My favorite time of the year is the holidays! Thanksgiving and Christmas are always such a great time with food, family, friends, football and games around the holiday table. Around this time of year I start to put my list together for Christmas Wargames for that special wargamer in your life. This year, as I did with the 2020 and 2022 Edition, I am going to present the list in a few different categories, featuring 3-5 games in each. The categories will include good old fashioned Hex & Counter, Solitaire Only, Card Driven Games and Waro (Hybrid Euro Wargames). I will also throw in a few smaller format games and some wargaming supplies that can be used as stocking stuffers! So, with that out of the way onto the games!
This year, we have a sponsor for this post in PHALANX, the maker of fantastic wargames such as U-BOOT, Hannibal & Hamilcar, Freedom! and more. They have a lot of great games upcoming and we highlighted two of them below in the post but they have many others that you should check out. You can follow the link to their site by clicking the below image.
If you are interested, here are links for the previous year’s editions of this list:
One more thing before we get to the games. If you are looking for something different for your wargamer for Christmas check out our The Players’ Aid merchandise available from TeeSpring at the following link: https://the-players-aid.creator-spring.com/?
You can find t-shirts, sweat shirts, coffee mugs, fleece blankets and die cut stickers with our very fashionable logo. We even have a few new offerings with a leopard print logo and some other goodies. Take a look!
Hex & Counter
The classic wargame that we all think of includes lots of counters and gorgeous hex based maps. Here I provide three operational level games and a bit of a departure from the norm with a strategic level game.
SCS Ardennes II from Multi-Man Publishing
Not often does a game get a 2nd Edition. And even more rare is a 2nd Edition with new rules, new art and new graphics. But SCS Ardennes has done just this with the release of Ardennes II from Multi-Man Publishing. Ardennes II is a part of the Standard Combat Series and is a reissuing of the award-winning game Ardennes from 1994. The new edition uses the additional research available from BCS Last Blitzkrieg, which was published in 2016, and also changes some basic concepts from the SCS system.
In addition to spotlighting the better OOB and map research first used in Last Blitzkrieg, the game has some differences from the first printing mainly in the area of how artillery works and and as well as giving units the opportunity to withdraw before an enemy attack. The game also removed some major focus on chrome rules which caused more playing issues than they were worth. But there are still really familiar and solid mechanics here from the Standard Combat Series and the game is a joy to play and look at as the graphics are significantly better in every possible way.
The game was presented really well and the new graphics were a big change. The map was absolutely beautiful and had such a good use of different shades of green and browns and created a very thematic and immersive experience. In fact, the map was so good that I am going to do an entry for it in my Beautiful Boards of Wargaming! Series. My only issue with the map was that the counters, which were colored green, gray and light green, seemed to blend in and were pretty well camouflaged. I also am not a huge fan of the front cover art but it is definitely better than the original.
The Standard Combat Series is quickly becoming one of my favorite WWII systems and for good reason as the mechanics make sense but are also very playable. I really love the push your luck nature of playing the Germans and the many decisions forced upon players about how to best use their limited artillery and where to fall back and defend. I really like the addition of the retreat before combat rule and the ZOC Bonds as they created a very interesting puzzle for both sides. I would play this one again in a heartbeat and really would like to get this back to the table soon.
Here is a link to our unboxing to give you a good look at the components:
You can also check out our video review at the following link:
I also wrote a First Impressions post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/11/07/first-impressions-scs-ardennes-ii-from-multi-man-publishing/
If you are interested in SCS Ardennes II, you can order a copy for $80.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/ardennes-ii-p-37
Traces of War from VUCA Simulations
Sometimes good, old fashioned hex and counter wargames are the best! You line up your counters in long continuous lines and attack, pushing the enemy back, having your own forces fall back after an attack, waiting for your opportunity to pounce. Once a line is broken, scrambling to bring up units in reserve to try and plug those holes. Maintaining supply and trying to cut the supply of your opponent. Good stuff! And these kind of games on the East Front are always interesting for various reasons. Earlier this year, we acquired a copy of a new game from VUCA Simulations called Traces of War which is a two-player game that simulates the intense fighting between Axis and Soviet forces just after the battle of Kursk during August 1943 to March 1944. A major Soviet offensive is launched against a German mobile defense.
The game uses a modified version of the Victory Lost Series game system (sometimes referred to as the Red Box Series) but is now being called the Fierce Fight! Series designed by Tetsuya Nakamura. We played and gained some experience with the series last year with A Victory Awaits: Operation Barbarossa 1941 from Multi-Man Publishing and really liked what we saw. The system was very approachable and the rules were well written so we were able to get up and running very quickly. The system uses a chit-pull to activate different formations and plays very quickly with some hot and heavy action.
One of the things that I like about the games in this series is that they are pretty standard fare, meaning movement, supply, combat, etc. are what we are used to from playing other hex and counter wargames. We played A Victory Awaits from Multi-Man Publishing and also designed by Tetsuya Nakamura in November last year and even though that was several months before we played Traces of War, the system came back to us with very little fuss and just a cursory review of the rules. Now, we had to focus on the differences here that have been added to make this one unique but it just felt comfortable. Like that favorite shirt, pair of jeans or your couch. With that being said, there was some uniqueness here with one major distinction. The rules work well together to create a lot of choices and opportunities for the players that typically are not found in other wargames. For example, the Zone of Control rules are quite unique and I found that it caused us to come with more out of the box thinking about how we would go about trying to execute movement. The rules state that to enter or leave any ZOC will cost the unit 2 additional movement points. Normally, ZOC’s are much more rigid or sticky and enforce no separation of units once engaged but I really liked this change here and it made for very enjoyable maneuver action.
