during World War I and was fought between November 20 and December 7, 1917. The battle is legendary for marking the first large-scale, effective use of massed tanks in warfare.
From the game page, we read the following:
Tankschlacht is the second game in the Great War Battles Series; the first being Death of an Army: Ypres, 1914. Tankschlacht is a brigade/regimental simulation of the Battle of Cambrai, November 20 – December 3, 1917. A two player game where players assume the role of the German and Allied troops as they desperately fight for the valuable position in the line.
7. Blind Swords Series Volume 13Early Threatens Washington: The Battle of Monacacy Junction, July 9, 1864 from Revolution Games
Blind Swords is a series that most all wargamers have heard of and played at least a few games that use the system. We have played several of these games including Shiloh: The First Day and Gettysburg: The First Day in the series from Revolution Games. Recently, they announced a new title in the series called Early Threatens Washington: The Battle of Monacacy Junction, July 9, 1864 designed by Mike Wimple.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Confederate’s 1864 Maryland Campaign, led by Lieutenant General Jubal Early, was designed to draw Union forces away from the siege of Petersburg, Virginia and pose a possible threat to Washington. On the morning of July 9, 1864 Early was in Frederick Maryland, ready to cross the Monocacy River and drive toward a lightly defended Washington. Opposing him was Union General Lew Wallace. Wallace put together a hurried defense using any available troops who delayed the Confederate offensive towards Washington long enough that battle hardened forces from Grant’s Army were able to reach the city and bolster its defenses. These additional forces proved sufficient to repel the threat to the city. Thus, the ensuing Battle of Monocacy Junction has been referred to by many historians as “The battle that saved Washington”.
Early Threatens Washington includes one introductory and two full battle scenarios. The all-day full battle scenario allows players to try various strategies for clearing the Georgetown Pike. Do you try Early’s plan of forcing his way across the Wooden and Railroad bridges while feigning interest in the other crossings or some other, more clever method? The half-day full battle scenario allows players to play out Early’s plan as it actually unfolded, ignoring the morning actions, and focusing on the afternoon climax of the battle. Even though the Union is outnumbered by the Confederates, the situation is balanced and offers tough choices for both players. The thirteenth game in Revolution Games’ popular Blind Swords system, Early Threatens Washington provides an immersive experience of tactical American Civil War combat without a heavy rules load. The game can be enjoyed solitaire, two-player or multi-player.
If you are interested in Blind Swords Series Volume 13Early Threatens Washington: The Battle of Monacacy Junction, July 9, 1864, you can order a copy for $70.00 ($55.00 for a Ziploc edition) from the Revolution Games website at the following link: https://stores.revolutiongames.us/early-threatens-washington-boxed-edition/
8. Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 from Revolution Games
I love a good solitaire wargame. And if that game covers the famous Battle of Stalingrad mores the better! A few years ago, they released the first volume in a new Solitaire Area Movement Series called Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 designed by Mike Rinella. Mike has done a slew of area movements games, such as Patton’s Vanguard and Last Battle, Ie Shima, and his designs are always interesting and playable.
I have played this one quite a few times, and have also played the follow up version called Manila: The Savage Streets, and the AI and the overall design itself really worked well to create a very interesting and challenging game. In fact, after 4 or 5 plays, I have yet to taste victory. I really have enjoyed my experience with Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 as the game is well put together, well thought out and frankly just works. They now have reprinted the game and you can get a copy now after the game was out of print for a year or so.
From the game page, we read the following:
There can be little question Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the entire Second World War. The campaign by the German 6th Army to crush the Soviet 62nd Army and capture the city has been the subject of numerous two-player designs. It is a situation known to most gamers but is presented here in a new and exciting SOLITAIRE format, the first in a series of single-player area movement games by publisher Take Aim Designs. Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 puts the player in charge of the attacking and far more mobile German side while the game system handles the defending and largely static Soviet side. No two games will ever be the same. Each turn presents new and unique challenges for the player in the form of random events, uncertain supply deliveries, and unknown Soviet area strengths and defensive strategies.
The primary game is a nine-turn campaign covering the first great German assault on the city during September 1942. The deeper German forces advance, from the city’s less developed periphery to its urban and industrial core, the greater Soviet resistance becomes. The number of German units bled white, effectively out of action, mounts. German determination to secure a rapid victory, represented as “morale” in the game, gradually decreases. The player wins by equaling or exceeding historical German gains and loses if they fail to do so, or if morale falls too low.
Also included is a five-turn “Factory District Scenario” representing the second great German effort in October 1942. The challenge is now even greater: the player must capture all of Stalingrad in order to release divisions in time to cover the German flanks outside the city against the coming Soviet winter offense, which was not far off. With a setup time of less than 15 minutes, low counter density, endless variability, and quick playing time, Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 will appeal to every level of player, from the novice to the grognard.
9. Drive on Voronezh, June 28-July 27, 1942 from Legion Wargames
I love Legion Wargames. They are just a solid publisher and Randy Lein is such a great guy. Recently, they started shipping a new game designed by John Theissen called Drive on Voronezh, June 28-July 27, 1942 that deals with combat on the East Front of World War II.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Battle of Voronezh was fought on the Eastern Front of World War II, in and around the strategically important city of Voronezh on the Don river, 450 km (280 mi) south of Moscow, from 28 June-27 July 1942, as the opening move of the German summer offensive that year. The German attack in this sector bit into parts of the Soviet Briansk and Southwestern Fronts with German panzer corps leading the drive.The German assault was conducted by the element of the 4th Panzer Army′s forces of Army Group South under commanded by General Hermann Hoth, who was under strict instructions not to get bogged down in street-to-street fighting.
The armored units of the 4th Panzer Army partly captured Voronezh on 6 July by occupying the western river-bank suburbs, however German troops were subjected to a Red Army counter-attack. The 4th Panzer Army was to be followed by the Sixth Army, and when Voronezh was occupied the former was to wheel south-eastward and move down the right bank of the Don towards Stalingrad as part of Operation Blau. It took two days for infantry divisions from the Army Group South to reach Voronezh to hold the line and free the Panzer troops; Adolf Hitler later came to believe that these two days, when combined with other avoidable delays on the drive south, allowed Marshal Semyon Timoshenko to reinforce the forces in Stalingrad before the 4th Panzer Army could arrive to allow taking of Stalingrad.
Drive on Voronezh covers this opening move in the Fall Blau offensive. The scale of the game is nine miles per hex and two days per turn. The basic units in the game are divisions with special brigades for the Germans and brigades/corps for the Russians. The game uses a basic I Go – You Go system but also includes special event chits that allow players to augment certain combat and movement situations.
If you are interested in Drive on Voronezh, June 28-July 27, 1942, you can order a copy for $46.00 from the Legion Wargames website at the following link: https://www.legionwargames.com/legion_DOV.html
10. Bear Trap: The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979-1989 from GMT Games
A few years ago, GMT announced a very cool looking game designed by Paul Daniels covering the Soviet-Afghan War from 1979-1989 called Bear Trap. The game was described as a block wargame that used a similar system to what was used in the design for Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan.
From the game page, we read the following:
Bear Trap is a quick-playing, low-complexity 2-player block wargame covering the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989).
In the Soviet–Afghan war, Insurgent groups—including the mujahideen—fought a guerrilla war against the Soviet 40th Army and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) government. The game begins shortly after “Operation Storm-333” was executed at the end of 1979—in this coup, Hafizullah Amin (General Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) was killed, and Babrak Karmal, a Soviet loyalist, replaced him. By putting the Brezhnev Doctrine into practice, the Soviets sought to prop up the sympathetic local government and “solve the Russian Ice-lock Problem” while the Insurgents sought to expel the secularist government and foreign invaders.
Although the two sides in this conflict were fundamentally different in a variety of ways, they also faced some parallel challenges. For instance, they struggled to maintain loyalty. For the Soviets and the DRA, the DRA armed forces merely offered an opportunity for a paycheck, and there were cases where conscripts in the Soviet Army defected to the Mujahideen (e.g. Kazbek Hudalov). For the Insurgents, propaganda, threats, and promises to family drew would-be combatants away, as did injuries suffered from landmines and attacks on villages. Both sides also struggled to puncture the fog of war, not being able to secure reliable intel about force deployment and strength. And both faced various challenges around supply, communication, and coordination. Both sides needed to react to shifting strategies and developments over this decade long Cold War proxy war, where the landscape upon which it was fought presented many unique challenges.
Bear Trap is a spiritual successor to Sekigahara—building on the same core system. In both games, each player has their own deck of cards; players spend cards from their hand to activate areas or in combat to commit units to battle. This means fans of Sekigahara will find learning Bear Trap easy, but the feel and experience of the games are highly divergent. In addition to the difference in topics covered, other differences include:
In Bear Trap, forces are represented by blocks, stickered side hidden from the opponent, and the orientation of a block determines its disposition (i.e. the orientation of a block dictates whether it’s mobilized, fortified, disordered, poised to offer fire support to a battle initiated by friendly units, or ready to ambush enemy units). The orientation of a block also determines which battles it can join, whether card play is required to commit it to battle, and whether it can be moved or activated.
Bear Trap features an area-based map, rather than the point-to-point style found in Sekigahara.
The sequential combat system popularized in Sekigahara is utilized in Bear Trap, adapted to suit the setting. This includes the use of ‘loyalty challenges,’ making Bear Trap simulate the proneness of (for instance) Afghan forces to defect.
Bear Trap is, like Sekigahara, first and foremost a 2-player game—but Bear Trap includes a unique solo mode, built around a card assisted flowchart bot.
Bear Trap has fewer blocks than Sekigahara, and each player has fewer card types (‘suits’) in their decks.
Bear Trapintroduces ‘strategy’ cards—powerful event cards. Although it would be misleading to label Bear Trap a deck-building game, players will add 2 cards from a pool specific to their side each time they reshuffle their deck.
Bear Trap is not a “clone” of Sekigahara—they are very different games with differences in topic, feel, and mechanism, despite having an underlying shared game system. Bear Trap is also a more asymmetric game than Sekigahara. AlthoughBear Trap is a slight step up in complexity (relative to Sekigahara), the mechanics remain simple, and Bear Trap can be completed in 2-3 hours.
11. Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918 2nd Printing from GMT Games
Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918 is a medium weight 2 player hex-based strategic level block war game set on the Western Front of World War I. Players take control of either the Allies, including France, England, Belgium, the United States and an abstracted Russia or the mighty Central Powers fighting the war not only on land, but also at sea, and most importantly and probably one of the better and more interesting parts of the game, in the air all while having to focus on and make tough decisions about your economic and technological progression.
Fields of Despair uses a very unique and revolutionary block system designed to maintain the confusion and uncertainty of the Fog of War throughout the entire game. The reason that I consider this system revolutionary is that in most block games, the combat values of individual blocks usually range from one to four, so as you scan the battlefield and after a quick calculation in your head you can come up with a pretty good guesstimate of what force power is arrayed against you, while in FoD the combat value of blocks ranges from zero (dummy blocks) all the way to a maximum of twenty. This difference in value ranges alone has completely changed the block wargame and has created a very strategic game that can be quite deceptive and difficult to play well. The reason for this deception is that you can build up one block in a hex to 20 when in other block games this would require 4 or 5 blocks that have tipped your hand and help your opponent to gauge your strategy and react more effectively to counter that. But, this deception does have its limits as air reconnaissance, one of the best parts of the design, allows players to scout out the strength of units and remove that deception. But, you cannot simply scout with no opposition as your opponent can place their air units in that hex you are scouting to initiate aerial dogfights that will ruin your recon attempt.
Movement in the game is also very straightforward and simple and can be used as a deceptive tool as well in addition to the use of dummy blocks. Players are allowed to “make change” during the movement phase, which means a larger block can be broken apart into 2 separate blocks or can even be done in reverse by consolidating a few smaller blocks into a larger force. So after the movement phase, you will not be 100% confident in your enemy’s strength and will have to sometimes just throw your hesitancy out the window and attack. The Fog of War also isn’t lost after first contact with the enemy. Blocks remain hidden even when enemies occupy the same hex and stay hidden until one player decides to allocate an air squadron for reconnaissance or sends his men across no man’s land to attack.
I love that this game is so unique with the Strategic Reorganization element as well as the continuous battle for reconnaissance with the airplanes. I have played several block wargames and the way this is handled is very revolutionary and I am sure will be replicated in future block wargame designs. I also am very impressed with the tightness of the rules and how easy they were to understand and apply. For an ambitious wargame covering the entirety of the Western Front of World War I, a 24 page rule book was a shocker. But it is done very well and has very few rules problems.
If you are interested in Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918 2nd Printing, you can order a copy for $108.00 ($69.00 if you hurry and place your order before they ship in mid-August) from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-686-fields-of-despair-2nd-printing.aspx
12. Small Battles of the American Revolution Volume I: The Battle of Cowpens from GMT Games
While attending the World Boardgaming Championships 2 years ago, I was able to meet up with Dave Stiffler (acting as Developer on the project) and Bruno Sinigaglio who is the designer to get an early look at the upcoming debut release in the Small BoAR Series called The Battle of Cowpens.
I didn’t get any pictures because they didn’t have the components along to show but learned a lot about the design and how it changes the Battles of the American Revolution Series from GMT Games. First off, the scale is the major difference as it is 1/8th of the scale used in the normal series. This means 25 yard hexes and 2-3 men per counter. They also have included both rifle fire and musket fire which is a change as musket fire is simply an abstracted part of the close combat mechanic in BoAR. They also have added some new mechanics to account better for things like morale and being shaken or even shattered.
I have known about this game for a few months, actually nearly a year or so, but am very excited to see this one added to the P500 and hope that the reception is great and that the game does well because I would like to see more small battles covered in future volumes.
From the game page, we read the following:
Two critical battles were considered turning points in the American Revolutionary War: the Battle of Saratoga in New York and the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina. The Battle of Cowpens was a catalyst to a series of events that led eventually to the surrender of the British at Yorktown. Small BoAR Volume I, The Battle of Cowpens, puts players directly into the milieu of this decisive contest.
The goal of the Small BoAR design concept is to include small yet critical battles that otherwise do not fit the scale of the historically simulating and highly successful Battles of the American Revolution (BoAR) system designed by Mark Miklos. This new system, aptly termed Small Battles of the American Revolution (Small BoAR), was designed by Bruno Sinigaglio working closely with Mark Miklos to preserve the continuity and popularity of the original Battles of the American Revolution game system.
Although extremely important to the history of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Cowpens involved slightly over 1000 participants per side. In the Battles of the American Revolution system, which represents 100 men per strength point, this would equate to only ten or so combat factors per side. The scale for the battle of Cowpens, on the other hand, is 12 men per strength point, or one-eighth that of the BoAR system. The map scale is also correspondingly reduced to 25 yards per hex from the BoAR scale of 200 yards per hex. The time scale is approximately four minutes per turn as compared with one hour per turn in BoAR.
I think that one of the best parts of this new series, aside from the size and scope of the battles covered being smaller, is that they have not just rested on their laurels and reproduced the BoAR System but have added new mechanics and elements to better deal with these battles and to model the smaller scale battles.
Although Army Morale, the game-within-the-game in BoAR, is faithfully preserved in Small BoAR, and the Small BoAR sequence of play resembles that of BoAR and will look familiar to anyone who has played games in the original series, certain novel elements appropriate to the new scaling have been added. These include:
The ability to designate cavalry units in reserve
Artillery Fire conducted both offensively and defensively
Simultaneous ranged musket Fire as a complement to ranged rifle fire
A Cavalry Reserve Phase where units designated in Reserve may charge after the normal Close Combat Phase
And Opportunity Card Management
As mentioned earlier, I had the honor of sitting down with Bruno Sinigaglio and Dave Stiffler to discuss this new series and The Battle of Cowpens. Here is a link to that video interview:
If you are interested in Small Battles of the American Revolution Volume I: The Battle of Cowpens, you can order a copy for $75.00 ($48.00 if you hurry and place your order before they ship in mid-August) from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1140-the-battle-of-cowpens.aspx
13. Twilight Struggle 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition from GMT Games
As if you don’t know but Twilight Struggle is a 2-player game simulating the forty-five year ideological struggle known as the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States which can be played in 2-3 hours. The entire world is the stage on which these two countries “fight” to make the world safe for their own ideologies and way of life. The game starts right after the end of World War II in the midst of the ruins of Europe as the two new “superpowers” of the world squabble over what is left and ends in 1989, when only the United States remained standing.
I remember my first impressions of Twilight Struggle was that it needed some graphic design improvements and the game just didn’t grab me visually but that was all erased the first time we played as the topic and the mechanics just really spoke to me. This game was our gateway to the CDG mechanic and I still have a real soft spot in my heart for it. Well, this month I got my wish and this new edition of TS with upgraded art is now on the P500.
From the game page, we read the following comments and a bit about the history of Twilight Struggle on the new offering:
“Twilight Struggle is my all-time favorite game. It is a brilliant first design by the team of Jason Matthews and Ananda Gupta. It takes the card-driven genre of games like We The People, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, and Wilderness War to its highest peak. Every game is different and the game gets better and better as you become more familiar with the individual cards. You are surprised as hidden combos are revealed game after game. Every turn is filled with tension as you try to figure out the best way to play the hand of cards you’ve been dealt. Gaming simply doesn’t get any better than this”. – Alan R. Moon
That quote from legendary designer Alan Moon, spoken not long after Twilight Struggle was released in 2005, helped sell out the game’s first print run and introduced thousands of gamers to Twilight Struggle. Fortunately, they mostly shared Alan’s opinion of the game and they told their friends. Soon, a groundswell of play and support for the game ran rampant across the gaming community as tens of thousands of players immersed themselves in the tense competition and compelling storytelling of Twilight Struggle. As a result, Twilight Struggle was the #1 ranked game on BGG for over five years, something no other game has achieved.
Soon there was a digital version of the game for Steam and tablets, introducing hundreds of thousands of additional gamers to GMT’s most commercially and critically successful all-time game and supporting a total of twelve sold-out versions of the boardgame. And over those years, the awards rolled in, reflecting the joy and challenge that Twilight Struggle brought to so many gamers: BGG Golden Geek Game of the Year, IGA Game of the Year, Charles Roberts Awards, and more.
Then, in the summer of 2024 at its Origins convention, GAMA (Game Manufacturers of America) bestowed on Twilight Struggle its most prestigious award, inducting Twilight Struggle into the GAMA Hall of Fame. Designers Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews attended the awards ceremony and jointly accepted the honor on their behalf and for all of the Twilight Struggle team at GMT.
As we now approach the 20th anniversary of the game’s release, and in light of the recent Hall of Fame honor, we are thrilled to announce a new edition of our most successful game. We invite you to check out Twilight Struggle 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition.
So what exactly is new and different about this edition:
Twilight Struggle 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition adds even more beauty and play options to the original game. Here are some of the additions you’ll see in this new Edition:
A brand new game box by the incomparable Terry Leeds
A double sided map with a new Terry Leeds map on the front and the familiar Deluxe Edition Mark Simonitch map on the back
The Turn Zero and Alternative Space Race variants included.
A new alt-history scenario, “Red Sun Rising” with new cards.
A collection of promotional cards including the Kickstarter Promo Packs #1 and #2 and a selection of promo cards from foreign editions of Twilight Struggle
A background booklet including retrospective essays from the designers
We cannot think of a better way to commemorate the Cold War, this vital piece of world history, than with our freshest and richest version of Twilight Struggle to date.
Here is a comment from Gene Billingsley about this game offering:
We’re really proud of Jason and Ananda and what they and their brilliant game have meant to GMT over these past 20 years—and for all of the TS team that helped to make their design vision a reality. And we’re so honored and really happy that Twilight Struggle was inducted into the GAMA Hall of Fame at Origins this past summer. That is a rare honor. So, to celebrate both the 20th Anniversary of Twilight Struggle and it’s HoF induction, we are adding a new Twilight Struggle 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition to our P500 list this month. As you can see from the artwork, this is a beautiful new edition, featuring a new box and mounted map from Terry Leeds (with the Mark Simonitch map on the back side) as well as all new card fronts (we’re keeping the backs standard so there’s no problem mixing in cards from other versions). It’s also chock-full of a lot of new or hard-to-find play value, with a new scenario and a variety of cards and other game add-ons all in one new package.
With the recent advances in art and production, I have often longed for GMT to retouch some of their best games and give them the art and components that they deserve. It looks like this might be the first step in that direction and I would argue there are other great games that deserve a similar treatment including Here I Stand, Labyrinth, Wilderness War and others.
14. Falling Crescent: The British Offensive: September-October 1918 from Compass Games
More WWI is never a bad thing. Particularly when that game focuses on a front that doesn’t get a lot of love in the wargaming world. But Falling Crescent is such a game that focuses on the British offensive against the Turks in Palestine in the fall of 2018.
From the game page, we read the following:
Falling Crescent is an operational-level game of the British offensive of September-October 1918 against the Turks in Palestine. One player controls the Turkish, German, and Bedouin forces, and the other, British, French, and Arab guerilla forces. A three-player version, commanding the Arabs separately is also included.
After lasting for centuries, the Ottoman Turks’ hold on Palestine is at risk. British forces and Arabs in revolt threaten to bring down the Ottomans and their Crescent flag. The game is one of skill, in which it is entirely possible to change the course of history. This game proves to be an interesting challenge as modifications to the design, such as strategic and operational cards, bring a new feel to the classic model also built-in!
