I am very surprised with the timing of the Monthly Update this month as it came on Thursday of the 2nd week of March. Normally, these come during the third week of the month and normally on Wednesday or Thursday of the week. But, this month, Gene must have had something else going on next week or he simply forgot what week it was…I don’t know. (Actually, he explained why in the first part of the update but this is for performative reasons!) But, the irony with the timing of the Monthly Update email is that literally last night I was in a conversation on Twitter with another content creator about the timing of the update. As you can see:

Now, I really look forward to the Monthly Update. I think that I have made that abundantly clear over the past 8 years. I live for it and love to relish each sentence in the update and look forward to what it holds. This month just caught me a bit off guard but I found it on Facebook before it was even put onto their website so I felt pretty fortunate. And the update didn’t disappoint with some great new announcements about new P500’s, both of which I am very much interested in, and lots of other great information about things going on from the warehouse in Hanford.

This month there were 2 new P500 additions offered including Coast Watchers and North Africa ’40. There also were 3 reprints offered in Arquebus: Men of Iron Volume IV, 2nd Printing, Plains Indian Wars, 2nd Printing and The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition Mounted Maps.

Also, as is usually the case, there was plenty of other information shared including updates on GMT One products, development updates, upcoming future P500 additions and the usual gorgeous art samples.

In case you missed the Monthly Update email, here is a link: https://mailchi.mp/f72403c5dbb5/march-14-update-from-gmt-new-p500s-sample-art-production-updates-and-more

Gene explained the reason for the early post of the Update and it was because of various team members and travel schedules. So, there was a reason that they broke their normal protocol. As it is springtime, the upcoming Weekend at the Warehouse was a topic that Gene shared about and he shared some sweet stories about the late Chad Jensen. I ripped this part from the update and will share it here for you to read:

Speaking of the Weekend at the Warehouse, we do still have some spots open for the event (we cap it at about 125 attendees), and I invite you to come check it out. Come hang out with us for a few days, meet some cool designer and developers, play some secret prototypes, and generally just play lots of games. We also get to share a big meal of some excellent (free!) street tacos on Saturday night!

Of course, I’ll probably never be able to attend a Weekend at the Warehouse without missing one of the hobby’s best designers, pictured to the right here. That’s Chad Jensen—my friend and such a bright star in the hobby—gone way too soon. This brilliant, lovable, massively talented goofball was known for making new players “earn” their victories when they played his prototypes at the Weekend. I never could seem to get him to buy the rationale of “if you don’t crush them and allow them to win more, Chad, they’ll have a good time and want to buy your games” (apparently, I was wrong, because you all bought them anyway!)! It makes me smile now to think of all the laughter and fun shared around game tables with Chad and Kai twice a year for more than a decade at the Weekend at the Warehouse playing Combat Commander, Dominant Species, Welcome to Centerville, Fighting Formations, and so many other cool “Chad designs” plus other games we just felt like playing together. And those are the kinds of memories and friendships that this event fosters.

We do have an excellent mix of designers and developers who are planning to attend this time. There’ll likely be more than the ones listed here, but so far, I know of the following:

Mark Aasted      Mike Bertucelli      Adam Blinkinsop      Stephen Bradford       John Butterfield     
Jason Carr      Ananda Gupta      Chris Janiec      Kai Jensen      Mitchell Land      Sam London      Volko Ruhnke     Jerry White

We’ll also have around 100 other gamers who are old friends or “soon to be your friends” that attend and love to play games. If you’re not registered yet, just call, chat, or email with our office folks, and they’ll reserve your spot. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you next month in Hanford!

I have never had the pleasure of attending the Weekend but it is on my list of things that I must do and we will get there sometime in the near future…maybe! But I will say this, even though I have never met Chad Jensen or had any interaction with him, I can say that I love his games! Combat Commander is by far my favorite tactical game and Dominant Species is a fantastic multi-player game that I can play with our gaming group at any time. He just made great games and recently we had the opportunity to play his design Downfall that was picked up by his widow Kai Jensen (whom I have met and really enjoyed the experience) and the great John Butterfield. It is a fantastic system that was very interesting and while the game is very long (we only were able to play about 4 turns in 7 hours) we look forward to playing it again in the future.

Speaking of Kai Jensen, one of the most interesting parts of the update was the offering of some Combat Commander themed blankets. From the update we read the following:

Combat Commander Blankets from Kai Jensen. These are cool! Here are the details from Kai:

“After several evenings of work and with the kind permission of GMT Games, I am now selling 60″ x 50” blankets with Combat Commander maps on them. They are made of minky which is a super-soft fabric.