We also really felt like this game, and in many regards all of the games in the system, can be used to introduce wargames to new gamers who might not be comfortable with the mechanics and concepts at play here. It is a game that can be taught fairly quickly in less than 30 minutes, with about 15 pages of rules and excellent player aids and notations on the board for setup, played quite easily and understood by anyone, be they newbie or old crusty grognard. It also felt very intuitive to me and will feel natural to players to allow them to play the game and not worry about gaming the rules and spending hours trying to understand complex and involved concepts.
Also, as an Operational Scale game, the tactics and strategy seemed to me to be very understandable and allowed me to work toward those goals without having to do something that was totally unexpected or out of the way. I was able to set my strategy and then follow through with it only having to adjust due to my opponent’s response and not due to my mistakes. A really well laid out game that was a blast to play!
Traces of War is a damn solid wargame. Of all the games that I have played on the Eastern Front, and I admit that I have not played nearly all of them, this Fierce Fight! Series from designer Tetsuya Nakamura is just fantastic. Traces of War is extremely playable, enjoyable and really has some great chrome added in like the Supreme Order Commands and the OKH and Stavka Chits. This is a great implementation of the Chit-Pull mechanic and really creates a tough yet easy to grock system. I marvel at the ease at which the games creates some of the most trying decisions for players and the addition of the interesting non-sticky ZOC rules was a genius move as it just creates so many options.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
Here also is a link to our full video review:
I also wrote a First Impressions post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/10/17/first-impressions-traces-of-war-from-vuca-simulations/
If you are interested in Traces of War, you can order a copy for $76.00 from the VUCA Simulations website at the following link: https://vucasims.com/products/traces-of-war
The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition from GMT Games
We have played a lot of wargames over the past 10 years but some of the classics have eluded us thus far. I say eluded but a better word would be are either unavailable or the cost is prohibitive. So when one of the classics gets a new edition, especially one that is updated with new graphics, new rules and clarifications all intended to assist and enhance gameplay, we are really excited and try our best to get a copy.
This story actually begins way back in 2017 or so when GMT Games announced the Deluxe Edition reprint of The Russian Campaign on P500. The last time The Russian Campaign was in print was sometime in 2002 and the game was sold out and out of print as of 2007. That is a long time ago and for such a classic and well thought of game, it was about time for a reprint and with changing production values and more knowledge some additional rules and tweaks. I was excited and mashed that button to reserve my copy. Well, at the time I thought this would maybe take a year or so to get to print and on my table but it actually took much longer than that and just became available earlier this year. So after waiting for about 8 years, we finally gave this one a spin and instantly I could immediately understand why so many wargamers held this game in such high regard.
The game is true to its name as it represents the entirety of the East Front of World War II stretching from Leningrad and Finland in the north all the way to the Caucasus Oil Fields, Rostov and Stalingrad in the south. I have said this before, but there is something a bit romantic about East Front games. Long lines of contiguous counters. The German blitzkrieg pushing the Soviets back for the first dozen turns. The Soviets gaining their strength, bringing up bigger replacement units and pushing back. A continuous bloody wave of motion and combat and attrition. Bad terrain, bad weather and bad luck all combining to spoil the best laid plans of commanders. It is all here. The entire East Front in all its glory and beauty and I think that this is one of the main draws of the game and the genre. Can my decisions lead to better advances? Can I do more than historical? Can the Germans break the red wall of Soviet units and capture Moscow to knock them out of the war?
We really enjoyed our play of this classic hex and counters style wargame and are eagerly awaiting and opportunity to give it another play. The mechanics are just solid and really rooted in classic wargaming style but there are enough new and interesting chrome optional rules here to make it interesting for anyone, even for those who may have played and older edition till the counters wore out. When I play wargames like this, meaning a true blue dyed in the wool hex and counter wargame, I feel the love and affection for this genre swell and grow in my whole mind! Just awesome simplicity.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
If you are interested in The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition, you can order a copy for $60.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-591-the-russian-campaign-deluxe-5th-edition.asp
Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud from PHALANX
Not every hex and counter wargame covering the East Front of World War II has to be an 8-12 hour campaign game. Some can be smaller and play in 90 minutes and still give you the feel of the titanic struggle between Germany and the Soviets. Such is the case with a new game from PHALANX called Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud, which is a quick and easy to learn 2-player hex and counter strategic level wargame simulating the Eastern Front. Will the vaunted German blitzkrieg prove its invincibility once again? Or will the Soviet Union endure the onslaught long enough to rebuild its might and push back the enemy? The fate of the war is in your hands!
Players will get to lead the combat-hardened forces of the Wehrmacht through mud and snow and unimaginably vast territories of the enemy, all the while trying to protect their overstretched supply lines. Or players can take control of the initially outnumbered, but slowly building its might, Soviet Red Army to attempt to slow the lighting quick Panzer attacks, harass the enemy’s supply lines with partisans and bide their time for a bloody and devastating counteroffensive. This is the war of iron, blood, snow and mud.
Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud is both asymmetrical in its overall design and simple yet surprisingly unique in its approach to the Eastern Front. The game is played over the course of four years, each consisting of three different seasons, two of which – the aptly named Mud and Snow – inhibit the use of some actions and units. The movement of units and their range is predicated on the current season, unit type and the ability to create and maintain a chain of units. The Germans have to either hold a set of objectives by the end of 1944 or capture the Soviet leader, Stalin himself. The Soviets too can achieve a sudden victory, but only if they manage to seize one of three initially German-held cities.
