2022 is moving ahead at quite a quick pace as we have arrived at Spring. With Spring, comes warmer weather, rain and new plants sprouting and the leaves returning. It is always a period of rebirth and a bit of excitement and I feel like I have a similar feeling with wargames for April. With that being said, I was able to find a total of 10 games, with 6 pre-order games and 4 new release games to share this month with 2 of those being on Kickstarter.

If you missed the March Wargame Watch, you can you can read that here at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/03/01/wargame-watch-whats-new-upcoming-march-2022/

Pre-Order

Storm Over Jerusalem: The Roman Siege from Multi-Man Publishing

I have really enjoyed gaming the time periods associated with Rome, both the Empire, its Republic and its various Civil Wars. I actually have written one of our Best 3 Games with… series that covers games on Rome. I have also heard really good things about the Storm Over Series from Multi-Man Publishing so when Storm Over Jerusalem was offered on pre-order earlier this week , we jumped right on it and secured our copy.

From the game page, we read the following:

Storm Over Jerusalem is a card-assisted, area-movement game based on Multi-Man Publishing’s Storm Over Series of games (Storm Over Stalingrad, Storm Over Dien Bien Phu, and Storm Over Normandy). Cards augment the game play and increase the tensions and choices faced by each player.

As the Judean player, you are outnumbered and surrounded; you must use your forces wisely to hold out as long as possible behind the Walls of Jerusalem. As the Roman player, you must breach the Walls to capture the city, eliminate the rebels, and end the Judean rebellion before time runs out.

If you are interested in Storm Over Jerusalem, you can pre-order a copy from the Multi-Man Publishing website for $60.00 from the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18&products_id=355

ONUS! Traianus from Draco Ideas Currently on Kickstarter

Another game covering Rome. A few weeks ago, I started seeing advertisements for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign covering battles of the Roman Empire against her enemies in the 1st and 2nd centuries. The game is called ONUS! Traianus and is not a miniatures game but is using a similar style system but with cardboard formation counters rather than plastic miniatures. It looked intriguing.

After I did my initial research, I realized that this is simply an expansion or extension of the system that has seen several iterations, all covering different time periods and cultures so you know that the system works well and is easy to play if the system keeps adding to the bas.

From the game page, we read the following:

ONUS! Traianus is a historical battles wargame, similar to a miniatures game, where two sides confront each other in an Ancient battle. This game is focused on the armies of the great superpowers of the apogee of the Roman Empire, during the reign of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In this game, different action cards recreate varied kinds of orders and battle events, that allow every match to be unique and to any combat to be epic, unpredictable and exciting. ONUS! can be played anywhere but to get the best gaming experience we do recommend a game area as large as possible, i.e. 3.2 x 2.9 feet (100 x 90 cm).

Units are represented by cards which have been scaled around a Centuria (also known as Century) or to a Maniple (also known as Manipulus), representing formations from 80 to 100 men for Infantry units, 20 cavalrymen for Cavalry units or 6 Elephants. Units have their own set of traits to represent permanent attributes of the unit, like Melee Combat, Range Attack, Defensive capacity, Morale and Life, and Movement capacity. This set of traits gets bonuses and penalties depending on the ongoing situation and combat engagements. Units also have their unique set of skills to represent specific abilities they can perform: from defensive formations to extremely effective techniques to attack enemies. Some of these skills need to be activated; meaning only one of them can be used in an engagement, while others are inherent to the units.

Leadership is represented in the game by the figure of the General. A General’s token represent his HQ and its own escort. In addition to the leadership benefit, a General grants bonuses to nearby units, boosting the morale of the troops and providing additional benefits when they are engaged with the enemy in those bloody encounters.

We posted an interview with the designer Luis Álvaro Hernández on our blog covering the game in March and you can read that interview at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/03/16/interview-with-luis-alvaro-hernandez-designer-of-onus-traianus-from-draco-ideas-currently-on-kickstarter/

If you are interested in ONUS! Traianus you can order a copy on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dracoideas/onus-traianus?ref=2i102x&token=eaa40ec1

As of April 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $162,857 toward its $11,163 funding goal with 1,458 backers. The campaign will conclude on Thursday, April 14th at 2:30pm EDT.

Henry: The Agincourt Campaign, 1415 from GMT Games

We love the Levy & Campaign Series from GMT Games and really enjoyed our experience with the 1st volume in the series Nevsky. I am not sure we are experts at it, but we both enjoyed our plays and have looked forward to the system as it starts to blossom. In the March Monthly Update from GMT Games, the next volume in the series titled Henry: The Agincourt Campaign, 1415 was announced by one of our design friends Joe Schmidt. Joe is a rising star and has grown in his craft over the past few years. We have been lucky enough to post several interviews with him on the blog covering previous designs such as Guerillas of the Peninsular War, The Present Winter: Washington’s Crossing and the Battle of Trenton, Anzac Cove, and In the Shadows: French Resistance 1943-1944. Now his ability and confidence are growing and he is tackling a very interesting system intended to be somewhat of an introductory game on its mechanics.

