Another month in quarantine has gone by with very little change on my end. I have been pretty productive at both work and on the blog as we have increased our weekly output to about 5-6 posts per week but our ability to play new games has been slowed considerably as we haven’t been able to get together since mid-March. We are fortunate that we have had several solitaire games to play including several from GMT Games with Alexander playing and doing video reviews for The Hunted, Fields of Fire Volume 2 and he played through The Dark Valley solo shooting a Battle Report/AAR as well as video review. I have played Navajo Wars but need more time with it to fill out my thoughts.

With the shutdown, we haven’t received any new games from GMT but once things get back to normal we are expecting a big dump of games and we will be busy. It is really anybody’s guess when things will unfreeze and we will start the long path to getting back to some sense of normalcy, but I am hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later (and by soon I am thinking June or July). I look forward to these Monthly Updates and really enjoy reading through them and thinking about what might be. This month, there was a new P500 added to the list which was a classic remastering of a Mark Herman gem.

GMT Games April Monthly Update Banner

In case you missed the Monthly Update email, here is a link: https://mailchi.mp/7a85e91327a8/april-23-update-from-gmt-new-p500-digital-update-production-news-and-more

Also if you are interested in my thoughts on the March Monthly Update you can read that post here: https://theplayersaid.com/2020/03/25/march-2020-monthly-update-from-gmt-games-its-the-end-of-world-as-we-know-it-but-gmt-is-still-pumping-out-new-games-and-i-feel-fine/

New P500's Banner

New P500’s

As Gene mentioned in his opening statement on the Monthly Update, things have slowed down as the warehouse is closed due to the Coronavirus. They are not shipping games, progress on art has slowed and Gene mentioned that they would only be adding 1 new P500 per month for the foreseeable future. True to that there was only 1 new P500 but it was a good one for sure!

Pacific War Banner 1

Pacific War: The Struggle Against Japan, 1941-1945

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 it 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 fun and I simply cannot wait to play this game so that I can get a view of the original work from one of my favorite designers.

If you are interested in Pacific War: The Struggle Against Japan, 1941-1945 you can pre-order a copy for $79.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-865-pacific-war-the-struggle-against-japan-1941-1945.aspx

With the current situation that we find ourselves in with the quarantine, as he did last month, Gene provided some very helpful resources so we can keep ourselves entertained as we ride this thing out:

Some Resources for Filling Your Downtime. We’ve had numerous requests from customers to give them some ideas of what GMT-related material they can read or use online to help fill the downtime many of us are experiencing. Here’s a list of some resources and recent articles that we hope you’ll find helpful:

  • ETO Series Update. For you fans of Frank Chadwick’s ETO Series, check out Alan Emrich’s most recent update, focused on series improvements to the air game. When you’ve finished, click Home to get a list of other recent articles/resources from the ETO team.
  • Lee’s AirBattle Website. If you’re a fan of any of the air games and series that we’ve published with Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, check out his website for more info and resources. Note that most of the six game/series pages on his site includes a Downloads link, where you can get files with new scenarios, tools, and additional information about the games.
  • GMT Games on VASSAL: We have VASSAL modules for most of our games. So if you’re missing face-to-face play, you and your friends can continue your gaming fun playing on VASSAL. The link at the start will send you to the VASSAL.org page that lists GMT Games available.
  • PBEM Vassal Tournament: Next War Korea, Death Valley, and The Dark Valley. The wargameleague.com PBEM ladder site is having a PBEM Vassal Tournament. To sign up for this tournament, you must send an email to jeff.lange@mac.com prior to March 31, 2020. Late players beyond that date will be slotted in as well on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is free. Further information will be provided after sign ups.
  • InsideGMT Articles. If you’re looking for reading material that includes more background and detail on our games, especially upcoming P500 games, InsideGMT has a LOT of it. Check out the latest articles here, or use the site’s Search function to pull up all the articles about a game of your choice. Also, later in this update in the InsideGMT section, Rachel has included a bunch of links to various article series that you may find interesting.
  • GMT Website. The main page lists all of our most recent shipments and new P500 additions, plus sections below detailing all our latest News and Recent Additions to the website. Click here for the P500 Pre-Order Page to browse or make orders. You can use the Search function from any page to quickly find a game page for any in-stock or P500 game (and for most of our out-of-stock games). Each of those game pages contains a list of online resources specific to that game.
  • Our GMT Games Facebook Page. Feel free to drop in here to discuss or ask questions about our games with over 6,100 other GMT enthusiasts.
  • Play our Digital Games! You can now play digital versions of Twilight Struggle, Fort Sumter, and Labyrinth—all from our friends at Playdek. See the Digital Games section later in this update for links to the apps on various platforms.
  • Check out articles from The Players’ Aid. Grant and Alexander do a great job of offering a mix of print and video replays, first looks, interviews, and strategy articles about a variety of games, both from GMT and other companies. Here’s a link to one of their most recent articles—which looks in-depth at the Command Deck in Volko’sNevsky.