While attending UK Games Expo in June 2022, Alexander sat down with James Buckley from PHALANX to take a quick look at the upcoming WWII East Front game called Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud. The video doesn’t show much of the board or gameplay but is just a quick 5 minute look at the game. Here is a link to that video:
If you are interested in Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud, you can order a copy for €35 at MSRP and is currently on promo for €30 from the PHALANX website at the following link: https://phalanx.co.uk/games/iron-blood-snow-mud-2/#:~:text=Description,Front%20of%20World%20War%20II
Solitaire Only
Solitaire Wargames are a real thing and they don’t mean that you don’t have friends. These games are specifically designed for one player and as such the games have a well developed AI running your opponent. I like solitaire gaming for many reasons, including the challenge as they are often very hard to win, going at my own pace and trying to strategize my way around the opponent.
The Mog: Mogadishu 1993 from White Dog Games
One of the cooler solo games that have come out recently is The Mog: Mogadishu 1993 from White Dog Games. On October 3, 1993, US Special Forces under the auspices of the UN were tasked with capturing top lieutenants of the hostile warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in Mogadishu, Somalia. The game begins with US forces preparing to raid a building (the Meeting House) near the Olympic Hotel to capture these high-level members of Aidid’s Somali National Alliance (SNA). The player’s goal is to get US forces out of Mogadishu with their captives and return safely to a UN base.
The game offers several scenarios of differing lengths and play times and is really very fun as it is chaotic and ever changing as the automated AI system dumps new Somali National Alliance forces in your path as you make your way to and from various objectives. The game also has very simple rules that allow you to jump in quickly and add complexity as you progress with the many different scenarios.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the Components:
I also shot a review video and you can find that at the following link:
If you are interested in The Mog: Mogadishu 1993, you can order a copy for $50.00 from the White Dog Games website at the following link: https://www.whitedoggames.com/mogadishu
Cruel Necessity: The English Civil Wars 1640-1653 from Worthington Publishing
One of those venerable States of Siege Series games that is well thought of, Cruel Necessity has a new deluxe edition from Worthington Games. This will be the games Third Edition overall and probably is the definitive edition with its upgraded components and new art.
Cruel Necessity is a solitaire game simulating the military, political, and religious struggles of the English Civil Wars (1640-53). Players will attempt to stop the advance of four armies bent on destroying Parliament and Puritanism, whom you represent. These armies will come at your hot and heavy and you will have to play smart and efficiently to be able to withstand the siege.
There are civil wars going on not just in England, but in Scotland and Ireland too; and each will have varying impact on the play of the game at different times. The title comes from the purported response to the beheading of King Charles by his implacable foe, Oliver Cromwell, who remarked that this act of regicide was a “Cruel Necessity.”
The game really shines due to its very involved and interesting tactical battle phase where the player will have to randomly draw their own units and enemy units from a pool. These are drawn in order and placed opposite each other and then the combat starts. Events will impact this combat but it boils down to a strength comparison and then a die roll with some modifiers and the winner is then placed in the win box and the loser goes to the loss box. After the 6 full combats are completed, the overall winner is declared and there are ramifications from this outcome, some positive and some negative that change the state of the board. This tactical battle is a very unique entry in the States of Siege Series but is really a lot of fun and fills the air with tension. It does add time to the game and because of that this is one of the longer States of Siege Series games but it is well worth it.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
If you are interested in Cruel Necessity: The English Civil Wars 1640-1653, you can order a copy for $75.00 from the Worthington Publishing website at the following link: https://www.worthingtonpublishing.com/collection/cruel-necessity-pre-order
The Night: The Solitaire Zombie Attack Board Game from White Dog Games
This game is not a wargame but it is so very good that I felt like I had to add this to the list. I have played dozens of zombie themed games. Some solo, some two player and a few multi-player. There is something about the zombie apocalypse that intrigues me and always draws my interest when I see it. Last summer, I saw the box art for this game and it immediately took me back to George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, which was the original zombie themed movie filmed in black and white, and told the story of the survival of a group of people in a house in the middle of the suburbs. The game is not called Night of the Living Dead but it might as well be as the theme, art, use of all black and white graphics on the counters, rules, board and box leads you to feel you are playing Night of the Living Dead: The Board Game.
The game is very simple and the player plays as the survivors who are named after the characters in the movie including Ben, Barbara, Judy and Tom. These survivors start on the board in the house, which has a total of 8 rooms/areas as well as a front porch and utility shed in the back yard, and are placed randomly. They must organize themselves and move around the house/utility shed, searching for tools and weapons that they can use to shore up their defenses (such as boards and keys to lock doors) and fight off the approaching slow moving hordes of the undead. What weapons are available to the players is also determined randomly and can include a chain saw, Katana, rifle, shotgun, baseball bat and a hammer.
Zombies are then spawned on the board in 1 of 6 spawn locations based on a die roll and then advance on the house with each of the zombies having different movement values, combat strengths and special abilities. Players then determine how many activations they get by, you guessed it, rolling and die and then spending those points moving around, picking up items, boarding up windows and fighting zombies all while trying their best to survive through the night and see the sunshine again.
There is nothing complex about this game, and it is not intended to be so, but its strength lies in the really great narrative that is written with each game. There are lots of moments when dice are favorable, and you find yourself cheering and pumping your fist, and then there are lots of moments where you let slip a curse or throw the dice across the room because it is not doing its job! You can never guarantee that you won’t be overrun and even when your best character, Ben, has a Chain Saw and can only fail by rolling a 1, it happens and you feel great dread and despair. In my humble opinion, if a game can cause that range of emotions and engagement then it is a good thing and means the design is good.
The best part is that the game is short, playing in about 30-40 minutes, and set up is really simple so you can play a game, get crushed by bad die rolls and simply set it up again and play. This one was a great surprise to me and I really enjoyed it.