I have done the original 24 maps from the Europe and Med editions and the first 12 maps from the Pacific edition. You can find them here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Zianessa?section_id=48233568

I will eventually be adding maps from the Battle Packs if there is interest.”

I mean who doesn’t want one of these for their living room couch?!? I will probably be ordering the Fat Lipki scenario as that was my first one played.

Now onto the main event with the new P500’s.

New P500’s

As was shared above, there were 2 new P500 additions offered this month including including Coast Watchers and North Africa ’40. There also were 3 reprints offered in Arquebus: Men of Iron Volume IV, 2nd Printing, Plains Indian Wars, 2nd Printing and The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition Mounted Maps.

Coast Watchers

I think that every single wargamer knows the name Volko Ruhnke. He has designed several great series in the COIN Series, that has now stretched to a full 15 volumes, and then more recently Levy & Campaign Series, which has an astounding 4 released volumes with 3 others that are announced and about a dozen more in design. He can make a good game for sure! One of our first experiences in wargaming and the first Volko design we played was Wilderness War. He is now at it again with a new design that uses hide and seek elements to tell the story of the Allied intelligence teams versus the Japanese in the Pacific during WWII. The game is called Coast Watchers and looks to be very interesting.

From the game page, we read the following:

Coast Watchers takes you into this struggle between Allied intelligence teams and Japanese hunters. Standup blocks hide coastwatching stations, guerrillas, refugees, and stranded Allied crew. The gameboard recesses hold the blocks snug. Facedown counters hide the buildup of Japanese forces, which the coastwatchers seek to observe and report to headquarters. Other counters show where Japanese patrols are searching for coastwatchers or go into and get drawn from a cup to run Japanese searches and Allied delivery missions.

Hidden information using blocks. I like this. Facedown counters that hide the number of Japanese units amassing. This is even better. Hidden information is a very good mechanic but it is difficult to make it good and I have every confidence that Volko will do just that.

Each side has Mission cards. Allied Missions assign side tasks to the coastwatchers. Japanese Missions lay out secret military objectives for victory points, including air and sea operations against which the coastwatchers are to warn Allied forces. By hunting coastwatchers while building up military readiness and guiding operations, the Japanese player seeks to slip through the enemy intelligence net. Players also draw Asset cards: special abilities to augment actions and perhaps add victory points.

The game will contain 15 standalone “Situations” or scenarios plus 4 campaigns to link all of these situations together. The Situations cover the early-1942 Japanese incursion into the South Pacific to the ultimate neutralization of their base at Rabaul by the end of 1943. This one just sounds very interesting and I look forward to doing some more research.

If you are interested in Coast Watchers, you an pre-order a copy for $65.00 from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1102-coast-watchers.aspx

North Africa ’40: The 1940 Expansion to North Africa ’41

I love a good North Africa wargame! To me, the reasons that I love it are several but the focus on supply and how difficult it was in this theater as well as the various elements of infrastructure used to perform that supply, such as shipping, ports, trucks, etc. are always good fun. I also love the scope and scale of the North African Theater. The front covered an area over 2,000 or so miles stretching from Morocco on the western coast of the Atlantic, through Algeria, Libya and onto Egypt. Names such as Tunis, Kasserine Pass, Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk, El Alamein, Malta (I realize not a part of Africa but an important cog in this theater) and Alexandria. There is something about this theater and the games we have played we have absolutely loved.

Also, when you pair this interesting theater with a great system in the ’40X Series and a great designer in Mark Simonitch, you have a recipe for a really tasty treat! 

Now comes an expansion to North Africa ’41 called North Africa ’40.

From the game page, we read the following:

The legend continues with North Africa ’40, the prequel expansion to North Africa ’41. This expansion covers September 1940 to December 1941. Scenarios cover both Operazione E (the Italian invasion of Egypt; 12 turns) and the Allied counter-offensive, Operation Compass (6 turns). Both scenarios can be extended through December 1941 for an Operazione E full campaign (32 turns) or an Operation Compass full campaign (26 turns).

Can you as the Allied commander bag the Italian 10th Army? Will you be ready for theater whiplash, the Middle East Command operational shift to Greece in February 1941? Will you be prepared for the entry of Rommel and the German panzers?

And the game is not just taking advantage of a very good system that has been well received. There is plenty that is new to the system to make the situation come to life. New rules cover all the significant aspects of the 1940 campaign in North Africa including General O’Connor, Italian Camps, Civilian Evacuees/Stragglers, Tank Reliability, Italian Saharan Forces, Libyan Tank Command, Sollum Port and Post-Operation Compass Refit.