I said this last month, but thanks to Gene for sharing our content. I know that we cover a lot of GMT Games but it is really nice that they support so feverishly the content creating community at large. We owe a large amount of our views and followers to GMT Games and we appreciate the way that they continue to share our stuff.

Charging and Shipping

Charging and Shipping 

The following update for Charging and Shipping was copied from the Update:

Once we know what date we can re-open our offices and warehouse, we will set up a charge date about 7-10 days in advance of our open date. We’ll ship our new P500s (we’ll have TWELVE items in the warehouse at that point!) in three batches, about a month apart, as follows:

The 1st P500 Batch – shipping as soon as we can re-open – will include the following 4 products:

Men of Iron Tri-Pack

Wing Leader: Origins, 1936-1942 

The 2nd P500 Batch – shipping roughly 30 days after we re-open – will include the following 4 products:

1989, 2nd Printing 
Beneath the Med 

The 3rd P500 Batch – shipping roughly 60 days after we re-open – will include the following 4 products:

You can expect the first batch of charges, as noted above, roughly 7-10 days before we re-open the office and warehouse. We’ll keep you updated thereafter in our monthly updates as to more precise charging dates for the 2nd and 3rd batches.

New P500s on the Horizon

New P500’s on the Horizon

I did a good job last month with 2 of my guesses being correct (2 out of 4 to be more specific). We shall see how I do this month. Here is the information that Gene shared in the update with my guesses added:

Here is a brief tease for P500 additions lining up in the coming months. Note that this is not a comprehensive list, so I will switch these up a bit from month to month. My recent hint of “A new GMT version of a 1980s Victory Games classic” referred to this month’s new Pacific War, from designer Mark Herman. Over the coming 1-6 months, I anticipate that we will add:

  • A new WWII block game featuring paratroopers – same clue from last month on this one and I just haven’t been able to find anything on the web, social media or from my inside contacts.

  • A new design by Mark Simonitch – Salerno ’43 designed by Mark Simonitch. I guess that even though this is a different hint than last month but I don’t know of any other upcoming Simonitch games. I looked on his Facebook page and there was nothing.

  • A new game set in Afghanistan – I am definitely interested but just don’t have any intelligence here.

  • A new WWI game from Michael Resch – I also don’t have any information on this one but I enjoy World War I games.

Pitiful! That is all I will say about my performance here. Does anyone have any insight into these upcoming games?

Conclusion and Summary of My P500 Orders/Tracking

As I always tend to end these posts, I will post a summary of where my 42 P500 games stand as of April 24th. I routinely check the status of each of my games and also will show the change in orders as compared to the last time I wrote them down on March 23rd.