You can check out our unboxing video to get a good look at the beautiful black and white components:
Next, I shot a full game playthrough that will teach you the game (but not good strategy):
I also posted a video review of the game and you can watch that at the following link:
If you are interested in The Night: The Solitaire Zombie Attack Board Game, you can order a copy for $54.00 boxed ($30.00 PNP) from the White Dog Games website at the following link: https://www.whitedoggames.com/night-living-dead
Card Driven Games
The Card Driven Wargame uses cards to provide points to build and activate units and also provides historical events that effect things throughout the game. I chose 4 games using the mechanic, although the first one on the list is a bit of a stretch to call it a CDG.
Saigon 75 from Nuts! Publishing
In my opinion, any game on the Vietnam War is welcome on my table. The period is really interesting and as an American I have always been captivated by the war, how we couldn’t win and why, and the wars place in the overall global struggle that was the Cold War. Most of the time in this space, the games are not necessarily small, fast playing games but are generally larger hex and counter engagements that take a week to play. In Saigon 75, it was nice to see a game that tried to tackle the end of the war in under 2 hours.
Saigon 75 is a simple strategic wargame that deals with the Vietnam War during the period of 1973 through 1975 after the Americans have left and the war has devolved into a North vs. South affair. In this situation, the NVA and their mighty Chinese tanks are rolling down the countryside with Saigon in their sights and the South Vietnamese Army is withering away as their soldiers leave the cause and are grasping for any foothold they can find to stave off the inevitable. And the game is presented this way as the NVA are powerful while the SVA is weak and has to rely on air support and delay tactics to attempt to keep them from the gates of Saigon.
The game uses cards that provide Events for the players and are very asymmetric and fairly mean spirited as most of them do bad things to your opponent. The game has a total of 20 Event Cards with 6 being to the advantage of the South Vietnamese player and 12 to the advantage of the North Vietnamese player along with 2 neutral cards. The active player must play one of the cards in their hand at the start of each of their turns, and the event associated with it is in effect during that phase. Some have very good effects and others not so good. Each card is discarded after the event has been fulfilled, or at the end of the active player’s phase depending on the card. These cards are not like typical CDG’s as they cards have no Operations Points but only events.
One of the best parts of the game is that it always seems to come down to the last card play and even in some cases the very last desertion die roll. We have had a really great time with this game and have seen it come from its early stages of development to a finalized and finished product that is definitely worthy of gracing any players table.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
Here also is a link to our full video review:
If you are interested in Saigon 75, you can order a copy for 62.00€ ($67.24 in US Dollars) from the Nuts! Publishing website at the following link: https://www.nutspublishing.com/eshop/wargames-en/saigon75-en
2040: An American Insurgency Compass Games
This game is not perfect and it has some issues and the graphics are not that great frankly. So then why in the heck am I putting this one on this list? Because, I actually felt like it was a pretty decent game, with some very interesting mechanics on an interesting topic. I know it isn’t perfect and in some ways the designer was so careful not to offend anyone in the game that he really didn’t get to say anything and the game somewhat suffers from that. But it was interesting and I believe that we are about the only ones who played the game and I wanted to share something a bit unorthodox on the list.
2040: An American Insurgency is a card driven game that attempts to simulate a near future US civil war in the 21st century. In this 2-playe game that plays in less than 3 hours, the blue team is the Federals representing agents of the government in Washington. The red team are the Rebels including militia groups trying to seize control of states, highways, and cities. The conflict spreads across the entire continental US, from Miami to Seattle and from Los Angeles to New York.
Two scenarios are presented. One depicts a rebellion that emerges from rural areas in the Midwest and South. The other puts the rebellion in urban areas along the coasts. As such, the game is open to multiple interpretations of future politics in the US. The game was designed not to make political statements of one kind or another, but rather to accurately model counter-insurgency operations in the continental US, regardless of who the rebels happen to be.
The best part of the game was the way that players could manipulate the Social Media Track to provide them with different bonuses and advantages. I will be honest though that this track felt a bit underwhelming and sort of half-baked but it was very interesting nonetheless. I actually think the game did what it set out to do, making a playable card driven game on a subject that no one wants to think about or see happen, but that can be explored and experienced. I also really liked the mechanics of what it was that I was trying to do and it seemed to work well. Not anything that you want to look at though as the graphics are very basic, which was a major missed opportunity.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing the components:
Here also is a link to our full video review:
I also posted an interview with the designer Edward Castronova on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/04/04/interview-with-edward-castronova-designer-of-2040-an-american-insurgency-from-compass-games-currently-on-kickstarter/
If you are interested in 2040: An American Insurgency, you can order a copy for $55.00 from the Compass Games website at the following link: https://www.compassgames.com/product/2040-an-american-insurgency/
The Hunt from Salt & Pepper Games
I have played several hidden movement games over the years and enjoyed them all. Some of these titles have included wargames such as They Come Unseen from Osprey Games, Sniper Elite: The Board Game from Rebellion Unplugged and Bomber Command from GMT Games as well as few board games including Hunt for the Ring from Ares Games. The concept of moving cautiously, attempting to evade pursuers, all while trying to locate and acquire or destroy objectives. These situations can make for some really tense games that cause your head to ache and your wits to be tested. But they rely on some bluffing as well. Trying to force your opponent to anticipate where they think you should be and then trying not to be there. A really great mechanic in board games but not always easy to pull off and make for a very playable and interesting game. Recently, I became aware of a new design from Matthias Cramer and Engin Kunter that took this hidden movement concept and put it into a historically based game about the struggle over control of the South Atlantic between the British Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine during the early years of World War II.
First off, you might be a bit surprised that a game attempting to tell this grand struggle on the waves of the South Atlantic is such a small game. But it is, at least in its number of components, play footprint, board and box. But, in this case size is very deceiving and get ready to get punched in the gut as this one packs a lot of power for such a small container.
