Another month has passed and summer is quickly drawing to a close! We just got back from the World Boardgaming Championships in Pennsylvania and GenCon here in Indianapolis and I finally got a chance to get to the August Wargame Watch. This month, I found 16 games including 3 being offered on crowdfunding (2 on Kickstarter and 1 on Gamefound).

If you missed the July Wargame Watch, you can read that here at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/07/05/wargame-watch-whats-new-upcoming-july-2023/

Pre-Order

1. Conquering the Valley: Cross Keys/Port Republic from Tiny Battle Publishing

Smaller games on lesser known battles are always a welcome sight. And if you don’t know much about Tiny Battle Publishing, they specialize in smaller games with big return as the game play is very good. Their newest offering cover the American Civil War battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic and use the Shattered Union Series used in Herman Luttmann’s The Hill of Death.

From the game page, we read the following:

Following the release of The Hill of Death, Conquering the Valley is the second game in the Shattered Union Series. Heavily influenced by 2022’s Wargame of the Year, A Most Fearful Sacrifice, Herm Luttmann’s Shattered Union Series is a new line of American Civil War wargames designed to be accessible to gamers of any experience level and playable in 3 hours.

Conquering the Valley covers the final two battles of Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign of 1862. Jackson fights two Union armies, beats them both, and then heads off to Richmond for “The Seven Days”. 

Players can fight each battle separately or combine both as they historically were fought. The game also includes an interesting “What If” scenario; a Union cavalry force captured a key bridge but they failed to burn it and thereby cut Jackson off from his supply train. In the “What If” scenario, those Union troopers actually burn the bridge and force Jackson to fight Fremont’s army but Jackson has limited ammunition. In the end though, the historic game comes down to fighting it out for the Union guns at “The Coaling”. If Jackson can capture the Union artillery at Port Republic, he has won the campaign and can head towards Richmond! 

If you are interested in Conquering the Valley, you can pre-order a copy for $49.00 from the Tiny Battle Publishing website at the following link: https://tinybattlepublishing.com/products/conquering-the-valley

2. 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 War Series.

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! His maps are always so well done and lend such a great atmosphere to games.

If you are interested in The Three Days of Gettysburg Deluxe Edition, you can pre-order a copy for $63.00 on the P500 game page at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1057-three-days-of-gettysburg-deluxe-edition.aspx

3. Thunderbolt: The Ancient World Vol. III Deluxe Edition from GMT Games

We have not played a ton of Ancients but what we have played we have really enjoyed including SPQR designed by the dynamic duo of Richard Berg and Mark Herman. I heard rumblings of this reprint a few months ago and now that I see it I really have a desire to play it.

From the game page, we read the following:

Prior to his passing, Richard H. Berg was hard at work completing the third volume in his The Ancient World Series, Thunderbolt, covering the titanic 2nd Punic War between Rome and Carthage. Mark Herman has teamed up with series developer Alan Ray to finish the game.

For Thunderbolt Deluxe Edition, we have decided to enhance this package and include the first two volumes in the series: Rise of the Roman Republic and Carthage. Each will have its own exclusive rules and scenarios booklets, army and city display cards, and other displays relevant to those titles. The exclusive rules have been extensively revised based on player feedback. All these components will be brought up to the latest GMT graphic standards. The following scenarios from the first two volumes will be included:

• The Mercenary War: Mutiny in Carthage. One map, 5 Game Turns (241-237 BCE)
• Agathocles: The First Invasion of Carthage. Two maps, 5 Game Turns (311-307 BCE)
• Hiero, Hero, or Gyro?: The start of the 1st Punic War. One map, 2 Game Turns (264-263 BCE)
• The First Punic War: Two maps, 24 Game Turns (264-241 BCE)
• The Conquest of Central Italy: The Samnite Wars. One map, 10 Game Turns (320-311 BCE)
• The First Alexander Invasion: One map, 4 Game Turns (327-324 BCE)
• The Eagle Has Landed: The Invasion of Pyrrhus. One map, 10 Game Turns (280-271 BCE)