  1. 1989: Dawn of Freedom 2nd Printing – 533 [+38 orders] – Finally reached the 500 orders level…but we know from the Update that it will ship in the 2nd batch after they reopen. Here is a look at the updated 2nd Printing cover: 1989 Cover
  2. Bayonets & Tomahawks – 956 [+2 orders, made the cut!] – I love a good game about the French & Indian War. Read my interview with designer Marc Rodrigue about B&T! Getting really close now. Still in the art department with shipping scheduled for the next 3-5 months.
  3. Imperial Struggle – 3,778 [+158 orders, made the cut on 1st day!] – A game depicting the rivalry between France and Britain in the 18th century designed by the Twilight Struggle dynamic duo. Currently in transit to the warehouse and will begin shipping when they reopen the warehouse. Here is a look at some finalized art for the components:Imperial Struggle Components
  4. Roads to Leningrad 2nd Edition – 191 [+1 order] – This game is medium complexity and has high suitability for solitaire. Also, this is the 2nd edition and they are fixing some of the rules, updating the map and player aides (full color) and also there are 528 counters! I love counters and this game has 528. Read my interview with designer Vance von Borries. Game was saved from P500 purgatory last year! Thanks for all who ordered. Maybe it is time that I start looking for this one some other way. Vance’s games are amazing and we have really enjoyed our plays of Demyansk Shield from Legion Wargames.
  5. Plains Indian Wars – 419 [+8 orders, made the cut! thanks to a mystery donor] – A great game that looks at the inevitable wars between the expanding United States and the proud Native American tribes of the west. Read our interview on the game with John Poniske. We posted a few videos on this one to help push it on up toward the P500 goal. Review video and How to Play video. How far this one has come. After being announced as being in danger of being removed from the P500 if orders didn’t pick up an anonymous donor has bought the remaining +/- 100 copies to get this one printed. Yeah!
  6. A Time for Trumpets: The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 – 949 [+12 orders, made the cut!] – A monster wargame covering the Battle of the Bulge (5 maps and 1,600 counters). This design seems to take many familiar elements from other designs and adds some new shiny things to spice it up. I’m really interested to see the different colors used for the various formation/HQs as this one purports to include the entire rainbow. Congrats to Bruno on making the cut so quickly. Here is our interview with Bruno for your reading pleasure. Currently in the art department and should be shipping over the next 3-5 months.
  7. All Bridges Burning: Red Revolt and White Guard in Finland, 1917-1918 – 1,352 [+31 orders, made the cut! in the first month] – Here is a link to an InsideGMT article that describes the game: https://t.co/TPCssBT76U I also posted an initial interview with designer VPJ Arponen last year and now have a follow-up piece with him discussing the design experience. Really excited about this 3-player COIN Series game. We also worked with Vez on a series of posts where we are spoiling several Event Cards from the game along with Vez’s comments on the history behind the card, what they do, how they are best used by the factions and other neat elements. Here are our posts for the cards: #3 November Revolution in Russia, #8 General Strike, #9 Declaration of Finnish Independence, #27 The Reds Launch a Major Offensive, #43 Rough Justice, #45 Finland’s Fate Hangs in Balance, #24 Red Revolt!, #25 Disarming Russian Garrisons, #11 Weapons from Russia? and #30 Meetings in the Catacomb. Currently at the art department awaiting a shipping date. Here is a look at the final cover:All Bridges Burning Cover
  8. Flashpoint: South China Sea – 634 [+8 orders, made the cut!] – Another new entry in the Lunchtime series that was announced last year and for which the first entry is Fort Sumter. The South China Sea is a source of great concern for the West and this game looks at the struggle between China and the rest of the world over influence and control in this contested quadrant of the world. We were lucky enough to meet up with the designer Harold Buchanan at GenCon 2018 and got to play and shoot a video interview on the game. Nearing art department readiness.
  9. People Power: Insurgency in the Philippines, 1983-1986 – 832 [+12 orders, made the cut!] – Volume XI in the COIN Series, this game is another introductory level game set in the Marcos years in the Philippines. New additions, such as key personality cards and an Election Cycle, are sure to make this game a unique addition to the series. Here is our interview with designer Kenneth Tee. We also posted the first few cards in our series of Event Card spoilers for the game including #51 Aquino Dead, #31 The First Lady, #12 Another Beirut, #72 Rolly Kintanar, #9 Call for Unity, and #53 Alejo Santos to give you some more historical and game play background into the design. Nearing art department readiness.
  10. Beneath the Med: Italian Submarines at War, 1940-1943 – 841 [+27 orders, made the cut!] – A follow on to the The Hunters Series, this game takes you into the Mediterranean Sea during World War II to battle beneath the waves as the Italians. Designer Gregory M. Smith knows solo sub games and this one looks fantastic. Here is our interview with Gregory and it is a really good looking game. Currently in transit to the warehouse and will begin shipping in the 2nd batch after they reopen the warehouse. Here is a look at the final cover:Beneath the Med Cover
  11. Atlantic Chase – 1,037 [+10 orders, made the cut!] – Simulates the naval campaigns fought in the North Atlantic between the surface fleets of the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine between 1939 and 1942. It utilizes a system of trajectories to model the fog of war that bedeviled the commands during this period. This leads to my affectionate nickname for the game “Ticket to Ride: North Atlantic” as you will see lines of ships on the map much like the lines of trains in that game. Alexander posted an interview with Jerry White last year that you should read. Great looking game! Currently in the art department and should be shipping in the next 3-5 months.