The board is a very compact hex based board that shows the area of the South Atlantic Ocean between Africa and South America with Great Britain shown at the top of the board. The reason for this area being the focus of the game is that the Admiral Graf Spee, a Deutschland-class Panzerschiff or armored ship, which was nicknamed a “pocket battleship” by the British, patrolled these waters during the early years of World War II hunting for Allied shipping targets traversing between Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Great Britain.
There are 36 total playable hex spaces found on the board and each is given a 2-digit number, which is very important to the play of the game for the German player as they must secretly keep track of their location throughout the game. There are not a lot of spaces that are used in the game and I would say that most of the action takes place in the same 18-20 hexes each game. But, those other hexes can be used and sometimes you have to consider their use as you are trying to shake your pursuers as they have your scent. The remainder of the spaces on the board are the port hexes which cannot be entered by either player but toward which the Allied Freight Ship counters will move based on their destination being one of 4 places, including Great Britain (GB), Brazil (BR), Argentina (AR) and South Africa (SA).
The heart of the game are the cards and both sides have their own 18 card asymmetric decks. Similar to a game like Watergate designed by Matthias Cramer, The Hunt is a Card Driven Game and the cards are used for either the printed event on the card or for the Action Point value to fuel actions. Each player has a hand limit of 5 cards but there is a trick here with the German player and how they have to manage that hand.
The Altmark counter is placed on the board and acts as a resupply option for the Graf Spee as at the end of the German turn the number of cards they will draw is associated with the proximity of the Altmark counter in relation to the hidden location of the Graf Spee on the board. If the Graf Spee is in the same or adjacent space as the Altmark, the German player has the option of drawing up to 5 cards which is their maximum hand size. If thy are not adjacent to the Altmark, they can only draw cards up to a maximum of 3 cards. And here is one of the best parts of the game in relation to cards. Bluffing. The player may very well be adjacent to the Altmark and could draw up to 5 cards but there are times that you MUST NOT draw the cards you COULD. You have to think about how much the British player knows about your location and how close they are to you. If they find you, this will end in an immediate battle and the winner takes all and combat is not as easy for the German player.
We absolutely had a blast with The Hunt! The game plays in 45 minutes, has lots of tension and agonizing decisions and is just a great puzzle to figure out. There is a lot of strategy here and when coupled with the bluffing and ongoing game of cat and mouse, which we always really love in any game, this one is a winner! It has lots of tricks to explore, great little events that give one side a great advantage during their turn, bluffing, prioritizing what actions you take, planning ahead for the next few turns, really tough decisions about how to spend your scarce resources in cards or AP and the opportunity to take what you want. This is a fantastically deep and interesting game in a very small package. Don’t be fooled by its size and jump into the water to give this one a go. You won’t regret it!
Here also is a link to preview video we did for the Gamefound campaign:
I also wrote a First Impressions post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/03/14/first-impressions-the-hunt-from-salt-pepper-games/
If you are interested in The Hunt, you can order a copy for $20.00 at the Miniature Market website at the following link: https://www.miniaturemarket.com/the-hunt-tfc45000.html
Storm Over Jerusalem: The Roman Siege from Multi-Man Publishing
The Storm Over Area Impulse Series has been around for a while and includes games such as Storm Over Arnhem (1981) from The Avalon Hill Game Company, Storm Over Stalingrad (2006) from Multi-Man Publishing and Storm Over Dien Bien Phu (2014) from Multi-Man Publishing amongst several others. The hallmark of the series is relatively low complexity for a wargame and a very simple combat system that calculates total attack versus total defense and adds a roll of 2d6. The losses from combat can be absorbed by either retreating from the attacked areas or destroying units. The game system has mostly been used to model more modern wars including the Franco-Prussian War, World War II and the French conflict at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
We have never had the pleasure of playing any games in the series to date, but once Storm Over Jerusalem was announced last year, we pre-ordered a copy and eagerly awaited its arrival. Storm Over Jerusalem: The Roman Siege is a 2-player wargame that simulates the Roman siege of Jerusalem during 70 AD. One player controls the mighty Roman forces, who are truly master of siege warfare with their siege towers, ballista, battering rams and onagers, and the other player controls the Judean forces, which are divided into 2 separate factions with different leaders. The game is 8 turns long, but can be shortened by the play of a few event cards, at the end of which time the winner is determined by calculating victory points that come from overall losses, holding of certain VP areas and keeping the Romans out of the city.
We were very impressed by the game and its overall clarity of rules, quality components and interesting tactical choices and really had a good time learning and playing it. The Judeans are obviously outclassed by the powerful and skilled Roman Legions but they have several of their own tricks to use to hold out long enough to win the day. There is a lot to like here and I am really glad that we decided to give the system a try.
The game is an Area Movement game and as such the areas on the map are divided up to make an interesting tactical puzzle for the invading Romans as they have an easier time breaching the outer walls, because there are several adjacent areas that provide the opportunity for multiple attacks from different armies stacked in different areas, but have a much more difficult time of it as they approach the inner walls which squeeze the accessibility to them down to just a few spaces.
As we began the process of setting up and learning this one, I was really struck by the fact that the game was very easy to learn. We reviewed the rules once and were able to get setup and playing in about 30 minutes. One of the main reasons for this was that the rules text is very well written and the meaning is clear and concise without a lot of extra fluff that sometimes leads to confusion. This doesn’t mean however that the game lacks depth or realism but simply that the rules are clear and pretty intuitive. As we played, we didn’t have to have our nose in the rule book often, usually only because we were double checking something or refreshing our memory. The player aids were also fantastic and had all of the pertinent information contained on them to help keep the game moving along. And, there were two of these player aids which helped a lot!