In designing Falling Crescent, designer Roger Nord brought out the flavor of encirclement and surrender, of charging cavalry and elusive Arab guerillas. The Palestine campaign is one of history’s last great cavalry actions. In this fluid scene, local plans can often go astray unforeseen developments may hinder or even alter command plans. The players’ cards, new to this edition, add their part to the fortunes of war with reactive tactics and shifting events.
The game’s pace is swift, and we believe players will enjoy it as a World War I game devoid of attrition and stalemate. Especially in the use of cavalry and air, they will see a hint of things to come in 1939-1940, when a later war will no longer be fought with horses and canvas biplanes, but with treaded armor and screaming dive bombers.
I am very much looking forward to this one. Games on this subject and with this scale are pretty rare and the comment in the description about “one of history’s last great cavalry actions” definitely has my attention!
As usual, thanks so much for reading along and sticking with me this month as I navigated through the many websites and game pages looking for new and interesting games to share.
Finally, thanks once again to this month’s sponsor Nuts! Publishing!
I was supposed to wake up at 6:50am this morning but due to the fact that I was so excited to get going I actually woke up at 5:15 and was unable to get back to sleep. So I just got up and got ready early and was able to leave my house at 7:15, which was about 45 minutes earlier than I expected. Ultimately this was a good thing as it allowed me to drive a bit more leisurely and stop to go to the restroom and get more soda to keep me going. I drove 5 1/2 hours to the Pittsburgh Airport to pick up my friend Mike Heckman who had flown in from St. Louis. His flight left about 20 minutes later than scheduled but they must have made up some time as they arrived only 10 minutes past his scheduled arrival time.
I’m ready to get going.
It’s a bit lonely driving by myself but I had some good tunes and the time went quickly. It was nice though to have Mike in the car to chat and that made the final 90 miles to Seven Springs fly by. We arrived at the resort at around 3:30 and got checked in and unloaded the car and were in the room getting organized pretty quickly. We then tried to decide what game to start the convention with and I had brought For the People from GMT Games so we made our choice and headed down to the main gaming area.
It took us about 30 minutes to setup and get the rules overview done and we jumped right into it with the campaign game.
I own the 25th Anniversary Edition which is absolutely gorgeous with beautiful cover art done by Donal Hagerty and a double sided mounted map board with the original on one side and a redesigned map by Terry Leeds on the other.
If you don’t know, For the People is a Strategic level Card-Driven board-wargame covering the whole 4+ years of the American Civil War. We played 5 full turns in about 4 hours which included dinner, talking with several people and chatting about our experience with the game.
My initial opinion is that there is a lot to like here but the game is fairly rules-heavy and complex. I didn’t find the players aid all that helpful and we just seemed to bounce off of the rules. I also found that the strategy is very challenging, as would be expected with my first play of the game, and I had a great deal of trouble getting the required 3 Ops cards to activate my generals. In fact, in 5 turns I was only able to activate about 5 times. I just kept drawing a lot of 1 and 2 Ops cards.
This truly felt like the Union generals, especially McClellan, were afraid to be aggressive and this element is demonstrated by this friction and lack of lower activation Generals. Burnsides and Pope were my only early Generals with a 2 and they were able to do a bit more until Pope was killed in battle (of course). Through the game and its mechanics, I can see why Lincoln would get frustrated with their lack of aggression and ultimately would make leadership changes. Is this a prime example of design for effect? I think it actually felt historically well done but from a playability perspective makes it tough. Would reserve points be a good addition to this like in games such as Labyrinth where you can play a 1 Ops card to then later add to a 2 Ops card to get to 3? Just a thought I had that kept rolling through my head. I liked what I was doing but I didn’t like it while I was doing it. Does that make sense?
I will also say that the CSA generals are comparably much, much better and typically activate on 2’s which makes it much easier to do anything with them. I think that I just had bad luck but once the CSA got Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia was created he was literally a demolition crew annihilating my Union armies. In fact outside of 3 victorious battles, I lost about 7-8 times and was really getting rocked. The only real saving grace for me was that I drew the Frederick Douglas card in my first hand that gave me 5 Strength points of troops to place out to protect Washington from attacks. Had that card not been drawn I think that Washington might have fallen.
I very much enjoy the political control markers and the initial battle for control of the Border States of Kentucky, West Virginia and Missouri. This was a nice part of the game and I can see the connection between other games from Mark Herman such as Washington’s War.
Overall I want to explore the game more. I have some issues but I think that a few more plays will change my opinion as I learn the strategy. Overall a good intro to the game and I am intrigued.
We have an ongoing video series on our YouTube Channel called From Cover to Cover where we read a book on a subject and then pair that with a discussion of the book while covering a few games also on the subject. In this 14th entry in the series, Alexander takes a look at The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Alexander Mikaberidze. He then discusses a few games on the subject including Congress of Vienna from GMT Games, Imperial Struggle from GMT Games, Alliance from Columbia Games, Commands & Colors: Napoleonics from GMT Games and The Napoleonic Wars from GMT Games. amongst many others
The June 2026 Monthly Debrief Video, which is the 6th episode in Season 6 of this series, saw us discussing Nostalgia and its effects on the wargaming hobby. I think that nostalgia is generally a good thing but it definitely can be something that holds the hobby back. Too much nostalgia tends to keep us away from new and emerging games and systems and in general can be a suppressor of innovation and progression.
Also, as usual, we covered the games we played in June as well as the games we plan to play in July.
We will remind you here that we are fortunate to be continuing our relationship with Noble Knight Games as the sponsor for our Monthly Debrief Video series. In case you don’t know, Noble Knight Games specializes in hard to find games but also carry all the new releases. But what makes them truly unique is that you can find some of the rarest games, long out of print games, hand made games, imported games from overseas, etc. Thanks to them for their sponsorship and we hope that you will consider them first when looking for the games we cover.
Recently, I saw a post on X from one of my favorite designers Mark Herman. If you have to ask who then maybe this post is not for you. But he is one of the best and most prolific designers out there with nearly 100 designs to his credit. Hands down one of the best…and an amazing guy too. In fact, some of his designs are among my favorite wargames including titles like Empire of the Sun, Churchill, Pericles, Fire in the Lake, Washington’s War, Fort Sumter, Rebel Fury and more. Mark knows wargames and he knows how to tell the story of the historical event. Just a master really. The post was Mark highlighting a written review found on Board Game Geek about his newest game in the Civil War Heritage Series called Volume II Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 & 1864.
I read the review he mentioned and it is very comprehensive and well done. But this post somewhat triggered me. Why I am not sure but it did. I am not mad about it. Not hurt. Not overly concerned. And when I say triggered a more appropriate word would be caused my thinking juices to be stirred up. But I wanted to share my thoughts and opinion on what a wargame review is but also what it is not because I believe that a lot of gamers have a very different opinion about these things than I do.
When Alexander and I get together to play a game with the intent of doing some sort of review and sharing our thoughts on the design it does take a bit of preparation and time. We have to read the rules, and believe me, this can take hours, to truly get a feel for the game, its processes and the flow. But also to get an understanding of what the designers thesis is about the conflict modeled. I think that designers create games that they agree with and believe in. Not necessarily that are 100% a true modeling of the event. Their bias is inserted into the design and there really is no way around that. And I am fine with it because I know that each story of history has 2 (or more) viewpoints and perspectives. We also have to prepare the counters, which includes clipping them, sorting them and then storing them in counter trays or baggies. We then have to set up the game, and with wargames, this can take an hour or more to make sure you have the correct units, place them in the proper hexes and then check to see if there are any errata with the setup that we will need to change. Sometimes setting up the game wears me out…but then we have to give it a play.
Also keep in mind that the majority of games that we play are big wargames. These games have multiple maps, hundreds if not thousands of counters and a ton of different scenario options to choose from. Typically, a campaign game might take dozens of hours with shorter scenarios taking 6-10 hours. These are not light games that can be played in 45-60 minutes. And because of that, the reality of playing a game multiple times just isn’t feasible. We have never posited ourselves as full and thorough multiple playthrough guys. We just don’t have the time to sink that much time and effort into 1 game. Keep in mind that we only get to play 30-40 new wargames annually, which is a lot but not necessarily a lot for someone that attempts to give a good review of a game. But we always play a game until we are comfortable with the rules, understand the flow and get into a majority of the aspects of the game so we can confidently and accurately discuss them.
So, first let’s take a look at what I think that a review is not necessarily.
What They Are Not!…
Full Exploration
First off, I don’t see a review, or at least our brand of reviews, as a total and full exploration of a game or the system. As I stated above, we play a game until we are comfortable with the rules, the mechanics, the thesis of the game and the general flow. This can mean that we play through an entire scenario or even sometimes the campaign but that is not necessarily the case. In fact, more often than not, that isn’t the case. We also play these wargames to see if we like the system. Liking the system is a very different thing from totally dissecting and examining the system for its flaws, strengths and proving or challenging its thesis. Our focus in reviews is generally pretty simple…sharing the feeling of the game, its accessibility, meaning the clarity of the rules, and then a focus on how the game plays. We don’t always cover every aspect or mechanic but try to give an overall feel for what the game is. This approach stems from our stated goal with the blog and YouTube Channel, which is to give an overall impression of the game and create an environment that makes the viewer or reader feel that they are at the table with us just discussing the game after playing.
This is a big one that we are asked about a ton with our reviews. Is the game balanced? Does each side have a real chance of winning the game? And other similar questions. The answer to this is that these games, referring to wargames, are generally a look at the history and how it played out. This means that if one side had more and better troops, they are generally going to win the game as they did historically. But a good and skilled designer, will look beyond the numbers and attempt to create some realistic and achievable victory conditions for both sides. Something that if happens, could change the course of future battles and the overall outcome of the war. There is nothing more that I dislike as much as sitting for 4 hours and getting my teeth knocked in because I really have no chance at meeting some objective to say that I won a game.
Skilled designers will attempt to create balanced wargame victory conditions by avoiding certain things, such as simple point-based kill mechanics or even reaching a particular geographically significant spot on a board. Instead, they use scenario-specific objectives and asymmetric victory conditions to ensure that each side has its own unique path to success. These rules force players to focus on historical strategy rather than just duking it out and seeing who can kill more units. But, when we play these wargames, we generally are not necessarily able to devote the time to gain a true understanding of and to uncover whether the victory conditions are balanced. We typically go off a gut feeling and observation of time and distance covered in a historical push to see if the game is reasonable to win by either side. I love Holland ’44 from GMT Games. It is one of my favorite wargames of all time and is a titanic struggle between the Allies trying to run up Hell’s Highway to reach and capture 3 bridges along the way and the German defenders who are trying to do just enough to stop their advance and hold at least 1 of the 3 bridges. I have played this game a few times and found that I have a real tough time as the Allies making the appropriate level of progress over historical results to even get to the final bridge located at Arnhem. But that doesn’t mean that the game is broken or that it is imbalanced, it means that the history is well represented here as historically the Allies failed to reach the “Bridge too Far” and had to turn back.
Expositions on Historicity
Finally, I don’t feel that reviews are about expositions of historicity. I am not a true historian. I know enough to understand the basic events of major wars such as World War I, World War II, etc. but not necessarily the full details of the battles, the maneuvers used and the outcomes. One thing that I know we are asked a lot is about the Orders of Battle (OOB’s) for these wargames. An OOB is simply the makeup of each sides troops, including their historical units, numbers of troops, type of troops and their quality generally represented with movement values, combat factors and defense factors as well as morale values. And my answer typically is that I don’t know. I ask these designers these type of questions in our Designer Interview Series but am not able to verify or check their math because I don’t have the experience or knowledge to do so. And with just a single play will be unable to comment on this aspect of the design. Remember, that wargames somewhat function as interactive experiments intended to bring history to life for key battles. History is interpretive and sometimes facts about the makeup of troops, the terrain involved or even the weather at the time of the battle is sketchy and tough to piece together. But most of these games are attempts at telling the story as accurately as possible. But, keep in mind, that a good historical simulation wargame, will attempt to challenge players with the real limits, rules, and stresses that those commanders faced. Wargames test historical ideas by turning narratives into active problems and allowing users to explore “what if” scenarios. But I cannot necessarily always comment on the plausibility of a design because I usually lack the expertise or intimate knowledge to do so.
Sometimes I know that ours will be the only review on a game. And that worries me.
I do not think that reviews are what other people believe they are. I see them as insight into a game and how it plays, what can be expected and how it feels to experience the game. Not a full and insight filled thesis paper on the historical plausibility and outcome. But I do believe that our brand of reviews is useful…at least in my humble opinion. But it sometimes does worry me that our review may be the only content out there on a particular game and I have a real fear of misrepresenting something and causing others to turn away from that game. That definitely worries me and I do make sure that I understand what it is that I am going to say about a game before I say it. But keep in mind that our reviews are our opinions and you may have a totally different take on the game. And that is fine as well because in the end your opinion is the one that matters and that will be used to make a purchase decision. Your wallet is yours to protect and I respect that.
What They Are!…
Sharings on Perspective
In the end, any review is an opinion and is something that the creator has taken the time to write down (or video) to share with others. It is about attempting to describe the experience of the game and how it plays. This does mean that each reviewer may see things differently. May focus on different aspects that spoke to them. May decide not to share each and every aspect of the game. But will focus on the experience! And then share that with us. I for one love that there are people out there that are willing and able to do these reviews. It is work and takes time. But in the end, the real treat for us as consumers of these reviews is that we get a bit of insight into the game and an understanding of what it is. This perspective is the most valuable element of a review and is worth its weight in gold. A lot of times, people consume reviews because they have already played a game, made their mind up about that game and what it is and are simply looking for someone to corroborate their feeling. They don’t really care what the person has to think and whether their stance is well reasoned and supported by evidence form the game itself. They are simply reading or watching to validate their own opinion. They want to hear their thoughts come out of someone else’s mouth.
Recently, during one of our Monthly Debrief videos, we discussed games that we disagree on. There are not many games that Alexander and I disagree on…but there are some. As a part of that discussion, we dove into our conflicting thoughts about the venerable tactical level wargame series Advanced Squad Leader. We disagree on this game. I like parts of it, and the overall experience, but Alexander does not. And that is fine. But one of our viewers told us to “put the game back on the shelf” and that listening to us was “cringe”. Well, I do agree that we are cringe but this comment proves my point. We didn’t agree with him and so we are not correct. And that is fine.
Windows into Mechanics
I think that one of the most important parts of any review though is a window into the mechanics. Does this mean a full and detailed description of each and every mechanic, how they work, why they were chosen by the designer and how they reflect history? No…absolutely not. But understanding the base mechanics of a game is critical to understanding whether the game is for you or not. If you happen to really like block wargames and are watching a review on a block wargame such as An Impossible War from Bellica 3rd Generation you would like to know how the block wargame mechanic works. If you like Chit-Pull Activation and you are consuming a review about a Chit-Pull Activation game such as with Blind Swords: Gettysburg: The First Day from Revolution Games, you want there to be some discussion about how the Chit-Pull works. A review should have at least a mention about the mechanics and what is good about their implementation.
Gauges on Complexity
Wargames are generally complex affairs. They have a lot of rules, exceptions to those rules, rules variants or optional rules and sometimes have ambiguity in their explanation of these rules. This last part is really a problem with a lot of games, wargames and other types, but a designer sometimes gets “nose blind” to their own game and takes into account a lot of assumptions about how their description and instructions for the game will be received. I like to make sure that those consuming our reviews understand how complex or difficult to learn the game rules are. I also like to focus on player aids and how they affect the learning process and play so that those who may purchase the game and attempt to give it a play can get an idea of what their learning commitment will be with the rules. And remember, complexity and rules depth doesn’t equate to a good game. If you ultimately cannot get the game played because of the learning curve or the poorly written rules, then a review will do you no good.
A Look at the Fun Factor
In the end, while I play games for many reasons, I am mainly playing a game because I want to enjoy myself. I want to have a good time with the game and its efforts to tell the story of the event and enjoy my time with my opponent. I want to be able to focus on the game and get into the strategy and not have to worry about the rules, the mechanics or the production. And a good review will provide an insight into this aspect of the game. It doesn’t take multiple plays to understand whether a game is right for you or whether it matches your tastes. You can typically see that in just a single play and that is the way we approach things. We have played a lot of games and know when a game is not for us. But, that is not always the case for others and their experience with wargames. And that is fine. But that is a key part of what a review should be.
There you have it…my thought’s on what a review is and what it is not. I know that many will not agree with these points and that is fine. These are my opinions and I have developed them over the past 40+ years of playing games and 10+ years of covering games as The Players’ Aid. What are your thoughts on what a review is? How do you think they best serve the wargaming community? What would you change about our reviews? I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on this matter. Thank you.
With this My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and frankly I am not that good at games but I do understand how things should work and be used in games. With that being said, here is the next entry in this series.
#86: LRRP from Fire in the Lake: Insurgency in Vietnam from GMT Games
The COIN Series uses cards in a very different way from other CDG’s. These cards are not necessarily the driver of the action but more assistive to the actions of the players by setting eligibility and also providing powerful events. The Event Cards are more often than not, very powerful. They either give you a continuing bonus on future Operations and Special Activities (as in the case of the volumes that include the various Capabilities) or allow you to take Operations and Special Activities more times that round than you would normally have been able to had you not chosen the Event and more often than not, at no cost! Also, because of the power of the cards and their ties to one or more factions, you can take the Event which allows you a huge advantage, only to see that very powerful Event reversed with the next Event or with a regular Operation. This is very frustrating but is one of the major reasons that I love the card-assisted element of the COIN Series. Today we are going to take a look at the LRRP Event Card.
The LRRP Event Card, with LRRP standing for Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol, allows the US player to place 3 Irregulars outside the South then conduct a free Air Strike, that also allows for the removal of Bases first. Keep in mind that Irregulars are US Special Forces pieces, which are the hexagonal shaped cylinders not ARVN Rangers. “Outside the South” means any Laos or Cambodia Provinces. Seems pretty pedestrian but it is important to note that this card changes the rules when played as normally all other units in a space must be removed before Bases can be removed. A very powerful card that typically will be played by the US player when it comes up. But keep in mind that Air Strikes are a dual edged sword as you get rid of pesky enemy pieces but it will result in shifts of Support/Opposition but can also Degrade the Trail. On the bottom of the card, the text allows the VC or NVA to ambush these LRRP”s and remove 3 Irregulars from the map to Casualties. Then it gives an added benefit of shifting each space these removed Irregulars were in 1 level toward Active Opposition.
Image courtesy of Boxxer’s Blog.
A Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol, or LRRP, is a small, well-armed and nimble recon team that is tasked with patrolling deep into enemy territory to identify or destroy key targets and gain recon on the enemy. The concept of scouting forces such as LRRP’s dates back to ancient warfare but also has been used in more modern and contemporary wars such as the French & Indian War where specialized Rangers, such as Rogers’ Rangers, were tasked with raiding Indian settlements, disrupting supply lines and reporting back to command on troop disposition and movement.
In Vietnam, veteran or specially trained forces often augmented with Vietnamese irregulars usually carried out Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols into enemy territory. The Studies and Observation Group (SOG) was the ground element of the US air war against the Ho Chi Minh Trail as illustrated by Project Tiger that spotted for and marked enemy trail activity for elimination by US air assets.
Here is a link to a very interesting summary of an LRRP and its mission on a Vietnam veteran run blog called Boxxer’s Blog: From the seat of a motorcycle: LRRPs: “—doing the impossible for the ungrateful.”
Last year, while attending the World Boardgaming Championships in Pennsylvania, we had the chance to sit down separately with 2 wargaming icons in Gregory M. Smith and Mark Herman and shoot interview videos.
The first is with Greg and covers his ongoing list of in-design games:
The second was with Mark and covered his now recently released Army of the Potomac from GMT Games:
With this My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and frankly I am not that good at games but I do understand how things should work and be used in games. With that being said, here is the next entry in this series.
#81: Baron von Steuben Trains the Continental Army from Washington’s War from GMT Games
Washington’s War is a war game, make no mistake about that. But, it is virtually impossible to win the game by focusing only on the field of battle. For that to happen, the Patriots need to completely drive the British forces out of the 13 colonies or the British need to wipe the American forces off the map. Both are extremely difficult and I would be surprised if any more than 1 out of 30 games ended in such a way. Rather, the ultimate goal of the game is to have political control of the colonies. If at the end of the game the Patriots control 7 colonies, while holding the British to control of less than 5, they win. If not, the British win. Simple as that. So, you can see that battle is not the main goal but control is. And more importantly political control.
I really like this about the design and feel that the real core of the American Revolution was the groundswell of patriotism and the desire to live free from the shackles of an overseas monarch who cared little for the American way of life. This desire led great men of the time to sacrifice themselves, their livelihood and their families to further the true cause of liberty and build a truly free and democratic nation where individual liberty and freedom was prioritized over anything else. And yes, I realize that this nation was not perfect, not without contradiction but the concept of liberty helped to form a country that would lead to the ultimate freedom of all people.
Washington’s War is a Card Driven Game, and as such, relies on cards to provide to players the actions needed to play the game. The cards contain OPS Points which can be used to drive various actions, including such things as activating leaders, who in turn will then move with forces to attack, and also contain written text in the form of events. These events can be played only by the side they are intended for and if drawn and played by the opposing side, they can only be thrown away while granting a few possible actions, such as placing or removing Political Control markers.
