Another really good month of games is upon us! I just don’t know how I can continue to put this list out each month with so many great offerings. I feel for you guys. This is like nectar to a hungry bee, crack to an addict or a pizza to someone who is dieting! I am an enabler of your addictions to buy wargames and I apologize for that, but not really though as it is not my fault you can’t control yourselves and that these publishers keep making good games. This month, I found 21 games including 2 being offered on crowdfunding (1 on Kickstarter and 1 on Gamefound).
1. 1854: The Alma: A Solitaire Grand Tactics Series Game from Conflict Simulations Limited
I love a good solitaire wargame and one on a topic that I have not gamed much is even better. Ray Weiss has devised a solo game using their established Grand Tactics Series based on the Crimean War of 1854.
From the game page, we read the following:
1854: The Alma is a small footprint Grand Tactics scale solitaire minigame on the iconic battle between Russia, France, England and Turkey at the outset of the Crimean War. Allied units are mostly brigades while Russian units are regiments, each hex is around 500m, and each turn is one hour.
1854 is mechanically a streamlined combination of our Imperial Bayonets Series as well as Koniggratz and the rules only clock in at around 6 pages. The game features no CRT and can be played opposed making it an excellent intro into wargaming for new gamers while providing a satisfying challenge to more experienced gamers.
The game should be ready to ship in mid-September.
2. The Last Hundred Yards Volume 5: For King and Country from GMT Games
If you didn’t know we really enjoyed The Last Hundred Yards very much as well as Volume 2: Airborne Over Europe. The system is extremely interesting for a tactical game and uses some novel elements in regards to how victory points are scored including a focus on time and casualties. Really an excellent system! Now, even though there are 4 total volumes that have been released, including most recently Volume 4 The Russian Front, Mike Denson has forged ahead with the next entry which gives us the British and Canadian forces to use in taking back Western Europe.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Last Hundred Yards Volume 5: For King & Country joins the Last Hundred Yards family as British and Canadian Forces retake Western Europe from German occupation. The pack contains ten/twelve Missions that occurred in 1944 during the Normandy landings and breakout phases from June through August and Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands in September. Players must own The Last Hundred Yards Volumes 1 and 2 to play Volume 5.
I really like the approach they are taking with this system by adding Mission Packs as well as products like this that work with previously released volumes to create a new experience.
In For King & Country, you will take the experience gained from Airborne over Europe and extend it to these British elite forces for airborne missions into Arnhem as part of Operation Market Garden and behind the German lines at the Caen Canal in the dark hours before D-Day. The bridge was later renamed “Pegasus” in honor of the Red Devils’ mascot.
Enter into the decisive phase of the war and storm Juno beach with the new and untried Canadian 3rd Infantry Division. Push inland towards the Caen-Bayeux railway line and take the airfields at Carpiquet, against the initial counterstrokes made by the 21st Panzer Division. Finally, join operations aimed to take Caen with its vital road network and face the fury of the unbloodied 12th SS Panzer Division equipped with the best weaponry and equipment available, finally unleashed and sent forward against the invasion.
In Žižka, designer Petr Mojžíš (The Bell of Treason) brings Volko’s Levy & CampaignSeries to the heart of late Middle-Ages Europe. The iron Lords of the Holy Roman Empire can withstand even crossbow bolts, and gunpowder is in its infancy. A new army emerges to collide with the seemingly invincible knights: peasants with no training but fanatical religious faith and therefore no mercy.
That opening paragraph already has me as anytime you deal with religion and fanatical followers, things can get really interesting.
The Hussites start with almost no Strongholds, cannot obtain Coin from the populace, and are slowed by the vulnerable flock of women and children accompanying their flailmen. They must build their capabilities step by step and use unorthodox tactics and weapons like war wagons and various firearms. Or perhaps their religious songs can even scare away the crusaders!
The seemingly strong Catholics have challenges too. The number of crusaders joining the cause as well as the timing of the crusade are uncertain and the logistics daunting. Two mighty fortresses and a fortified hill complicate the struggle for control of Praha (Prague).
But this games is not just mailing it in and going with the tried and true formulae set out by series creator Volko Ruhnke. It is bravely forging some new ground and adding some very interesting mechanics to the system that should create a new experience with Cause Cards.