  12. Versailles 1919 – 1,378 [+33 orders, made the cut!] – This game is designed as a more accessible and easy to learn version than Churchill but still will generate significant interest from wargamers who have enjoyed Mark’s other creations in this area. Also, the game will have a solitaire system included. We attended WBC in July 2018 and were able to play a full game of Versailles 1919 with Mark Herman and did the following video interviewwith him. Great game by the way! Currently at the printer awaiting a shipping date. Here is a look at the final cover:Versailles 1919 Cover
  13. Expansion or Extinction: A Triumph & Tragedy Series Game – 621 [+10 orders, made the cut!] – If you liked Triumph & Tragedy, you will like this game…only it is in space! We were fortunate enough to play a game at WBC 2018 with the designer Stuart Pierce and also shot this video interview with him. We also posted a written interview with him on our blog in February 2019 which was really good. Nearing art department readiness.
  14. Men of Iron Tri-Pack – 941 [+21 orders, made the cut!] – This Men of Iron Series is a look at battles in medieval times involving men-at-arms, knights, longbowman, etc. The Tri-Pack includes the first three games in the Men of Iron Series: Men of Iron, Infidel, and Blood & Roses, with the Battle of Agincourt thrown in for good measure from C3i Magazine #22. This system is very interesting and we are definitely intrigued as our play of The Battle of Wakefield was very interesting. Currently in transit to the warehouse and will begin shipping when they reopen the warehouse.
  15. Commands and Colors: Samurai Battles – 1,150 [+17 orders, made the cut!] – A reprint of a former game that looks amazing as I love any type of game focused on feudal Japan. We have been playing lots of C&C Napoleonicsand Ancients recently and are really anticipating this title. Nearing art department readiness.
  16. Storm Above the Reich – 7163 [+13 orders, made the cut!] – A follow up effort to the wildly successful Skies Above the Reich. A solo game focused on depicting a Luftwaffe squadron of Fw190s struggling to deter and destroy the relentless daylight raids over Germany during World War II. Nearing art department readiness.
  17. Dominant Species: Marine – 1,257 [+36 orders, made the cut!] – If you like Dominant Species, and I sure do, you are bound to love this take on the genre as marine life fights it out beneath the primordial waves! In the art department and will be shipping in 5-9 months.
  18. Next War: Vietnam – 884 [+9 orders, made the cut!] – The fifth game in the Next War Series this game returns the action to Asia and the powderkeg surrounding the South China Sea. This time the Chinese don’t intend a limited, punitive expedition; they intend to squash the burgeoning threat from their southern border once and for all and prove, through force of arms, that the South China Sea is theirs. I can’t wait to slug it out in and above the jungles of Vietnam! Currently in the art department and shipping in 5-9 months.
  19. Rebel Fury: Five Battles from the Campaigns of Chancellorsville and Chickamauga – 755 [+20 orders, made the cut!] – We really enjoyed Mark Herman’s Gettysburg game found in C3i Magazine #32 and when I heard about Rebel Fury, I jumped on it immediately. Low complexity system with some really great elements to simulate fighting in the American Civil War. Nearing art department readiness.
  20. Clash of Sovereigns: The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740-48 – 587 [+13 orders, made the cut!] – As I have said we love CDG’s and this one is on a different subject than we are used to. Very intrigued by this one and have added it to my P500 for now. Need more info though. Nearing art department readiness.
  21. Caesar: Rome VS Gaul, Gallic Wars 57-52 BC – 856 [+52 orders, made the cut!] – Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul is a fast-playing, easy-to-learn, two-player card-driven game on Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. One player plays Caesar as he attempts to gain wealth and fame in Gallia at the expense of the Gauls. The other player controls all the independent tribes of Gaul as they slowly awake to the peril of Roman conquest. This one looks great! This game appeared on my Most Anticipated Wargames of 2020 list at #4along with several other games on this post. Currently in the art department and should be shipping in the next 3-5 months. Here is a look at a near final cover I saw on Facebook about a week ago: Caesar Final cover
  22. Banish the Snakes – 569 [+18 orders, made the cut!] – A cooperative game that simulates Ireland in the 5th century, while the Roman Empire was collapsing in the west and Ireland was turning to the Christian religion. Players represent Saints Patrick and others (up to six of you) who set out to convert the pagans on the island. You must work as a team to convert the people of Ireland before the barbarians completely overwhelm Britain. We love good and interesting cooperative games. We published an interview with designer Kevin McPartland a few weeks ago.
  23. Labyrinth: The Forever War, 2015-? – 1,799 [+84 orders, made the cut!] – 1-2 player card-driven boardgame simulating at the strategic level the ongoing bid by Islamist extremists to impose their brand of religious rule on the Muslim world. We love Labyrinth and this is simply more goodness. We posted an interview with the designer Trevor Bender last year. We also hosted a series of 6 Event Card spoiler posts over the past few months. #257 Women’s Rights Activism, #315 Khashoggi Crisis, #275 Operation Inherent Resolve, #305 Presidential Whistleblower, #391 Tehran-Beirut Land Corridor and #351 Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). Currently in transit to the warehouse and will begin shipping when they reopen the warehouse.
