Another good Monthly Update email dropped earlier this week and it had a lot of good information for us rabid GMT Games Fans! I am always amazed at the number of games they have going through the design, development and art processes. This takes time and is I am sure very much a detail focused effort. I know that publishers try to make games to make money and it is incumbent on them to keep that train rolling to bring in the money. We then buy those games paying for them to be able to play and enjoy them. And I love that there is always something new and interesting to keep our eyes on from GMT. But I do love their focus on the marketing side of the equation. They do what very few other publishers do and that is do a monthly update on all of their products. This continually gives us information to make good purchasing decisions but also assists as we follow games and their development to get a better idea about how they play and whether they are a fit for us and our tastes. I just wanted to start this post off with a big thank you to GMT Games and their continual efforts to feed us full of information.
This month there were 2 new P500 additions offered including The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy Expansion and Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864. There also were 2 reprints offered in A World at War, 4th Printing and Flying Colors Deluxe Edition 4th Printing.
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.
One of the first things that was shared was a sort of status update on one of Volko Ruhnke’s newest designs called Coast Watchers that was announced just last month. Here is what Gene had to say:
Updates, Solitaire Play, and a Series (!) for Volko’s new design Coast Watchers! I’m hugely excited about this new game from Volko. I love interesting historical topics that haven’t been the subject of a game before, and that’s certainly part of the appeal of Coast Watchers. But I love game SYSTEMS, and like many of you, I’ve played a TON of different systems over the decades that I have enjoyed in our hobby. It’s just not that often that I see a game where BOTH historically and system-wise I think, “wow, I have never seen anything like that in a game before,” (the last one I can remember was Jerry White’s Atlantic Chase) but Coast Watchers is such a game. Once again, Volko has crafted something amazing!
With Volko providing a multitude of demos, Coast Watchers enjoyed a successful public debut at Circle DC games con this month. Here’s a pic and a couple of pieces of feedback that attendees posted:
“That was legit fascinating and a lot of fun!” – Heavy Cardboard (Edward Uhler)
“A remarkably tight little sandbox of a game, like no other Pacific War title you’ve played. Really it’s a game about intelligence, sense-making, and bluffing. Small footprint, very deep play, and a great education.” – Matthew Kirschenbaum
For a longer “first impressions” take on Coastwatchers, check out Edward’s Heavy Cardboard episode here (starting at about the 58 minute mark). Note that this video includes impressions on several other cool new games as well, including Twilight Struggle: South Asian Monsoon.
Now, the big news, especially for all of you solo players—Volko has a solitaire system for Coast Watchers! We’ll give you more details on this as Volko’s solo design work progresses. For now, though, if you’d like to playtest the system while playing the Allies, please contact Volko (on Discord, friend request to volko26; on Twitter, DM @volko26; on BoardGameGeek, geekmail to https://boardgamegeek.com/user/Volko).
The last bit of Coast Watchers related news is that Volko has already designed the 2nd game in this series. Drachen is about WWI air recon over Verdun and will be announced when it is ready for P500.
Oh boy, this system and the trajectory it appears to be taking is very cool indeed and I am even more interested in the game after seeing this today. I will be reaching out to Volko for an interview soon.
One final really great piece of information that was shared was that Red Dust Rebellion is now complete.
From the update we read the following:
Red Dust Rebellion Update from Director of Development Jason Carr, Staff Developer Jow Dewhurst, and Game Developer Adam Blinkinsop.
Red Dust Rebellion is done. Proofreading turned up a few little items that Joe has fixed, and it will go to the printer when Kai and Justin are ready. Thanks to everyone; we cannot wait for you to play it.
I am very much excited about this game! To see the COIN Series that I love so dearly take the leap into non-historical Science Fiction is a true delight and I can hardly wait to give it a play. If you are even remotely interested, you need to go ahead and order this one at the P500 special price. I am really hoping that we see this on our tables in early fall. If you are interested, we posted an interview with the designer J. Carmichael on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2021/07/05/interview-with-j-carmichael-designer-of-coin-series-volume-xiii-red-dust-rebellion-from-gmt-games/
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 The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy Expansion and Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864. There also were 2 reprints offered in A World at War, 4th Printing and Flying Colors Deluxe Edition 4th Printing.
The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy Expansion
I have been hearing some rumors about The British Way over the past month or so and I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew that the 2nd Printing was announced on P500 a few months back so it wouldn’t be that. Would it be a new expansion? A totally new game? The game being added online to Rally the Troops!? Who knew but when the Update email dropped, I was really blown away with what the new rumored “thing” was; a new expansion and even more than that, variants for the existing conflicts covered in the game.