In today’s entry, I have chosen this card to showcase one of my favorite events from the history of the American Revolution. The card for today is called Baron von Steuben Trains the Continental Army and has a dual focus. It will add Combat Units or CU’s to go along with General Washington but most importantly changes the balance of the game for battles. The card text reads “May be played by the American player in any Strategy Phase. He immediately places two CU’s with George Washington. The British Regulars’ Advantage combat DRM is permanently lost”. Now don’t get me wrong, gaining a free injection of 2 CU’s worth of fighting forces is a nice bonus for the Patriots but the real benefit of the card is that it changes the game. At the start of the game, the British receive a +1 Dice Roll Modifier (DRM) in all battles until what is called the British Regulars’ Advantage is lost. The British Regulars’ Advantage will be lost immediately if the British lose 3 or more CU’s in a single battle and of course, the British may also lose the British Regulars’ Advantage as a result of the play of this card. I very much like this card and it is very important for the hopes of the rebellion. I have found that the +1 DRM is really difficult to overcome for the Patriots and I found that my hopes in combat at the beginning of the game are almost always a 50/50 proposition. But once this card is played, that changes and I feel like the Patriots can better go on the offensive and openly hunt down and attack the British with confidence.
I have always been impressed with the Patriot effort to bring in professional soldiers from Europe to assist them in training and leading the Continental forces. Names like Marquis de Lafayette (France), Baron von Steuben (Prussia), Casimir Pulaski (Poland), Tadeusz Kościuszko (Poland) and Baron de Kalb (Bavaria) to name just a few. These European Generals had experience and knowledge, which were commodities that the Patriots didn’t have a lot of.
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Fresher von Steuben was a Prussian-born army officer who played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War by reforming the Continental Army into a disciplined and professional fighting force. His contributions marked a significant improvement in the performance of Patriot troops and he is consequently regarded as one of the fathers of the United States Army.
Born into a military family, Steuben was exposed to war from an early age; at 14 years old, he observed his father directing Prussian engineers in the 1742 siege of Prague. At age 16 or 17, he enlisted in the Prussian Army, which was considered the most professional and disciplined in Europe. During his 17 years of military service, Steuben took part in several battles in the Seven Years’ War, rose to the rank of captain, and became aide-de-camp to King Frederick II of Prussia, who was renowned for his military prowess and strategy. Steuben’s career culminated in his attendance at Frederick’s elite school for young military officers, after which he was abruptly discharged from the army in 1763, allegedly by the machinations of a rival.
In 1775, as the American Revolution had begun, Steuben saw a reduction in his salary and sought some form of military work; unable to find employment in peacetime Europe, he joined the Patriot war effort through mutual French contacts with American diplomats, most notably ambassadors to France being Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin. Due to his military exploits in Europe, and his willingness to serve the Americans without compensation, Steuben made a positive impression on both Congress and General George Washington, who appointed him as temporary Inspector General of the Continental Army.
Appalled by the state of Continental forces, Steuben took the lead in teaching soldiers the essentials of military drills, tactics, and discipline based on Prussian techniques. He wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, which remained the army’s drill manual for decades, and continues to influence modern U.S. army manuals. Steuben also addressed widespread administrative waste and graft, helping save desperately needed supplies and funds. As these reforms began bearing fruit on the battlefield, in 1778, on Washington’s recommendation, Congress commissioned Steuben to the position of Inspector General with the rank of major general. He served the remainder of the war as Washington’s chief of staff and one of his most trusted advisors.
Baron von Steuben drilling American recruits at Valley Forge in 1778 by Edwin Austin Abbey.
According to Peter Stephen Du Ponceau, Steuben’s personal secretary and interpreter, “The Baron loved to speak of…his sansculottes (radical partisans, urban laborers, and common people of the lower classes during the French Revolution), as he called us. Thus the denomination was first invented in America…when, it could not be foreseen, that the name which honoured the followers of Washington would afterwards be assumed by the satellites of a Marat and a Robespierre”.
After the war, Steuben was made a U.S. citizen and granted a large estate in New York in reward for his service. In 1780, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, a learned society that included many of the nation’s most prominent Founding Fathers.
Here is a link to our full video review of the game:
So many games, but so little time! That is the way that I feel each and every month when I get to putting this Wargame Watch feature together. I am just always salivating at the possibilities and know that I can only play a few games out of the many that are offered. But, which ones are best? Well, that is not for me to decide for you. I just connect you with the information and you get to choose. This month for the Wargame Watch, I was able to find 28 games (including the 2 games from our sponsor Draco Ideas). I was also able to find 4 games being offered on Crowdfunding through Gamefound and Kickstarter.
They make really good quality and very playable games and really have a lot to offer to wargamers.
They also this month have a new Gamefound campaign kicking off that is sure to be a main stay on my table particularly at conventions where I need a few friends to play large multi-player games. This campaign is actually a 2 for 1 as its headliner game is called Dark Kingdoms but it also offers another game in the same series in a 2nd Edition called Reconquista. You can read more information in the Pre-Order section below.
1. Dark Kingdoms / Reconquista 2nd Edition from Draco Ideas Coming to Gamefound June 2nd
I love Ameritrash games, which includes lots of area control/area influence/dudes on a map style games and some of the classic wargames that we grew up on in the Gamemaster Series such as Axis & Allies. I just love the easy flow of these games and also love the direct player interaction with attacks, negotiation, alliances and some backstabbing as well. Plus these games typically have lots of shiny bits, great looking custom dice and are always well produced so I feel as if I have got value for my dollar. Recently, I heard about a new game coming from Draco Ideas called Dark Kingdoms, which takes a look at the chaos following the Roman withdrawal from Britannia in the early 5th century and the power vacuum being filled by various tribes. And it looks really good!
From the game page, we read the following:
After the Roman withdrawal in the early 5th century, Britannia was plunged into chaos. Saxons, Angles, Jutes, and Britons fought over land, resources, and glory. In this relentless struggle, only one people would emerge victorious and raise their banner over the island.
Dark Kingdoms is a strategy and conquest game for 2 to 4 players, set in 5th-century Britannia, at the height of the clash between the Celtic peoples and the Germanic invasions.
Each player leads a faction with its own king or leader:
The Saxons of Cerdic, in the south.
The Angles of Eomer, in the east.
Hengist’s Jutes in the north.
Vortigern’s Britons, the legitimate rulers in decline.
Build settlements, fortifications, and fleets, recruit troops, and expand your domain. Manage your resources wisely (wood, iron, stone, wheat, and gold) and face your rivals in battles, raids, and sieges.
In Dark Kingdoms, it’s not enough to resist: you must prove your power by accumulating Victory Points through conquest, fame, and construction.
But the campaign also features a new edition of another classic Ameritrash style wargame called Reconquista 2nd Edition from the same designer Marco Antonio del Campo. This game is equally as beautiful as Dark Kingdoms but covers the wars between Muslims and Christians in 11th-century Spain where each player assumes the role of one of the four kingdoms in competition to control the Iberian Peninsula: Castilla y León, Aragón, Sevilla or Zaragoza.
I am reaching out to the designer to get an interview going for the blog and hope to have that up in the next few weeks. These 2 games just look great and are sure to fill that lower complexity, dudes on a map style 90-120 minute gaming experience. I am going to back both of these games and look forward to carrying them to conventions to get them played.
The Gamefound campaign is set to launch on Tuesday, June 2nd.
2. Crown & Courage from Tompet Games Coming to Kickstarter June 2nd
We have played 2 of Tompet Games previously released games with the only one we haven’t playing being their first games called Kill the King from 2016. First was Donning the Purple, which is an asymmetrical king of the hill game with a bit of worker placement that deals with the players managing the glory of wealthy and powerful Roman families, and their second game called Halls of Hegra, which is a solitaire-only wargame in the same vein as Euro-based games such as Robinson Crusoe, This War of Mine and Dead of Winter. The mechanics include worker placement, bag building, and area control/tower defense and the goal of the game is to survive wave after wave of German troops as they assault the secluded mountain fortress at Hegra.
Both of these games are excellent and they are now embarking on their fourth game called Crown & Courage that tells the story of the German invasion of Norway in 1940 and the royal family’s defiance and ultimate escape from the country to avoid capture and funding of the German war machine.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Germans have invaded Norway. The royal family must escape across the rugged countryside, evading capture at every turn. Will the king defy German demands for surrender, or will he find a way to escape, inspiring hope for Norway’s freedom?
Crown & Courage is a solitaire-only game, bringing clever, low-randomness Eurogame-inspired mechanisms together with a fresh, new perspective provided by the best wargamer traditions of illustrating history’s unique challenges through evocative gameplay.
Step into a desperate race against time as Norway collapses under the pressure of the German invasion. Your goal is simple but brutal: guide the King to safety while evacuating as much of the nation’s gold as possible.
Balance bold actions like evacuation, sabotage, and mobilization against the relentless advance of German forces. But every decision comes at a cost: stress rises, morale falters, and the enemy grows stronger. The game constantly forces you into difficult trade offs where survival often means accepting the lesser of two disasters.
German counterattacks and demands push you closer to collapse. Resources and manpower are scarce. Every turn feels like a narrow escape, and only through clever planning, sacrifice, and a bit of courage can you carve a path to freedom.
The game engine is an Order Grid which is a 3 square by 3 square box where the player will choose and place orders that come up randomly to take actions to defend against the invading German troops, move the king away from the advancing Germans, improve their orders by upgrading them and also ambushing the invaders. Such as clever and amazing way to deal with the way the player plays the game. The experience is a very tough one with lots of odds stacked against the player but their is hope as good planning, proper placement of orders on the grid and manipulation of the outcome with sabotage of German infrastructure and forces can allow the king to slip away and stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
We played a prototype copy of the game cooperatively, even though it is designed as a solitaire wargame, and were very impressed with the maturation of the game mechanics and flow of the game. Here is a link to our preview video from that experience:
The Kickstarter campaign is set to launch on Tuesday, June 2nd.
3. Advanced Company Scale System Game One:Anzio: A Lost Opportunity from Bring It On Games
We have played several games designed by Adam Starkweather in his Company Scale System (CSS). These games are really good solid chit draw systems that really puts some unknown in what groups of units can activate and even when they will activate. There are also events and if the chit cup runs dry before all of the units can activate due to the end round chit then you are just sore out of luck. You have to prepare for this inevitability and I love the concept of prioritizing your activations and making sure you activate what you absolutely have to before doing those units that would be beneficial to activate. Now Adam has created his own publishing company called Bring It On Games and they have announced their first pre-order game in a new system called Advanced Company Scale System Game One:Anzio: A Lost Opportunity. This is a huge wargame and includes 10 large maps, 20 counter sheets and tons and tons of charts, tables and player aids. This is a MONSTER wargame…no doubt about it but it looks really good.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Battle of Anzio, commencing in January 1944, was akin to forcefully opening a doorway onto Italy’s western coast. Operation Shingle, as it was designated, sought to outflank the German Gustav Line and swiftly dismantle Axis defenses. The Allies landed on seemingly tranquil beaches, almost eerily unopposed, as if the land itself was holding its breath. Despite this opportunity for a bold thrust inland, the Allies succumbed to caution, forfeiting the chance to capitalize on the situation. The beachhead, broad and flat, became both a refuge and a trap. Open fields offered no shelter from the impending storm unleashed by the Germans.
Welcome to ACSS: Anzio. A Lost Opportunity, the inaugural game in the Advanced Company Scale System (or ACSS)
The game has a ton of content and also has a ton of different scenarios including the following:
Scenarios included with the final project: Introductory Scenarios (all played on one 8 1/2” by 11” map): Operation Mr. Black Operation Mr. Green The Rock The Battle for the Factory
Beginner Scenarios (all played on one 17” by 22” map): Could, Woulda, Shoulda The British are Coming, the British are Coming The US Calvary has Arrived
Intermediate Scenarios (all played on one 22” by 34” map) Keep Moving! Gotta Get Through Faster! Here They Come! Darby’s Gamble
Advanced Scenarios (all played on one 22” by 34” map) The Battle for the Thumb The Ace of Spades Take Campoleone!
Expert Scenarios (all played on two 22” by 34” maps) They are Everywhere! Operation Fischfang Operation Seitensprung Kesselring’s Final Roll of the Dice A Killer Whale
Campaign Games (played on all the maps) Operation Buffalo Operation Shingle The Campaign for Anzio
I did notice that you can download the rules and the scenario booklet from an online OneDrive and you can also get a Vassal mod to try the game out. Here is the link to the OneDrive: OneDrive Link to Rules and Scenario Booklet
If you are interested in Advanced Company Scale System Game One:Anzio: A Lost Opportunity, you can pre-order a copy for $300.00 from the Bring It On Games website at the following link: https://bringitongames.com/shop/p/anzio-a-lost-opportunity
4. Solo Command: Market Garden from Multi-Man Publishing
Ooooh! A solitaire Operation Market Garden game….yes please…and twice on Sundays! This month, Multi-Man Publishing has several new offerings up on pre-order but none as interesting to me as Solo Command: Market Garden designed by Tetsuya Nakamura. This one originally appeared on the Japanese wargame magazine called Game Journal Magazine as Monty’s Melancholy. There is not a lot of information on the game page but more is coming and I am going to attempt to work with the designer on an interview.
From the game page, we read the following:
A new solitaire game covering OPERATION MARKET GARDEN!
Solo Command: Market Garden allows you to take command of XXX Corps and the Allied paratroopers as you try to drive your armor over the bridges and into Arnhem. Will you get there in time, or will the German reinforcements overwhelm the airborne units in the ever increasingly desperate situation?
An innovate card mechanism, which uses the decision column of the previously played card, determines which units can activate with each play of the cards, and controls the actions of the German units as they move relentlessly to try and close down the highway and prevent XXX Corps from reaching its goal.
Originally published in Japan in Game Journal Magazine as Monty’s Melancholy this solitaire game gives you the opportunity to try and capture Arnhem and control all the bridges, in a quick playing game with low complexity rules.
Aside from the box back, they did have this picture of the board on the website as well as some of the counters (not shown).
5. Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Action Pack #22: A World At War from Multi-Man Publishing
For those of you out there that are hopelessly addicted to Advanced Squad Leader and building your ever growing collections for one of the most highly thought of tactical WWII combat systems out there, here is a new module or Action Pack that offers a ton of newly designed scenarios by Jim “The Bishop Sez” Bishop and Gary “Fort” Fortenberry for release at a tournament. These scenarios appears to be varied and cover many different theaters of World War II to offer players new and interesting experiences within the established system. The Action Pack also comes with 3 new geomorphic and back compatible maps along with 12 totally new scenarios. I also thought it was interesting that they stated that this product was “designed for the [ASL] aficionado” so if you are one you will probably know exactly what this product is.
From the game page, we read the following:
A World at War, the 22nd Action Pack for Advanced Squad Leader, contains an eclectic mix of small unit actions from 1941 to 1945, ranging across many different theaters of World War II. Scenarios span the globe from the forested highlands of Ethiopia to the jungles of Papua, New Guinea, from the steppes of the Soviet Union to the snowy forests of the Ardennes. These 12 scenarios were designed by Jim “The Bishop Sez” Bishop and Gary “Fort” Fortenberry for release at a tournament and are intended to offer movement options and tough choices for both sides. Play times are designed for a typical tournament round, with the largest best used for the last round of the day. Three double-sided 11″ × 16″ maps, each designed by Fort and painted by Charlie Kibler, round out the package. These boards are completely geomorphic and fully compatible with previous ASL mapboards, allowing new and unique terrain configurations.
• AP237 Andiamo – 6½ turns, 4 March 1941, Chakara River, near Dembecha, Ethiopia (Ethiopian vs Italian)
• AP238 Italian Crescendo – 6 turns, 28 September 1941, Petrykivka, Ukraine (Russian vs Italian)
• AP239 Buna Mission – 6½ turns, 31 December 1942, Buna Mission, Papua New Guinea (Allies vs Japanese)
• AP240 The Army It Had – 6½ turns, 1 March 1943, Sevsk, Russia (Russian vs Hungarian/RONA)
• AP241 Moreh Melee – 6½ turns, 22 March 1944, Moreh, India (Commonwealth vs Japanese)
• AP242 Seton Block – 5½ turns, 2 June 1944, Kamaing, Mogaung Valley, Burma (Chinese vs Japanese)
• AP243 Hell’s Comin’ – 6½ turns, 10 July 1944, Hauts-Vents (American vs German)
• AP244 Heavy Metal Noise – 5½ turns, 13 August 1944, Oględów, Poland (Russian vs German)
• AP245 Villains at Ville-sur-Illon – 6½ turns, 13 September 1944, Ville-sur-Illon, France (Free French vs German)
• AP246 Stumbling In Place – 6½ turns, 19 November 1944, Apweiler, Germany (American vs German)
• AP247 General’s Orders – 5½ turns, 22 December 1944, Stoumont, Belgium (American vs German)
• AP248 Black Devils of Bure – 5½ turns, 6 January 1945, Bure, Belgium (Canadian vs German)
Designed for the aficionado, Action Pack #22: A World at War is not a complete product and assumes the buyer owns the core Advanced Squad Leader game system.
If you are interested in Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Action Pack #22: A World At War, you can pre-order a copy for $36.75 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-action-pack-22-a-world-at-war-p-460
As you know, the Bible of ASL has had several overhauls over the years including small changes, errata fixes and better organization and they even put the voluminous rules into a binder to make for their carrying around easier (although this 2nd Edition offering doesn’t contain the binder, charts nor the handy dividers). They are now getting a 2nd Edition of these rules with the announcement of the Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Rulebook 2nd Edition that was put up on pre-order in early May.
From the game page, we read the following:
Back in print, now also including Chapters F, G, and W, with all rules updated through January 2026.
410 hole-punched, 8.5” x 11” pages, intended to be supplemented with additional and replacement pages as future changes may require.
Chapter Dividers with charts and a three-ring binder are both available separately or in a combined package with the rules.
World War II Tactical Level Combat ASL. The premier game system of tactical-level World War II combat uniquely combines soundness of design with attention to detail and ease of play. Built on the popular Squad Leader system, ASL has long been the ultimate in tactical wargaming. Now, ASL has just gotten better with the introduction of the ASL RULES 2nd Edition. Not only are the Rules back in full color, but the 2nd Edition also benefits from all the fine-tuning accumulated over the past 15 years. The 2nd Edition also contains material not previously included in the basic Rules, such as: more examples of play throughout, the advanced rules of Chapter E (night, weather, boats, planes, skis, convoys, etc.), the beginner’s Training Manual in Chapter K, an expanded Index, and widely-acclaimed playing aids such as the Offboard Artillery Player’s Aid and the Overrun Flowchart.
Each chapter is in a larger font for ease of reading. And all without changing how this great game is played. The fruits of 15 years of “playtesting” can be seen here in the ASL RULES 2nd Edition which incorporates all previous errata and questions & answers. Great care has been taken to clear up ambiguities in the rules while keeping the game the same.
Although the ASL RULES 2nd Edition is not a complete game by itself, when combined with its add-on modules it allows the armchair warrior to simulate practically any small-unit action from 1935-1945, opening the gateway to hundreds of unique battles spanning the globe. Combined with the Beyond Valor game module, for instance, the Rules allow you to simulate battles between Finns, Germans, Russians, and partisans from 1939 to the capture of Berlin. Furthermore, ASL’s “Design Your Own” system helps you create “what-if” battles with forces and terrain of your own choosing. The Chapter H notes on vehicles and ordnance (German and Russian notes are included) are one of the best single sources of information on the armor, vehicles, and guns actually used in battle in World War II. Other game modules separately available bring you the complete orders of battle for U.S. Army and Marines, British, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and French forces, as well as the Minor nations that fought with the Allies or the Axis. Hand-painted mounted geomorphic mapboards are available, providing innumerable terrain configurations. Historical modules use the Rules to simulate battles and special Campaign Games on map sheets depicting the actual terrain fought over.
If you are interested in the Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Rulebook 2nd Edition, you can pre-order a copy $38.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-rules-2nd-edition-2026-p-462
7. Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Chapter Dividers from Multi-Man Publishing
For those who are interested in the whole enchilada with their rulebook, this is how you can add to or even complete it with the purchase of the ASL Chapter Dividers. Remember, if you are purchasing the new Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Rulebook 2nd Edition you will need to also purchase these Chapter Dividers as they will not be included with that product but are a separate purchase. As I looked at this offering, I would think that you would really want these nicer, thick printed accessories to help organize your ruleset and to aid in game play with the included charts.
From the game page, we read the following:
ASL Chapter Dividers 2026 includes all the chapter dividers and charts for the ASL Rules (updated with all the latest changes through January 2026 and including Chapter W) in an 8.5” x 11” spiral bound booklet.
Along with the ASL rules themselves, these charts are required to play ASL and are available separately or in a combined (discounted) bundle with the 8.5”x11” hole-punched rules and a three-ring binder.
Dividers & charts are included for Chapters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H (German/Russian), & W (Korea), plus a Quick Reference Data Chart (QRDC), OBA Player Aid, and Overrun Flowchart, as well as the counter examples from the inside of the three-ring binder.
Printed on quality cardstock and carefully spiral bound, the ASL Chapter Dividers 2026 booklet is a comprehensive and handy table-side supplement to the core rules that no devoted ASL player should be without.
If you are interested in the Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Chapter Dividers, you can pre-order a copy $15.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-chapter-dividers-2026-p-464
8. Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Binder from Multi-Man Publishing
And for the true completionist out there you can also get the Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Binder on this pre-order.
From the game page, we read the following:
Back in print to accompany the updated, hole-punched, 8.5” x 11” ASL Rules 2026, this rugged three-ring binder includes counter examples on its inside covers.