We recently played and loved North Africa ’41 and you can check out our video review at the following link:

I also wrote a fairly in-depth look at the game and its systems in my First Impression post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2024/01/24/first-impressions-north-africa-41-the-western-desert-march-to-december-1941-from-gmt-games/

If you are interested in North Africa ’40: The 1940 Expansion to North Africa ’41, you an pre-order a copy for $29.00 from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1106-north-africa-40.aspx

Be aware that North Africa ’40 is not a complete game and ownership of North Africa ’41 is required to play.

Arquebus: Men of Iron Volume IV, 2nd Printing

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

One of the games that has still eluded us to this point is Arquebus, which deals with medieval battles in Northern Italy spanning the period of 1495-1544. This game has been very well received and there are many devotees to the system so they have decided to offer this one up for a 2nd Printing.

From the game page, we read the following:

Arquebus uses the popular “Men of Iron” mechanics with a focus on detail of weaponry, from the differences between closed formation and open, to the decline of the Swiss (pas d’argent? pas de Suisse) and the rise of the German Landsknecht, the major force in warfare of the era and, ironically, the best-dressed men in Europe. Yes, Landsknecht uniforms literally set the fashion trend at the time for the entire western world.

And to match this sartorial splendor will be the great visual look of Arquebus, from the colorful units to the splendid maps and helpful charts. Most battles are good for solitaire play, so when you’re traveling to roll those dice, remember to Take The ‘BUS!

If you are interested in Arquebus: Men of Iron Volume IV, 2nd Printing, you can pre-order a copy for $48.00 from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1104-arquebus-men-of-iron-volume-iv-2nd-printing.aspx

Plains Indian Wars 2nd Printing

Over the years, I have become familiar with the designer John Poniske and have really enjoyed several of his designs, including games like Bleeding Kansas from Decision Games and Revolution Road from Compass Games. John is a very thoughtful designer who does his research and truly focuses on lesser known bits of history to help us all expand our minds. He has done several designs on the great Native American Nations and has now turned his focus to the conflict created with the expanding United States and settlers pushed in Native territory to carve out homesteads. I find this topic fascinating and have grown to love playing games on the American Indian Wars.

Plains Indian Wars takes a look at this clash of cultures and series of conflicts by breaking the conflict down into it most basic elements: A settler surge via long snaking wagon trains, the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, east and west, and the cavalry sent to protect them all. At the same time, Plains Indian Wars seeks to offer the Native-American player the opportunity to unite earlier, hold their own and perhaps even prevent European-American success. The game is designed to be played by 1-4 players, but is best played as a two-player game. Game play averages 60-90 minutes.

The game is not quite card driven but does use cards to drive the action with each of the major factions holding a hand of three cards. The 60 cards included represent a selection of leaders and events connected with the Plains Wars. There are two types of cards: War Party/Engagement/Migration cards tell players how many cubes may be drawn from the reserve box and placed in respective home areas and how far the cubes may move. Text cards allow for special circumstances and may act as reaction or endurance cards. There is only one play immediately card reflecting George Armstrong Custer’s hubris – its play could be positive for the Cavalry player but more often than not ends in disaster.

We posted an interview with the designer John Poniske on the blog in September 2017 and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2017/09/05/interview-with-john-poniske-designer-of-plains-indian-wars-from-gmt-games/

We also played the game and I wrote a fairly in-depth look at the game in my First Impressions post that you can read at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/07/26/first-impressions-plains-indian-wars-from-gmt-games/

We also did a video review of the game and you can watch that video here:

I really enjoy this one and appreciate its narrative as that it is not trying to tell the story of a fair fight but gives each side the opportunity to win a victory that would be acceptable to them.

If you are interested in Plains Indian Wars, 2nd Printing, you can pre-order a copy for $55.00 from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1103-plains-indian-wars-2nd-printing.aspx

The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition Mounted Maps

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? All great questions that can be answered in this fairly simple and standard wargame.

Now they are offering a new printing of the Mounted Map to pair with the new 2nd Printing of the game that is also on P500 at this time.

From the game page, we read the following:

We continue to get requests from players for the sold-out Mounted Maps for The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition. So we’re putting this back up on P500 to judge demand. If we can get at least 200 orders over the next few months, then we’ll send these to the printer.

Here is a link to our full unboxing video showing off the beautiful components:

We also shot a video review and you can view that at the following link:

I also wrote a full First Impressions style post on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/12/05/first-impressions-the-russian-campaign-deluxe-5th-edition-from-gmt-games/

If you are interested in The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition Mounted Maps, you can pre-order a copy for $32.00 from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1105-the-russian-campaign-deluxe-5th-edition-mounted-maps.aspx

Charging & Shipping

The following information for Charging and Shipping was copied directly from the Update:

Shipping Now.