From the game page, we read the following:
The British Way: Enemy of My Enemy is an expansion for The British Way, including two entirely new games on “prequel” conflicts using the Malaya and Palestine maps and expanding the base game experience with new variants for all four conflicts originally covered. The British Way: Japanese Occupation puts the British and the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) on the same side in their efforts to resist the Japanese occupation of Malaya during World War II. The British Way: Arab Revolt allows players to explore the brutal suppression of the Arab Revolt (1936-1939) that preceded the Jewish insurgency covered by the original Palestine game. The two new games involve entirely new mechanics to capture the unique features of each conflict and can each be linked to the original Palestine and Malaya games, which also allows them to feed into the “End of Empire” Campaign Scenario. The two new games in the expansion allow players to explore how British attempts to combat earlier threats to colonial rule involved collaborating with local armed groups that they would later end up fighting against (Jewish paramilitary groups in Palestine and the MCP in Malaya), ironically strengthening and preparing these groups for two of the conflicts featured in the The British Way.
So 2 new games in The British Way: Japanese Occupation and The British Way: Arab Revolt that use 2 of the existing boards. But there is more. The variants to me seem like the most interesting part as they add new elements to all of the 4 base games. For Palestine, they are adding a free functioning Lehi insurgency that does some neat looking things (I am not sure if these are a type of Bot or if it is controlled by the player). In Malaya, they add additional Jungle bases for the insurgents that make them harder to get to and the British get SAS units that can do that job, plus an additional 4 new Event Cards. In Kenya, we get a new British Detention Deck and the Mau Mau get a few leaders. And finally in Cyprus, are added some new Turkish group cell pieces to hinder the British. These expanded elements look very interesting and I think continue the focus of the game on studying the types and form of insurgency/counterinsurgency at the end of the British Empire across the world. Just fantastic!
As you know, I love the COIN Series, and this new multi-pack format is very exciting as it provides us more access to smaller, lesser gamed subjects that are fast playing. It also provides to us as players a comparable view at different types of conflict and how they affect the populace and the overall success of these efforts. I think this type of approach won’t work with every conflict and many conflicts will be better served in the framework of the larger COIN Series as their own standalone games. In speaking with Stephen on this very subject, he has shared that his “…hope is that a series of multipacks might provide new ways for wargamers to think about conflict and help cover some topics that would be difficult to design or sell as standalone products”.
Volume II Civil War Heritage Series Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864
Several years ago, Mark Herman designed a very unique and simple American Civil War game called Gettysburg that appeared in C3i Magazine #32. That game became the basis for his new Civil War Heritage Series with the first volume being Rebel Fury that focused on five battles from the Chancellorsville and Chickamauga Campaigns. He has mentioned working on a follow-up to that game and we finally got it with Army of the Potomac that was announced with the Update.
From the game page, we read the following:
Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864 is the second volume in the Civil War HeritageSeries and the follow-up game to the innovative and acclaimed Rebel Fury. Army of the Potomac uses the same core rules as Rebel Fury, so players familiar with Rebel Fury will be able to jump right into the action. Each battle in Army of the Potomac is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.
Army of the Potomac covers the battles of Spotsylvania II, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and the entire Seven Days battle (McClellan vs. Lee), including the prelude Seven Pines (McClellan vs. Johnson) when Johnson’s wounding brought Lee into the command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Each battle places you, the player, in the role of the Army Commander (Grant, McClellan, Lee, Johnson). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks, concentrate your forces for an attack, and determine where to commit your artillery assets.
I think that one of the most interesting parts is that this new game can be played with Rebel Fury as also included are two bonus scenarios to allow owners of Rebel Fury to fight Spotsylvania II and begin the Campaign scenario from Wilderness to Cold Harbor using their original Rebel Fury map.
If you are interested in Volume II Civil War Heritage Series Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864, you an pre-order a copy for $49.00 from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1108-army-of-the-potomac.aspx
A World at War: Second World War in Europe and the Pacific, 4th Printing
One game that we took a pass on a few years back on the P500 was A World at War3rd Printing. It wasn’t for a lack of interest on our part. It was simply because it intimidates us and we didn’t have a place to leave a monster game like that set up as we play through it over a few months time. But now that we have a new larger table in the bunker and have more recently been playing more monsters, and that they are offering a new 4th Printing, I might have to give it another thought. Frankly, I have regretted the decision to take a pass the last time.
From the game page, we read the following:
First published by GMT in 2003, A World at War is a grand strategy game based on the award-winning Advanced Third Reich/Empire of the Rising Sun gaming system. A World at War simulates the military, economic, political, diplomatic, research, and production aspects of the Second World War and lets the players find out for themselves what might have happened if:
Germany had tried to execute Sea Lion, the invasion of Britain.
Admiral Raeder’s Mediterranean strategy had been adopted and the British position in the Middle East had crumbled.
Russia had been prepared for the German attack.
“General Winter” had not come to the aid of the hard-pressed Russian armies in late 1941.
The European Axis and Japan had cooperated in implementing a strategy aimed at destroying the Western Allied lines of communication in the Indian Ocean.
The Battle of the Atlantic had been won by Germany.
War had broken out between Russia and Japan in 1941 or 1942.
Japan had avoided disaster at Midway in 1942 and instead invaded Australia or India.