From the game page, we read the following:

In HENRY, the fifth game in Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign Series, players will bring to life all of the drama of the famous Agincourt campaign. Players will lead either the English forces of King Henry V or the French Nobility in the levying of forces, management of logistics, and campaigning through Northern France.

Designed by Joe Schmidt, HENRY aims to create a more streamlined version of Levy & Campaign that is equally suitable for someone’s first experience  or a quicker lunchtime gaming session. The English player will build their army at the outset of the game, and in doing so set their victory conditions based on these choices, and then begin their campaign. While the English march through Normandy, the French Nobles will need to rapidly respond by levying their forces and navigating the internal court politics of their ongoing civil war between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions. Then, once ready for battle, the French will attempt to hunt down and prevent King Hal and his happy few from returning home.

Historical games always offer us the ability to change the course of history, but the Levy & Campaign system offers us something more focused on the human element. Humans need to be fed, and that food needs to be both secured and transported. Without that, even the greatest of armies will fail. HENRY endeavors to lift the veil of the mythology of the Battle of Agincourt to offer a more detailed look into the circumstances that created the legend.

If you are interested in Henry: The Agincourt Campaign you can pre-order a copy for $49.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-975-henry-the-agincourt-campaign-1415.aspx

Norman Conquests: Men of Iron Volume V from GMT Games

In 2020, we finally discovered the Men of Iron Series by playing the Men of Iron Tri-Pack, which is a large box game that includes the first three games in the Men of Iron Series from GMT Games including Men of Iron, Infidel and Blood & Roses, plus the Battle of Agincourt from C3i Magazine #22. This box was huge and heavy and is probably one of the greatest values in wargaming as there are three games and the box is packed full to the brim with counters, maps and player aids. We really enjoyed our foray into the series and would love to continue playing the rest of the other scenarios. But now there is even more of this series coming with Norman Conquests which deals with the conflicts of the Normans and their successors from 1053-1265.

From the game page, we read the following:

The Normans, and their successors, had a large impact on history. Normans, from Nortmann (northman), were originally Viking raiders that settled in what would now be northern France. Normans gained territory as far away as southern Italy and Sicily, and modern day Syria. They were Crusaders, they were Kings, they were princes, and they were scoundrels. They began as raiders from the north that fought on foot and transformed themselves into Dukes, Kings, and princes that fought from horseback.

How many games include a battle with a Papal army? Very few, so Norman Conquests visits Italy and the Norman Count of Apulia fighting with, and capturing, the Pope. Stretching the definition to include the Norwegian King Harald (III) Hardrada (undoubtedly a northman) and his invasion of England allows us to include all three battles for the throne of England in 1066, including the most famous Norman William the Conqueror and his invasion of England. Next we catch up with two sons of William I, the Duke of Normandy and the King of England, feuding over his lands years after his death. We end with the Baron’s War between William I’s great-great-great-grandson Henry III and his barons who were led by Simon de Montfort.

If you are interested in Men of Iron Norman Conquests you can pre-order a copy for $43.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-977-norman-conquests-men-of-iron-volume-v.aspx

Bayonets & Tomahawks: The French and Indian War 2nd Printing from GMT Games

A good game on the French & Indian War is always welcome on my table and this one looks to be pretty damn good. Bayonets & Tomahawks is a two-player grand strategic game depicting the French & Indian War, which raged from 1755 to 1760 and in which France’s North American empire was conquered. The players will take command of either the French or British to fight all facets of the conflict including army maneuvering, diplomacy with indigenous nations, raids, battles, construction, naval operations, sieges, and more. With scenarios varying from a single year to the whole war, as well as rules for team play, Bayonets & Tomahawks is perfect for new and experienced wargamers alike.

There are cards in the game as well as they are used during the Action Rounds to take either the printed events or to use them to take any number of actions. The thing that I find very interesting is that the units have non-traditional shapes, like hex or triangle counters, and represent the different type of forces engaged. Having different shapes bypasses the decoding process inherent with classic wargames. You don’t need to read a counter or scrutinize its graphics to know what it is. For example, light units act fundamentally differently from other pieces (they move faster, can raid, can use paths). They were the first to get a distinct shape the designer settled on a triangle because it made him think of a vector or even an arrow. Brigades (standard pieces) remain square with forts having an octagon shape for them (same shape as a stop sign because they don’t move), long rectangles for fleets (inspired by Fighting Formations’ vehicle counters).