  24. Storm Over Asia – 458 [+19 orders, made the cut! due to an anonymous donor] – A large companion game to the daunting A World at War that focuses on the Pacific Theater of Operations. Beginning in 1935, there are a lot of options for players to explore different what if scenarios in this deep World War II game. I added it because I couldn’t help myself! From the Update that it will ship in the 3rd batch after they reopen.
  25. No Retreat! Battles: 1942 – 394 [+5 orders] – A game that looks at battles for an individual year during World War II. Game offers solitaire rules for a few of the included battles, of which there are 5 in this edition. We posted an interview with the designer Carl Paradis a few months ago.
  26. COIN Series Volume XII China’s War: 1937-1941 – 1,098 [+33 orders, made the cut!] – Brian Train is back on the COIN wagon as he specializes in counterinsurgency. Love his other two games in the COIN Series (A Distant Plain and Colonial Twilight) and look forward to this one as I have always had a great interest in this part of World War II. We posted an interview with Brian Train a few weeks ago. Nearing art department readiness.
  27. Fall of Saigon – 1,419 [+60 orders, made the cut!] – We love Fire in the Lakeand this expansion delves into the period of the Vietnam War from 1972-1975 and really boils down to a play game with the US and VC involved but their role is minimized. We played the game at WBC and posted the following video with Mark Herman and Dan Pancaldi from No Enemies Here. We have also posted a written interview with co-designer Volko Ruhnke. Nearing art department readiness.
  28. The Last Hundred Yards Volume 2: Airborne Over Europe – 611 [+11 orders, made the cut!] – a follow up to the hit The Last Hundred Yards focused on airborne troops. You can’t go wrong with that. I will reach out to the designer Mike Denson for an interview soon.
  29. Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East – 548 [+21 orders, made the cut!] – if you like a bit of chaos and some randomness in your lite civilization building games, then this series will be right up your alley. We have posted an interview with designers Mark McLaughlin and Christopher Vorder Bruegge.
  30. Conquest & Consequence – 593 [+13 orders, made the cut!] – The Pacific Theater of World War II using the Triumph & Tragedy system. We love block wargames and this one is going to be good. Will reach out to the designer Craig Besinque for an interview soon.
  31. SpaceCorp: Ventures – 1,156 [+56 orders, made the cut!] – We really enjoyed the space exploration in SpaceCorp and this expansion will add unique enterprises via fourteen HQ mats, each putting a player in control of a different corporation, agency, or institution with its own capabilities and missions. I reached out to the designer John Butterfield for an interview and hope to have that in a few months.
  32. The Weimar Republic – 931 [+54 orders, made the cut!] – we love CDGs and this one looks really interesting. The game focuses on the political struggle in interwar Germany. Four factions compete for dominance: the democratic Coalition, the Soviet-backed Communist Party, Hitler’s National Socialists, and the far-right Radical Conservatives. I need to reach out to the designer for an interview.
  33. Red Storm: Baltic Approaches – 508 [+36 orders, made the cut!] – an expansion for the very interesting looking “Cold War Gone Hot” air war game Red Stormadding the air forces of three new countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Poland) along with additional units for nations represented in Red Storm.
  34. Seas of Thunder – 541 [+39 orders, made the cut!] – Allows players to re-create the Atlantic or Pacific theaters of the World War II but to see how challenging the entire picture was for their leaders with too much ocean to cover with too few ships.
  35. Red Flag Over Paris – 397 [+41 orders] – a game similar in style and mechanics to Fort Sumter but that deals with the Parisian revolutionaries taking control of the French Capital, leading to the beginning of the Paris Commune, a socialist and popular government that would rule the City of Light from March 18 to May 28, 1871. The tension escalates between the Commune and Versailles until the tragic events of the Bloody Week. We posted an interview with the designer Fred Serval a few weeks ago. We also started a new series of event card spoilers called History Behind the Cars with the first entry being #1 Victor Hugo followed by #2 Les Cantinières, #3 Les Amis de l’Ordre and #4 Georges Clémenceau.
  36. Congress of Vienna – 643 [+50 orders, made the cut!] – a diplomatic Strategy CDG for one to four players which is based on Churchill but that deals with the Napoleonic Wars and their end between 1813-1814. I have reached out to the designer for an interview.
  37. Into the Woods: The Battle of Shiloh – 808 [+53 orders, made the cut!] – The eighth installment of the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) series, which is an amazing accomplishment in this day of new systems and new games grabbing most of the attention. This one is a big game as it does include 1,120 counters and two huge 22″ x 34″ double sided maps along with 10 scenarios. I will be reaching out to the designer for an interview but hope that the developer Bill Byrne is involved as he did an interview with me covering Death Valley.
  38. Tank Duel Expansion #1: North Africa – 573 [+66 orders, made the cut!] – Tank Duel moves to the North African desert with new terrain and desert rules and allows you to take on the role of the Germans, using their Panzer III’s and IV’s or the British in their Churchill’s, Valentine’s, Matilda’s and Crusader’s.
  39. Tank Duel Tank Pack #1 – 583 [+70 orders, made the cut!] – 8 new tanks added to the Tank Duel system including KV-1’s, T-26, M3 Lee’s and Puma’s.
  40. Almoravid – 450 [+175 orders] – Volume II in the Levy & Campaign Series that focuses on 11th century Spain and the battle between the Moors and Christians. I will be reaching out to Volko to do an interview soon.
  41. Twilight Struggle: Red Sea – Conflict in the Horn of Africa – 842 [+291 orders, made the cut!] – follow up to Twilight Struggle but this time focused in East Africa, the Arabian Gulf, and the vital sea lanes stretching between them.
  42. Pacific War – 818 orders