Available separately or in combination with the Rules and Chapter Dividers.
Need someplace to store all of Chapter H? The rules chapters for Historical modules? Just want a spare? The ASL Rules Binder is for you.
If you are interested in the Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Binder, you can pre-order a copy $15.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-rulebook-binder-2026-p-463
9. Vae Victis Magazine – Last Glories 1813 (Dernières Gloires) from Cérigo Editions
One of the better wargame magazines out there is Vae Victis Magazine from French publisher Cérigo Editions. This month, there are offering a new magazine that includes a game called Last Glories 1813 (Dernières Gloires) designed by Frédéric Bey. I have perused the site and it looks really great! There is an English rules edition so make sure that you choose this option or you may have to learn French quickly to play once you get your copy.
From the game page, we read the following:
Last Glories brings together three battles from the 1813 German campaign, the 48th, 49th, and 50th in the Days of Glory Series. In terms of card size and number of counters, it is the largest volume in the entire series. Note: this game is a special edition and is not included in the subscription packages.
As you know, I am quite fond of Combat Commander. I have played all of the base games including Combat Commander: Europe, Combat Commander: Pacific and Combat Commander: Mediterranean as well as scenarios from several of the Battle Packs and absolutely love the narrative that the game creates. I love the cards and how they are used for combat, there are no dice in CC, activations and events. The system is just full of chaos and fun. But, I have often wanted to play the game alone with a fully dedicated solitaire system and now I am going to get that opportunity as GMT Games has announced their Solitaire System for the game called Combat Commander: Adversary. The solitaire system is designed by Francis K. Lalumière and I cannot wait to get this one to the table in the future.
From the game page, we read the following:
Combat Commander: Adversary is a solo system that allows a human player to fight their way through any of the 24 scenarios provided with the 20th Anniversary Edition of Combat Commander against a completely automated opponent – the adversary. (The adversary works just as well with all previous editions of Combat Commander: Europe and Combat Commander: Mediterranean.)
Through a combination of control logic and guided randomness, the adversary sets up its own forces (on any map you throw at it), activates units, determines targets, advances into melees, rushes towards objectives, and certainly won’t hesitate to interrupt your turn with opportunity fire or the play of an inconvenient wire.
The system was designed with a care towards maintaining the ebb and flow – the feel – of a typical CC engagement: simple action resolutions and quick turnarounds, with surprises galore. The adversary acts logically, implementing tactics that produce results without turning into a predictable automaton. Underestimate that guy at your own peril.
The beating heart of Combat Commander has always been the Fate Deck, and this addition to the game proves no different. The adversary sits at the table (on the table, if we’re getting technical) with one of six nation-specific Fate Decks of 72 tarot-sized cards, making it possible for you to face not only an American or British adversary, but also a French adversaire, a German Widersacher, a Russian противник, or an Italian avversario.
Not only does the adversary adopt a different play style according to its nationality and the Fate Deck on which it runs, it also prioritizes different battlefield elements depending on its posture and the game state. So while you can expect the adversary to display a penchant for forming fire groups while on the attack (and, conversely, prefer to fire individual units in the role of the defender), you can’t take anything for granted.
Flip the top card of the adversary deck: If the Order is applicable – according to a specific set of conditions – place it in the green row of the adversary playmat and resolve that Order (see below). If, on the other hand, the Order is not applicable, then place it in the red row of the playmat and do nothing. Keep revealing cards and resolving Orders until a) the green row holds a number of cards equal to the adversary’s Order limit, or b) you’ve placed on both rows of the playmat a total number of cards equal to the adversary’s hand size – at which point the adversary’s turn is over. Wipe the playmat clean of any cards and other military detritus, and let the human player take a shot. (I mean, you could conceivably watch two adversaries go at each other for a while, but product enjoyment is not currently being tested within those parameters.)
The adversary will never discard per se, but it sometimes spends an entire turn unable to play any Order, hence doing nothing – which, for all intents and purposes, achieves the same effect. And yes, that’s when you whip out a Hidden Unit or Demolitions, and catch the adversary with its mechanical pants down.
Once an Order is in play, unit activation (if required, of course) always follows the same path: Reveal an additional adversary card and look at the stack of gray boxes under the ‘Ordered Unit(s)’ header. The criteria found in the box that corresponds to the Order under consideration (Advance, Fire or Move) are then fed into a simple flowchart that sets one or more units in action, often forming groups under a Leader’s command.
Now take a look at the colored box matching the adversary’s posture – red for Attack, yellow for Recon, blue for Defend – on the played Order card: those criteria are in turn fed into their own flowchart in order to yield a destination or a target. As with most solo systems, flowcharts quickly become second nature over repeated plays and familiarity with the game itself.
Other Orders are handled in a similar manner, with the simpler ones, such as Recover and Rout, requiring no more than an ordered sequence of resolution.
When it comes to Actions, the system affords the adversary several ‘reaction windows.’ Those are specific moments (including when a player unit is moving…) at which the fighting is paused and the top adversary card revealed. If the Action listed on that card applies to the situation, it is implemented and the next adversary card is revealed, and so on, until an Action is revealed that is not applicable – at which time the reaction window closes and regular play resumes.
Itching for more? The adversary system dovetails into the Combat Commander random scenario generator without a snag, promising endless action against a tireless opponent.
I am very keenly interested in this offering and am going to do some more research and plan to reach out to the system designer Francis K. Lalumière to do one of our interviews to share.
The ’40X Series is not a formal series or category of games from GMT Games. However, typically the term is used to refer to a collection of games sharing certain key characteristics such as operational level WWII campaigns that have key concepts and mechanics such as the Zone of Control Bond or ZOC Bond, Desperate Defense and a few other aspects. Typically, these are designed by Mark Simonitch and some of the games included in this category are France ’40, Holland ’44, Ardennes ’44, Normandy ’44, Salerno ’43 and North Africa ’41 to name just a few. The system is really solid and are highly playable hex and counter wargames. We have played most of them, with the few holdouts being France ’40 and Ukraine ’43 as well as theas of yet unreleased titles including North Africa ’40. This past month, GMT announced the newest entry in the series called Dinant ’40, which is designed by Michael Gustavsson (designer of FAB: Golan ’73) and tells the story of the 1940 German invasion of France during WWII.
From the game page, we read the following:
On May 12th, two days after the start of Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), Guderian’s, Reinhardt’s, and Hoth’s Panzer Corps reach the Meuse River. The most northern of the Panzer Corps (Hoth’s) is composed of the 5th Panzer Division and Rommel’s 7th Panzer Divisions. They have reached the Meuse River near the town of Dinant. The French are caught by surprise by the rapid advance of the German Army through the Ardennes and the river is lightly defended.
The situation is set. Can you as the German player cross the Meuse and start the race across France? Or as the Allied player stop the enemy juggernaut?
Dinant ’40 is a simulation game covering the first 4 days of this critical battle. Rommel’s crossing at Houx and his subsequent dash across France was immensely helpful to Guderian’s breakthrough at Sedan further south and the breaking of the French army
Dinant ’40 uses the same game system as Mark Simonitch’s Ardennes ’44 including the use of Traffic markers and DCB’s for terrain effects. Most units are battalions with a sprinkling of regiments and companies. Each turn represents approximately 6 hours with 4 turns per day (Dawn, AM, PM, and Night). Special rules include: Night Turns, Rommel, Bridging Units, Hilltops, and Tank Ratings.
I am very much looking forward to a new entry to the series and am glad to see other designers carrying the torch of these classic systems like the ‘40X Series. I will be reaching out to Michal Gustavsson for an interview after having interviewed him in 2017 for his Fast Action Battle Series #4: Crusader North Africa 1941.
12. Great Battles of History Volume VII: War Galley Deluxe Edition from GMT Games
The Great Battles of HistorySeries is a very playable (especially if you use the Simple GBoH Rules) Ancients series designed by one of the best duos in the business in the late Richard Berg and Mark Herman and I am glad to see one of these classic entries into the series getting a Deluxe Edition. This past month, GMT announced that War Galley would be getting a new Deluxe Edition and it has already made the cut with over 500 P500 orders to date.
From the game page, we read the following:
We are proud to bring War Galley back into print in a new and expanded deluxe edition featuring 37 scenarios covering the entire Trireme era. This Deluxe Edition will include the scenarios from the Salamis module and the War Galley scenarios originally published in C3I magazine with new versions for some. As a bonus, the deluxe version will also include a new thematic module featuring all the major naval battles from the Peloponnesian War!
The War Galley 3rd edition rules have been enhanced with additional examples and an Extended Example of Play and brought to the new standards in the recent Great Battles of History reprints. We plan on two scenario books: one with the original, War Galley, Salamis, and C3I scenarios and one dedicated to the new Peloponnesian War scenarios with new historical commentary.
The original War Galley maps will be reprinted with updated art with the original Salamis map separated into two half-sized maps for ease of play. The new Peloponnesian War module will add three full size back printed maps featuring Syracuse’s Great Harbor, Pylos Harbor, and other key battle locations.
War Galley Deluxe will have 10 counter sheets with roughly 8 sheets of 1” galley counters and 2 sheets of ½” counters for Squadron Commanders and information markers. The generic Red/Green background colors will be replaced with eight different background colors to simplify setup and enhance visual appeal. The galley counters will be redesigned with new art to improve readability and utility.
Rounding out the package are two 11” x 17” Player Aid Cards (one for each player), one Victory Point/Game Turn Track Display, two six-sided dice and one ten-sided dice
The expanded War Galley Deluxe scenario book includes following 23 Ancient Naval battles:
Alalia, 535 BCE (New) – new version of the C3I scenario of the same name
Lade, 494 BCE (WG)
Artemisium, 480 BCE (Salamis)
Salamis, 480 BCE (Salamis)
Cumae, 474 BCE (New) – new version of the C3I scenario of the same name
Catana, 397 BCE (WG)
Cyprian Salamis (Cyprus), 306 BCE (WG)
Mylae, 260 BCE (C3I #11)
Cyprian Salamis (Cyprus), 306 BCE (WG)
Tyndaris, 257 BCE (C3I #11)
Ecnomus, 256 BCE (WG)
Drepanum, 249 BCE (WG)
Aegates Islands, 242 BCE (WG)
Ebro, 217 BCE (C3I #12)
Cape Pachynus, 212 BCE (C3I #17)
Sapriportis, 210 BCE (C3I #13)
Clupea, 208 BCE (C3I #12)
Chios, 201 BCE (WG)
Side, 190 BCE (WG)
Myonessus, 190 BCE (WG)
Tauris, 47 BCE (WG)
Naulochus, 36 BCE (WG)
Actium, 31 BCE (WG)
Ben Hur, circa 30 CE (C3I #11)
The new Peloponnesian War module booklet includes the following 14 battles:
Sybota Island, 433 BCE
Patras, 429 BCE
Naupactus, 429 BCE
Sybota Island (Corcyra), 428 BCE
Pylos, 426 BCE
Syracuse I, 413 BCE
Syracuse Great Harbor (4 battles), 413 BCE
Cynossema, 411 BCE
Abydos, 411 BCE
Cyzicus, 410 BCE
Lesbos, 409 BCE
Notium, 407 BCE
Arginusae, 406 BCE
Aegospotami, 405 BCE
That is a great deal of remastered content, in addition to some new content and the inclusion of other source content such as the scenarios from C3i Magazine, to keep any Ancients fan busy for a while.
Ok. We didn’t have a great experience with MBT when we played it several years ago. But, since that time, I think that we have increased our wargaming knowledge and experience from 100’s of games and also matured in our understanding and familiarity with key concepts. So, I am willing to give this system another look and go in the future. But, in the meantime, they have announced a new Tri-Pack for the series including the 3 released and out of print expansions MBT: BAoR, MBT: FRG and MBT: 4CMBG. This Tri-Pack does not include the base MBT game though so you either have to own it or find a copy on the open market.
From the game page, we read the following:
Because all three of the MBT expansions are sold out and have been for some time, we are offering this Tri-Pack which includes all of the maps, counters, player aids, and rules for the three expansions. It’s everything you need, given that you own the base MBT game, to enjoy LOTS more MBT content.
Details on the three expansions included in this Tri-Pack are below:
Expansion 1: The British Army of the Rhine. The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was formed at the conclusion of World War II from various units of the British 21st Army Group. Positioned on the North German Plain, it is the command element of NATO’s Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). BAOR has command authority over the British 1st Corps, as well as the West German 1st Corps, US III Corps, and the French, Belgium and Dutch contingents to NATO.
This MBT expansion focuses on BAOR’s armored and mechanized forces. Battle it out in 10 new scenarios. Combine the 4 new double-sided geomorphic maps with the MBT base game maps and even the MBT FRG Expansion for more exciting battles.
Includes detailed TO&Es for the British Forces.
Expansion 2: FRG. Poised in defense of the Fatherland from the looming Soviet invasion, the West German Army’s panzer and panzergrenadier divisions are not just ghosts of their World War II namesakes. This time it is Leopard tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Jaguar tank destroyers filling out their ranks. Its 1st Corps makes up part of NATO’s Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) along with BAOR while its 2nd and 3rd Corps stands alongside the US 7th Army in NATO’s Central Army Group (CENTAG).
This MBT expansion focuses on FRG’s armored and mechanized forces. Battle it out in 10 new scenarios. Combine the 4 new double-sided geomorphic maps with the MBT base game maps and even the MBT BAOR Expansion for more exciting battles.
Includes detailed TO&Es for the West German Forces.
Expansion 3: 4CMBG. The 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4CMBG) is the forward element of Canadian Forces Europe. Positioned at Lahr in Southern West Germany, the brigade is poised to support VII (US) Corps and II (FRG) Corps against incursions from Soviet GSFG or CGF forces.
This MBT expansion focuses on Canada’s armored and mechanized forces. Battle it out in new scenarios and combine the 2 new double-sided geomorphic maps with the MBT base game maps and the BAOR and FRG Expansions for exciting battles.
Includes detailed TO&E for the Canadian Brigade.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to play this expansion, the MBT basic game is required.
14. Ukraine ’43 3rd Edition Mounted Map from GMT Games
One of my complaints about wargames is that sometimes once you put your counters into a nice tray after punching and clipping them, you can never fit the whole thing back in the box. This is especially true when those games come in just a 2″ box and also have thick mounted map boards. One of the offerings this month from GMT Games may not solve this problem for one of the ’40X Series games but a mice sturdy beautiful mounted mapboard is never a bad thing and there is now an option for one for Ukraine ’43 3rd Edition.
From the game page, we read the following:
Based on player requests, we are offering mounted maps for Mark Simonitch’s Ukraine ’43, 3rd Edition. Enjoy!
This ziplock package will include two 18.25 x 34 mounted maps.
15. Napoleon’s Defiance: The Final Campaigns 1814 from Europa Simulazioni
Big Napoleonic Era wargames are always a bit of fun. They have it all, and we get to ride and march along in the footsteps of one of the greatest battlefield generals in history Napoleon Bonaparte. There is a series of games called Napoleon’s Defiance that is published by Europa Simulazioni and they have announced the final entry to the series called Napoleon’s Defiance: The Final Campaigns 1814 and frankly it looks good but also is a bit surprising how cheap it is.
From the game page, we read the following:
It is the Winter of 1813. Defeated at Leipzig in October, the “Corsican Ogre” is on the run. The war is not yet over, however. Only by bearding the Ogre in his lair, the sacred soil of France, can the Allies achieve final victory. This will not be easy. Even though the Allies have overwhelming numerical superiority, they are a Coalition plagued by political machinations and mistrust. Facing them, a reinvigorated Napoleon is still the most brilliant commander of the age and, although a shadow of its former self, La Grande Armée is unwaveringly courageous and loyal.
The Final Campaigns 1814 allows players to explore one of the most fascinating campaigns in History. Like their historical counterparts, the Allied player must hold the Coalition together and maneuver its huge armies to crush the over-stretched French forces; while the French player must make the best use of meagre resources by defending strategic locations and launching stinging counter-attacks to shake the Coalition whenever the opportunity presents itself. This is a game to be studied as well as played.
The Final Campaigns 1814 is the third volume of a projected series of games at the same scale, covering all the major campaign of the Napoleonic Wars at a strategic level.
This installment benefits from all the feedback received during the years by gamers worldwide. Basic rules can retrofit previous games. Furthermore you can link it with the previous games for an exceptional longest campaigns.
If you are interested in Napoleon’s Defiance: The Final Campaigns 1814, you can pre-order a copy for 35 Euros ($41.94 in US Dollars) from the Europa Simulazioni website at the following link: https://italianwars.net/NewSite/1814_napoleons_defiance.html
16. The Great War Volume IV: Monte Grappa 1917, The Sacred Mountain from Europa Simulazioni
One more great looking pre-order game from Europa Simulazioni this month was The Great War Volume IV: Monte Grappa 1917 – The Sacred Mountain, which covers the retreat of the Italian Fourth Army after the fight at Caporetto.
From the game page, we read the following:
November 1917, three weeks have passed since the German and Austrian breakthrough at Caporetto. The Italian Fourth Army was to the left of the Italian front and had to fight its way back to avoid being cut off by the Austro-German troops advancing on its right. Now, the Italian forces still able to fight are forming a line of resistance on the Piave River. It is just the Fourth Army that must connect the Piave line with the Asiago Plateau, and it must do so on the Monte Grappa massif. Behind it lies the Veneto plain, giving in would lead to catastrophe. After two weeks of fierce fighting in the mountains surrounding Monte Grappa, amidst fog and the first snowfalls, the Italians held firm. The best German and Austrian troops failed to prevail. As the German General von Dellmensingen acknowledged at the end of his report, the Italians can rightfully declare Monte Grappa a sacred mountain to the homeland.
Driven by player feedback, this evolving game system focuses on the dynamic interplay of action and reaction between opposing brigades and regiments. It’s a deep, interactive experience that rewards strategic planning; though it may seem daunting at first glance, the depth is well worth the effort. Mastery of artillery and a keen eye on troop morale—which wavers under the strain of battle and exhaustion—are the keys to victory.
Monte Grappa 1917, The Sacred Mountain has three scenarios:
The first scenario is the battle of November 1917. The initial situation has only Italian units on the map, scattered but able to build a defense in depth in the mountains. Austro-German forces enter from the northern edge of the map and must pursue the Italians, preventing them from organizing. It is a battle of movement, in which both sides must ration and make the best use of their scarce resources.
The second scenario concerns the battle that, from December 11th to 18th, saw the Germans and Austrians in a final attempt to break through after advancing and positioning their artillery. But ammunition was still low, the Italians had significantly strengthened their forces, and winter had already arrived with its heavy snowfalls at high altitude.
The third scenario, an introductory one-turn scenario, depicts the reconquest of Mount Tomba by the French Alpine Hunters, during their active participation in the battle of Mount Grappa.
If you are interested in The Great War Volume IV: Monte Grappa 1917 – The Sacred Mountain, you can pre-order a copy for 55 Euros ($64.09 in US Dollars) from the Europa Simulazioni website at the following link: https://italianwars.net/NewSite/1814_napoleons_defiance.html
17. Imjin War: The Japanese Invasion of Korea 1592-1593 from Serious Historical Games Coming to Kickstarter June 6th
In 2022, I became aware of a new French publisher called Serious Historical Games and one of the games in particular caught my eye in Nagashino 1575 & Shizugatake 1583: Battles of the Sengoku Jidai. We purchased a copy and played it and really enjoyed the system, including the combat, the gorgeous cover and the fantastic counter graphics. That same publisher has published a few other games such as Lace Wars Series: Volume I The Wars of the Sun King 1648-1713 and now has a new game called Imjin War: The Japanese Invasion of Korea that is going to Kickstarter soon.
From the game page, we read the following:
Imjin War relates the story of one of the toughest conflicts in the end of the 16th century, depicting the invasion of the Joseon Kingdom of Korea by the Japanese. The Japanese must capture possibly the whole of the peninsula from their Busan foothold in the South. The Korean player must repel the invasion with the help of China…
The Japanese have very numerous land forces at the start of the game, but their navy, although numerous, is weak and poorly led and their goal is to conquer all of Korea in order to reach – and conquer – China. The Korean player must first hold desperately against the initial invasion and superior enemy troops, waiting for Chinese reinforcements, counting on local rebellion, and most of all his powerful navy to alter the course of events.
Seizing the main areas, winning land and naval battles, gaining allies will prove the decisive factor in winning this war.
The game events and tactical chits allow full replay ability thanks to the numerous various situations that their create on the diplomatic, military.
Scale: One combat unit counter represents 500 (samurais) to 2,000 men (soldiers and civilian servants) or cavalry on its front (full side) and half that on its back (reduced side).
One artillery/fire wagon/siege weapon counter represents about ten guns/rocket launcher/towers and half that on its back.
One naval unit counter represents 10 light ships, 5 medium ships or one heavy or super-heavy ship and half that or reduced on its back.
Turn length: One month in fair weather (March–October); two months in inclement periods (November–February).
There isn’t a lot of additional information out there right now, nor have I found a Kickstarter preview page to point you toward, but I will update this entry once I find that.
The Kickstarter campaign is supposed to start on Saturday, June 6th.
New Release
1. Midway Solitaire from Worthington Publishing
Over the past few years, Worthington Publishing has come out with these very cool, compact and interesting solitaire travel wargames. I have played several of them and very much love their strategic depth, interesting choice laden but random and dice relying games. One that just was published and began shipping was Midway Solitaire that covers the American carrier task forces in June 1942 in the lead up to the climactic Battle of Midway.