Žižka also introduces Cause cards to portray the parallel religious and political struggle taking place. Hussites would recognize Sigmund as King if he would allow the teachings of Jan Hus and both kinds of communion. Negotiations through Cause cards will strengthen or lessen the Hussite haytmans’ will to fight.
This one seems to be going in a good direction and I believe that the series is in good hands!
4. Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul2nd Edition from GMT Games
Mark Simonitch is a very talented designer! (understatement I know but its very true). His talents have given us many great games including the ’4x Series (Normandy ’44, Ardennes ’44 and Holland ’44) and the great Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage and many others (TheU.S. Civil War, France ’40, etc.). I am always amazed by his talents and the way he mixes a bunch of great mechanics together to make a very playable and enjoyable simulation of historical events. Well, he has created a very playable and interesting game on the Ancients in Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul with some changes to the game in a 2nd Edition.
From the game page, we read the following:
Many minor changes were done for the 2nd Edition to improve play balance and to make the game more enjoyable. A partial list of those changes is provided below:
Most of the event cards now have an Action Point value of 2. There are now only five 3-cards, and three 1-cards. This was done to ensure that no game became unfairly balanced due to repeated lop-sided card draws. Players must now squeeze all they can from each event card to gain an edge over their opponent.
The Gallic IM graphic was changed to use a more Gallic-style image.
Sieges now cost only 2 MPs, instead of 3. This was done to break the Gallic “Turtle Strategy.” The Siege Table was modified slightly to accommodate this change.
Strongholds now require 3 Siege Points to remove.
The DRM for Intercepting and Avoiding Battle into a friendly-controlled space was reduced from +2 to +1.
Major Uprising now costs 2 Action Points to declare, but a Major Uprising now comes with free use of the Gallic Council Box.
There were no changes made to the map.
Here is a link to our video review of the game from the 1st Edition game in 2021:
5. Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul 2nd Edition Update Kit from GMT Games
And if you already own this very interesting CDG, you are in luck as they are offering a 2nd Edition Update Kit.
From the game page, we read the following:
For owners of the previous editions of Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul who’d like to update to the 2nd Edition, we are offering an upgrade kit with the following components:
The updated deck of 55 Event Cards
One sheet of counters
The updated rules booklet
Two (identical) Player Aid Cards
The countersheet includes nine Stronghold control markers with the new 3 Siege value. It also includes 42 additional control markers and a distinct black color for the control markers that are placed in Germania and Britannia.
6. Advanced Squad Leader: Armies of Oblivion from Multi-Man Publishing
For those of you out there that are addicted to Advanced Squad Leader and building your collection, here is an opportunity to get an out of print module.
From the game page, we read the following:
Armies of Oblivion adds the Axis Minors order of battle to the Advanced Squad Leader game system. (Note that for this reprint, a preorder number has been assigned, but we expect to print the module as soon as all components are ready, regardless of whether or not that number has been reached.)
Counters note: We are not including in this reprint the German, Russian, British, and Italian counters that we printed in the original Armies of Oblivion. We printed the corrected counters for prior modules in Beyond Valor 3rd Edition and in For King and Country, or will include them in the reprint of Hollow Legions. The counters for the German Sturmtiger and SdKfz 10/5 came with prior historical modules, and we printed them in Hakkaa Päälle!, along with all the new Russian (mostly lend-lease) counters. Instead, we are using that space to print new First Fire counters for optional use that indicate which specific weapon(s) have fired, e.g., First Fire-Inherent, First Fire-MG, First Fire-MA, etc. We hope players will find these useful.
If you are interested in Advanced Squad Leader: Armies of Oblivion, you can pre-order a copy for $129.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/armies-of-oblivion-p-28
This printing of Armies of Oblivion will be identical to the previous (2018) printing, but will include an updated set of replacement ASL Rule Book Chapter A rules pages reflecting the current versions of those rules.
For those of you out there that love ASL, they have a new offering with ASL Starter Kit Expansion Park #3.
From the game page, we read the following:
This new pack includes two new 8″ x 22″ geomorphic mapboards (h and g) and eight new scenarios set in locales such as Poland, Sicily, Italy, Russia, the Gilbert Islands, and the Marianas.
ASLSK Expansion Pack #3 continues the introduction of Concealment, first employed by the Japanese in Starter Kit #4 and now extended to several other nationalities. Expansion Pack #3 also includes Ordnance and Vehicle Notes for the weapons used in the scenarios.