The map is also absolutely stunning (if you didn’t know Marc is also a graphic designer and cares very much for the look of a game) and the game uses custom dice for combat with symbols rather than numbers (reminds me of the dice system used in the Birth of America Series from Academy Games).

We posted an interview with the designer Marc Rodrigue long ago in 2017 on the blog covering the design and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2016/09/28/interview-with-marc-rodrigue-designer-of-bayonets-tomahawks-by-gmt-games/

I also wrote a fairly lengthy first impressions post on the game on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2021/06/22/first-impressions-bayonets-tomahawks-the-french-indian-war-from-gmt-games/

If you are interested in Bayonets & Tomahawks: The French and Indian War, you can pre-order a copy for $44.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-978-bayonets-tomahawks-2nd-printing.aspx

The African Campaign Designer Signature Edition from Compass Games Currently on Kickstarter

I have a penchant for World War II operational level games, particularly in lesser gamed ones. Not that North Africa hasn’t had its share of games both good and bad, but this one looks really good. Designed by one of the best in the business John Edwards, this has been given the royal treatment by Compass Games and looks really appealing. The game has been remastered and updated with new errata with a smattering of new optional rules and variants.

From the game page, we read the following:

This two-player game allows players to explore the key elements of the Desert War, beginning in December 1940 with Wavell’s first offensive, Operation Compass, against the Italian forces of Marshal Graziani, and culminating in December 1942 when the Americans landed in Rommel’s rear, thus sealing the ultimate fate of the Afrika Korps. The game also has a new and larger map (17″ x 50.75″) and larger 5/8” counters to deliver an optimal play experience. I’ve seen several unboxing videos of this one on social media and I am really interested now.

If you are interested in a copy of The African Campaign, Designer Signature Edition, you can order a copy from the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/compassgames/the-african-campaign-designer-signature-2nd-edition?ref=discovery_newest

As of April 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $4,043 toward its $2,500 funding goal with 49 backers. The campaign will conclude on Tuesday, April 12th at 12:17pm EDT.

New Release

Bad News on the Doorstep: The Battle of Kontum Vietnam, May 1972 from High Flying Dice Games

Small format wargames on lesser games subjects are always welcome at my table. High Flying Dice Games seems to specialize in these type of games and this month have two very interesting looking games on vastly different subject.

The first is Bad News on the Doorstep: The Battle of Kontum Vietnam, May 1971.

From the game page, we read the following:

Following the 1971 defeat of the ARVN (Army of the Republic of South Vietnam) in their Operation Lam Son 719 offensive in Laos it was very apparent the US policy of “Vietnamization” was in serious trouble, The North Vietnamese High Command walked away from the Paris Peace Talks during the fighting and advanced their plans for an all-out offensive against South Vietnam.

In April 1972 the North Vietnamese and their Communist allies in the South, the National Liberation Front (NLF), launched a broad offensive, code named Nguyen Hue (name of the Vietnamese leader who defeated Chinese invaders in 1789) against the ARVN in South Vietnam from their strongholds in the Central Highlands as well as from Laos and across the DMZ (de-militarized zone) that bordered North and South Vietnam. Dubbed the “Easter Offensive” by the US press, the Communist attack was the largest since those during Tet in 1968, and like that earlier offensive, the Communists hoped that the offensive would initiate insurrections throughout South Vietnam and the collapse of its government. One of the most violent battles of the Easter Offensive was fought over the town of Kontum. The central highlands town had been subject to many attacks over the years, but this was the most prolonged and unlike the earlier fights which were waged by the NLF, this was a large-scale conventional battle that included tanks and massive numbers of artillery and rocket support. Can you do as well or better than your historical counterparts?

If you are interested in Bad News on the Doorstep: The Battle of Kontum Vietnam, May 1971 you can order a copy for $17.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: http://www.hfdgames.com/kontum.html

No Time for Prayer: The Capture of New Orleans April 25-May 1, 1862 from High Flying Dice Games

The second game from HFDG that we are including here is a game that covers the naval Battle of New Orleans during the American Civil War.

From the game page, we read the following:

No Time For Prayer details the battles for the port and City of New Orleans; Head of Passes and Forts Jackson and St. Philip.

The battles to take control of New Orleans were not easy ones. Can you do as well or better than your historical counterpart?