From the game page, we read the following:
Relive the pivotal carrier battle that turned the tide of the Pacific War. Command fleets, manage aircraft strikes, and anticipate the enemy’s next move. Every die roll could change history. Midway Solitaire places you in command of the American carrier task forces in June 1942. You’ll face an automated Japanese BOT representing the Imperial Navy. Your objective is to achieve your mission goals before Japanese invasion convoys reach their destinations — Midway, the Aleutian Islands, or Hawaii — and establish forward bases threatening the American homeland.
Your decisions—and your risks—determine whether Midway becomes a historic victory…or a disastrous defeat. This is a compact, fast-playing solo wargame designed for meaningful strategic play in just 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Pacific War 1942 Solitaire 2nd Edition from Worthington Publishing
I have very much enjoyed my plays of Pacific War 1942 Solitaire and War of 1812 Solitaire and truly love these games for what they are. Easy to setup, portable, fast playing and difficult to win solitaire games. And I encourage you to get a copy before they sell out…again. The new 2nd Edition has some minor changes including the addition of order cards for the Japanese rather than the chart and seems to be greatly improved from that points.
From the game page, we read the following:
Pacific War 1942 places you in command of the Allied naval and land forces in the Pacific during World War II. The Japanese AI tries to expand its empire early in the game and overwhelm the Allies. As the Allied player you must hold and then push the Japanese back to Japan. Both sides command armies and navies throughout the entire war in the Pacific. Further, control of the sea areas greatly influences land battles and progress in the Pacific.
The first edition of this great game sold out quickly. This is the second edition. It replaces the Japanese Action Chart with Japanese Action Cards and the rules sheet with a rules booklet. The second edition box is slightly different and the game board uses an Australian flag in Australia.
3. Tarawa 1943 Solitaire from Worthington Publishing
The final game that I am highlighting this month from Worthington Publishing is Tarawa 1943 Solitaire. This game is a travel sized version of the original CDG Tarawa 1943 and I very much love that game. This game though is a bit simpler and quicker to play but still retains the same difficult choices and tough Japanese bot.
From the game page, we read the following:
Tarawa 1943 Solitaire is a travel size version of the board game classic Tarawa 1943. Tarawa 1943 Solitaire will come with counters instead of the wooden blocks and a revised map. The game still comes with the same challenging game play and full size cards!
Tarawa 1943 Solitaire is a card driven game on the invasion of Japanese controlled Tarawa by the 2nd Marine Division. Join the 2nd Marine Division as you storm the beaches of Tarawa. Japanese commander Shibazaki and his men have had a year to prepare for this moment in time.
4. Operation Goodtime, The Battle for the Treasury Islands: October-November, 1943 from High Flying Dice Games
Paul Rohrbaugh and his company High Flying Dice Games is a designer I love to follow. He is always doing games on smaller or lesser known conflicts and I just find his work to be superb and really draws me in. Recently I saw where he was releasing a game on the battles for the Treasury Islands during World War II called Operation Goodtime, The Battle for the Treasury Islands: October-November, 1943. This one really looks pretty interesting and is definitely a unique subject for a game.
From the game page, we read the following:
Operation Goodtime is a moderate complexity level solitaire play game on the battle for the Treasury Islands. The player takes on the role of the commander of the New Zealand forces seeking to wrest control of key points of Mono and Stirling Islands. These islands were key to the Allied offensive in the Solomon Islands and isolating the Japanese fortress of Rabaul. Tasked with securing these islands was the 8th New Zealand Infantry Brigade. Their amphibious assault in late October 1943 was the first conducted by that nation’s military since the 1915 Gallipoli landings in WWI. The rules govern the actions and counterattacks taken by the Japanese defenders. As the New Zealand commander, you will be challenged in taking the islands as the Japanese forces fight in terrain well suited for the defense, and as possible reinforcements gather. Can you do as well or better?
If you are interested in Operation Goodtime, The Battle for the Treasury Islands: October-November, 1943, you can order a copy for $18.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: https://www.hfdgames.com/good.html
5. YAAH! Magazine Issue #16(including ’83 Urgent Fury – A Squad Battles Starter Kit Game) from Flying Pig Games
YAAH! Magazine (I still have no idea how to say it) is back with a new issue with #16 that is full of great articles, various scenarios for published games as well as an original game called ’83 Urgent Fury – A Squad Battles Starter Kit Game. If you don’t know, the Squad Battles Series includes great games like ’65: Squad Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam and ’85: Graveyard of Empires.
From the game page, we read the following:
We’re back baby! Yaah! is back by popular demand and ready to dazzle your senses with some classic topics; wargaming, board games, and of course an included game with purchase, and some new topics never before broached; history, states of the industry, and multi-generational learning. Fear not dear readers, you will not be disappointed by the changes.
The featured piece for this issue is “Pass It On” by the always wonderful Clay Meyer. How do we get kids to look up from their phones for a little bit and maybe play a game or two with folks from different generations? Can history be cool? We’ve always wondered. Find out with Clay in this unique piece from your friends at Flying Pig Games.
Speaking of history; we’ve got that this go-around too! Providing some context for FIVE, count ‘em, FIVE bonus scenarios for everyone’s favorite Gettysburg wargame, A Most Fearful Sacrifice, certified civil war geek, Nick Musgrave has a beautiful piece on the 1st Minnesota. Hopefully these guys packed some hotdish because that’s quite a haul from the Land of 10,000 Lakes to Pennsylvania. Somehow we’ve got callouts to professional wrestling in this one as well, God bless the USA.
Our final cover article is from long-time contributor Norm Lunde. Littoral Commander: The Baltic gets an in-depth review from Mr. Lunde. Historic battles need to be balanced out by futuristic battles, right? Diving into the Baltic, you get a look at the specific Red Dawn scenario where Russia invades Estonia…again.
Other futuristic articles and scenarios include Greg Porter’s review of Rising Dragon, what if China actually invaded Taiwan? Read Greg’s review and just imagine what you would do with this board in front of yourself. You too can play through an almost certain precedent for World War III! Rising Dragon’s forebear, Armageddon War gets a new scenario from Mr. Porter as well.
The featured game for this edition of Yaah! is Urgent Fury: A Squad Battles Starter Kit
Ever wanted to take a Caribbean vacation? Take in the colonial architecture, enjoy the beach, lose yourself in the leisure of island time. Unfortunately, Urgent Fury does not let you do any of that. But, you do get to engage Cuban militants in some pretty sick combat during the height of the Cold War. Brought to you from the minds of Mark H. Walker and Dr. Arrigo Velicogna PhD.
Whew! That’s a lot right? Well guess what, THERE’S MORE.
In addition to the cover items for this issue, Nick O’Neil takes us to the tumultuous first four decades of the twentieth century with Hapsburg Eclipse and V Sabotage. Interestingly enough, neither of these games are your typical wargame. V Sabotage has the player attempting to sneak around and only engage enemies when totally necessary. Think Inglorious Basterds with fewer f-bombs. A few decades earlier, Hapsburg Eclipse puts you in the driver’s seat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during its last few years of existence. The Hapsburg Dynasty ruled in Europe for almost nine centuries. With a general consensus that the house was established in 1020 CE, its dissolution in 1918 CE might even make you root for the Central Powers! Wouldn’t 900 years have been neat?
During the same decades we have another great review from Roger Leroux. Bell of Treason is a unique game focused on diplomacy, politics, and screaming nationalists. With no focus on direct tactics instead the player must wade into the world of public opinion, international cooperation (or lack there-of), and gasp the media. After a few playthroughs, who knows, maybe you’ll think blowing things up is more effective public policy. Wrapping up our traditional reviews we have Dr. Velicogna and Mr. Lunde reviewing Die Festung Hamburg and Spruance Leader respectively. Lob shots from different sides of the iron curtain on land or at sea.
With her debut piece “Failing Forward,” Flying Pig Games’ own Denver Walker discusses the frustrations and excitement of launching Relic Wars in 2025. We’re trying again in 2026, keep your browsers open and hearts attuned folks. Reflecting on the state of the industry, those familiar will have a ball reading this perspective.
Dear readers, would you believe there is still more? Papa Yaah is coming to town, because THERE IS!
In addition to Armageddon War and A Most Fearful Sacrifice we have three additional scenarios from the Walker Clan. ‘65 Squad Battles, ‘85 Graveyard, and The Long Road all get tasteful reimaginings in Yaah! 16.
A new contributor and standing in for Peter Perla’s constant column, Brant Guillory of Armchair Dragoon’s fame will be releasing his first column under the new Yaah! banner (shoutout to Aaron Wood for this reimagining).
Y’all are in for a treat. Thanks for the continued support. Hitting the shelves in November 2025 and your hearts forever. We are so back, folks.
Also included in the magazine is ’83 Urgent Fury a Squad Battles Starter Kit game that includes:
1 x 17×22′ MOUNTED Game Board Who does mounted game boards in their magazine games? We do!
1 x sheet of thick, 1″ square die-cut counters
1 x Deck of 54 cards to drive the game
1 x Rules and Player Aid in the magazine
Also this issue includes featured scenarios for the following games:
A Most Fearful Sacrifice
Armageddon War
The Long Road
’85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires
’65: Squad Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam….and more!
6. Old School Tactical V5: Battle for France 1940 from Flying Pig Games
Old School Tactical from Flying Pig Games is a tactical combat system that focuses on World War II to date. The game focuses on the simulation of small unit combined arms engagements where historical units, weapons, armor and vehicles will duke it out on a beautifully crafted board full of hexes. During a turn, players will go back and forth using an Impulse Point System to activate units to either Move, Assault Move or Fire. The players will play through a predetermined amount of rounds and at the end, victory points and casualty points will determine which side is the victor.
The first volume in the series was Old School Tactical Volume 1 Eastern Front 1941/1942 and focused on battles between the Russians and Germans. Old School Tactical Volume 2 West Front 1944/1945 was a follow-up effort and focused on the titanic struggle in Europe following the D-Day landings in 1944 with battles between the Americans and Germans. Then came Old School Tactical Volume 3 Pacific 1942/1945 which includes battles between the Japanese and their Special Naval Landing Force and the American Marine Corps as well as Volume 4: The Italian Theater and now Volume 5 will cover the German invasion of France during 1940.
From the game page, we read the following:
OST V5 drops you into the early days of World War II when the German blitzkrieg shattered the illusions of the Allied armies.
It isn’t about the sweeping historical maneuvers, it’s about the granular, boots-on-the-ground chaos of small unit combat. Every hex is a decision, and every decision can mean life or death your troops.
The French side commands Regular army as well as Colonial troops. Also some of the best early war tanks, such as the Char B1bis and Somua S35, are under their control.
The German opposition fields highly mobile Motorcycle troops and armored cars, as well as an allotment of early panzers
This is war the ‘Old School’ way – fast turns, tight maps and brutal outcomes.
Each box includes:
3 sheets of unit, weapon, vehicle, and condition counters including Panzer II, II, IVC, French Char B1 bis, Hotchkiss H39, infantry, colonial troops, and much more.
A large (We are talking larger than the local diner’s tables) 30″ x 41″ mounted game map, hexes are 1″ 27 luck cards, such as One More Time, Duck, and Vive la France
36 unit data cards
Full-color Playbook with 14 scenarios, including Bonne Chance – retreating French skirmish with German armor from the 2nd Panzer, Unstoppable – Char B1 bis tanks battle a variety of German panzers, and A Question of Honor – German motorcycle troops versus a shaken French ambush force.
2 x player aid cards
Color rule book
Dice
Massive box drops you into the early days of World War II when the German blitzkrieg shattered the illusions of the Allied armies.
7. Old School Tactical V5: First to Fight Poland 1939Expansion from Flying Pig Games
And if you just want more to play with there is an expansion for the base OST Volume 5 game called First to Fight Poland 1939Expansion. This does look really great though and adds some very interesting looking units and challenges for players.
From the game page, we read the following:
This is an expansion, you must own Old School Tactical V5 to play First to Fight!
First to Fight – Battle for Poland 1939
In September 1939, the uneasy peace in Europe was shattered when Nazi Germany crossed the border into Poland.
First to Fight thrusts OST players into the early days of World War II, where disciplined Wehrmacht units face off against the valiant Polish army. This game captures the struggle for survival in the fields, forests and destroyed towns as the two militaries clash in a baptism of mechanized warfare.
Poland counters the fast, mechanized forces of the Germans with their own light armour as well as their mobile horse cavalry and even armoured trains.
Whether you’re leading the Wehrmacht’s rapid advance or orchestrating Poland’s fierce resistance, every turn in First to Fight captures the urgency and tension on World War II’s first battleground.
Includes:
Full Color Scenario Book(14 Scenarios)
2 sheets for a total 204 Counters(Including the RKM wz28 Light Machine Gun, the Bofors wz37 Troop Transport, the 75mm M1897 Gun, and more!)
8. Volume II Civil War Heritage Series Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864 from GMT Games
Several years ago, Mark Herman designed a very unique and simple American Civil War game called Gettysburg that appeared in C3i Magazine #32. That game became the basis for his new Civil War Heritage Series with the first volume being Rebel Fury that focused on five battles from the Chancellorsville and Chickamauga Campaigns. He has mentioned working on a follow-up to that game for years and a few years ago we finally got it with Army of the Potomac.
From the game page, we read the following:
Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864 is the second volume in the Civil War HeritageSeries and the follow-up game to the innovative and acclaimed Rebel Fury. Army of the Potomac uses the same core rules as Rebel Fury, so players familiar with Rebel Fury will be able to jump right into the action. Each battle in Army of the Potomac is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.
Army of the Potomac covers the battles of Spotsylvania II, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and the entire Seven Days battle (McClellan vs. Lee), including the prelude Seven Pines (McClellan vs. Johnson) when Johnson’s wounding brought Lee into the command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Each battle places you, the player, in the role of the Army Commander (Grant, McClellan, Lee, Johnson). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks, concentrate your forces for an attack, and determine where to commit your artillery assets.
I think that one of the most interesting parts is that this new game can be played with Rebel Fury as also included are two bonus scenarios to allow owners of Rebel Fury to fight Spotsylvania II and begin the Campaign scenario from Wilderness to Cold Harbor using their original Rebel Fury map.
9. Baltic Empires: The Northern Wars of 1558-1721 from GMT Games
This one is very much anticipated by me and I feel like I have been waiting in it forever since its announcement in 2022. Baltic Empires is a grand looking game that focuses on the conflicts between the states of the Baltic region during the early modern era. The wait is now over as the game is shipping.
From the game page, we read the following:
Baltic Empires is an approachable 2-5 player strategy game about conflicts between the states of the Baltic region during the early modern era, a transformative period of religious conflict, large scale warfare, and constant struggles for power. Players will have to develop their economy, strengthen their administration, secure trade hubs, and finally build armies to become the dominant power of the Baltics. Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland-Lithuania, and Prussia will fight for hegemony, using variable victory conditions that reflect their respective historical objectives.
During the 16th & 17th centuries, religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics swept Europe, vast colonies were established by the maritime powers, and a series of wars were fought against Louis XIV’s Kingdom of France to maintain the balance of power, eventually culminating in the War of Spanish Succession. While this history might be familiar to many, the related conflicts around the Baltic Sea that took place during these centuries are less well-known.
Where did the French, English, and Dutch acquire the materials they needed to build and maintain their vast navies that won them their colonial empires? Where did they acquire the food they needed to feed their sailors and growing populations? Where did the Swedish juggernaut that suddenly emerged and changed the course of the Thirty Years War come from, and why didn’t its great power status last? How did the Russian and Prussian Empires that became so powerful in later periods first emerge on the European stage? The Baltic region was crucial to the history of Europe, and the conflict for influence over the Baltic Sea was closely intertwined with the balance of power in Western Europe. The outcome of the wars and societal transformation in the Baltic region, from the collapse of the Teutonic Order in Livonia in 1558 to the end of the Great Northern War in 1721, shaped European and world history up until the present day.
Baltic Empires presents these less well-known conflicts in a fun and accessible format, while also doing justice to the fascinating history of the Baltic Sea region during this period. The game features 5 asymmetric factions with different strengths, forces, and historical objectives, along with the capacity to develop their states by investing in economic infrastructure and recruiting key historical characters that offer unique game effects. The game also includes several scenarios for variable player counts and durations, offering additional flexibility and replayability.
10. Three Days of Gettysburg Deluxe Edition from GMT Games
A very popular series featuring one of the most gamed battles of the American Civil War! Quite the combination. And to add to that, a Deluxe Edition treatment with new counters, some new rules, new and updated maps and lots of scenarios. This is a great value for any gamer who wants to game one of the most iconic battles of the American Civil War.
From the game page, we read the following:
GMT Games and the GBACW design team are proud to announce Three Days of Gettysburg Deluxe Edition, the ultimate edition of the definitive game on the Battle of Gettysburg. First published in 1995, 3DoG has stood the test of time as one of the most popular games of the Great Battles of the American Civil WarSeries.
This series is one of the hobby’s longest-lived design concepts, springing from the legendary regimental level Gettysburg game—Terrible Swift Sword (SPI)—designed by Richard Berg in 1976. Under GMT, the rules system has remained stable but has shown remarkable flexibility to allow each game to smoothly incorporate additional rules to reflect the historical battles. The series relies on interactive chit-pull mechanics to simulate the often-chaotic nature of the 19th Century battlefield at the regimental level.
Three Days of Gettysburg Deluxe Edition will include ten plus scenarios. They range from small Skirmisher contests on half sized maps to the ultimate Gettysburg experience on four full full-sized maps depicting the entire battle, including the East Cavalry Battlefield! Other scenarios will depict both the first and second day of the struggle. Experienced players will be able to play many of the scenarios in one sitting. The 3DoG Deluxe Edition will include many exclusive rules to represent the special situations at Gettysburg, including new Skirmisher rules. However, many of the rules are optional, allowing players to decide for themselves what level of complexity they want.
New components and exclusive rules include new cavalry counters, CSA dismounted cavalry counters, corrected artillery types, two types of skirmisher units, artillery sections for some scenarios (Calef’s battery on the first day!), and artillery overshoot. The new maps continue to use Mark Simonitch’s beautiful artwork but include stonewalls, the Devil’s Den, and sloping hexes to better represent the unique terrain at Gettysburg. The large rock formations are represented differently from earlier editions, and artillery will find moving up the slopes of Little Round Top as difficult in the game as it was in the battle.
And just take a look at this big beautiful map of the game….by the talented Mark Simonitch!
As usual, thanks so much for reading along and sticking with me this month as I navigated through the many websites and game pages looking for new and interesting games to share.
Finally, thanks once again to this month’s sponsor Draco Ideas!
With this My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and frankly I am not that good at games but I do understand how things should work and be used in games. With that being said, here is the next entry in this series.
#78: Hamburger Hill from Fire in the Lake: Insurgency in Vietnam from GMT Games
The COIN Series uses cards in a very different way from other CDG’s. These cards are not necessarily the driver of the action but more assistive to the actions of the players by setting eligibility and also providing powerful events. The Event Cards are more often than not, very powerful. They either give you a continuing bonus on future Operations and Special Activities (as in the case of the volumes that include the various Capabilities) or allow you to take Operations and Special Activities more times that round than you would normally have been able to had you not chosen the Event and more often than not, at no cost! Also, because of the power of the cards and their ties to one or more factions, you can take the Event which allows you a huge advantage, only to see that very powerful Event reversed with the next Event or with a regular Operation. This is very frustrating but is one of the major reasons that I love the card-assisted element of the COIN Series. Today we are going to take a look at the Hamburger Hill Event Card.
But first an aside. Along with the movie Platoon, my introduction to the fierce fighting in the Ashau Valley of Vietnam was mainly from the movie Hamburger Hill starring Dylan McDermott as Lt. Frantz and Courtney Vance as Doc. The images from this movie will be forever burned in my mind and with the recent passing of the anniversary of the battle’s start on May 13th I thought it would be a perfect time to cover this card.
The Hamburger Hill Event Card has a top event and a bottom event, which is the case with all cards found in the decks of COIN Series games. The top event benefits the US/ARVN players while the bottom benefits the NVA/VC players. The top event allows the US player to move 4 US Troop Cubes from any spaces on the board to any Highland space, which are the brown colored regions representing less forgiving elevated terrain and mountainous areas. It then goes onto allow the removal of any NVA or VC base there, even if the base is currently Tunneled. This is a very powerful event as normally moving units requires an Air Lift Special Activity or a Train Operation to place new units into a space. Also, removing a Base, and especially a Tunneled Base, requires multiple turns and a focused approach of Patrol, Sweep and Assault to uncover hiding Insurgent pieces and then to destroy them allowing for a Base to be removed.
The Insurgent half of the event allows them to place a new Tunneled Based into a Highland space as well as remove 3 US Troop Cubes to Casualties. The Casualties Box is where these “dead” cubes are stored until the Coup Round where they will have negative effects on the United States player and then be available again for use in the next turn. This event is very powerful and is a major boon for the Insurgent player in taking control of and maintaining their presence in the Highland Provinces.
I also very much like the historical connection to the Battle of Hamburger Hill and think that the designers did a great job of creating this event with real game effects related to the battle and consequences that are felt from the play of the card. This Hamburger Hill Event is one that will be played by both sides often rather than taking their Operations and Special Activities. The effects are just too efficient and powerful to pass on unless the timing of the game dictates differently.
