The fall has just gone so quickly and we are now into the dark times where the sun goes down at 5:00pm and it looks like its middle of the night at 6:30pm. But there is light at the end of this tunnel, as it will be spring before you know it and there are some great new and upcoming games that can keep you warm this winter!. This month I was able to find I was able to find 14 games with 2 of those being offered on Kickstarter and 1 on GameFound.

If you missed the November Wargame Watch you can you can read that here at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/11/01/wargame-watch-whats-new-upcoming-november-2022/

Pre-Orders

1. Stalingrad ’42: Southern Russia, June-December, 1942 2nd Edition from GMT Games

We love Mark Simonitch designs here and really had a good time with Holland ’44 and The US Civil War. We also played and really had a great experience with Stalingrad ’42 a few years ago and see now that it is coming out with a 2nd Edition.

From the game page we read the following:

Stalingrad ‘42  is a division-level game on the Axis 1942 summer offensive towards Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Historically, this epic struggle lasted for 6 months and saw the Axis armies reach the Volga and the Caucasus Mountains. But Soviet resistance stiffened and final victory eluded the German army at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus. The ensuing November Soviet offensive trapped the Wehrmacht’s largest army (the 6th) at Stalingrad and marked the beginning of the end for Axis fortunes in WW2.

Stalingrad ’42 uses the same scale and nearly all the rules of Ukraine ’43. Many modifications have been made to improve the system and to show crucial features of the campaign. New rules include leaders, elite panzer divisions, planned operations, hidden Soviet buildup, and Army/Front offensive support.

With three maps and low unit density, the game delivers a grand view of the campaign, where decisions about movement and direction of attack have lasting effects that propel or curtail your future strategic plans. The effect is like watching a story unfold and noticing a growing emotional involvement with your forces and plans. In the end, whether in victory or defeat, players of Stalingrad ’42 will enjoy an epic gaming experience.

Like most East Front games, this one is a long line of counters that attack and get pushed back, especially the Soviets, but the design allows room for the Soviets to counterattack at key times and circumstances and it boils down to knowing when that time is for the Soviets. This system is really great as it keeps the counter density low while giving the feeling of the game being a real wargame and we really enjoyed it.

Here is our video review of the game:

If you are interested in Stalingrad ’42, Southern Russia June-December 1942 2nd Edition, you can pre-order a copy for $56.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1014-stalingrad-42-2nd-edition.aspx

2. Glory & Empire: First Victories – Wellington Versus Napoleon from Lock ‘n Load Publishing Currently on GameFound

We have always enjoyed a good Napoleonics game and are always on the lookout for new titles. Recently, Lock ‘n Load Publishing began marketing a new game from a designer that has really tried to focus on the reality of the situation and design the game to model the actions of troops and their movements. Glory & Empire: First Victories – Wellington Versus Napoleon is currently on GameFound.

From the game page, we read the following:

Glory and Empire is a fresh look at grand tactical command, maneuver and combat during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Period. The system is focused on command, maneuver and combat that is fast playing, yet accurate and rich with detail.

The game is 125m per hex. Units are battalions and companies for infantry, regiments and squadrons for cavalry and companies for artillery. Each strength point is 100 men for infantry, 50 men and horses for cavalry or one section, or 2 guns, for artillery. Counters are 5/8″.

The game is also designed with several different levels of difficulty per se as their are rule sets for the beginner and for those looking for a more realistic version of the battles.

The rules consist of a Soldier’s, Battalion and Brigade rules set. Players can learn the basics with the Soldier’s rules, move to a full fledged simulation with the Battalion Game and pick and choose rules from the Brigade Game to suit their tastes. Or players can jump right into the Brigade Game and understand how grand tactical maneuvering was practiced on the battlefield during the 18th and 19th centuries.

We posted an interview with the designer Terry Doherty and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/11/14/interview-with-terry-doherty-designer-of-glory-and-empire-first-victories-wellington-versus-napoleon-from-lock-n-load-publishing-coming-to-gamefound-november-15th/

If you are interested in Glory and Empire: First Victories – Wellington Versus Napoleon you can back the project on the GameFound page at the following link: https://gamefound.com/projects/lnlp/glory-and-empire-first-victories/projects#/section/project-story

As of December 1st, the GameFound campaign has raised $44,560 toward its $20,000 funding goal with 398 backers. The campaign will conclude on Tuesday, December 13th at 10:00am MST. 