Contents include:
two 8″ x 22″ geomorphic mapboards (map h, map g)
one countersheet (252 counters)
one four-page Quick Reference Data Card
one four-page ASLSK Chapter H Vehicles & Ordnance notes
8. SCOPE Panzer& Trilogy from Draco Ideas Currently on Gamefound
We have enjoyed our plays of various games from Draco Ideas. They make a quality product, with good gameplay and fantastic production and are becoming one of our favorite foreign publishers. Recently, I saw where they were adding a new game to the SCOPE Series, which are historically based fast playing simple wargames. This new game is called SCOPE Panzer and takes the action to the Western Theater of World War II.
From the game page, we read the following:
SCOPE Panzer is a tank combat card game set in the European Theater of WWII. One player leads a squad of American tanks, which faces a squad of German tanks commanded by the other player, in a battle of ambush tactics and close-range encounters.
They are also providing access to the other two games in the series as a part of this campaign.
The SCOPE Trilogy offers the three games of this series that recreates three exciting episodes of World War II with very simple and thematic rules, in which concealment takes a decisive role. The other two games in the series include SCOPE U-Boot and SCOPE Stalingrad. In addition, SCOPE games have advanced rules for the most discerning players.
As of September 1st, the Gamefound campaign has raised $9,817 toward its $3,000 funding goal with 287 backers. The campaign will conclude on September, 29th at 6:00am EDT.
9. Warfighter: The Vietnam War Special Forces Card Game from Dan Verssen Games Currently on Kickstarter
We absolutely love Warfighter! The game is very flexible and can be played solo or cooperative and I really like that as I have played it both ways several times. It is also a lot of fun and is imminently replayable.
The game uses cards and the player controls a squad of soldiers who carry various weapons, and pieces of equipment and have special skills and abilities. So there is a bit of customization possible and one of the best parts of the game is making up your team. At the start of each mission, you select your team while staying within the confines of the Resource limit. You then fight your way through hostile territory and engage enemy soldiers, as you attempt to reach and complete your mission objective. As you progress along the path, players will lay down various terrain cards that have advantages and disadvantages and sometimes you simply have to choose the lesser of two evils as you will be hurt by the cards you have in your hand. You can always wait to see if you draw more favorable terrain, but there is a timer on the mission and speed is key. The game is very fun, very flexible, very customizable as there are about a ton of expansions.
From the game page, we read the following:
Warfighter Vietnam recreates the skirmishes challenging for control of the terrain in the countryside and rural villages. Between the VC and NVA you have a tough fight to clear Hostiles and earn Body Count. You may face fierce resistance from opposing Hostile forces, but watch out – the terrain itself can be your worst enemy. The Core game will contain at least 240+ cards (Soldiers, Hostiles, Mission, Objectives, Locations, Action, Gear, and Events), with d6 and d10 dice, counter sheets as well as a tactical board and the latest version of the Warfighter Universal Rulebook.
But as is usually the case with these DVG Kickstarters, there are always additional expansions, which typically include 40 cards in their own card box, that deal with various aspects of the conflict being covered including things like vehicles, various nations participating in the conflict, special enemy cards, and a whole host of other tricks and treats.
As part of this initial release, there are also a dozen Warfighter Expansions and Battlepacks which will allow you to expand the scope of gameplay to include various armed forces and battles which took place in the jungles of Vietnam.
These expansions include more American, Australian, and South Korean Soldiers, as well as extra NVA and VC Hostiles! The Tunnel Rats, Khe Sahn, Hue, La Drang, and Hamburger Hill Battle Packs will blend historical accuracy and Warfighter gameplay seamlessly.
There also is a Campaign Pack add-on for $35 in this Kickstarter, with an MSRP of $40 later that is called Heart of Darkness (Apocalypse Now anyone?!) and is another way to play the game.
There really is no end to the hours that you can spend on this game with all of the different scenarios, campaigns and cards. In fact, that is one thing that I have always loved about DVG and their products, they offer lots of replayability and options about how you play the game.
As of September 1st, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $49,795 toward its $20,000 funding goal with 276 backers. The campaign will conclude on Wednesday, September 13th at 3:00pm EDT.