I also really liked how the cards were used in the game as each player had their own separate decks that were geared toward their side. This allowed the player to focus on their own cards to understand how best to use the cards and also keep the rules overhead low. We didn’t have to to worry about our opponent’s events going off if we played their card as is the case with most Card Driven Games. Don’t get me wrong. I really like that aspect of most CDG’s but with this one the separate asymmetric decks made the most sense and really helped in us internalizing the rules easily.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
Here also is a link to our full video review:
I also wrote a First Impressions post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/06/07/first-impressions-storm-over-jerusalem-the-roman-siege-from-multi-man-publishing/
If you are interested in Storm Over Jerusalem: The Roman Siege, you can order a copy for $86.00 at the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/storm-over-jerusalem-p-355
Waros (Hybrid Euro Wargames)
Waros (from the fusion of the words “war” and “euro”) are games which can be described as a fusion of a Wargame and a Eurogame. Waro games include aspects of both types of games, including the use of colored wooden cubes to represent forces and the use of cards.
The British Way from GMT Games
The COIN Series is a very popular series that has had some good longevity and growing interest even after 10+ years on the scene. The system deals with counterinsurgency across many different conflicts, historical periods and even different methodologies to model revolution and counter revolution. There are currently 10 published volumes with an additional 5 that have been announced and are in different stages of design and development. 2 of those volumes have added expansions (Falling Sky with Ariovistus and Fire in the Lake with Fall of Saigon and Sovereign of Discord) and there are other expansions for more popular volumes on the horizon. In 2023, we saw People Power released and my guess is that 2024 will see Red Dust Rebellion.
The system is well respected and recently has even been gaining some ground in the traditional board gaming world with coverage from several large outlets including Watch It Played and Rodney Smith, who has at least 2-3 games of COIN going at any one time, amongst several others. The system is a gateway between the traditional board gaming world and that of historical simulations. It uses colorful wooden bits to represent forces on the board including troops, police, underground cells, bases, castles, casinos, weapon caches and plunder. The game uses area movement and at its heart is an area control/area influence style wargame where each faction has their own unique asymmetric victory conditions and menu of actions. About 2 years ago, a new format was announced for the COIN Series with the Multi-Pack. These Multi-Packs are quadrigames that focus on four similar style counterinsurgency efforts in various parts of the world that have a thematic connection. The first announced Multi-Pack was The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire which deals with the British and their efforts to put down revolution across their colonial empire over the period of the late 1940’s through the early 1960’s. Included in this volume are games covering Palestine, Malaya, Cyprus and Kenya and each has their own board, their own unique set of rules and their own individual thesis about the effort. These British counterinsurgency campaigns take place during the process of decolonization immediately following World War II and include campaigns against larger insurgencies that sought to contest territory and topple colonial rule through armed conflict such as in Kenya and Malaya, but also smaller and more clandestine armed groups that sought to wear down British prestige to force a withdrawal as in Cyprus and Palestine.
I say this tongue in cheek but these little games feel like “Baby COIN”. They feel this way for a few reasons. One being their focus on just 2-players and the other in their size and clever use of the same pieces and counters across all four of the games. The British Way is everything that I have come to expect from the COIN Series with asymmetry, great events, tough choices, moral dilemmas in carrying out your more less than palatable Sabotage and Terror Actions and difficult to achieve victory conditions. The only thing that is missing really is the dynamic between multiple factions controlled by multiple players. This is where COIN shines in my opinion. The inter-factional dynamics keep the game tense and players on the edge of their seats as they sweat the next Event Card to be revealed or whether their ally will follow through with their commitments. The negotiation between factions is always one of the highlights for me as you try to work with your frenemy to ask for help, or at worst to not intercede before you can do what it is that you are trying to pull off. These smaller games are made for just 2-players and this aspect is missing.
The size of the games included is also diminutive. The game boards for each game in the Multi-Pack are all 17″ x 22″ so the same size as the board found in Cuba Libre. The reason for this is that all of these conflicts were fought over fairly small geographic areas compared to other larger games in the series. The smaller footprints are intentional and ensure that the two factions presented are forced to interact and compete over the small numbers of spaces rather than being able to easily avoid each other by building up in their own sections of the board. For example, the Palestine board has just 9 playable spaces, with 3 of those being cities where a lot of the action takes place. There are also 4 different sections of Railways that are also playable spaces that are used mostly by the Irgun insurgency as they occupy them to perform Sabotage to weaken the British Political Will. The British Troops and Police cubes will ultimately move onto those Railways to cleanup the damage done by the insurgents but they will spend most of their time in the cities protecting them from Sabotage and Terror. So, with just 13 total spaces, Palestine is officially tied with Cuba Libre for the fewest spaces in a COIN Series game.
One other aspect that makes the game feel like “Baby COIN” is the relative lack of pieces for either side in the game. As you can see from the British and Irgun Available Forces Boxes, the British have 6 Police Cubes and 12 Troop Cubes for a total of 18 pieces at their disposal while the Irgun have 15 Cells (cylinders) and 5 Arms Caches (discs) for a total of 20 pieces. This means there are never a ton of pieces on the board. Especially with the Irgun and their complex relationship with Haganah, who is the paramilitary armed wing of the Jewish Agency, and the British attempting to arrest and detain insurgents in Prison, they will more than likely have just 11 pieces available during the mid-second Campaign and the third Campaign.