3. Abyss of Lament – Decisive Battles from the Seven Years War from Legion Wargames

I love the games that come from Legion Wargames. Always on interesting and lesser gamed topics and they always seem to have great looking art as well. Their newest pre-order offering deals with the Seven Years War in Europe between the Prussian forces of Frederick the Great and Maria Theresa’s Austria and is a tactical game. The art is being done by the ultra talented Nils Johansson.

From the game page, we read the following:

Abyss of Lament is a tactical game about six major battles between Frederick the Great’s Prussia and Maria Theresa’s Austria in the Seven Years War (1756-1763).

The rules are of low complexity and aim to give a good feel for the role of an army commander in the Age of Reason. Aspects like unit formations (e.g. changing from column into line, deploying skirmishers etc.) and the exact positioning of artillery batteries are abstracted under the assumption that the commander-in-chief’s subordinate commanders are – more or less – “doing their jobs”. Units represent about a brigade of infantry (Grenadiers, Line Infantry, Grenzers, Freikorps) or cavalry (Cuirassiers, Dragoons, Hussars) and are grouped into wings. Wings are important for activation and morale purposes. Fog of War and friction play a crucial role. All units are set-up face-down, so the opposing player gets to know their exact identity only when moving into contact. Which and how many units a player is allowed to activate is determined by a deck of cards (per side). These cards also regulate artillery support, scenario-specific assets and the length of a turn. Hidden units can be activated with (almost) any card, representing the relative ease of commanding uncommitted units on the approach to a battle or when held in reserve. Revealed units may in general only be activated by certain cards. This rewards the skillful use of reconnaissance assets (light cavalry and Vedette dummy-units), as revealing a unit not only offers information, but also hampers that unit’s agility. Better commanders have larger hands of cards and therefore are better able to plan ahead than their less competent colleagues.

The combat system does not use a CRT, yet allows for complex results. Combat usually results in 1 or 2 hits (sometimes more, sometimes none) the loser has to take. These can be absorbed in three different ways (retreat, disordering the unit or lowering the wing’s cohesion – a pool of “steps“ common to each wing of an army). These choices can be freely made by the owning player, but each option may be taken only a single time per given combat. If not all hits can be absorbed, the unit is eliminated. Attackers have access to less options than defenders, light troops generally have more options than other unit types. Every combat also holds a certain risk of attrition for both sides.

If you are interested in Abyss of Lament, you can pre-order a copy for $65.00 from the Legion Wargames website at the following link: https://www.legionwargames.com/legion_AOL.html

4. Combat! Volume 1 – 2nd Printing from Compass Games Currently on Kickstarter

Well designed solitaire wargames are always a welcome boon to the wargaming community as many of us just don’t have that regular player to sit at our table for hours on end each weekend. Combat! Volume 1 was a well received solitaire wargame from 2019 that is now being given new life with a 2nd Printing run from Compass Games.

From the Kickstarter page, we read the following:

Combat! is a solitaire game on man to man combat in the 20th century. The player will control friendly forces and attempt to complete a scenario against enemy forces that are controlled by the game system. At the start of each turn the player will play 1 card from their hand to the Initiative track. This card will determine the initiative values for each of the player’s friendly teams and may have other effects depending on the card. After this the player will assign orders to each character on his side. This will determine the actions that the character can take this turn. Once all of the friendly characters have orders assigned to them the player will draw an Enemy AI Card for each enemy team with alerted characters on the board. These cards will determine the Initiative value for each enemy character and the Order that they will receive. The Order determines the actions that an Enemy Character will take that turn.

This 2nd Printing is improving and updating the maps, rules, scenarios, charts, player aids and counters. But the one problem that I see is that there is no update kit for those that purchased the 1st Printing. So if you are interested you will have to buy this new copy to get all of the updated components and rules.