10. Sekigahara 1600 from Serious Historical Games
Last year, I became aware of a new French publisher called Serious Historical Games and one of the games in particular caught my eye in Nagashino 1575 & Shizugatake 1583: Battles of the Sengoku Jidai. We purchased a copy and played it and really enjoyed the system, including the combat, the gorgeous cover and the fantastic counter graphics. That same publisher has ready for pre-order the next volume in the Age of the Waring States Series called Sekigahara 1600.
From the game page, we read the following:
Sekigahara 1600 is Volume II of a series dedicated to the battles of the Sengoku Jidai (Volume I is Nagashino 1575 & Shizugatake 1583). The game is in a box containing a beautiful one-sided zone map (47 x 31.5 inch), 432 beautifully illustrated counters by Pascal Da Silva (0.7 x 0.7 inch), 16 page rulebook – 8 in French and 8 in English – ,16 page scenarios (all the big battle, main battle, around Sekigahara battle) examples and historical notes and map, one player aid in each language. The scale is 300m per zone, 45 minutes per game turn and 500 men per counter. A game lasts 3 – 6 hours and is ideally for 2 or 4 players. The complexity is low to average.
These games are good little wargames with some really fantastic graphics and high production values. We are always interested in lesser gamed topics and the Battles of the Sengoku Jidai is a period that we haven’t played that many games on.
11. 1562 Beginning of a Tragedy: 3 Battles of the French Wars of Religion from Serious Historical Games
Another great looking game from Serious Historical Games this month is one that covers the French Wars of Religion called 1562 Beginning of a Tragedy. This game is Volume III in their By Shot, Shock and Faith Series.
From the game page, we read the following:
1562 Beginning of a Tragedy (Volume III of By Shot, Shock and Faith Series) is a grand tactical game which allows the simulation of three battles of the French Wars of Religion era (1562-1598).; this civil war opposes Protestants – otherwise known as Huguenots – to Catholics. The game is in a box containing a beautiful two-sided zone map (23.5 x 15.5 inch) and one sided map (12 x 8 inch) 216 beautifully illustrated counters (0.7 x 0.7 inch), 16 page rulebook – 8 in French and 8 in English ,16 page scenarios, examples and historical notes and map, one player aid in each language. The maps are with areas from 300 to 500 m by side. The scale of the game is one unit for 100 to 500 soldiers or one or two guns. One game turn represents a duration of 20 to 30 minutes. A corps represents either a vanguard or a rearguard, or the main body called battle. Complexity is medium.
This one looks really interesting! A few months ago, Fred Serval mailed us a copy of the game and frankly we just didn’t have time to get it to the table. A Very Civil Whist is a trick taking and area control game that does look really interesting and with this new upgraded edition to the game with real components, I definitely think it looks intriguing.
From the game page, we read the following:
A Very Civil Whist is a unique game that combines aspects of trick-taking and area control in the historical setting of the English Civil War. Gameplay involves the Royalist and Parliament players engaging in a tug of war over different tracks linked to card suits. Win a trick in the connected suit, and make a territorial gain in the targeted region of England. You can use famous Generals and personalities from the English Civil War to boost your chance of winning a trick. Lose the trick though and the General may meet a grisly end. Random events at the start of the each round provide further flavour and variability.
If you are interested in A Very Civil Whist, you can pre-order a copy for €22.00 ($23.87 in US Dollars) from the PHALANX Backerkit website at the following link: https://phalanx.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/558424
New Release
1. Nothing Left to Bomb: The Skies Over Malta, 1940-1942 from SNAFU Designs
Over the past couple of years, I have become acquainted with a newer Catalan wargame publisher called SNAFU Design. I first interviewed one of their partners and designer Marc Figueras in early 2021 on his new game called Ambon: Burning Sun & Little Seagulls. We next interviewed the incomparable Javier Romero for his design called Santander ’37. Then back to Marc with his Equatorial Clash game and then Ivan Prat with his 12 Hours of Maleme. These games are very cool and cover lesser gamed subjects so these are right up my alley.
They now have #5 in the Small Battle Series completed and being sold on their website and it looks extremely interesting and has the beautiful art talents of David Prieto.
From the game page, we read the following:
Nothing Left to Bomb is a two-player game set in WWII and that recreates the Axis efforts to gain air superiority or even air supremacy in the skies above the pivotal island of Malta, and the British struggle to prevent it.