That is a lot of very involved and meaty scenarios mostly covering the 2nd Punic War. The game covers the action in the Western Mediterranean on updated Italy and Africa maps. There are also several smaller scenarios as follows:

• 2nd Punic War: The entire 2nd Punic War. Three maps, 16 Game Turns. A wealth of special rules to bring this conflict into sharp focus.
• Thunderbolt: Hannibal’s Invasion of Italy. One map, 3 Game Turns (218-216 BCE). A reappraisal of the scenario from Rise of the Roman Republic. An excellent introductory scenario.
• Italian Campaign: Hannibal’s campaign in Italy. One map, 16 Game Turns (218-203 BCE)
• The Spanish Campaign I: The Roman Invasion of Spain. One map, 8 Game Turns (218-211 BCE).
• The Spanish Campaign II: Scipio Strikes Back. One map, 5 Game Turns (209-205 BCE).
• The Island Contest: The Carthaginian Invasions of Sicily and Sardinia. Two maps, 5 Game Turns (215-211 BCE)
• The African Campaign: Scipio Africanus’ Invasion of Africa. One map, 3-4 Game Turns (204-201 BCE)
• Iberia: Carthage’s Conquest of Spain. One map, ~16 Game Turns (237-220 BCE)

If you are interested in Thunderbolt: The Ancient World Vol. III Deluxe Edition, you can pre-order a copy for $69.00 on the P500 game page at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1055-thunderbolt-deluxe-edition.aspx

Now, there is also an option to just purchase the Thunderbolt game itself without the Deluxification elements. If you are interested in Thunderbolt: The Ancient World Vol. III Single Game, you can pre-order a copy for $53.00 on the P500 game page at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1054-thunderbolt.aspx

4. Red Storm: The Air War Over Central Germany, 1987 2nd Printing from GMT Games

Cold War Gone Hot games are very popular and one that is based on an iconic system is going to make it more popular. Such is the case with Red Storm: The Air War Over Central Germany, 1987 as it goes to 2nd Printing.

From the game page, we read the following:

The second sequel to the Charles S. Roberts Award-winning game Downtown, Red Storm is a standalone game that utilizes the Downtown game system to depict a hypothetical air war in May/June 1987 over the central portion of the NATO-Warsaw Pact front in central Germany. Like Downtown and Elusive Victory before it, Red Storm is an “operational” level air warfare game where players manage large strike packages and numerous combat air patrols in an effort to strike enemy targets, protect their own ground troops, and secure control of the air above the land battle raging below. Both sides field highly advanced all-weather aircraft, long-range air-to-air missiles, precision bombs, sophisticated electronic warfare assets, and networks of surface-to-air missiles and radar-guided AAA.

As the NATO player, you fight outnumbered in the air, but with a qualitative edge in technology and training. NATO faces the daunting task of claiming air superiority in the face of the initial onslaught from the Warsaw Pack air forces while also delivering bombs onto Soviet and East German ground targets already on the frontline and those approaching in the rear echelons. As the Warsaw Pact player, you must push your numerous but less flexible forces to the absolute limit in an effort to overwhelm NATO forces in the air and destroy them on the ground, all while supporting your advancing ground forces. Both players also must manage air defense networks consisting of overlapping layers of SAMs and AAA.

One of the parts of the design that I really like is that players have to plan both their air and ground forces prior to a scenario. Raid forces must be generated, targets and routes mapped, and aircraft loadouts determined. SAM, AAA, and radar units must be placed. Both sides have to figure out how to handle the rough terrain and frequently poor weather of central Germany.

You can check out our unboxing video of the 1st Printing at the following link:

If you are interested in Red Storm: The Air War Over Central Germany, 1987 2nd Printing , you can pre-order a copy for $54.00 on the P500 game page at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1059-red-storm-2nd-printing.aspx

5. Silent War 2.0! (Including Silent War and IJN, Deluxe 2nd Edition) from Compass Games Currently on Kickstarter

I love a good solitaire wargame and one that I have yet to play is Silent War and IJN from Compass Games. I love those solo sub games as evidenced by my many plays of Silent Victory from GMT Games. I saw this one come up on Kickstarter this week and jumped right in as I thought the water was fine.