If you are interested in Combat! Volume 1 – 2nd Printing, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/compassgames/combat-vol1-2nd-printing

As of December 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $20,189 toward its $2,500 funding goal with 113 backers. The campaign will conclude on Monday, December 5th at 11:30am EST. 

5. Stout Hearts: Battle in the Hedgerows from Tiny Battle Publishing

Another great looking solitaire game from Tiny Battle Publishing designed by Jay Ward is Stout Hearts: Battle in the Hedgerows. We played and enjoyed The Battle for Ramadi and look forward to the changes in the system implemented in this offering. The setting in this one is Normandy during World War II and the player has to make tough choices about where to send their limited troops as it is hard to ascertain enemy troop positions and strength due to the maze that is created by the bocage in the French countryside. This one is sure to have some very interesting twists and turns to it and should be a very difficult to master game.

From the game page, we read the following:

Stout Hearts is a solitaire game, based on Jay Ward’s popular The Battle for Ramadi and Hue system. As Brigadier, your job is to push through the enemy defenses in exceptionally difficult terrain, utilizing not only your infantry platoons, but also tank, mortar, artillery, and machine gun assets. Intelligence on the enemy is limited. Are they SS? Are there Tigers? How many 88s do they have? Will they fight or will they run? Now is the time to find out!  

Just remember that this is a small format game from a small publisher and you are not going to get really high quality components as the counters tend to be a bit waxy and are harder to clip and have nubs on the sides that will need to be removed with a craft knife.

If you are interested in Stout Hearts: Battle in the Hedgerows, you can pre-order a copy for $32.00 from the Tiny Battle Publishing website at the following link: https://tinybattlepublishing.com/products/stout-hearts

6. Undaunted: Stalingrad from Osprey Games

If you haven’t played any of the games in the Undaunted Series (either the original Normandy, the sequel North Africa or the new Reinforcements which adds cards for both of the previous games), then you are missing out on an excellent experience. Recently, David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin have released the next iteration in the series that takes the action to the East Front of World War II with the German attack on the City of Stalingrad.

I cannot wait to see some street to street and house to house fighting, as well as possible forays into the sewers in the ruins of Stalingrad. The campaign will have “branching narratives”, which to me might mean that depending on the outcome of a scenario you have played, win or lose will determine what scenario you can next tackle. This game is a standalone big box experience and is sure to add new elements to the system as each version before has done.

From the game page, we read the following:

Stalingrad, 1942. Before you awaits a gruelling conflict in this cornerstone battleground. As the bullets and bombs tear the city asunder, only through wits and valour can you seize the cornerstone of the entire Eastern Front and change the course of history.

A heavy burden rests on your shoulders. Every casualty suffered in battle will weaken your forces for the entire campaign. Every bomb blast and mortar shell leaves the very ground for which you are fighting in further ruin. Every inch lost to the enemy brings you closer to the jaws of defeat. Over the course of up to fifteen branching scenarios, you will decide the fate of Stalingrad and, perhaps, the war itself. Even though the consequences of your actions will persist, the game itself can be fully reset and replayed, allowing you to explore every potential outcome.

Undaunted: Stalingrad is a monumental standalone game that expands the series’ scope and challenge beyond anything that’s come before. Featuring more than 300 unique illustrations by Roland MacDonald and 150 evocative mission briefings written by acclaimed author Robbie MacNiven, immerse yourself in this campaign at the heart of the war.

If you are interested in Undaunted: Stalingrad, you can pre-order a copy for $120.00 from the Osprey Games website at the following link: https://ospreypublishing.com/us/undaunted-stalingrad-9781472852670/

7. SAS: Rogue Regiment from Word Forge Games Currently on Kickstarter

I was told about this game from Nate Rogers AKA The Gimpy Gamer and I checked out his preview video and was frankly really impressed as the game just looks really interesting.

From the Board Game Geek page, we read the following:

SAS: Rogue Regiment is a WW2 stealth action game for 1-4 players. Taking on the role of SAS soldiers in the pivotal weeks following D-Day, players must carry out acts of sabotage deep behind enemy lines.

Ambush convoys, assassinate high ranking officers, destroy ammo dumps and much, much more in your four man campaign against the Axis war machine!