The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a major battle that lasted from May 13–20, 1969 was fought by United States Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces against People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces during Operation Apache Snow of the Vietnam War. Though the heavily fortified Hill 937, a ridge of the mountain Dong Ap Bia in central Vietnam near its western border with Laos, had little strategic value, US command ordered its capture by a frontal assault, only to abandon it soon thereafter. The action caused a controversy among both the US armed services and the public back home, and marked a turning point in US involvement in Vietnam.
The battle was primarily an infantry engagement, with the US troops moving up the steeply sloped hill against well-entrenched troops. Attacks were repeatedly repelled by the PAVN defenses. Bad weather also hindered operations. Nevertheless, the Airborne troops took the hill through direct assault with heavy use of artillery and airstrikes, causing extensive casualties to the PAVN forces.
Local Degar tribesmen call the mountain Ap Bia, which means “the mountain of the crouching beast.” Official histories of the engagement refer to it as Hill 937 after the elevation displayed on US Army maps, but the US soldiers who fought there dubbed it “Hamburger Hill,” suggesting that those who fought on the hill were “ground up like hamburger meat.”
The quote was attributed to Sgt. James Spears who said, “Have you ever been inside a hamburger machine? We just got cut to pieces by extremely accurate machine gun fire…”.
US Army photographers climb Hill 937 at Dong Ap Bia after the battle, May 1969.
One of my favorite wars to game is that of the Vietnam War. Part of that is because I was born in the early 1970’s and heard a lot about this war for the rest of that decade and throughout my teenage years. I remember watching the short lived television series Tour of Duty. I also read the graphic novel series The ‘Nam from Marvel Comics. But, my interest really grew after watching movies such as Apocalypse Now and Platoon. I always asked myself, how are you expected to fight a war where you don’t know who the enemy is? But also part of the attraction for me is that the war in anything but conventional. The combatants were diametrically different, the powerful and well funded United States of America and their technology and special forces versus the Viet Cong, a rag tag group of insurgents, and the mighty North Vietnamese Army funded and supported by the Chinese. This war also was set amongst the backdrop of social upheaval and cultural change at home with anti-war protests, freedom for all being sung as a marching song and desegregation and civil rights taking center stage. We have played plenty of games set in this conflict and I want to share my Best 3 Games with…Vietnam!
3. Hearts & Minds: Vietnam 1965-1975 from Worthington Publishing
We really enjoy Card Driven Games and try to play as many of them as we possibly can get our hands on. Also, as I said in the intro, we also enjoy Vietnam wargames. So, when we had a chance to play a CDG on the Vietnam War, it was a no brainer! I got this game for Christmas about 6 years ago and it was a used copy of the 1st Edition published by Worthington Publishing. There is a 2nd Edition out there but I really don’t know what the differences are. Since that time, there also is a new 3rd Edition from Compass Games and it looks really good. But that is neither here nor there.
In Hearts and Minds: Vietnam 1965-1975, players will play as either the US/ARVN forces (with some units from NATO as well as ROK) against the Communist forces which include NVA regulars and VC hidden units. The game has multiple scenarios and covers the entirety of the Vietnam War from 1965 all the way through 1975 as the U.S. forces left and only the ARVN remained to attempt to stem the red tide coming down into South Vietnam.
The ROK unit in Quang Ngai successfully Pacifies the province, placing a blue star marker that will factor in end round calculations for the dreaded Political Will Track.
Players have a hand of 5 cards each round from which they will play 4 that provide Resource Points to perform various actions including activating units to move up to their movement allowance, attacking enemy units, doing bombing missions, pacifying areas or forcing a political change. Each faction has their own deck, the Communist deck is red, the Allies is blue and then there are black cards that are neutral. Players will make their decks from their color and mix in half of the black cards. These cards represent the meat of the game and are the vehicle to make the game progress. The Resource Points are spent to perform the actions mentioned above and also can be used to buy the printed event on the card just played. Sometimes this event will have lasting effects for the entire game, such as the Commando Hunt card that allows Bomber missions to target Laotian border provinces and also allows more than 1 bomber to bomb any given province, or will have a one time effect such as Junction City, that allow you to spend more than one saved Resource Point in a given turn as long as all Battle and Political Control Change actions take place in Zone III. These cards are well done and the game boils down to the efficient use of the hand that you are dealt. Sometimes, you will be given cards with high RP’s of 4 or 5, which will allow you to make a lot of progress with various actions including moving forces, battling the opposition and making political changes. But, there will be times when your draws are not great and you have a hand full of low value RP cards but they might have interesting and very useful events that you must take advantage of. In essence, you have to play the cards you are dealt and make the best go of things. This can be both fun and frustrating but always keeps things interesting and requires that you plan and execute on that plan.
Battle is pretty simple as well as all the counters are pretty much the same for both sides. Each counter has an untried side and a veteran side (with either a 1-6 or 2-6 for ARVN and US troops or a 1-4 or 2-4 for NVA and typically a 1-1 for VC units) and then there are support units such as mortars, artillery, tanks and helicopter gunships. When a players units are located in a province with enemy units, a contested area is created where the players can fight by buying a battle round for the cost of 1 RP. If the battle doesn’t conclude, another battle round can be purchased with an additional RP until the player no longer has RP’s. Units in a province simply total up their battle factors (located in the bottom left corner of the counters), roll a die and consult their specific faction’s Battle Table. The results are the damage that must be applied and fire is considered simultaneous. The results include a specific number of units that must be eliminated but also sometimes has a capital R that means the player must either lose one unit or pay a saved RP. The blue table is slightly better than the red table, but not by much.
The really neat part about the battles is that units can evade before the battle starts with a roll, which becomes more difficult in certain terrain types and also has negative results for even attempting, such as the loss of a unit. This part can be very frustrating for the Allied player as he has finally corned the wily NVA and VC and they then slip right through his fingers with a favorable roll.
How does the game end? Well, players will be fighting each other for control of provinces and for casualties that will affect the will of the fighting powers and adjust the Political Will Track. This track factors in how each side feels about the war and their attitude to continued hostilities. Each scenario has a set level for an immediate victory, which frankly will never happen, and an end scenario number, which is more reachable. The Political Will Track really sums up the game for me and the feelings that many had about the Vietnam War. It seemed that escalation of bombing, more U.S. Troops on the ground and bloodshed didn’t equate to a victory. But simply meant the fighting would linger until one side or the other eventually would give in.
I recommend this game wholeheartedly for anyone that likes CDG’s and for anyone that is interested in a holistic approach and treatment of the Vietnam War. My only negative about this game is that it appears to be very hard for the Communists to win. That is probably an assessment after only one play as we both really didn’t know what we were doing but it is a concern of mine that I would like to see in future plays. It just felt very difficult to do anything that was meaningful with the resources they have and they are also outclassed in combat so that is a concern as battle is a big part of the game. Still a very solid representation of the Vietnam War and frankly a very interesting design by John Poniske.
2. Fire in the Lake: Insurgency in Vietnam from GMT Games
The COIN Series uses cards in a very different way from other CDG’s. These cards are not necessarily the driver of the action but more assistive to the actions of the players by setting eligibility and also providing powerful events. The Event Cards are more often than not, very powerful. They either give you a continuing bonus on future Operations and Special Activities (as in the case of the volumes that include the various Capabilities) or allow you to take Operations and Special Activities more times that round than you would normally have been able to had you not chosen the Event and more often than not, at no cost! Also, because of the power of the cards and their ties to one or more factions, you can take the Event which allows you a huge advantage, only to see that very powerful Event reversed with the next Event or with a regular Operation. This is very frustrating but is one of the major reasons that I love the card-assisted element of the COIN Series.
Fire in the Lake from GMT Games just really sums up the the Vietnam War experience to me and Volko’s magnum opus is Fire in the Lake, without a doubt, as it attempts to answer the question of who the enemy is and does a fantastic job. Fire in the Lake: Insurgency in Vietnam is Volume IV of the COIN Series and teams up two amazing designers in Volko and Mark Herman. The game is an asymmetric treatment of the Vietnam War and pits four players against each other, as even allies want to win the war, but win it in their way. The US Player has control of lots of powerful forces that can utilize Air Lift, Assaults and Sweeps to drive the insurgent guerilla forces of the Viet Cong and NVA back into the jungles but the VC and NVA have tools at their disposal to evade these heavy handed tactics such as tunneled bases, the terrain itself including jungles, rivers and mountains, and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The US Player must also watch his own back as his ally, the ARVN, is more interested in patronage and lining their pockets with US dollars than necessarily winning the war through brute force. This game design takes into account all of the difficulties with this quagmire of a war and time, and through the cards used to assist the game moving forward, inserts key events such as drug use, protests at home, booby traps and the Tet Offensive.
The US forces are on the move to try to eradicate the VC stronghold in Tay Ninh province, which will not be an easy task as that tunneled VC base is really hard to kill.
If you haven’t played Fire in the Lake, please do yourself a favor, and do so. It is an exquisite experience that will test you on so many levels and leave you exhausted at the end of the effort while yearning for more. But, don’t go into it thinking it will be easy as it will not be and is sure to have you pulling your hair out as you attempt to win this war. Great theme. Great game play. High quality components and a well thought out design. To get a little more insight into why this game is so great, please read my article on Why I find the COIN Series to be Fantastic! I use several examples of the game play from Fire in the Lake to prove my point.
1. Silver Bayonet: The First Team in Vietnam, 1965 from GMT Games
I own and have read the book We Were Soldiers Once..and Young by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and was fascinated by the story he told of his brave soldiers who fought the first major battle of the Vietnam War. How they went into the Ia Drang Valley and ran into nearly 2,500 NVA regulars who were spoiling for a fight and who outnumbered them 2.5/1 and how that fight lasted 5 days from November 14th through November 18th. I was also amazed at the new tactics used by the 7th Cavalry in using helicopters to jump from landing zone to landing zone to remain maneuverable enough to fight a conventional war that we were comfortable with against a non-conventional enemy in the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army who didn’t want to fight our way. When the new 25th Anniversary Edition of Silver Bayonet was announced I was excited to experience this war and was glad when my friend Alexander P500’ed the game and we got a chance to play it.
So, this isn’t some monster game that covers the whole of the Vietnam conflict, but covers the entirety of the Silver Bayonet campaign. The initial landings of the 1st Cavalry Division are just 1 of 11 or 12 scenarios/campaign games included in the box. It covers 4 days and uses a handful of units in brutal close assaults.
NVA troops try to surround Free World Alliance forces and use numbers to overwhelm them.
Something that I was pleasantly surprised about was that a good number of the scenarios can be played solitaire because most of them don’t involve using the hidden aspects of the game (NVA hidden movement, US secret helicopter basing and staging, etc.). The complexity of the rules, and sub rules, as well as all of the different phases means that the game is very cerebral. There’s a lot to consider, and units/combats might not function in ways that you’re used to in other games. With one stack attacking another you are very unlikely to wipe the other player out. The CRT just isn’t built for that. If you use maneuver combat then the NVA will flee to the hills and then just come back at you. However, NVA assaulting American troops is also deadly, because in assaults the defender inflicts hits first. We found ourselves often in bloody stalemates, with the Americans just barely hanging on for dear life. The US had access to big artillery pieces as well as many points of airstrikes, which learned through hard experience need to be stacked all together in precision strikes in order to do any kind of damage. All of these things lead to just a fascinating, and in my opinion, extremely accurate representation of the type of combat, fought on the jungled hills of South Vietnam. This game felt real and as we played we could really begin to get into the narrative of the situation and even in some small manner, feel the same frustration and disappointment that the US must have felt in fighting an un-fightable enemy! For that alone, I am extremely impressed and cannot wait to play more and just explore the depth that the rest of the scenarios have to offer.
If you can’t tell, I love this game. It’s deep, rich, and flavorful, just like a good curry. There’s volume in the box, so much stuff to play with. The components are unbelievably good value. Something that didn’t feel too great was the importance of the coordination rolls. The NVA would have handed the US their ass early on day 3 if they hadn’t utterly failed this coordination roll. In failing, they were unable to attack with their best stacks that had been meticulously moved into position for the final assault to take LZ X-Ray. And while I understand what it represents, which is is great, but it seemed very ‘swingy’, because it happened on several of my activations during our plays. Coordinating the amount of NVA troops commanded in the jungles whilst being bombarded day and night isn’t an easy thing to do, but that it boiled down to a single d10 roll felt like a little bit of a let down. I might be house ruling a 2d6 method to make that roll less randomly distributed. I also get that over the course of a full campaign those kind of things would have evened themselves out, but in a short scenario like that it kind of felt like bad luck. That being said: It’s still a good model for the command situation, so there is that. Just maybe find a way to be less random?
Well, those are my 3 favorite games focused on the Vietnam War. I have played several others but feel that these 3 best demonstrate what it is like to be in an unwinnable and unmanageable situation that quickly spirals out of your control. What are your favorite Vietnam War games?
As an added bonus, here are links to a few Vietnam related posts that I did during the pandemic on the Music of the Vietnam War:
Post Publishing Edit: I was asked why Purple Haze from PHALANX didn’t make the list and here was my response:
Oh no. It was amazing. We absolutely love the theme and the feel of that game. Fantastic representation of the Vietnam War. Warfighter Vietnam from DVG is also very good.
A few other smaller games I have played and liked on the subject was Fortunate Sons from High Flying Dice Games, Long Cruel Woman from High Flying Dice Games and Dien Ben Phu from Legion Wargames (although not the US war in Vietnam but a great game). Just only wanted to spotlight 3. -Grant
May is here and the grass is growing, birds and bees are out busily going about their lives and summer is just around the corner. And with all of this change, there are tons of new games that are appearing on both pre-order and as new releases that I am looking forward to getting on my table. Now, if I could only have more time or discover a time manipulation method! This month for the Wargame Watch, I was able to find 25 games (including the 5 games from our sponsor Sound of Drums). I was also able to find 4 games being offered on Crowdfunding through Kickstarter.
This month we have a sponsor for the Wargame Watch feature in Sound of Drums who has made some really great games over the past few years including their History of the Ancient Seas Trilogy (HOTAS: HELLAS, HOTAS: DIES IRAE and HOTAS: MARE NOSTRUM), 1793: Patriots & Traitors, Eylau 1807 and a few others. Sound of Drums really has a great approach to game design and they also are committed to high quality production with great components, fantastic art and really sharp graphic design. They are definitely a publisher to keep an eye on and you should give their games a try!
Most recently, they released the first volume in their Napoleonic Wars tactical level Battle Commander Series designed by Card Paradis called Battle Commander Volume I – Napoleon’s Italian Campaigns. The Battle Commander Series recreates historical 18th-19th century battles and features a fresh framework focused on providing two key aspects: command decision and maximum playability. In Volume I, the player takes on the role of an Army Commander in a series of six dramatic Battles fought during Napoleon’s two Italian campaigns. Volume II will cover engagements of the Second and Third Coalitions, including the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of the Pyramids.
In Carl’s own words, here is what the game is focused on and attempting to model:
The system is at Brigade/Division scale, is very playable, with no downtime or complex computations or mechanics. I am a game component maniac, so the package will be super-deluxe, using a very large box, allowing the 2-sided mounted maps to be folded only once (think of the 70’s Avalon Hill flatboxes maps), game pieces will be painted-on wood blocks of different shapes, so no annoying stickers to apply, you’ll have a couple dozen blocks per side in a game, often less. Also, no dice, almost no markers, the emphasis is on the gameplay!
The crux of the game engine will be ( 1 ) the deck of event cards, that will also take care of all the combat results and other dice functions, and ( 2 ), the cube-pull mechanism, that will manage player unit activations, but also turn end, when combat and rally happens, and other similar game happenstances. It’s all a very granular affair. The whole package has a definite “Kriegspiel” look, with all the graphics done in a contemporary Napoleonic style, with a very different way of maneuvering units on the field of battle compared to other Napoleonic games.
They also recently released the Assault Sicily ’43 – Primosole BridgeExpansion for the Assault Sicily ’43 base game. We got a chance to play a scenario from this one with the designers Wolfgang Klein and Erich Rankl while attending Essen Spiel last fall and we had a great time with the new innovations and mechanics as well as the beautiful new production of the expansion.
The big new game that Sound of Drums is offering on pre-order at this time is the Designer Edition of No Retreat! The Russian Front 1941-1945 from designer Carl Paradis.
I am very much looking froward to this one as we have played the Deluxe Edition from GMT Games several years ago and very much enjoyed the system and its narrative on this titanic confrontation on the Eastern Front of World War II. I am interested to see what they change, both mechanically and graphically, and how the final product turns out. The cover though is simply amazing and shows off the skill of their graphic designer Marc von Martial and new artist Wouter Schoutteten.
From the Sound of Drums website, we read the following:
No Retreat! The Russian Front – Designer’s Edition is the definitive evolution of Carl Paradis’ acclaimed Eastern Front wargame.
Building upon the original 2008 release and its later Deluxe editions, this new version refines gameplay, streamlines core systems, expands the Event Card deck to a full 70 cards, enhances solitaire play, and introduces upgraded visuals by renowned artists Marc von Martial and Wouter Schoutteten.
With dual maps, optional historical-symbol counters, dual layered Army Mats, and deluxe player aids, the Designer’s Edition represents Paradis’ final, authoritative vision for his landmark design.
This isn’t just a reprint. It’s the version the designer always dreamed of — crafted after 45 years of studying the Russian Front.
They also have lots of games in the oven and we got a look at a few of them at Essen Spiel including Operation Valkyrie, which is a solitaire game that simulates the events immediately after the attempt to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944 and The Great Escape, which is a cooperative game about the escape attempt from the infamous Stalag Luft III POW Camp during WWII. Both look amazing and there are preview pages already published on Gamefound so I would expect them to kickoff sometime in the near future.
As you can see, Uwe Wallentin and his team at Sound of Drums are busy working on some great projects and I cannot wait to see where they go and what they attempt to tackle in the future.
But now onto the games for May!
Pre-Order
1. Foxes and Lions: Renaissance City-States in the Age of Machiavelli from GMT Games
We have played all of the games in the series designed by Ed Beach, including Here I Stand (multiple times), Virgin Queen (multiple times but not as many as HIS) and Tanto Monta (once) with our most recent play being a full 5-player game in March while attending Buckeye Game Fest, and the series is just special. The card driven mechanic simply makes the series and it really is a bit of a sandbox as you can win in various and sundry ways. Recently, GMT announced the fourth entry in the series called Foxes and Lions:Renaissance City-States in the Age of Machiavelli designed by the duo of Paul Wright and Liz Davidson. This one looks to be epic and is set during the Italian Wars. I am very keen on a new addition to the series and look forward to diving in and learning more about the game over the next year or so.
From the game page, we read the following:
Foxes and Lions: Renaissance City-States in the Age of Machiavelli is the next game in the series that includes Here I Stand, Virgin Queen, and Tanto Monta. Focused on the warring city-states and dominions of Renaissance Italy during the era known as the “Italian Wars” (specifically, the period from 1494 to 1527), this game zooms in on the Italian peninsula. Unlike many other games on the Italian Wars, Foxes and Lions puts the focus on Italian experiences of this era of enormous upheaval, which also saw some of the greatest cultural splendors that we now associate with the period known (not without controversy) as the Renaissance. The game depicts the political, military, economic, religious, and cultural affairs of five key Italian powers brought to life by players (Florence, Milan, Naples, the Papacy, and Venice).
Players will struggle to create political legitimacy for themselves while contending with both Italian rivals and external great powers intent on conquest of their own objectives in Italy (France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire). For those who have played other series games, much will be familiar mechanically, but there are many new concepts and mechanics to enjoy, including experimenting with different government types, managing local sentiment, and gathering precious florins to pay for mercenaries and their fickle condottieri captains.
Furthermore, players will be faced with the possibility of collective defeat to the great powers. Players will individually pursue Virtù Points, drawing on Machiavelli’s famously pliable conception of political ability and military strength, while at the same time striving to avoid collective defeat by loss of Italian Virtù. Dwindling Italian Virtù embodies Machiavelli’s abiding fear of great power domination of Italy. Players will each attempt to win without Italy falling into the subjection that was historically its fate, and should they fail to prevent that, the game ascribes blame to the specific players viewed as the scourge of Italy and the new lapdog of the great powers. Can you thread the needle between your Italian rivals’ ambitions and the threat posed by the great powers of Europe?
In case you thought that maybe they are squishing a square peg into a round hole or just copying the tried and true system then you will be glad to find out there is lots of new to explore in the design.
Concepts and Features New to the Series
Political traditions—These are the governments (current and past) that define the political character of any given space in the game (featuring merchant republics, feudal aristocracies, princedoms, theocracies, tribute states, and vassals). In keeping with Machiavelli’s respect for founders of institutions, lawgiving will be an available action that permits you to attempt to alter governments in your dominion. Each space under your control may have a very different political arrangement, which affects its prosperity, unit construction capability, and many other things. Your central government (that of your capital) may also change over time.
Sentiment—This captures the current attitude of the local population to the government overseeing it. The scale of sentiment reflects Machiavelli’s own terminology, ranging from “Hated” to “Feared,” to “Feared and Loved” (the latter an ideal Machiavelli thought hard to achieve, opting instead for being “Feared” whenever a choice between fear and love was unavoidable).
New unit types—Regulars are split into citizen militia and feudal levies, alongside a more detailed look at mercenaries (with elite variants including the Swiss reisläufer and the Imperial landsknechte).