We also posted an interview with the designer Paul Rohrbaugh on the blog way back in 2017 and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2017/09/12/interview-with-paul-rohrbaugh-designer-of-no-time-for-prayer-the-battles-for-new-orleans-1861-62-from-high-flying-dice-games/

If you are interested in No Time for Prayer: The Capture of New Orleans April 25-May 1, 1862 you can order a copy for $17.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: http://www.hfdgames.com/norleans.html

War for America: The American Revolution 1775-1782 from Compass Games

I personally am very interested in the American Revolutionary War and it is one of my most favorite historical periods to game. If you didn’t know, last year I started a feature on the blog ranking the games on the American Revolution that I have played. When I heard of a new game on the subject I was immediately interested and did my homework to find out what Gilbert Collins was designing. But frankly, they had me at American Revolution. Another excellent looking offering from Gilbert Collins is War for America.

From the game page, we read the following:

War for America is a strategic game game based on the events during the American Revolution. It is a 2 player game that shows how the conflict, which began as a ‘civil war’ turned into a World conflict with a Great Britain that was greatly isolated. It features a new ‘Action Pulse’ and ‘Initiative System’ that keeps every turn of variable length and new.

This one attempts to approach the conflict from a bit of a different perspective as you will read.

The game is played at the Grand Strategic level and each strength point equals 1,000 men or less. Players will assemble forces to seize control of colonies and regions. When French recognition is achieved, during 1778, an entire new dimension is added to the conflict. France, Spain and the Netherlands will bring fleets into the waters of North America and the Caribbean, challenging Britain’s mastery of the seas.

The game utilizes the popular ‘point to point’ movement system but more carefully modelling the geography of North America. This is done by enhancing the movement of armies along the important water shed basins. Armies are not destroyed in single combat as many past games have shown, but will demonstrate realistic casualty figures with prevalent retreat and disruption results.

War for America attempts to show the conflict from the British perspective and how a ‘rebellion’ turned into a World War. Great Britain is alone, without allies, but the Colonies don’t have it easy either. Despite their inexperience and individual identities, they must come together to create and maintain a Continental army. This is a ‘large game’ but also contains a shorter scenario starting in 1778, taking about half the time to play.

We posted an interview with Gilbert on our blog covering the game in July 2020 and you can read that interview at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2020/07/28/interview-with-gilbert-collins-designer-of-war-for-america-from-compass-games/

If you are interested in War for America, you can pre-order a copy from the Kickstarter game page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/compassgames/war-for-america

Barbarians at the Gates, The Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire 337 – 476 from Compass Games

We have enjoyed seeing Kris van Beurden develop as he has entered the design realm with his first effort Europe in Turmoil. He now takes his talents to the Roman Empire and it’s time of troubles.

From the game page, we read the following:

Barbarians at the Gates, The Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire 337 – 476, is a card-driven game by game designer, Kris van Beurden (whose credits include Europe in Turmoil) for two players set during the final century of the Western Roman Empire. The Roman player commands the Roman legions loyal to the failing central authority and those Germanic peoples who have settled peacefully inside the Roman Empire, while the Barbarian player leads Usurper Emperors, and controls the migrations of the savage Germanic peoples, who are the Barbarians at the Gates.

The game is played on a point-to-point map of the Western Roman Empire, divided into 11 diocese (administrative districts) such as Gallia Belgica, Caledonia or Italia Suburbicaria, each composed of spaces such as Roma, Massilia or Nova Carthago. These spaces are connected to each other through the network of Roman roads, rougher connections (mostly in uncivilized territory) or river connections (mostly the Donau and the Rhine).

The game is a card driven design as players use those cards to take various actions.

Players take turns playing cards in order to activate Generals (Loyalist Roman generals such as Aetius, Usurper-Emperors like Magnentius and Barbarian leaders such as Atilla or Alaric) for movement and/or sieges, bring new Barbarian invasions into play, recruit new Legions, lead barbarian bands raid across the border into the Roman interior, settle formerly hostile tribes on Roman soil, or even successfully usurp the Imperial Throne from its previous occupant! As leaders move, they will encounter enemy armies and battle, earning eternal glory or an unrecognized grave. Barbarian tribes will probe the fortified border for weaknesses, while the outnumbered Legions have to use interior lines (and the excellent Roman road network) to face each threat to the unfortified Italian, Iberian and Gallic diocese.

We posted an interview with Kris on our blog covering the game in 2020 and you can read that interview at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2020/03/30/interview-with-kris-van-beurden-designer-of-barbarians-at-the-gates-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-western-roman-empire-337-476-from-compass-games/

If you are interested in Barbarians at the Gates, The Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire 337-476 you can pre-order a copy for $75.00 from the Compass Games website at the following link: https://www.compassgames.com/product/barbarians-at-the-gates/

So very glad to be back at doing these posts again. I hope you enjoy looking these games over and find that some of them tickle your fancy! Let me know what new pre-order and new release games you know about that are out there that I missed.

-Grant