From the game page, we read the following:

Silent War and IJN, Deluxe 2nd Edition is an enhanced second edition of the original, award winning, game first published in 2005. This new edition includes the expansion, IJN that brings a greater depth of detail by providing all the major warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This new edition features a mounted game board, consolidated rule book with all changes and improvements incorporated, a number of revised tables, additional scenarios not in the original game, and all the additional playing pieces that were added in the Steel Wolves game. This new edition of Silent War/IJN is the definitive game on the United States Submarine Campaign against Imperial Japan.

Since 2005, lots of things have changed in our understanding of World War II and I hope that their changes have taken into account historical information. I am really looking forward to this one and cannot wait to slip beneath the waves.

If you are interested in Silent War 2.0! from Compass Games, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: Silent War 2.0 by Compass Games — Kickstarter

As of August 8th, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $30,204 toward its $2,500 funding goal with 284 backers. The campaign will conclude on Monday, August 14th at 5:09pm EDT.

6. War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67 from Surprised Stare Games Currently on Gamefound

Someone turned me onto these games as I had never seen them before but there is a line of smaller wargames in the Pocket Campaigns from Surprised Stare Games that deal with several historical events. The game that is currently on Gamefound is called War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67 and covers the conflicts between cousins during the Time of El Cid.

From the game page, we read the following:

In War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67, the fourth game in the Pocket Campaigns series, you are one of three King Sanchos, fighting for control of castles and towers across Castilla, Navarra, and Aragón. The game is designed for 1-3 players.

All three of the King Sanchos, including any non-player Sanchos, are competing to win by fortifying the castles and towers illustrated on the board (one in each region). Players gain victory points for each castle or tower fortified with their pieces: 3 points for a home castle (2 points in the solo game), 2 points for a neutral castle, and 1 point for a tower. If at any time during the game a Sancho has 10 or more victory points, they win a major victory. If no player achieves this during the game, the Sancho with the most victory points after the last card is played wins a minor victory.

The game is played in rounds. Each player has a turn during each round. At the start of the round, the commander for the round plays a card from their hand. This card indicates the number of command points (CPs) from 1 to 3 that the commander uses during the round, and it also describes the actions that each other player must take on their turn, if possible. The game ends either at any point when a Sancho has 10 or more victory points, or after the final card from all players’ hands has been resolved.

If you are interested in War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67 from Surprised Stare Games, you can back the project on the Gamefound page at the following link: https://gamefound.com/projects/ssg/3-sanchos#/section/project-story

As of August 8th, the Gamefound campaign has raised $10,509 toward its $16,488 funding goal with 327 backers. The campaign will conclude on Thursday, August 17th at 4:00pm EDT.

7. Blitz in the East: The Russian Front from VentoNuovo Games Currently on Kickstarter

From the game page, we read the following:

After spectacular success in the West, Germany and its Axis partners turned East in June 1941 and launched the greatest land invasion in history against the Soviet Union. The goal of Operation Barbarossa was to decisively defeat the Soviet Union in a short lightning campaign before the onset of winter.

During the early stages of the campaign, the Wehrmacht caught the Soviet forces completely unprepared and had advanced its armored spearheads across the Dnepr in only a few short weeks. By mid-October, the Axis invasion appeared unstoppable and on the verge of ultimate success.

Unfortunately for the Wehrmacht, the time for a decisive victory had run out with the arrival of Russia’s notorious muddy season and the worst winter in a century. Despite suffering catastrophic losses over four months, the Soviet military was finally able to regroup and halt the invaders at the gates of Moscow. The Axis would never come so close to victory again and the initiative would slowly fall from its grasp.

As the Axis, can you do better and seize Moscow before the snow falls?

In addition to the historical setting that we all know so well, the game has a unique and new engine that should create some very interesting plays.