The game uses a modified system initially devised by Yasushi Nakaguro in his Operation Pointblank game (Bonsai Games). Each turn players commit their forces to the different map sectors secretly and then air battles are fought and antiaircraft fire is resolved. The aim of the Axis Player is that of achieving air superiority over Malta. Failing this by the last turn of the Scenario, the British Player wins.
We are working with the designer Nicola Saggini on an interview that we should have up on the blog over the next month or so.
We really enjoy games covering World War I and we also like smaller filler cards games that can be played in 30-40 minutes for after we have played a large operational scale hex and counter wargame and just want a simple game to cool down with. Last year, there was a successful Kickstarter for a new card game called The Great War designed by Dan Lombardy and Rodger MacGowan.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Great War, designed by veteran designer and World War 1 historian Dana Lombardy of Lombardy Studios, takes the vast conflict that shook the world and distills it down into a fast, dynamic card game playable by two players, or even as a solitaire game!
This Charles S. Roberts award nominee features artwork by Rodger B. MacGowan across its Card backs, Decks & Discards play mat, box art front and back, and playing cards.
Two complete 54-card decks of playing cards (Red and Blue decks) are provided with 13 standard playing cards (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 through 2) in each of four suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. These two decks each also have 2 Jokers. These playing cards can be used to play traditional card games such as poker, solitaire, etc. The Great War uses one ten-sided die (1d10) to keep track of Turns and one six-sided die (1d6) to resolve random events.
3. A Feeble and Negligent Action: The Battle of Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813 from High Flying Dice Games
Following the first 6 volumes in the Battles for Canada Series, A Feeble and Negligent Action: The Battle of Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813 tells the story of British Brigadier General John Vincent who even through outnumbered by nearly a five-to-one margin, ordered a risky night assault, counting upon superior knowledge gained from local informants, along with a daring night-time reconnoitering by Colonel John Harvey of the American encampment at Stoney Creek of the local terrain, surprise, as well as training with his regulars. The battle that resulted was one of the most intense and lop-sided battles fought in Upper Canada.
From the game page, we read the following:
British prospects in Canada were rather gloomy in the Spring of 1813 as American forces began invading that British colony once again, with their main efforts concentrating on wresting control of the Niagara Peninsula away from the Crown. On May 27th British forces near the north end of the Niagara River were forced to retreat into the sanctuary of Fort George by an American force led by Generals Henry Dearborn and William Winder. After successfully withdrawing nearly all of the other outposts along the river following the American invasion of the Niagara Peninsula, Brigadier General John Vincent began planning for ways to strike back at the Americans, whose force was joined by another led by General John Chandler.
If you are interested in A Feeble and Negligent Action: The Battle of Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813, you can order a copy for $15.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: http://www.hfdgames.com/stoney.html
4. Dawn of Battle: Designer’s Edition from Blue Panther LLC
A few years ago, Worthington Publishing released a new game called Dawn of Battle designed by Mike Nagel. The game was huge and allows players to refight various historical battles from 1500 BC to 1500 AD or a range of 3,000 years of combat. Players take the roles of the great commanders of history, including Xerxes, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Saladin, and William Wallace. Since that time, Blue Panther has agreed to print the game and also add some new content to already large amount of scenarios and counters.
From the game page, we read the following:
The game system is straight forward and action packed. Players will depend upon the quality of their army’s leadership to provide orders needed to maneuver their armies and stroke against the enemy. The better an army’s command, the more flexibility it has to move, rally, and attack.
Also included are supplementary rules that cover free deployment in scenarios, barbarian charges, command control and impetuosity, elephant panic, and random events.
Each scenario notes the disposition of the armies that engaged at a historical battle and the terrain that encompassed the battlefield. Units include a variety of infantry (including hoplites and the Macedonian phalanx), cavalry (including chariots and mounted archers), missile units (including slingers, longbows, and early gunpowder weapons, and special units such as elephants and war wagons.
The game’s primary engine is comprised of an action deck used to determine command, the randomly determined outcomes of actions, and melee combat. Additionally, action cards provide special effects that players can use to enhance their units’ abilities as well as the narrative of the play experience. The deck ensures that no two games are ever the same.