I really like the size and scope of these games and enjoyed our playthrough of Palestine. We have lots to explore and plan to play all four of the games in due time but I think that it is safe to say at this point that this Multi-Pack, while diminutive as compared with the other volumes and some might say a bit cute, offers strategic depth, complex actions and a very interesting challenge for both sides involved. “Baby COIN” is just a nickname that I have given this offering as a term of endearment and would stack this one up against any of the volumes in the COIN Series as a good game.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
You can also check out our video review at the following link:
I also wrote a First Impressions post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/04/18/first-impressions-coin-series-multi-pack-i-the-british-way-counterinsurgency-at-the-end-of-empire-from-gmt-games/
If you are interested in The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire, you will have to do some searching for a copy as GMT Games has sold out their last copy with their fall sale but I saw where there are several copies available on Amazon at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/British-Way-Counterinsurgency-End-Empire/dp/B0C6G8Z8P4#:~:text=Amazon.com%3A%20The%20British%20Way,at%20The%20End%20of%20Empire
Road to Independence: The American Revolution, 1775-1783 from Blue Panther
Not every wargame has to be deep. Some of them are light and fast playing and are just fun and interesting to experience. But, with this lightness, that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t a good representation of the history or an interesting play experience. Such is the case with a new game called Road to Independence: The American Revolution, 1775-1783 from Blue Panther.
Road to Independence: The American Revolution, 1775-1783 is the first in a planned series of games that will simulate various important conflicts in American history in a casual format. In this game, two players clash and take the sides of the British or the Americans fighting over the control of the Thirteen Colonies. One of the interesting things about the game is that it not only includes the Eastern seaboard but also the conflict in the far Western territory, a theater not often covered in games on this conflict. Both players will fight for control of important locations using specially made dice that represent British and American regulars, Native American allies, militia units, and (for the Americans) French and Spanish forces. Each player also has their own deck of Event Cards that will allow special events and actions to occur, ensuring that no two games will play the same.
One of the best parts of the game was the custom dice and how combat works. The custom dice actually have the silhouettes of the various units available to each side etched into their surface and each of the dice are different colored to make their affiliation and type clear. The game is strategic in scope and there really are only a few different types of units including Forts, Cavalry, Regulars, Militia/Irregular Troops and Cannon. The game does involve conquest which is determined by die rolls against the strength of various Location’s Defenses found on the game map or also on the Location Cards. The Combat System is really pretty cool and uses a modified version of the dice system found in games like Elder Sign, which is a Euro horror themed game where players have to roll dice to obtain different symbols to defeat Ancient Ones and other challenges.
There are a great deal of choices that must be made during the Combat Phase in this game. I really enjoy how the custom dice are used and the decisions that you have to make. There is a good amount of considering how best to use your dice and their relative odds of achieving the results you are needing during that specific roll. But, you have to remember that this is a lite dice chucking game and the best plans can be dashed with bad luck and poor rolls.
Here is a link to our video review:
I also have written a series of Action Point posts on the game and you can read those at the following links:
Action Point 2 – Location Cards
Action Point 3 – Custom Dice and Combat System
If you are interested in Road to Independence: The American Revolution, 1775-1783, you can order a copy for $60.00 from the Blue Panther website at the following link: https://www.bluepantherllc.com/products/road-to-independence
Keep ‘Em Rolling 1944: Race to the Rhine from PHALANX
Keep ’Em Rolling: Race to the Rhine features Race to the Rhine from several years ago, which is a very unique and interesting logistics-focused euro-style wargame for 1-4 players (including a solitaire mode as well as optional cards and rules). But that is not all, the game has a complete standalone solitaire game called These Are My Credentials that covers the Allied liberation of Brittany.
The players will take on the persona of one of the historic Allied Commanders from World War II in the Western Front and will control several Corps that you must move along predefined, point-to-point routes, liberating cities from Axis control as you go. Unlike many other wargames covering the liberation of Western Europe though, in Race to the Rhine the focus is on planning and logistics. Moving your Corps requires fuel. Defeating Axis units and garrisons en route requires ammo. Feeding your armies as they move forward requires food.
The slower you are in moving to the Rhine, the longer you give the Axis to form a strong defense. But move too quickly and you risk overwhelming your logistical capacity to supply your advance. Whichever Commander can best manage these dual challenges will win the game.
Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:
If you are interested in Keep ’Em Rolling: Race to the Rhine, you can order a copy for €70,00 ($75.91 in US Dollars) from the PHALANX website at the following link: https://phalanx.co.uk/games/keepem-rolling-to-the-rhine/
Land and Freedom: The Spanish Revolution and Civil War from Blue Panther
Land and Freedom: The Spanish Revolution and Civil War is a very interesting and unique card-driven in which players are play the roles of various factions who are attempting to work together to repel the Fascist attack on Spain’s sovereignty. The three sides, including the Moderates, Anarchists and Communists, have to work together in a loose alliance against the Fascists but also in an attempt to keep each ideology in check and win the game by amassing the most glory. The game looks at Spain in the framework of 4 separate geographic Fronts, which players have to defend using only their wits and the cards at their disposal. These cards can be used for their powerful events or placed into a tableau where in later turns the play of matching symbol cards here can trigger a very powerful and game changing momentum swing. The game is semi-cooperative, and what is meant by that is that all of the players will lose the game if 2 of the Fronts or Madrid are lost but if they sufficiently work together to keep the Fascist invasion at bay, they can then win individually for their ideology by amassing the most Glory through their brave deeds, skillful manipulation of the turn order and focus on increasing their hold on important aspects such as government control, external support from world powers in the form of Foreign Aid, the increase of individual liberty or a focus on collectivization.