The game engine is the strength of BLITZ IN THE EAST, as it is new, easy, and incorporates all of the historical campaign’s main themes. You will not have the feeling of playing “another” Russian front game.” says designer Emanuele Santandrea.

VNG developers have created a brand new engine for this game that is both easy to learn and hard to master. The base rules are minimal in length with many designer notes, examples, and beautiful graphics. Several optional rules and the Scorched Earth Expansion also add more historical flavor and complexity for more seasoned wargamers.

If you are interested in Blitz in the East: The Russian Front from VentoNuovo Games, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/m41/blitz-in-the-east

As of August 8th, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $28,965 toward its $21,991 funding goal with 178 backers. The campaign will conclude on Thursday, August 10th at 5:59pm EDT.

New Release

1. VIVE L’ EMPEREUR: A Solitaire Wargame on The Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815 from White Dog Games

I love me a good solitaire wargame and one that covers The Battle of Waterloo and is designed by Hermann Luttmann is pretty damn exciting! The newest solo offering from White Dog Games is called VIVE L’ EMPEREUR: A Solitaire Wargame on The Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815 and looks really interesting.

From the game page, we read the following:

VIVE L’ EMPEREUR is an exciting, solitaire wargame depicting the Battle of Waterloo fought on June 18, 1815. Controlling the French side as the Emperor Napoleon, you have conducted a brilliant campaign so far against not one, but two, Allied armies, defeating Field Marshal Blucher’s Prussians at Ligny and forcing the Anglo-Allied army under the Duke of Wellington to retreat from Quatre Bras. You have sent a wing of your army under Marshal Grouchy to keep the Prussians and the British-Dutch armies separate. Meanwhile, Wellington and his Dutch allies with 68,000 men have fallen back to a ridge line before the small town of Waterloo. On this rainy and muddy day, your 72,000-strong French army must defeat the Anglo-Allied Army before the Prussians can regroup, avoid Grouchy, and arrive on the battlefield. Are you up for the challenge?

​Vive L’Empereur is a hex-and-counter war game that uses a chit-pull system to generate random force activations for both sides. The Anglo-Allied and Prussian forces (the forces of the solitaire side) move and conduct combat using random instructions from the game’s Activation Table.

Sounds really intriguing and the best thing is that this one is a hex and counter game. This is pretty rare in the solitaire gaming world and I am definitely interested in taking a look at this one.

If you are interested in VIVE L’ EMPEREUR: A Solitaire Wargame on The Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815, you can order a boxed copy for $57.00 (there is also a Folio option for $54.00 and a PnP option for $30.00) from the White Dog Games website at the following link: https://www.whitedoggames.com/waterloo

You can also drop an additional $14.00 and pickup up a canvas map for the game.

2. Sleepwalkers: Imperial Rivalries and The Great War from Dr. Richter Konflictsimulationen

This entry is really my new game new company offering as I have never played a Dr. Richter Konflictsimulationen product. But it looks to be an interesting topic on the diplomatic situation prior to The Great War.

From the game page, we read the following:

Sleepwalkers: Imperial Rivalries and The Great War is a diplomacy simulation. Up to five players represent the major European powers Germany, France, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary and Russia in the period from around 1900 to 1918. Struggling for prestige, they impose protective tariffs, arm themselves, expand and form alliances. Historical events such as the Dreyfus Affair, the Boer War, the Berlin-Baghdad Railway, the Russo-Japanese War and the “Black Hand” increase tensions. Crises are inevitable and force every government to choose between mediation and mobilization.

If you are interested in Sleepwalkers: Imperial Rivalries and The Great War, you will need to send an email with the number and name of the desired items and your postal address to info@richter-kosim.de. They will then send you an invoice for payment prior to shipping. You can check out the game on the Dr. Richter Konflictsimulationen website at the following link: http://www.richter-kosim.de/

3. Battle of Stalingrad Game from The Historical Game Company

We have played a few of the games from The Historical Game Company from designer Steve Kling and they are designed as nice little introductory wargames with low counter density, great looking maps and easy to learn and understand rules. We described them as games you could play with your dad over a holiday or be used to introduce a friend to wargaming. These games are also print on demand and are printed and shipped by Blue Panther LLC once you buy them. They will take about 10 days to get to you.