In addition to these battles, the game includes comprehensive guidelines on how to create your own scenarios, making Dawn of Battle a complete system usable to recreate virtually any battle from the ancient world to early gunpowder.
5. Battle of Son Tay from The Historical War Game Company, LLC
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 the Battle of Son Tay in China between the French and the Chinese Black Flag Army in 1883.
From the game page, we read the following:
1883. The French have decided to crush the renegade Chinese Black Flag army. The Eastern forces have taken control of Tonkin and the illustrious Red River. The Black Flag army, along with its Vietnamese allies, have been illusive and put up a fierce resistance. A plan to capture the fortress of Son Tay is put into place in the hopes of a quick end to the war. The shadowy army has fortified Son Tay and is confident that the French will be repulsed. The stage is set…
The game takes about 90 minutes to play. One player commands the French forces and the other player commands the Chinese forces. The Chinese side has trained Black Flag fanatics, Chinese regulars, and local troops. Cards vary the game play.
6. Western Front Ace: The Great War in the Air, 1916-1918 from Compass Games
This one has been a long time in coming as we first became aware of it in 2019. One of the highlights of our annual trip to WBC is meeting up with our friend Gregory M. Smith who has designed a lot of really great solitaire wargames that we have enjoyed such as Silent Victory, Nightfighter Ace and Zeppelin Raider amongst many others. Each year we have spent several hours with him checking out all the new designs that he has upcoming. In 2019, we got a chance to try out his upcoming design from Compass Games called Western Front Ace: The Great War in the Air, 1916-1918. It was a very interesting experience to say the least and has been a game that I have looked forward to for a long time.
From the game page, we read the following:
Western Front Ace: The Great War in the Air, 1916-1918 is a solitaire, tactical level game which places you in command of a scout (fighter) aircraft during World War I. Each turn consists of one sortie, during which a combat will usually occur. The player may choose one of seven different nationalities to fly for, and can be based from one of many bases in along the trench lines or in Italy. Western Front Ace is based on the popular, action-packed Nightfighter Ace game system by Gregory M. Smith and is the third game in the series, with a strong narrative around the pilot as you look to increase your prestige, earn skills, and rise in rank through promotion and receive awards.
The objective of the game is to conduct numerous sorties in the role of a scout pilot and rack up victories. Pilots may use the experience gained to improve their odds of success by purchasing skills. As their prestige increases, they may request a transfer to other fighter bases in an attempt to participate in Major Ground Offensives or request a newer type of scout. Awards and ace status help to narrate the player’s eventual goal – to become the top “Ace” of the war.
7. Oceans of Fire: The Pacific Theater in WWII from Compass Games
We love a good Pacific Theater Air-Naval game and this one looks pretty interesting with strategic gameplay that feels operational.
From the game page, we read the following:
Oceans of Fire is an area movement, strategic simulation of the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II with an operational feel. Players command the Japanese, American, and British Commonwealth naval, air, and ground forces that fought in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Netherlands forces that fought in the Dutch East Indies and the Chinese forces that fought in Burma are also included. The map runs from India to the west coast of the United States and from the Aleutians to Australia. The game may be played with either two or three players. In the three-player game, a second Allied player commands the Commonwealth, Dutch, and Chinese forces.
Pretty rare for a wargame to be 3-player but this one looks to be able to do that appropriately with splitting the Allied forces well.
I always have loved the movement and interception aspect to Pacific Wargames and this one seems to have a very interesting Command Point system along with some operational feel to way taskforces move.
Players expend Command Points to activate units for movement, missions, or combat. Although Oceans of Fire is a strategic game, it also has an operational feel to it. A typical operation involves moving a carrier task force, with transports carrying assault divisions, into a Sea Area containing an enemy controlled island. The defender can intercept with available air and naval forces, and the attacker can counter intercept. First, there is a round of air combat followed by one or more rounds of naval combat. The naval combat rounds can be carrier or surface, weighted in favor of carrier action. Air units attack individual ship counters with carrier air being more deadly. If the attacker wins the naval battle, he can conduct the amphibious assault. Players can also construct airfields and fortifications, or upgrade port facilities. The game also has the American Fleet Supply Train, Japanese kamikazes, and monsoon weather. A deck of historical Event cards adds a lot of variety and some uncertainty to the game with cards such as the Doolittle Raid, Tokyo Express, Chindits, and ‘MAGIC’.
8. Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection 3rd Printing from GMT Games
I have said this several times over the years but I love Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection! The fifth volume in GMT’s COIN Series is the series’ first foray into non-modern warfare and takes us to the 18th Century and the days of the Brown Bess musket, the 18 pounder siege cannon and nice and tidy formations better suited for a gentleman’s war. The focus of the game is the struggle of the American Patriots against their mother British government as they have made their intentions clear to become independent with the Declaration of Independence. The game is a multi-faction treatment of the American Revolution, which includes the Patriots and their allies the French against the British and their reluctant allies the Indians.
Liberty or Death is a 1 to 4 player game focused on all aspects of the struggle including financing operations with Rabble Rousing, infiltrating British held cities to Skirmish, blockading major cities with the mighty French fleet, Raiding the frontiers with the Indian nations, the spread of propaganda to build support for the revolution, fort building and small scale battles. So, with this short description you can see that this game is not a “traditional” wargame but does contain some armed conflict. So a game about the American Revolution that isn’t focused on battle you say? How can that be? Well, I will tell you that this game is probably a perfect representation of the multifaceted struggle that wasn’t necessarily decided on the field of combat, but by the little actions of many behind the scenes characters. Yes battle will decide the control of major areas of the board and decide the fate of troops as they must be concerned about being in supply through a network of forts but the game is so much more than just rolling some dice and consulting a CRT!
That is why I think Liberty or Death is so great and appears as my #1 game on the American Revolution. It does a fantastic job, very similarly to Washington’s War, of capturing the focus of the real issues and how the war was eventually won by a rag tag band of farmers, merchants, blacksmiths and school teachers.
9. Paper Wars Issue #103: Second Fallujah: Iraq, November – December, 2004 from Compass Games
Wargame Magazines are a good thing in our hobby. They not only have great articles on interesting subjects and upcoming games but also contain a small pack-in wargame. Paper Wars is a good one and is also well received.
From the game page, we read the following:
Second Fallujah is a two-player (solitaire adaptable) grand-tactical design covers the fighting from the start of the main Coalition assault on 8 November 2004 through 14 November, when most of the city had been secured. One player controls the Insurgent forces; the other controls the Coalition forces. The area-style map has 51 sectors scaled at one inch to 570 feet. Individual units of maneuver are primarily companies or ad hoc groupings of roughly that size. There are seven multi-impulse game turns each representing one full day. Intermediate complexity.
As usual, thanks so much for reading along and sticking with me this month as I navigated through the many websites and game pages looking for new and interesting games to share. 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 I wanted to compliment you and Alexander on the fantastic WBC review. It was like I was almost there with the drive in, the walk through the hallways and the regular walk arounds in the retail and gaming areas. Just outstanding even though you were down but not out. Your description of how you imagined Alexander mopping around while you were in the hospital, only to find out his was gaming like crazy, was hilarious. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Bill. I appreciate your comments. I was only joking about the moping around. I knew he would get right back to gaming once the danger zone was cleared. I am really glad he continued to have a good time and cover the CON. This event is like our Super Bowl each year and we love going and being around so many great folks. That is why I was so sad I had to miss it. But there will always be next year!
Thanks for including “A Very Civil Whist from”. I haven’t heard about it. I don’t even know if it’s a game for me, but Fred Serval had made so much good content about war games I felt compelled to support it.
The Players' Aid 
Grant I wanted to compliment you and Alexander on the fantastic WBC review. It was like I was almost there with the drive in, the walk through the hallways and the regular walk arounds in the retail and gaming areas. Just outstanding even though you were down but not out. Your description of how you imagined Alexander mopping around while you were in the hospital, only to find out his was gaming like crazy, was hilarious. Keep up the good work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Bill. I appreciate your comments. I was only joking about the moping around. I knew he would get right back to gaming once the danger zone was cleared. I am really glad he continued to have a good time and cover the CON. This event is like our Super Bowl each year and we love going and being around so many great folks. That is why I was so sad I had to miss it. But there will always be next year!
LikeLike
Thanks for including “A Very Civil Whist from”. I haven’t heard about it. I don’t even know if it’s a game for me, but Fred Serval had made so much good content about war games I felt compelled to support it.
LikeLiked by 1 person