Strike from the shadows!
Take down enemy patrols and sentries with the vast array of tools at your disposal, from rifles, explosives and grenades to vehicles, traps and your trusty fighting knife.

Leave no trace!
Move quickly and quietly to complete your objectives. Kill silently and hide the bodies to avoid detection. Get spotted, make too much noise or take too long to carry out your objective and the enemy will raise the alarm. Your heavily outnumbered team won’t last long in a firefight so when the attack comes, make sure you’re in position to make four men feel like a hundred!

Here is a link to Gimpy’s video if you want to get a good look at the game:

If you are interested in SAS: Rogue Regiment, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wordforgegames/sas-rogue-regiment?ref=discovery

As of December 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $66,800 toward its $6,010 funding goal with 855 backers. The campaign will conclude on Tuesday, December 20th at 12:58pm EST. 

New Release

1. The World at War: Europe from Headquarter Games

A few years ago, Alexander did a rare written interview with Gonzalo Santacruz for his upcoming wargame The World at War: Europe from Headquarter Games and Owl Wisdom.

You can read that interview at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2020/06/12/interview-with-gonzalo-santcruz-designer-of-the-rold-at-war-europe-on-kickstarter-now/

The game is now available for purchase and it looks really very interesting. The game doesn’t use traditional counters, except for markers, but relies on wooden cubes to represent forces on the map.

From the game page, we read the following:

The World at War: Europe covers WWII in the European theatre. The game works for 1 to 3 players. Each game turn takes around three months of real time.

The players don’t move counters over the map, but they move wooden cubes. The only counters present in the game are the air fleets, fortifications and other markers used to manage country’s resources, research, diplomacy, factories, convoys or certain actions in the game. The game is a medium complexity game covering much of the interesting aspects of this campaign such as: Blitzkrieg, historical (or not) diplomatic pacts, strategic warfare, industrial improvement, technological advances…

The game is ready to ship and if you are interested in The World at War: Europe you can order a copy for $68.00 from the Headquarter Games page from the following link: https://ecommerce.hqwargames.com/

2. Ginormopod 2050 A.D.: Attack of the Giant Bug Monsters from Hollandspiele

I know that this is not a traditional wargame but it does look pretty interesting and pulpy, has combat between armies and huge bugs and is sure to be a good time. The newest game from Hollandspiele is Ginormopod 2050 A.D.: Attack of the Giant Bug Monsters designed by the team of Ryan Heilman and Dave Shaw of Brave Little Belgium fame. Plus the game looks great featuring the artistic style of Wil Alambre.

From the game page, we read the following:

GASP! at a startling vision of the world yet to come!

CHEER! for the brave people of tomorrow fighting a desperate struggle for survival!

SCREAM! at uncanny creatures too horrifying to describe, the children of the nuclear age who now wish to claim our dying planet as their unholy birthright!

As waters and temperatures rise, and coastlines sink, gigantic insects sweep across the western United States. The only thing holding them back is the Fusion Fence built along the mighty Mississippi. But will it buy us enough time to complete work on the anti-mutagen – humanity’s last hope?

Ginormopod 2050 A.D.: Attack of the Giant Bug Monsters is a retro-futuristic treat, presenting a 2050 as it might have been imagined by Hollywood a hundred years earlier. The proven design team of Ryan Heilman and Dave Shaw (Brave Little Belgium, White Eagle Defiant) has returned with another action-packed game. One player controls American forces and their allies, choosing carefully where to defend, when to fall back, and how to counterattack. Their resources are limited, and every decision has a cost. Their opponent controls the Swarm, throwing an endlessly respawning supply of mutated ants, spiders, and worms, brought to life by the delightful illustrations of Wil Alambre.

We were able to interview Ryan and Dave about this game and some other bits and pieces as well while attending the World Boardgaming Championships this summer:

If you are interested in Ginormopod 2050 A.D.: Attack of the Giant Bug Monsters, you can order a copy for $45.00 from the Hollandspiele website at the following link: https://hollandspiele.com/products/ginormopod-2050-a-d-attack-of-the-giant-bug-monsters

3. Battle’s Orphan: The Bay of Pigs Invasion, April 17-20, 1961 from High Flying Dice Games

Paul Rohrbaugh 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. He has the ability to take some chances and do games on topics that normally wouldn’t really merit a game but somehow he pulls it off. This month I found Battle’s Orphan: The Bay of Pigs Invasion and wanted to share the game with you.