Condottieri captains—Twenty of the colorful, talented, and sometimes treacherous mercenary captains of the era will be available to players in competitive blind bidding for their services, with each captain reflecting unique battlefield abilities, vulnerabilities, and other surprising game impacts. Captains are essential to success in the game, and if not properly paid and retained, will go up for auction again; they may even be suborned and taken from you by nefarious rival actions. Among the captains are the infamous Cesare Borgia, Fabrizio Colonna, Giovanni delle Bande Nere, and “El Gran Capitán” himself, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba.
Money economy—Alongside the high-level political capital of command points (CP) already familiar to CDG players, Foxes and Lions features the cold, hard cash that mercenaries and dominions crave. Florins are collected by a trade action connected to the prosperity of the various governments in one’s dominion. The florin economy will be necessary not only to pay or bribe mercenaries and captains, but also for espionage, government maintenance, and more. Player treasuries are hidden behind a screen, so no one is ever quite sure of a rival’s wealth. Should you run out of florins for a required or desired expenditure, the banks will be available to lend to you at exorbitant interest rates, and failure to repay may cost you dearly.
Espionage available from turn one—Nefarious measures are available to players from the outset of the game, including familiar operations from Virgin Queen like Gain Intel and Assassination, now supplemented with Pacification, Foment Rebellion, Sabotage Fortifications, and Suborning others’ employed condottieri to your cause.
New patronage systems and figures—For those familiar with Virgin Queen, patronage now features three tracks (artists, scientists, and humanists) with 10 figures of each type. Patronage targets may now be selected rather than randomly drawn, and each affords unique game effects. Among the 30 patronage subjects are figures such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli, Copernicus, Pacioli, Paracelsus, Machiavelli, Manutius, and even a prying poet-courtesan, Tullia d’Aragona.
New ruler dynamics—Each player will have an often-volatile lineup of rulers who will transition based on circumstances in the game (26 rulers in total across five player powers). In the case of the Papal States, a conclave procedure involving all five players will determine the next pope whenever the current pope dies (however mysteriously).
Variable impulse order—Players may bid their florins to change the impulse order for a given turn, creating dynamic opportunities for surprising your enemies—or lying in deadly wait for them.
More opportunities to declare war mid-action phase—No game about Machiavelli’s era would be complete without the temptations and risks of back-stabbing rivals, even erstwhile allies, including in the middle of a turn. Great coalitions (like the historical “Holy League”) may form, but no alliance is ever truly safe.
2. Chariots of the Gods: A Module for the Great Battles of History Chariots of Fire Game from GMT Games
My experience with the Great Battles of History Series is not very deep. I own SPQR Deluxe Edition and have played it and enjoyed it and it is a beautiful monster with around 6 full counter sheets and 6 double sided maps with 19 scenarios. There is a lot of game here in each of the volumes in the series! The series is really very deep and there are a lots of rules and exceptions based on the different units that are included in each scenario. The game system really emphasizes the important role of command on the ancients battlefield. Leaders are the most important counters in the game and consequently without leader’s order, the player will find that their very powerful and important phalanx and legions will not be able to take any actions, even moving closer to the enemy. There is a new expansion module that was recently announced that deals with Ancient India covering the period of 1700 to 1800 BCE called Chariots of the Gods.
From the game page, we read the following:
Chariots of the Gods (CG) simulates tactical-level combat in the period of India’s ancient Vedic era. Covering a period extending from roughly 1700 to 800 BCE, the age of Vedic India was one of sweeping battles between great kingdoms for supremacy over northern India. This was the age of the chariot-knight, whose prowess with the compound bow from his speeding war-car inspired legends. Often the bravery of the charioteer, whose skill in commanding the vehicle safely through the chaos and danger of the ancient battlefield was no less legendary.
Given the heroic nature of the age, the Chariots of Fire Heroes rules have been expanded to portray the fighting styles in the Vedic poems. All scenarios feature Heros and Heroic Challenges. Rather than Heroes engaging in personal combat only on foot, the Vedic heroes duel each other from a moving chariot wielding their bows. The Hero counter represents not only the Hero, but his Charioteer, and his Chattra (banner) all of which may be hit by his opponent.
CG introduces three new unit types:
Javelin Infantry: Javelin/light spear armed troops with no armor and no missile capability, fighting in loose formations. These units provide the shock power for most of the tribes.
Dismounted Chariots: Noted on the reverse side of the CH-2 counter, these are the knights on foot rather than in their chariots. This mode is mostly useful for traversing rivers and other non-chariot favorable terrain.
Lance Armed Cavalry: Early light cavalry armed with lances with limited Shock capability.
There are special rules for river crossings, strongholds, and given the coalition type armies in the larger battles, rules for Tribal Flight.
Battles included in the Module
Hariyupiya River (ca. 1660), the Anu vs. the Vrcivans
Invasion of the Purus (ca. 1540), the Puru-Bharata vs. the Turvasha-Yadu
Battle of the Dasyus (ca. 1500), the Puru-Bharata vs. the Dasyus
Khandava Expedition (ca. 1415) the Bharata vs. the Kikatas
Parushni River (ca. 1400), Tritsu and Bharata vs. the Kings of the Puru Confederation
Yamuna River (ca. 1400), Tritsu and Bharata vs. the Kings of the Puru Confederation
The typical tribal army consists of mixture of Chariots, bow armed infantry, and javelin armed infantry with minimal shock capability. The Vrcivans, Dasyu, and Kikatas are infantry armies composed of Shock or Barbarian infantry along with bow armed infantry. The battles against the Daysu and Kikatas play out on rough terrain which tends to neutralize the Chariots mobility. The Vrcivans, on the other hand, need to force their way across a river and then contest the chariots in open terrain. The other three battles are set piece affairs occurring on mostly chariot friendly terrain showcasing the full capabilities of that weapons system and the dueling Heroes of legend.
If you are interested in Chariots of the Gods: A Module for the Great Battles of History Chariots of Fire Game, you can pre-order a copy for $37.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1230-chariots-of-the-gods.aspx
3. Liberty! A Military History Survey of the American Revolution from GMT Games
In our travels to several gaming conventions over the years we have made some great friends, which include gamers, designers, publishers, other content creators, etc. While attending the World Boardgaming Championships a few years ago, we had the chance to interview Mark Miklos who is the creator of the Battles of the American Revolution (BoAR) Series. We also have interviewed Mark several times for new volumes in the BoAR Series, including for Volume XI: The Battle of Green Spring: Prelude to Yorktown, July 6, 1781, Vol. X Battle of White Plains as well as play several of the games in the series at WBC and SDHistCon including Savannah and Germantown. Mark is a very enthusiastic student of the American Revolution and has now taken all of that knowledge and written a book on the subject that was offered up for pre-order by GMT Games this past month called Liberty! A Military History Survey of the American Revolution.
From the page, we read the following:
War has been defined in many ways; as a continuation of politics by other means, as the locomotive of history, and as Hell. Whatever your definition, war is undeniably a spectacle. And in all the spectacle of war, the conflict variously known as the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, or the War of American Independence has seldom been equaled for its cosmopolitan nature or for the allure it has on the popular imagination.
Here the Ancient Regime, the New World, and the world of the indigenous First Nations collided across oceans and in forest depths, in urban centers and on the frontier, atop mountains, on fertile plains, and across great rivers. Faith and great doctrines were tested. This was the Age of Reason which saw a reexamination of politics, economics and science and, with the vigor of a fledgling leaving its nest, took umbrage against the constraints of a still-enduring older social order.
What began as an assertion of the rights of Englishmen transformed into a movement for independence that ultimately led to a second world war in as many decades. An erudite debate that included statements such as, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety,” or, “If this be treason, make the most of it,” led to a sanguine test of arms and yet fully one third of the people in the American colonies simply asked to be left alone to live a common life as it had commonly been led.
Just in time to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, Mark Miklos, in his new book, Liberty! A Military History Survey of the American Revolution presents us with the arc of this epic story, a story of the quest for Liberty. Alternating between a 20,000-foot overview and comprehensive detailed analysis, this book informs what you may not know and refreshes what you may already know about the military perspective of the American Revolution.
Anchored on the original essays that appeared in his Battles of the American Revolution Series by GMT Games, Mark has expanded upon his original work to include new chapters, summaries, and transitions which present a compelling and cogent story. Mark has researched the most comprehensive chronological listing of over 600 battles, sieges, engagements, skirmishes, raids, ambush and sanguine quarrels across the nine-year duration of the war which provide context for the primary chapters.
The book features a foreword by Harold Buchanan, designer of GMT Games’ Liberty or Death and the creative force behind the SDHistCon franchise, as well as appendices, comprehensive endnotes, a bibliography, twenty four maps and dozens of illustrations.
As Mark writes, “The dawn of the American Revolution was a period much like others in human history. There was famine and plenty, avarice and charity, misery and joy. Yet something else unique and profound was manifesting, the spark of Liberty.”
Follow that journey in quest of Liberty. Revisit the great battlefields. Renew your acquaintance with heroes, villains and scoundrels along the way, and enjoy the story as Mark takes you on the journey in Liberty! A Military History Survey of the American Revolution.
4. Cuba Libre: Castro’s Insurgency, 1957-1958 5th Printing from GMT Games
Any time a game is on its 5th Printing that should tell you something right there. The game is interesting. The game is fun to play. The game teaches some really great history. Well, in the case of Cuba Libre, all of the before are true and then some. The 2nd game in the COIN Series, Cuba Libre is the smallest of the series in map spaces although All Bridges Burning comes close. This game is usually put forward as a good starting point for the series for new players and we would wholeheartedly agree with that, although I would say even above that is that you should have a passion and interest in the history first and foremost.
From the game page, we read the following:
Following up on GMT Games’ Andean Abyss, the COIN Series next volume, Cuba Libre, takes 1 to 4 players into the Cuban Revolution. Castro’s Marxist “26 July Movement” must expand from its bases in the Sierra Maestra mountains to fight its way to Havana. Meanwhile, anti-communist student groups, urban guerrillas, and ex-patriots try to de-stabilize the Batista regime from inside and out, while trying not to pave the way for a new dictatorship under Castro. Batista’s Government must maintain steam to counter the twin insurgency, while managing two benefactors: its fragile US Alliance and its corrupting Syndicate skim. And in the midst of the turmoil, Meyer Lansky and his Syndicate bosses will jockey to keep their Cuban gangster paradise alive. Cuba Libre will be easy to learn for Andean Abyss players—both volumes share the same innovative COIN system. Like Volume I, Cuba Libre is equally playable solitaire or by multiple players up to 4—and with a shorter time to completion than Andean Abyss. But Cuba Libre’s situation and strategic challenges will be new.
Here is a link to our most recent COIN Series Ranking Video:
5. Panzer: The Game of Small Unit Actions and Combined Arms on the Eastern Front 4th Printing from GMT Games
Panzer is a well regarded system that I have personally never played even though I like tactical games and combined arms is always fun because you get to use tanks. That is sad but one day I will get to it. GMT recently announced a new 4th Printing of the game and maybe this is my chance.
From the game page, we read the following:
Panzer is a complete game system designed for small unit actions from platoon to battalion-sized formations in World War II. The primary focus is Armored Warfare simulation, but Leg (Infantry) and Towed units are also part of the game. Each 7/8” double-sided counter represents a single vehicle, towed gun or aircraft. The 5/8″ double-sided leg unit counters represent squads, half-squads and sections, including their attached weapons.
It’s a modular rules system with Basic, Advanced and Optional rules, which the players can mix and match according to taste – you can keep it simple or make it as complex as desired. All Unit data is included on the full-color Data Cards. The streamlined chit-based command system moves the action along at a brisk pace.
The base game comes with 10 Scenarios, some of which are aimed at new players and use only the Basic rules.
Note on 4th Printing: This will be a straight reprint of the previous printing, with any known errata corrected.
If you are interested in Panzer: The Game of Small Unit Actions and Combined Arms on the Eastern Front 4th Printing, you can pre-order a copy on the GMT Games P500 game page for $65.00 at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1228-panzer-4th-printing.aspx
6. Combat! Blitzkrieg from Compass Games
Compass has been churning out new volumes for the Combat! Series over the past few months with volumes focused on Crete, Arnhem and the Eastern Front. I love that there is such a variety in the topics and settings of these solitaire tactical level wargames and look forward to seeing how the system branches out to involve other historical conflicts but also to see how they innovative and make each volume feel like it belongs to the period with new mechanics and unit types. This month, they announced the newest volume in the series called Combat! Blitzkrieg. This volume focuses on squads of Polish, French, or early-war German soldiers and the fighting ranges from the open fields of Poland to the snowy woods of Norway, to the villages and cities of Belgium and France. The game comes with 11 scenarios, 6 bonus Armor scenarios, a competitive 2-player mode, a comprehensive Random Scenario Generator which is always a good innovation to add variety to any game, a Campaign Game and the ability to combine with other 2nd-generation Combat! Series volumes.
From the game page, we read the following:
Combat! Blitzkrieg is a stand-alone solitaire game of man-to-man combat in World War II. This game depicts the countless squad-level actions that were fought as part of the first campaigns of the war, with the player commanding a squad of Polish, French, or early-war German soldiers in those engagements.
In the 11 scenarios, the fighting rages from the open fields of Poland to the snowy woods of Norway, to the villages and cities of Belgium and France. It is bursting with value, whether enjoyed on its own or combined with other games in the series, such as Combat! Eastern Front, Combat! Tunisia & Sicily, or Combat! Crete. The comprehensive Random Scenario Generator (and Campaign Game) further expands your gaming possibilities. With this tool, players can generate a limitless supply of unique scenarios for Combat! Blitzkrieg.
Combat! Blitzkrieg also includes new easy-to-use Armor rules, along with 6 extra Armor scenarios. Tanks, anti-tank guns, and infantry anti-tank weapons are included for the French, Poles, and Germans, as well as the Italians, British, Soviets, and Americans, for use with previous series games.
One of the things that I do like about this system and the various volumes is that it is not just cookie cutter churning out new games but each game has their own unique elements modeled into the game play as special rules or changes to account for the history of the setting. Here is a look at the changes in this new volume:
Other new features in Combat! Blitzkrieg include:
New Terrain types, including a Steeple, Graveyard, Fence, and Barricades.
Flamethrowers for use against enemy defenses.
Competitive Play rules for head-to-head battles!
Combined rulebook containing the special rules from previous Combat! volumes.
Plus, you get rules for air support, fortifications, city fighting, light mortars, weather, fire, and much more, making this the most comprehensive Combat!volume yet published!
7. Iberian Tide: The Spanish Civil War from Compass Games
Recently, we have been playing a lot games on the Spanish Civil War. It is a fascinating period of history leading up to the start of World War II and we have really played some great games on the subject including most recently Crusade & Revolution from Compass Games and The Republic’s Struggle from NAC Wargames. The Tide Series is the brain child of Gregory M. Smith and he is now working with a newer designer in Michael Vitale to tell the story of the Spanish Civil War in a Card Driven Game with the newest volume in the series called Iberian Tide: The Spanish Civil War.
From the game page, we read the following:
Iberian Tide is a 2-player operational-level game that places you in command of either the Nationalists (Franco and his German/Italian support) or the Republicans (Government troops and their Soviet/International support) during the Spanish Civil War. Many would point to this conflict as a ‘warm-up’ for World War II.
Starting with “Viva La Muerte” in 1936, the Nationalists try to quickly knock out the Government by attempting to capture Madrid, all while each side tries to organize amidst the chaos of the Coup.
Each turn, or ‘Block’ is about 3-6 months long, during which multiple card plays occur. These give the players movement, combats, ‘Dug-In’ positions, units and other actions or items. At the end of each Block, players must make critical decisions on which cards to re-buy in an attempt to win the game. Iberian Tide is based on the popular, action-packed “Tide” system of card-driven games (Pacific Tide, Imperial Tide, Rebel Tide, Desert Tide), with many combat and strategic decisions to challenge players in just a single evening’s game.
While the game is probably best as a 2-player game, there is a dedicated solitaire mode.
While Iberian Tide is designed as a 2-player experience, an additional option for solitaire play is provided by the inclusion of a Solitaire Bot. This “Bot” creates action priorities for the non-human player, and has the advantage of being simple enough to implement without spending an inordinate amount of time as the non-player
8. To Kyiv! The Russian Invasion of Ukraine from Compass Games
I know that many designers and publishers have a strict “no current ongoing war designs allowed” policy. I also understand that not all games are for all gamers and that is fine. With that being said, with the events in Ukraine over the past 4+ years, it is just a matter of time before we get several of these designs (this being the 3rd I am aware of with the other 2 games being 2022: Ukrainefrom Conflict Simulations Limited and Defiance: 2nd Russo-Ukrainian War 2022-? from GMT Games). The situation in Ukraine is a study in modern warfare and I for one am glad that this game is coming to light. The newest game to tackle this ongoing conflict is To Kyiv! The Russian Invasion of Ukraine from Compass Games designed by Ivan Notario.
From the game page, we read the following:
A Card-Driven Wargame of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, aiming to rapidly seize Kyiv and replace the country’s government. The campaign soon stalled in the face of determined Ukrainian resistance, exposing deep flaws in Russian planning and logistics.
To Kyiv! simulates this modern conflict at the brigade level, covering the chaotic early months of the invasion and the prolonged struggle that followed. Players alternate playing event and action cards that drive military, political, and logistical developments across the theater of war.
The game features variable turn lengths, reflecting the fluctuating tempo of operations, from rapid breakthroughs to extended periods of stalemate. Success requires balancing offensive ambition with the hard realities of supply, morale, and international support.
Designed as a serious historical simulation, To Kyiv! seeks to model the strategic and operational dynamics of the war as faithfully and respectfully as possible. It does not glorify or justify the conflict, but rather aims to help players better understand its complexity and consequences.
I am very much looking forward to this design and to see how it explores a conflict that has so recently been, and continues to be, in the headlines! I also love a good CDG and this one looks very promising.
I normally don’t highlight non-wargames in this Wargame Watch but this next game is just too juicy looking to not share. Do you love a good pirate game? With broadsides, walking the plank, scurvy, boarding parties and booty? Well, you are not alone and there will soon be another great game on the market to quench that thirst for mayhem and adventure with Pirate Hunter: 1718 designed by Joe Carter. I think that the best part about this game is that it is a solitaire game and Joe Carter is a very good designer who is doing a lot of them great titles.
I do own the first game in this series called Golden Age of Piracy: 1718 but have not had a chance to get it played yet as it sits atop my very high and ever growing pile of “to be played” games. A shame really as it looks amazing!
From the game page, we read the following:
Pirate Hunter: 1718 is a solitaire, tactical-level, open-ended sandbox game—being part wargame, part adventure game, and part RPG. As captain of a Royal Navy ship during the year 1718, you are tasked with hunting down and defeating pirates, with your ultimate goal being to attack and shut down the notorious pirate town of Nassau!
Ship-to-ship combat, boarding parties, and the search for buried treasure are to name but a few of the adventures that await you on your patrols across the high seas. But beware of lurking dangers such as the destructive Kraken or the haunting Ghost Ship, all the while you sail the crystal blue waters in pursuit of marauding pirates, fame, and fortune.
10. Rebel Tide: The U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865 from Compass Game Currently on Kickstarter
There is no secret that we really enjoy Gregory M. Smith designs and we also count him as a close friend so take that for what it is worth. He is a great designer and has put together some of our favorite narrative-driven solitaire wargames, such as Silent Victory, The Hunters and The Hunted, but also has done some great 2-player strategic level games on various historical periods including Imperial Tide, covering WWI, and Pacific Tide, taking on the Pacific Theater of WWII. His new game in the Tide Series deals with the American Civil War and is called Rebel Tide.
From the game page, we read the following:
Rebel Tide: The U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865 is a two-player strategic level game that places you in command of either the USA (Union) or CSA (Confederacy) during the Civil War. Each turn consists of a year, during which multiple card plays occur. These give the players movement, combats, entrenchments, and other actions. At the end of each year, players must make critical decisions on which cards to re-buy in an attempt to win the war outright or to win by placing the other side in a disadvantageous position by 1865. Rebel Tide is based on the popular, action-packed Imperial Tide/Pacific Tidegame system by Gregory M. Smith, with many combat and strategic decisions to challenge players in just a single evening’s game.
The core of the game is the unique card re-buy system, in which players take their annual production (adjusted for blockades and blockade runners) and decide which cards they need for the upcoming year. Cards not only provide for reinforcements, but allow for movement, combat, and entrenchment. Which cards to rebuy is without question one of the key decisions the player must make to prepare for next year’s operations.
The game has infantry units for all of the major participants, cavalry, and artillery units. Naval operations are mainly abstracted, although the Confederate player must worry about Farragut invading a port from the sea. Besides the focus on card play, the game features a small footprint (one standard map) and also is designed to be played in just a single evening – estimated at 3 hours for experienced players to fight the entire war.
But don’t worry because the game is not just a reskin of the same system used in those other two games, although the system is really interesting, but instead attempts to create new mechanics and elements to tell the proper story of the struggle for the soul of the country in the 1860’s.
One new mechanic in Rebel Tide is the Political Track, which is an abstract measure of the support of England and/or France to the Confederacy. If this track reaches the maximum early in the war, it can trigger an early CSA victory.
Another new key mechanic in the game system is the addition of historical Leaders, who range in ability from excellent (5) to poor (2). Bad leaders may be “sacked” and removed from the game and randomly replaced by the expenditure of a movement action. Leaders are vital in advancing after combat and also can add strength to an attack’s total combat power.