Their newest release includes a game on the infamous Bottle of Stalingrad in 1942.

From the game page, we read the following:

1942, Southern Russia. The German Army, under General Friedrich Paulus, approaches the outskirts of Stalingrad. The city is named after the Russian legend, Joseph Stalin. The Germans are set on conquering the heavily fortified Russian metropolis. The Russians are determined to put up a stiff resistance, fighting from the rubble in what some would term the “War of the Rats.”

Winter is approaching. It is imperative the Germans conquer the city quickly as demanded by German High Commander Adolf Hitler. The Russians intend to make Stalingrad the death knell of the German Sixth Army. The stage is set…

Battle of Stalingrad is the first game in the Battles Series to focus on World War II. It adds tanks and planes while keeping ease of play.

The game takes about 90 minutes to play. One player commands the German forces and the other player commands the Russian forces. Cards vary the game play.

If you are interested in Battle of Stalingrad Game, you can order a copy for $40.00 from the Blue Panther website at the following link: https://www.bluepantherllc.com/products/battle-of-stalingrad

4. That Others May Live – Combat Search and Rescue – Vietnam from Hollandspiele

I have always had a great love affair with the solitaire wargames from Hollandspiele. So many good ones, including Agricola, Charlemagne, Wars of Marcus Aurelius and Stilicho to name a few. Recently, I saw their newest offering designed by Brad Smith dealing with search and rescue missions during the Vietnam War called That Others May Live.

From the game page, we read the following:

An airman has been shot down. The enemy searches for him. Their trap waits for you.

The long-awaited second game from designer Brad Smith (NATO Air Commander) puts you in the role of a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Commander conducting rescue missions in Vietnam and Laos. You’ll need to make decisions with limited resources while racing against time. The game models the unique capabilities and features of your aircraft – A-1 Skyraiders, HH-53 Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopters, and an O-2 Skymaster – and a variety of ordnance.

Your intel is uncertain – is it safe to enter this zone? Are there enemy anti-air guns? Are you flying into a flak trap? You’ll need to locate and suppress these if you want to get in and out safely with your survivor.

Each rescue mission tells a story – of success or of failure, of hope or despair. The game includes a base scenario, four additional scenarios based on historical rescue missions, and a mini-campaign.

If you are interested in That Others Mays Live – Combat Search and Rescue – Vietnam, you can order a copy for $55.00 from the Hollandspiele website at the following link: https://hollandspiele.com/products/that-others-may-live

5. A Brilliant Fight: The Battle of Queenston Heights, October 13, 1812 from High Flying Dice Games

Following the first 5 volumes in the Battles for Canada Series, A Brilliant Fight: The Battle of Queenston Heights, October 13, 1812 was the key stratgeic element in the American campaign to take control of Canada was securing the Niagara Peninsula in 1812. This endeavor was increasingly important to the US war effort following the surrender of an entire American army at Detroit during the summer of 1812. 

From the game page, we read the following:

A key element in the American campaign to take control Canada was securing the Niagara Peninsula in 1812. This endeavor was increasingly important to the US war effort following the surrender of an entire American army at Detroit during the summer of 1812. However, a crossing of the Niagara River near Lake Ontario was guarded by Fort George, while those near Buffalo near Lake Erie were dominated by the Queenston Heights. The Americans gambled that a quick early morning assault on Queenston Heights could gain them a bridgehead that could very well lead to the capture of Ontario. 