From the game page, we read the following:

When newly-elected President Kennedy was inaugurated the CIA’s plans and Cuban exile army were ready to invade Castor’s Cuba. However, the new president wanted “plausible deniability” and the CIA invasion plans were extensively modified, with all of the Cuban exile aircraft relocated to Nicaragua airbases, and removing any direct support by US armed forces. What was left was very weakened, yet still powerful Cuban exile invasion force armed with tanks, heavy weapons and well trained for sustained combat operations. All that remained was for the Cuban people to rally to their support once the invasion commenced. Can you do as well or better than your opponents? Learn and enjoy!

The game also includes variant units for use with possible US intervention, as well as a second full-sized map for the CIA’s preferred invasion site at Trinidad.

If you are interested in Battle’s Orphan: The Bay of Pigs Invasion, April 17-20, 1961, you can order a copy for $25.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: http://www.hfdgames.com/bop.html

4. Skyhawk: Rolling Thunder, 1966 from Legion Wargames

Another great looking solitaire airwar game is the upcoming Skyhawk: Rolling Thunder, 1966 from Legion Wargames. Steve Dixon and Bob Best are a fantastic team of great designers who have put out lots of interesting looking airwar games including Target for Today and Target for Tonight. This time the collaboration takes us to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War in 1966.

From the game page, we read the following:

Skyhawk: Rolling Thunder, 1966 is a game which puts the player in the cockpit of an A-4E Skyhawk of VA-72 flying missions during the early days of Operation Rolling Thunder. Your base of operations is the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt on duty at Yankee Station. You play as a Navy pilot flying strike missions against targets in North Vietnam. Your goal will be to survive a mission or a campaign.

The Skyhawk was a nimble aircraft and was capable of carrying slightly over four tons of ordnance. Depending on your target, the player has the opportunity to load out their aircraft to meet the mission requirements. The missions will not be easy. President Johnson and his civilian advisors may even change your target or ordnance loading depending upon the political situation in the USA.

Facing you will be a determined North Vietnamese force. It is possible you will face small arms fire, AAA, SAM launches, and a rare encounter with a MiG. You will have help. Support Forces allow the player to attack NV defense forces before you attack your target. Their success could make your job easier.

The player may fly a single mission or play one of the three campaigns included in the game. These campaigns are:

First Tour of Duty: Yankee Station: 10 August 1966 – 10 September 1966
Second Tour of Duty: Yankee Station 20 October 1966 – 27 December 1966
The third campaign combines the two campaigns above with additional rules.

The game is not meant to be a detailed simulation of the Rolling Thunder campaign. It is a simple yet engaging, quick game for the player. Concepts for the game come from B-29 Superfortress, Target for Today, Target for Tonight, and Kenney’s Boys as well as Able Dog, a free print and play game by Patrick Millin. Some of the concepts used in Skyhawk will be expanded upon in the upcoming Operation Linebacker II game by Steve Dixon and Bob Best.

If you are interested in Skyhawk: Rolling Thunder, 1966, you can order a copy for $55.00 (but hurry as this CPO pre-order price will only last a bit longer as the game ships in December) from the Legion Wargames website at the following link: https://www.legionwargames.com/legion_SKY.html

5. La Primogenita 1941 East African Campaign from Legion Wargames

Kim Kanger is a fantastic designer and we have had a great time with his other games including Nemesis 44. When I saw that he was working on a new East African WWII game, I immediately was interested and began looking into the game called La Primogenita 1941 East African Campaign published by Legion Wargames.

From the game page, we read the following:

LA PRIMOGENITA is a game about the East African Campaign in 1941. It covers the Allied invasion into Italian Eritrea in the north where the most intense fighting took place, especially around the town of Cheren. The Allies invaded Eritrea with two Indian Divisions and some Free French units. The defending Italians consisted mostly of colonial Brigades, recruited among Ethiopians and Eritreans. They also had two metropolitan Divisions in reserve among which several elite battalions from the ”Grenadiers of Savoy” Division were sent north to Eritrea. These battalions (Alpini and Bersaglieri), together with loyal Eritrean colonial troops held both Allied Divisions at bay for eight weeks at Cheren before the survivors were finally forced to retreat towards the Eritrean capital Asmara. The battle of Cheren is seen as an hour of glory in the Italian army.