While attending WBC a few summers ago, we had a chance to sit down with Gregory M. Smith to cover a few of his upcoming designs and Rebel Tide was included in that discussion. Here is a look at our video interview with Greg:
As of May 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $9,098 toward its $2,500 funding goal with 101 backers. The campaign will conclude on Monday, May 4, 2026 at 10:00am EDT.
11. Battle Box – Age of Sail from Feral Wizard Currently on Kickstarter
Small and unique wargames are a rare commodity in our hobby of large and bloated 1,000 counter and multiple map monster games. Nothing wrong with bloated but sometimes it is nice to have a simple and quick to set-up game that is interesting and fun to play. Well, I found this offering on Kickstarter called Battle Box – Age of Sail and it simply looks amazing. It fits into a mint tin and seems to have a lot of flexibility and interest.
From the game page, we read the following:
Battle Box – Age of Sail is a complete naval wargame within a small tin box that fits in your pocket, perfect for a quick game on the go or even full naval campaigns.
The game in full display.
Battle Box – Age of Sail includes ships, battle mat, dice, scenarios, and cards for in-game effects such as critical hits and special ship rules.
4 ships and tracking tokens in different colors.
3 double-sided sections of a hexagonal grid battle mat; with open sea on one side and terrain features such as coastline, island and shoals on the other side.
4 dice and 1 set of rules to play in under 30 minutes while capturing the tactics and flavour of age of sail warfare.
18 cards with ship status tracking, critical effects, ship upgrades, narrative scenarios based on real events, a wind rose (plus wind token), and advanced rules for frigate duels.
And all of it fits within a small and neat tin box!
The set of 4 ships, each of a different colour, are used to represent generic men-of-war and merchant ships. The status, crew quality, ship upgrades, and critical hits on each ship are tracked by means of cards and a token matching the ship’s colour.
Ship Cards – Track ships status and bonuses/penalties deriving from it, such as an eager crew aboard a frigate, or a merchant ship so damaged that can’t sail effectively.
Upgrade Cards – Special rules that can be assigned to each ship for special scenarios, such as a fighting captain or a weatherly ship.
Critical Effect Cards – Attached to a ship as reminder of the critical conditions she is suffering, such as a raging fire or a mast going down.
As of May 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $10,175 toward its $270 funding goal with 230 backers. The campaign will conclude on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 9:01am EDT.
12. Old School Tactical Volumes II and III: The Pacific and WestReprint from Flying Pig Games
Old School Tactical from Flying Pig Games is a tactical combat system that focuses on World War II to date. The game focuses on the simulation of small unit combined arms engagements where historical units, weapons, armor and vehicles will duke it out on a beautifully crafted board full of hexes. During a turn, players will go back and forth using an Impulse Point System to activate units to either Move, Assault Move or Fire. The players will play through a predetermined amount of rounds and at the end, victory points and casualty points will determine which side is the victor.
The first volume in the series was Old School Tactical Volume 1 Eastern Front 1941/1942 and focused on battles between the Russians and Germans. Old School Tactical Volume 2 West Front 1944/1945 was a follow-up effort and focused on the titanic struggle in Europe following the D-Day landings in 1944 with battles between the Americans and Germans. Then came Old School Tactical Volume 3 Pacific 1942/1945 which includes battles between the Japanese and their Special Naval Landing Force and the American Marine Corps. Since that time they have done Volume 4: The Italian Theater and Volume 5 German invasion of France during 1940. But, they are now doing a reprint campaign for Volumes II and III and it is currently on Kickstarter.
From the game page, we read the following:
War is often remembered in sweeping movements across maps and history books, but it is decided in far smaller moments—when a single squad holds the line, when a machine gun nest refuses to fall, or when a bold maneuver turns confusion into opportunity. Old School Tactical is built to capture those moments. It is a squad-level system that places you in direct command of infantry, leaders, heavy weapons, and armored support, where every decision carries weight and every action can alter the course of a battle.
This Kickstarter brings together four outstanding entries in the acclaimed Old School TacticalSeries: two core games and two expansions that span the European and Pacific Theaters of World War II. Together, they offer a complete and deeply immersive tactical experience built on a system known for its accessibility, tension, and replayability.
At the heart of Old School Tactical is a design philosophy focused on clarity and engagement. The rules are streamlined without sacrificing meaningful decision-making, allowing players to quickly grasp the system while still exploring its tactical depth. Each turn is driven by an impulse-based structure that keeps both players involved, eliminating downtime and ensuring that every moment at the table feels active and consequential. The system emphasizes maneuver, firepower, leadership, and timing—core elements of battlefield command—while remaining intuitive and fast-playing.
This reprint Kickstarter offers four different games including Vol. III: Pacific War 1942–1945, Hell Bent Expansion, Vol. II: West Front 1944–1945 and Ghost Front Expansion.
Here are links to some of our content on these 2 fine games.
Video: So What is Old School Tactical? – A Look at the Old School Tactical System from Flying Pig Games:
Video Review: Old School Tactical Volume II with Airborne Expansion:
For my part, I think that Old School Tactical is one of the finest tactical systems out there. Its ability to generate the gory details of close quarters squad level combat while keeping the game rules relatively lite and intuitive is quite miraculous. We love it and I would definitely highly recommend the system to anyone that hasnt tried it.
As of May 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $62,668 toward its $12,000 funding goal with 280 backers. The campaign will conclude on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 12:00 noon EDT.
13. Blitz Creed – The Card Game from Blitzcreed Currently on Kickstarter
I love a good card based wargame. They are definitely a change of pace and a lot of the times are really great experiences. This past week, I found a new and interesting looking card based wargame called Blitz Creed – The Card Game on Kickstarter and wanted to make sure to share it with you.
From the game page, we read the following:
In the wake of global conflict, powerful countries fight for supremacy. Territories shift hands, alliances crumble and soldiers await their commands. Enter Blitz Creed where players engage in intense battles and use their wits to emerge victorious in this world of relentless warfare.
Blitz Creed is a fast-paced, military-themed card game where players battle for global dominance. Set in a world of strategic warfare, players control countries and deploy soldiers to engage in battles and conquer regions. The game combines elements of military strategy, outsmarting opponents and anticipating the moves of others in a contest of wits and power.
In Blitz Creed, you use a deck of 110 cards that include countries, soldiers, dispute cards and reinforcements. You’ll strategically play your cards to deploy soldiers, attack other countries while protecting your regions. Each country has a strength which determines it’s ability to win or lose a battle. There are also special cards like Regional Strike, which let you unleash powerful attacks on your enemies.
The goal is simple: conquer and secure 3 regions by collecting the required number of countries. The first player to secure 3 regions becomes world leader & wins the game.
As of May 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $4,346 toward its $2,625 funding goal with 75 backers. The campaign will conclude on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 6:54am EDT.
14. Cry Havoc– Medieval Man to Man Combat from Footsore Miniatures & Games Currently on Kickstarter
Nostalgia is a real thing and we have it for many of the things from our childhood. Sometimes that nostalgia is kind of like fool’s gold, meaning that we see something differently than it really was and have a favorable memory of it because it might have been one of our first tries of something that we love. But, nostalgia doesn’t always mean that those feelings are not real and true. Well, I recently came across one of these “nostalgia grab” wargame Kickstarters for a game that originally published in 1981 called Cry Havoc – Medieval Man to Man Combat from Footsore Miniatures & Games. I have looked into this one, even though I didn’t play it during my formative years, and have jumped on the bandwagon and backed the project. Word of warning though. The Kickstarter page is quite sparse and you really cannot get a good feel for what the game is other than a few beautiful pictures of what appears to be lovingly hand drawn boards and art.
From the game page, we read the following:
The original game of medieval combat returns in a fantastic remastered edition, featuring new art from Gary Chalk. Time to bring dramatic clashes of mail-armored knights to your tabletop.
The original 1981 edition of Cry Havoc
In 1981, Gary Chalk and Standard Games collaborated to create Cry Havoc!, combining simple rules with gorgeous hand-drawn art and compelling narrative scenarios. The game became the introduction to wargaming for many gamers worldwide, and the original version can still be found on many tabletops, a testament to the game’s quality and presentation.
Fast forward to 2026, and Gary has collaborated with his friend Mark Farr at Footsore Miniatures to clean up and remaster the original game with new artwork, maps and tokens. The game remains the same classic wargaming experience, and is completely compatible with the original 1981 version (if you’ve still got one on your shelf or tucked away in an attic).
I love the look of this one and even if the game is lacking having the beautiful boards and art in my possession will be worth the $80 I will pay for the game.
As of May 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has funded and raised $50,162 toward its $20,267 funding goal with 624 backers. The campaign will conclude on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 1:14pm EDT.
New Release
1. A Mad Endeavor: The Fight for Stoney Point, July 16, 1779 from High Flying Dice Games
With this year being the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the start of the American Revolutionary War here in America, I would expect to see a bunch of Am Rev focused wargames being released and to date this year we have seen 3 new ones (Trying Men’s Souls from Against the Odds Magazine and Battle of Pensecola 1781 from Strategy & Tactics Magazine) with the most recent of the bunch being A Mad Endeavor: The Fight for Stoney Point from High Flying Dice Games. I ordered a copy of this one and it arrived last week and looks to be a pretty good little game. Paul Rohrbaugh specializes in these little known and smaller scale battles throughout history and he uses an interesting card activation system that adds some of the unknown to the game and keeps it lite and interesting.
From the game page, we read the following:
The British outpost at Stony Point along the Hudson River prevented any movement by the Americans along this crucial waterway. It also allowed the British nearly unfettered transit that could cut off the New England colonies from the rest of United States. Such a position had to be taken and reduced. To that end, General Washington ordered General “Mad” Anthony Wayne to assemble a strike force to take Stoney Point by assault. What ensued was one of the most daring assaults in the Revolutionary War.
Can you as the British player hold off the Rebel’s attack at Stony Point? Will you as the Americans take the Loyalist stronghold to help secure New England’s position in the revolution? Learn and enjoy!
If you are interested in A Mad Endeavor: The Fight for Stoney Point, July 16, 1779, you can order a copy for $18.95 from High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: https://www.hfdgames.com/stoney.html
2. Cuius Regio: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648 from GMT Games
We have been collaborating with Francisco Gradaille a bit over the past few years as we have posted interviews for his first published design Plantagenet: Cousins War for England, 1459-1485, Onoda from Salt & Pepper Games as well as some other more generic game design and scenario articles. He now has a new game being fulfilled at the end of May called Cuius Regio: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648.
From the game page, we read the following:
Cuius Regio explores the operational military aspects of the pivotal period in European history called The Thirty Years War and focuses on the maneuvers and battles that shook Europe for three decades.
The Thirty Years War unfolded in four main phases: the Bohemian Revolt from 1618 to 1625, the Danish intervention from 1625 to 1630, the Swedish intervention from 1630 to 1635, and the French intervention from 1635 to 1648. It concluded with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which finally established a new status quo in Europe, the concept of the sovereignty of states, and shifted the focus of continental politics from southern Europe to the northern states.
The game is an operational scale game and contains all the grandeur you would expect on such an interesting and compelling conflict.
For two players, Cuius Regio is played on an operational-strategic scale. Each turn covers one year, and each hex is approximately nine miles across. Infantry and Cavalry strength points represent approximately 1000 men each, and an Artillery strength point is approximately five guns. Each leader has a Leadership Rating that affects how many troops he can lead and his effectiveness as a leader. Players maneuver their leaders and their armies around Central Europe, conquering cities, engaging in battles, gathering supplies, and preparing armies for yearly campaigns to gain control of the cities of the Holy Roman Empire.
The game includes scenarios covering the Bohemian Revolt, the Danish intervention, the Swedish intervention, the French intervention, and a Thirty Years War campaign of 31 turns lasting from 1618 to 1648. Each scenario has a unique character, and the game can be played in as little as an hour and a half (for a short scenario) or can be a multi-session game for the full campaign.
The turns are divided into two seasons (summer and winter), and each turn has a variable duration that depends on the number of armies activated. In addition, armies can conduct operations several times but become less effective as they accumulate fatigue during each action.
Combat is an integrated system for field battles and sieges and is resolved by a die roll, modified by each army’s leadership, composition, and condition, on a simple Battle Results Table.
If you are interested in Cuius Regio: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648, you can order a copy for $71.00 ($45.00 if you order quickly before they are shipped near the end of May) from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-971-cuius-regio-the-thirty-years-war.aspx
3. Empire of the Sun, 5th Printing from GMT Games
If you have followed us for long you know that we really love Empire of the Sun and have played it several times. The game is simply fantastic and really implements the CDG mechanic perfectly with the events of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Furthermore, if a game is on its 5th Printing now especially with the 4th Printing having been announced at the end of 2020, that says something about it.
From the game page we read the following:
Empire of the Sun is Mark Herman’s third card driven design since he introduced the system to the hobby in We The People. EotS is a strategic level look at the entire War in the Pacific from the attack on Pearl Harbor until the surrender of Japan. EotS is the first card driven game (CDG) to move the system closer to a classic hexagon wargame, while retaining all of the tension and uncertainty people have come to expect from a CDG. Players are cast in the role of MacArthur, Yamamoto, Nimitz, and Mountbatten as you direct your forces across the breadth of the globe from India to Hawaii and from Alaska to Australia. This is represented on a single map based on a 1942 equal area projection of the entire theater of conflict.
As in other games using the CDG system, players try to maximize the impact of their cards even as they hide their intentions and traps from their opponent. The player is faced with a wide set of clear strategic choices. The focus of EotS is on directing major offensive axes of advance. The Japanese early in the game are challenged to achieve their historical expansion as Allied forces battle the clock to react with their in-place forces trying to achieve maximum damage to the hard-to-replace Japanese veteran units.
If you don’t have this one, you need to get it now. Not only is the price right but the game is simply amazing. And it will be in a near perfect form with the 5th Printing.
We have lots of content on our blog and channel for you to choose from but here are a few of those pieces.
Empire of the Sun – Basic Training Episode 1 – Card Anatomy Video:
Empire of the Sun – Basic Training Episode 2 – Counter Anatomy Video:
If you are interested in Empire of the Sun: The Pacific War, 1941-1945, 5th Printing, you can order a copy for $88.00 ($56.00 if you order quickly before they are shipped near the end of May) from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1114-empire-of-the-sun-5th-printing.aspx
4. The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire 2nd Printing from GMT Games
I have said it before but Stephen Rangazas is a rockstar! Plain and simple. He has done some yeomen’s work over the past few years with games like Fall of Saigon: A Fire in the Lake Expansion, Sovereign of Discord: A Fire in the Lake Expansion and the recently released The British Way. The British Way is a really clean and quick playing 2-player COIN in a quad pack and we just love it. And it is now getting a 2nd Printing.
The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire covers four British counterinsurgency campaigns during the process of decolonization immediately following World War II. These include campaigns against larger insurgencies that sought to contest territory and topple colonial rule through armed conflict, such as in Kenya and Malaya, but also smaller more clandestine armed groups that sought to wear down British prestige to force a withdrawal as in Cyprus and Palestine.
From the game page, we read the following:
The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire is the first of several COINSeries Multipacks, containing four separate games exploring a series of thematically related insurgencies. Between 1945 and 1960, the British fought four major “emergencies,” as they referred to their counterinsurgency campaigns, each trying to manage their retreat from empire. The four games in this pack focus on exploring British counterinsurgent responses to a variety of different opponents, including communist insurgents in Malaya, militant nationalists in Kenya, and smaller and more clandestine terrorist organizations in Palestine and Cyprus. The games adjust the core COIN Series mechanics to provide a compelling new way of handling two-player conflicts, while also streamlining several mechanics to quicken gameplay. The British Way offers an approachable introduction to the COIN Series for new players, while presenting experienced players with four mechanically distinct games to explore and compare.
The four games in one box is a tried and true method as in the old SPI Quads and recently has had somewhat of a return with not only this new COIN Series Multipack format but with other publishers such as Compass Games and Brief Border Wars I, Brief Border Wars II and Brothers at War: 1862.
The British Way and the COIN Series Multipack has the following highlights:
Four full games in one box: Explore four different conflicts set during the twilight of the British Empire in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Each game uses a unique ruleset building on the same general mechanical structure, ensuring that they are easy to pick up while still offering a distinctive experience.
A new adaptation of the classic COIN system: Improved two-player sequence of play and a versatile Political Will track for determining victory.
Unique mechanisms reflecting the British approach to each conflict: New Villages in Malaya, the ‘Pipeline’ in Kenya, Curfews in Cyprus, and Mass Detention in Palestine.
Small board footprint with quick-but-deep gameplay: Each game plays in under 90 minutes and takes place on a single 17×22” board.
An “End of Empire” Campaign: A campaign scenario allowing players to play the four games in a linked series with a cumulative scoring system, random ‘external’ events relating to British decolonization, and new mechanics to integrate each game into the campaign.
As you know, I love the COIN Series, and this new multi-pack format is very exciting as it provides us more access to smaller, lesser gamed subjects that are fast playing. It also provides to us as players a comparable view at different types of conflict and how they affect the populace and the overall success of these efforts. I think this type of approach won’t work with every conflict and many conflicts will be better served in the framework of the larger COIN Series as their own standalone games. In speaking with Stephen on this very subject, he has shared that his “…hope is that a series of multipacks might provide new ways for wargamers to think about conflict and help cover some topics that would be difficult to design or sell as standalone products”.
5. The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy from GMT Games
In April 2024, we got the announcement that the first entry in the COIN Series Multi-PackThe British Way got a new expansion called The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy and more than that there were to be variants for the existing conflicts covered in the game.
From the game page, we read the following:
The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy is an expansion for The British Way, including two entirely new games on “prequel” conflicts using the Malaya and Palestine maps and expanding the base game experience with new variants for all four conflicts originally covered. The British Way: Japanese Occupation puts the British and the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) on the same side in their efforts to resist the Japanese occupation of Malaya during World War II. The British Way: Arab Revolt allows players to explore the brutal suppression of the Arab Revolt (1936-1939) that preceded the Jewish insurgency covered by the original Palestine game. The two new games involve entirely new mechanics to capture the unique features of each conflict and can each be linked to the original Palestine and Malaya games, which also allows them to feed into the “End of Empire” Campaign Scenario. The two new games in the expansion allow players to explore how British attempts to combat earlier threats to colonial rule involved collaborating with local armed groups that they would later end up fighting against (Jewish paramilitary groups in Palestine and the MCP in Malaya), ironically strengthening and preparing these groups for two of the conflicts featured in the The British Way.
So 2 new games in The British Way: Japanese Occupation and The British Way: Arab Revolt that use 2 of the existing boards. But there is more. The variants to me seem like the most interesting part as they add new elements to all of the 4 base games. For Palestine, they are adding a free functioning Lehi insurgency that does some neat looking things (I am not sure if these are a type of Bot or if it is controlled by the player). In Malaya, they add additional Jungle bases for the insurgents that make them harder to get to and the British get SAS units that can do that job, plus an additional 4 new Event Cards. In Kenya, we get a new British Detention Deck and the Mau Mau get a few leaders. And finally in Cyprus, are added some new Turkish group cell pieces to hinder the British. These expanded elements look very interesting and I think continue the focus of the game on studying the types and form of insurgency/counterinsurgency at the end of the British Empire across the world. Just fantastic!
If you are interested in The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy Expansion, you can order a copy for $67.00 ($42.00 if you order quickly before they are shipped near the end of May) from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1107-the-british-way-enemy-of-my-enemy.aspx
6. Air & Armor: V Corps, Tactical Armored Warfare in Europe from Compass Games
Another Cold War Gone Hot game. A look at 1985. This topic always makes for a fantastic wargame as there is lots of armor, aircraft and support technologies that pits the United States and NATO against Russia and the Warsaw Pact powers in the late Cold War period in 1985. It seems there have been lots of these games come out in the last few years or so and I always welcome a new one. Air & Armor: V Corps, Tactical Armored Warfare in Europe is an entry in the Operational Air & Armor Series that specifically focuses in on the the famed U.S. V Corps.
From the game page, we read the following:
Air & Armor is a highly realistic game system designed to simulate modern warfare at a grand tactical level. In the Cold War Series, set in 1986, players simulate a hypothetical Soviet attack on NATO forces in West Germany. V Corps depicts the collision of two Soviet armies, the 28th Army and the 1st Guards Tank Army, with the famed U.S. V Corps in ferocious battles from Fulda to Frankfurt. The U.S. 3rd Armored and 8th Infantry Divisions, covered by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, attempt to halt the advance of four Warsaw Pact motor rifle divisions and five tank divisions in a titanic struggle for the approaches to Frankfurt.
Air & Armor employs a highly interactive game system with asymmetric rules, modeling each alliance’s different command-and-control capabilities. The game simulates all major aspects of modern warfare, including reconnaissance, combined arms operations, air, helicopter, and artillery strikes, chemical and electronic warfare, and combat engineering. Multiple levels of hidden intelligence produce a true “fog of war” experience and provide plenty of opportunities for deception, surprise, and ambush. Play this game to experience what it would have been like to command a Cold War division in battle.
V Corps includes 12 scenarios, each depicting a unique battle situation, most of which are playable in a single sitting. Players can choose to play the game in Open Mode or Hidden Mode. In Open Mode, each player knows his own unit strengths but cannot see his opponent’s. In Hidden Mode, unit strengths remain a mystery to both players until the moment of contact. Hidden Mode makes for highly entertaining solitaire play.
As usual, thanks so much for reading along and sticking with me this month as I navigated through the many websites and game pages looking for new and interesting games to share.
Finally, thanks once again to this month’s sponsor Sound of Drums!
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