I also wanted to include at the end of this post our reviews/interviews/unboxing videos of recent GMT games that we have played and enjoyed:

Battle Report Video: The Dark Valley: The East Front Campaign, 1941-45 Deluxe Edition

Video Review: The Hunted: Twilight of the U-Boats, 1943-45

Unboxing Video: Next War: Korea

Video Review: Fields of Fire Vol II With the Old Breed

Video Review: Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242

History Behind the Cards – A Look at Red Flag Over Paris – Card #2 – Les Cantinières

The Troubles – COIN Series Inspired Multi-Faction Treatment of the Northern Ireland Conflict – Event Card Spoilers – #122 Brighton Hotel Bombing

History Behind the Cards – A Look at Red Flag Over Paris – Card #3 – Les Amis de l’Ordre

Written Interview with Fred Serval Designer of Red Flag Over Paris: 1871, The Rise and Fall of the Paris Commune

Written Interview with Bruce Mansfield Designer of Tru’ng Bot Update Pack for Fire in the Lake

Action Point 1 – Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242

Action Point 2 – Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242

History Behind the Cards – A Look at Red Flag Over Paris – Card #4 – Georges Clémenceau

The Troubles – COIN Series Inspired Multi-Faction Treatment of the Northern Ireland Conflict – Event Card Spoilers – #108 SAS – Peter Cleary

I hope that you are all dealing well with the current situation and are staying healthy, happy and spending quality time with those you love. Hang in there. There is light on the horizon and a return to normalcy in our future. Thanks for following along on our journey of playing through all of these fantastic wargames from GMT Games. Lots of good content coming from us over the next few weeks to keep you entertained as you are quarantined.

-Grant