If you are interested in A Brilliant Fight: The Battle of Queenston Heights, October 13, 1812, you can order a copy for $15.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: http://www.hfdgames.com/queenston.html

6. North Africa ’41: The Western Desert, March to December 1941 from GMT Games

As you know, we have really enjoyed our plays of games designed by Mark Simonitch, including Holland ’44, Stalingrad ’42, Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul and most recently Salerno ’43. He has an amazing ability to boil down all the elements involved and come out with a very playable simulation of the historical event. Over a year ago, his newest game called North Africa ’41, which covers the campaign in North Africa from Rommel’s first offensive in March 1941 to December 1941, was announced on P500. As is usual, it has quickly shot up the P500 orders and is now shipping.

From the game page, we read the following:

North Africa ’41 is a game that represents the campaign in North Africa from Rommel’s first offensive in March 1941 to December 1941. Combat units represent regiments, brigades, and battalions. Each game turn represents half a month, but a game turn is further divided into 3 Impulses representing 4-5 days.

This is a complete redo of my old design The Legend Begins which was first published 30 years ago by Rhino Game Company. Everything has been redone—new map, new order of battle research, and improved rules using many of the ideas developed in Stalingrad ’43, Holland ’44, and Salerno ’43.

The map and unit scale from the old game remains the same as well as some of the rules.

We published an interview with the designer Mark Simonitch earlier this year and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/05/08/interview-with-mark-simonitch-designer-of-north-africa-41-the-western-desert-march-to-december-1941-from-gmt-games/

If you are interested in North Africa ’41: The Western Desert, March to December 1941, you can order a copy for $65.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-962-north-africa-41.aspx

7. Plantagenet: Cousin’s War for England, 1459-1485 from GMT Games

A few years ago, the Levy & Campaign Series burst on the scene with Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242 from the gifted and beautiful mind of Volko Ruhnke. A series focused on medieval logistics and the feudal system where the arts of war and careful building of alliances were so important to the fabric of society all boiled down into a very playable game was like catnip to the wargame masses. Since that time, there have been several new designs in the series come about including Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086 from Volko as well as from other designers including Inferno: Guelphs and Ghibellines Vie for Tuscany, 1259-1261 from Enrico Acerbi and now Plantagenet: Cousin’s War for England 1459-1485 from Francisco Gradaille, who recently had a guest post on our blog covering his Men of Iron Variant. 

From the game page, we read the following:

In Plantagenet—the newest volume in Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign Series—players lead one of the two factions across the three main periods of war, as individual scenarios or the entire Wars of the Roses.

Designer Francisco Gradaille adds overall and local political influence to Volko’s medieval operation system to reflect the ever-changing loyalties of the time while keeping play familiar to fans of the Series. Players will create and maintain a network of allied lords and nobles in order to obtain the provender and coin needed to supply and pay their armies. As ravaging and looting will damage each side’s reputation, each faction will strive to convince cites to join its side. Great battles will seek to kill or capture enemy lords—perhaps even a king. Two kinds of operational moves will be in play: the military and the political.

In the end, when the dust settles and all arrows have flown, one rose will sit on the throne. White or Red, York or Lancaster, gather your troops and banners and join the fight.

We published an interview with the designer Francisco Gradaille late last year and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2021/12/14/interview-with-francisco-gradaille-designer-of-plantagenet-cousins-war-for-england-1459-1485-from-gmt-games/

If you are interested in Plantagenet: Cousin’s War for England, 1459-1485, you can order a copy for $89.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-960-plantagenet-cousins-war-for-england-1459-1485.aspx

8. 2022: Ukraine from Conflict Simulations Limited

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. With that being said, I saw recently a new pre-order being offered from Conflict Simulations Limited covering the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War called 2022: Ukraine. The pre-order is now available and shipping.

From the game page, we read the following:

The latest module our Procedural Combat Series (PCS) tackles the first year of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022. A complete and fully researched OOB is included featuring specialized and unique assets such as Drones, HIMARS, Patriot Missiles and more.

2022 goes out of its way to simulate the first year of the conflict through, thoughtful and brutally honest mechanics, such as lower quality Russian units having a chance of committing atrocities during attacks against towns and cities which in turn triggers a roll for Western assistance. While Russian forces enjoy a greater quantity of units, a surprise first turn, superior air and missile assets, they are fairly tied to their railway logistics and units cannot function at full capacity unless occupying or adjacent to a friendly railhead.