The game is a bit of a mixed bag (pun intended) as the players will be building the Bag of Glory throughout the game and adding their tokens to hopefully be drawn out throughout the different phases of the game. Building the Bag of Glory is a game long process that starts during Year 1. Players must be aware of the ways that they can add their tokens to the bag and must always keep an eye open for opportunities to do so. But be aware that the easiest way to add your tokens to the Bag of Glory is through controlling Initiative. One player will always possess the Initiative Token. This allows them to go first in Turn Order, break all ties and most importantly add one of their Player Tokens to the Bag of Glory at the end of every turn AND also at the end of every Year. With 3 Years and 4 Turns in each of those 3 Yeats, there are at least 15 opportunities to place a Player Token into the bag. This means that if you would control the Initiative at least half of the time, you could expect to have somewhere between 6-8 of your Player Tokens in the Bag of Glory. The benefit of having the most tokens in the Bag of Glory means that your chances of winning are increased as you will have a greater chance of having more of your tokens at the end of Year 3.
The Final Bid portion of the game is a bit different as well. After the Fascist Event is revealed at the beginning of Year 3, each of the players have to simultaneously choose up to 3 cards from their hand as their Final Bid. These cards will not be able to be played as they will be used for the Final Bid and then discarded. The player who chose to bid the largest total number of Action Points on these cards wins the Final Bid and score one of their tokens directly to Glory in the Final Bid space on the board.
So what does all of this mean? Well, you have to work together to win the war but then you also have to have been building the Bag of Glory with you tokens to be able to win individual victory. This is a very different game than many others that I have played and I found that players really have to work together but also not get too far ahead as the incentive to then play together to avoid defeat will lessen. I really like how victory is determined and like that it is really a game versus a more specific strategic affair that you can follow a good strategy to win. Don’t get me wrong, you have to play smart, and play together, but in the end the game will come down to luck of the draw. And that is perfectly fine by me as it is a fun game and I enjoy what is trying to be done during it.
We posted an interview with the designer Alex Knight on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/02/06/interview-with-alex-knight-designer-of-land-and-freedom-the-spanish-revolution-and-civil-war-from-blue-panther-llc/
I also have written a series of Action Point posts on the game and you can read those at the following links:
Action Point 2 – Player Cards, Event Cards and Fascist Event Cards
Action Point 3 – Morale and Teamwork Bonuses
Action Point 4 – Hero Points and Medallions
Action Point 5 – Building the Bag of Glory and Victory
Here is a link to our video review of the game:
If you are interested in Land and Freedom: The Spanish Revolution and Civil War, you can order a copy for $65.00 from the Blue Panther website at the following link: https://www.bluepantherllc.com/products/land-and-freedom
Stocking Stuffers
Here are some additional smaller format games and items that are ideal for “Stocking Stuffers” or small gifts for your beloved wargamer:
The Battle of Mackinac Island from SNAFU Design
I love smaller lesser gamed subjects and recently I found a great little game called The Battle of Mackinac Island from SNAFU Design and designed by Matt Kelly. The game is very versatile as it is both a solitaire or 2-player game and has some pretty good graphics for such a small game. The game deals with the American attempt to recapture Mackinac Island near the end of the War of 1812 and is a very interesting little game.
If you are interested in The Battle of Mackinac Island, you can order a copy for 14,42 € ($15.65 in US Dollars) from the SNAFU Design website at the following link: https://snafustore.com/en/napoleonic/1630-the-battle-of-mackinac-island.html
Watergate from Capstone Games
We love tug of war style back and forth struggles that deal with history. Some of our favorite games are in this category, such as Twilight Struggle and Fort Sumter from GMT Games, 13 Days from Ultra Pro International, etc. Watergate is also a tug of war card game that deals with the Watergate Scandal of 1972 when President Richard Nixon tried to avoid the investigations of The Washington Post who was looking for the truth that Nixon knew about the break-in at the Democratic National Convention HQ. This game is a really well done fast playing (but with depth) back and forth affair that brings light to an interesting time in the history of the United States Presidency.
If you are interested in Watergate, you can order a copy for $34.95 from the Capstone Games website at the following link: https://capstone-games.com/board-games/watergate/
Counter Trays from Cube4me.com
We are always on the lookout for good quality counter trays to assist us in taming our unruly components in our wargames. Recently, we became aware of Cube4me and looked into their products. They have customized trays for several main stream wargames.
Here is a link to our review video of the product:
Here is a link to the Cube4me website: https://cube4me.com/
AEGIS Counter Trays from Flying Buffalo Games
We have been very impressed with the quality and size of these newer counter trays and have started buying almost all of our trays from Flying Buffalo Games from Amazon. These come in a 5-pack and they are very deep and hold a bit more counters than the typical GMT Games counter tray. Their lid sometimes pops off if you have the compartments too full so be aware of this or you might have a mess on your hands!
Here is a link to order the trays from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Buffalo-Organizers-Collection-AG_0001/dp/B09ZYPBB2D
Oregon Laminations Deluxe Counter Clipper – 2MM
As you know, true wargamers who have taste and are refined always clip their counters. It keeps them neat, tidy and they look much better when battling it out on the game board. We recommend the Oregon Laminations Deluxe Counter Clipper 2 MM and you can get one for $58.46 from our friends at Noble Knight Games at the following link: https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2147679505/Counter-Clippers—Deluxe-Hand-Held-2mm-Radius
In the end, no matter what presents you received under the tree or even whether you celebrate Christmas or not, both Alexander and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that you have plenty of quality time to spend with friends and family, while staying safe and healthy, and are still able to get to roll some dice and consult some CRTs for the holidays! We feel extremely grateful for our associations with many of you, even though we have never met, and we consider each of you as members of The TPA Army and count you are friends! We have been extremely blessed in this venture of ours to share wargames with the masses and cannot believe that we have been doing it for nearly 8 years now!
-Grant
The Players' Aid 
The Russian Campaign 5th edition has also sold out due to GMT’s sale (and me! 😜)
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Congrats to you then! You got a really solid game there.
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