France ’40 2nd Edition

France ’40 Mounted Map

Rebel Fury

Next Charges/Shipments: Our next shipment should arrive roughly March 20th. We plan to charge for it March 25th and ship in early April. This shipment includes:

Clash of Sovereigns/Clash of Monarchs Double Sided Mounted Map

Clash of Sovereigns Update Kit

For the People, 4th Printing – 25th Anniversary Edition

For the People, 4th Printing Mounted Map and 3″ Box

Here I Stand 500th Anniversary Reprint Edition, 2nd Printing

Washington’s War, 3rd Printing

New P500’s on the Horizon

One of the features that I have always enjoyed about these Monthly Updates has been the New P500’s on the Horizon where Gene Billingsley shares a few very cryptic comments about an upcoming project and we are supposed to somehow decipher his meaning from these “clues”.

Here is a brief tease for P500 additions lining up in the coming months. This month’s Coast Watchers was teased last month as “A shadowy “Hide and Seek” WWII game set in the South Pacific” and this month’s North Africa ’40 was foreshadowed back in January as “A 194x expansion from Mark Simonitch.” Note that this is not a comprehensive list (nor will I preview EVERY game we have planned), so I will switch these up a bit from month to month. Over the coming 1-6 months, I anticipate that we will add:

A new game from Mark Herman – Mark is working on so many designs right now but I think that this one could be The Civil War Heritage Series Volume II Grant Cometh. Here is a look at that prototype board:

The fourth game in our already-popular (Vijayanagara) COIN-adjacent Irregular Conflicts Series – Echo From the Dark designed by Adam Blinkinsop.

A new game in the Hellenes System – sounds great but no intel at this time.

Two American Revolution-themed games – well a twofer here. I know that one of them will probably be Absolved from All Allegiance designed by Sam London but the other one probably is the Small BoaR Series Cowpens. Here is a picture of the board for AfaA:

Those are my best guesses at this point. I don’t know if I got anything correct through so take these with a grain of salt! Gene, how did I do?

Project Updates and Sample Art

One final thing that I wanted to share this month is all of the great sample art that has been shared as a part of the update on various games as they run up to production.

The first item that they shared was a look at the box back for the upcoming Next War: Iran. You can get a good look at the board at the top as well as a look at a smattering of the counters. These games always look really good on the table and I have always heard good things but we have yet to get one tabled. We need one of our friends out there to give us a crash course in the system so we can have some confidence to do one on our own. Any takers?

They then shared the final cover for the game as well and it looks decent. I am not a big fan of the use or clipart or pictures of tanks, planes, etc. on these covers but wish they had hired an artist to do the work. I know it costs money but looks so much better in my opinion. I do actually like the pictures of the jets at the top of the box though.

Right after this volume in the Next War Series, they shared the final cover for the Next War: Taiwan 2nd Edition and it is more of the same. Not terrible just not my favorite. If you are going to use this kind of picture, may colorize them or give them a wash or something to make it a bit more interesting. Just my opinion and you know what they say about those!

They then showed us two counter sheets from Next War: Iran and these do look really good. I particularly love the launchers.

We then were treated to samples of the a few of the Event Cards for the upcoming and soon to release COIN Series Volume XII Red Dust Rebellion. Now that is what art on a game should look like. I know that this is a space focused game and it is not possible to use clip art or normal pictures but these just look fantastic. They are gritty, visceral and give you that feel of being on Mars with the dirt and dust and industrial automation.

Plus the text of these Events is just fantastically interesting to me. Focused on things like Profits (see The Automation Rebellion), the volatile weather on Mars (see Sudden Storm), the issues with supply and resupply from Earth to Mars (see The Aldrin Cycler) and much more. I am very much looking forward to this game and cannot wait to get it to the table! And that shouldn’t be too much longer as the game is in in final art and proofing, which means it is 1-2 months away from going to print. It will most likely be a few months after that but that puts us in the middle of summer.

The final item shared was a mockup of some samples of cards from Space Empires: All Good Things. This is the final expansion in the series and looks so great as it is somewhat pick and play and you don’t have to use all of the little bits in your games unless you want to.

I want to end this post by sharing our recent content on the blog and YouTube Channel for GMT Games products including reviews/interviews/unboxing videos:

Faction Function Strategy Guides: Andean Abyss: Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Columbia from GMT Games

Order & Opportunity: Making of the Post-Cold War World Order from GMT Games – Design Diary from V.P.J. Arponen – Part 1: The Beginnings

First Impressions: Downfall: Conquest of the Third Reich, 1942-1945

Video Review: North Africa ’41: The Western Desert, March to December 1941

February 2024 Monthly Debrief Video where we discuss Small Wargames including Fort Sumter and Red Flag Over Paris

Please let me know what caught your interest from the update this month and what GMT Games products that you have been enjoying lately.

-Grant