The game introduces a dynamic order chit system where players give orders to attack, move, entrench, bring forward extra ammo etc. All order chits have a priority number that decides which order is executed first. After executing four orders each, another set of orders are chosen and played. You will have to chose wisely depending on what forces you have at hand, in what order you wish things to happen, and depending on what you suspect your opponent will choose.

We posted an interview with the designer Kim Kanger on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/11/28/interview-with-kim-kanger-designer-of-la-primogenita-1941-east-africa-campaign-from-legion-wargames/

If you are interested in La Primogenita 1941 East African Campaign, you can order a copy for $45.00 (but hurry as this CPO pre-order price will only last a bit longer as the game ships in December) from the Legion Wargames website at the following link: https://www.legionwargames.com/legion_LAP.html

6. Tetrarchia 2nd Edition from Draco Ideas

I love little games with bit of kick! I was looking around this month and came across 2 such games from Draco Ideas. The first we will look at is called Tetrarchia and is a cooperative game dealing with 3rd century Roman rule.

From the game page, we read the following:

Towards the end of the 3rd century BC, the Roman consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus was nicknamed “The Sword of Rome” for his exploits in the wars against the Gauls and the Carthaginians. Five centuries later, towards the end of the 3rd century AD, the old Republic is too far away and the now Roman Empire seems doomed. Enemies cross the frontiers, revolt spreads through its provinces, and every time a Roman Emperor has the courage and ability to face the threats, usurpers take his place in Rome and increase the chaos. Emperor Diocletian sees only one revolutionary way out: to share divine power with a few trusted colleagues. In a few years he creates an Imperial College together with Maximian, Constantius and Galerius, forming the first “Tetrarchy“. Now the swords of Rome are four, and they are going to fall mercilessly on their enemies… or not…

TETRARCHIA (Latin of Tetrarchy, “leadership of four”) is a cooperative game in which 1 to 4 players take the role of the 4 Emperors, fighting the revolts within the Empire and the Barbarian armies that try to bring it down. With simple rules, the core engine leads to very different games and surprising endings. It is a new edition of the game previously published by the Nestor Games publisher.

If you are interested in Tetrarchia 2nd Edition, you can order a copy for about $25.00 from the Draco Ideas website at the following link: https://dracoideas.com/shop/en/34-tetrarchia

7. 1212 Las Navas de Tolosa from Draco Ideas

The 2nd small game from Draco Ideas is called 1212 Las Navas de Tolosa.

From the game page, we read the following:

After the defeat at Alarcos in 1195, the Castilian kingdom lost control over the Guadiana and Tagus valleys, and even the city of Toledo was in danger from the Almohad advance. After years of instability, Alfonso VIII finally reorganised his army and planned his revenge, persuading the Pope to declare his longed-for confrontation with the Muslims a Crusade. Finally, in 1212, the Christian troops of Castile, Aragon and Navarre, supported by the military orders and numerous knights from other kingdoms, engaged in battle against a far superior Almohad force in what would become known as the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Today you can put yourself in the shoes of these brave fighters and rewrite their history.

1212: Las Navas de Tolosa is an asymmetric, two-player wargame in which Almohad and Christian troops face each other, reliving the emblematic battle of the Reconquista.

Fast games and a very contained deployment, in which the battle is decided in about 30 minutes, with a card engine to determine the initiative and the outcome of the combat.

If you are interested in 1212 Las Navas de Tolosa, you can order a copy for about $25.00 from the Draco Ideas website at the following link: https://dracoideas.com/shop/en/1212-las-navas-de-tolosa/196-1212-las-navas-de-tolosa-0634438583042.html

Thanks for reading along this month. I am very excited about a lot of these games and really look forward to playing them. Please let me know if you know of a new pre-order game, Kickstarter or new release that I missed.

-Grant