2022 was developed alongside students at McGill university who also developed their own game on the situation . The design notes include a catalog of currently identified war crimes along with the units accused of performing them. 15% of sales upon release will be sent to relief efforts inside the country, ill be coming up with a group of organizations and asking customers to vote for which one to send the money to.

If you are interested in 2022: Ukraine, you can order a copy for $79.99 from the Conflict Simulations Limited website at the following link: https://www.consimsltd.com/products/2022-ukraine-pre-order

9. 490BC: Marathon from Conflict Simulations Limited

Another game that has really caught my eye, enough to go ahead an purchase a copy and do an unboxing video that should be us later this week, is 490BC: Marathon also from the mind of Raymond Weiss and Conflict Simulations Limited.

From the game page, we read the following:

The Violent Schoolmaster Tactical Series (VSTS) is our brand new take on combat from the prehistoric to the late 16th century. This Introduction Module allows players to affordably experiment with VSTS and allows players to re-fight one of military history, along with western civilization’s most decisive moment, the battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

Emperor Darius I of Persia resolved to crush Athens for aiding the Ionian revolt by sending ships and other means of support. Greece, through the development of the city state and democracy created the hoplite phalanx in which each man must hold their space in a tightly packed linear formation packed with over a thousand men with spear and/or shield. The Phalanx in formation became a heavily armed juggernaut that would continue up until the Roman development of Legion tactics. The Persians on the other hand used completely opposite arms and tactics, relying on speed, delay and missile tactics to harass an enemy, leaving the heavy combat to their cavalry.

Athenian democracy was tested as citizens debated what to do as Persians began to unload men, horses and supplies on the shores of Marathon. After 5 days of debate and noticing that the Persian cavalry was being reloaded onto ships for redeployment likely to ravage the rest of the Athenian suburbs, the Athenians decided to act offensively against the Persians while at a numerical disadvantage.

At the beginning of the battle, the Athenian center were pushed back but quickly rallied and outflanked the Persian forces before they could unload enough troops proficient at shock combat. Unable to delay and harass the Greeks by withdrawing and using ranged combat, they ended up getting totally slaughtered by the Greeks as they were completely ill-prepared for hand to hand combat with heavy infantry. Driven back into the sea, the Athenians had achieved a major symbolic victory, managing to severely damage the Persian attempt at establishing a beachhead for a further invasion of Attica from Marathon. The Greek way of war had proven itself as superior to the Persian, which had been the dominant power in the region before this point in history, that all changed with Marathon.

VSTS is inspired by the PRESTAGS set of games from SPI, GBOH from GMT, and Battle Hymn by Compass Games. Wings of each army are activated by chit pull; the combat phase is also initiated by a chit pull followed by an ongoing melee phase after all chits have been pulled. While ranged combat uses a traditional CRT type mechanic, melee combat has players rolling a handful of d10s in search of “hits” against their opponent. dividing the number of dice thrown between all enemy units in front hexes. The base chance for hits depends on the morale of the units involved as well as facing, terrain, the presence of leadership, and more. Units absorb Disruption Points and as they do so, become progressive susceptible to Routing, automatically routing once they reach a level of DP equal to their SP. Exclusive Rules for Marathon are focused on recreating the various speculative conditions academics have argued about in relation to Hoplite combat, Phalanxes drift to the right when mobile, Phalanxes advance at variable rates towards an enemy, Locking Shields as a tactic to create a more shock-resistant Phalanx, as well as loose-formation rules for Phalanxes which allow for limited stacking combined with more maneuverable units. Many of these exclusive rules, if not all, will be present in the first full game of the series considering 4 Battles from Lacedaemonian (Spartan) history.

If you are interested in 490BC: Marathon, you can order a copy for $49.99 from the Conflict Simulations Limited website at the following link: https://www.consimsltd.com/products/violent-schoolmaster-tactical-series-introduction-module-490-bc-marathon

As usual, thanks for reading along and sticking with me 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