Japan had knocked China out of the war.
the U.S had mobilized more armor units and fewer air units, or more infantry and less armor, or…
the Western Allies had tried Churchill’s Balkan strategy
the Western Allies had tried to invade France in 1943 or earlier, leaving Italy for later.
the Western Allies had failed to develop the atomic bomb—but Germany had.
the Western Allies had developed jets or rockets.
YOU had been in command.
Like most monsters, A World at War does come with a dozen scenarios, ranging from the introductory Battle of the Atlantic and Barbarossa scenarios up to European and Pacific Campaign Games. And if you are game and up to the task, you can go for the whole enchilada and try the campaign game.
I have once heard that real wargames involve naval operations. Well, how about a game that focuses solely on naval operations? That is Flying Colors which deals with fleet actions in the Age of Sail. There is a new 4th Printing that is being offered and this series seems to be very popular so it doesn’t surprise me at all. I have yet to play this series even though we have at least one of the various volumes. One day!
From the game page, we read the following:
Flying Colors recreates naval actions during the height of the Age of Sail, from small engagements to full battles involving dozens of ships in each fleet. Play is fast, furious, and does not require the pre-plotted movement found in many other naval games. Instead, a simple initiative and command system allows players to activate and maneuver their fleets in a realistic manner, indicating how older commanders adhered to rules of engagement where more forward thinking commanders, like Nelson, could retain control of their fleets after the first broadsides began to be exchanged.
This is not a strategic level game where one piece represents several ships. Flying Colors includes 300 individually named ships rated for size, gunnery, boarding ability, and damage capacity. Also included are nearly four dozen individually named commanders, rated for their ability to control their formations as well as the impact of their presence within the fleet. The game system provides what naval enthusiasts will expect in a tactical Age of Sail game: broadsides, rakes, anchoring, wind effects, weather, shore batteries, and much more. All this is packed into a short, accessible rulebook.
Included within the game are 17 historical scenarios ranging from the Battle of Minorca (1756) during the Seven Years War to the Battle of the Capes during the American Revolution and on through the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) during the Napoleonic Wars. The battles range in size from small engagements playable on a single map through huge engagements like the Glorious First of June playable on three maps. Players are also free to create their own variants and “what-if” scenarios using point values for each ship. Most scenarios can be played within a few hours, and two players can complete even the largest within a day. Several are also well suited to solitaire play. You can now recreate Nelson’s glory with Flying Colors!
This Deluxe Fourth Printing edition is an expanded treatment of this best-selling game. As a Deluxe treatment, there is a deep 3″ box, and contains not just the original classic scenarios and ships but also the Ship of the LineExpansion. Additionally, they will be including much of Mark Barker’s article content (first published in C3i Magazine by RBM Studio), including updated Trafalgar and battles of the Seven Years War. They also are including a half-dozen brand new scenarios, including Lagos (1759) and Cape Spartel (1782). All of this content amounts to nearly four-dozen scenarios and six and a half countersheets. This can be considered the definitive Age of Sail wargame.
The final note that was included in the Monthly Update regarding P500’s was notice of a few removals. I really hate to see this happen but I know that not every game is seen as desirable by all gamers and that is what the P500 program is about, measuring demand in a low risk environment. This month, Gene said the following about the removals:
After speaking with the designers of these products, we are removing the following four items that have languished, order-wise, on our P500 list and are returning the game rights to their respective designers as of today:
Currently, I don’t know the designers’ plans for potentially publishing these games/modules elsewhere. But if/when that occurs, we’ll let you know where you can order them.
Charging & Shipping
The following information for Charging and Shipping was copied directly from the Update:
Next Charges/Shipments: Their next shipment should arrive late this month. They plan to charge for it somewhere in the May 1-5th timeframe and ship within a week after that. This shipment will include:
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 Army of the Potomac was teased last month as “A new game from Mark Herman.” 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 space strategy game from an accomplished designer doing his first game for GMT – this one was leaked in last month’s update and is Echo From the Dark designed by Adam Blinkinsop. Here is a look at a prototype of the game I found on Twitter while being played at Circle DC 2024:
A new GMT Edition of a popular game from Frank Chadwick – I think that this is the ETO SeriesVol. II: The Middle Sea covering the Mediterranean (excluding Iberia and Morocco).
A sports game! – could this be the Tennis game designed by Matt Calkins?
The first game in Mark Miklos’ Small BoAR series – SBoAR Cowpens is my call on this one.
I feel pretty confident in all 4 of my guesses. Could this be my first 4-4 game? Am I finally getting in the groove again after spring training? We shall see. 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 was shown was the near final map for the upcoming Card Conquest System game Hannibal’s Revenge designed by Mark McLaughlin. I am very interested in this game, partly because it is an interesting system and partly because it is Ancients. I really still have a bad taste in my mouth from Hitler’s Reich that uses the same system but hopefully this one is better developed and meets expectations.
Next they stayed with the board thing and shared the final board for Zheng-He designed by Geoff Engelstein and David Thompson. This is a very interesting looking solo design from a couple of very good designers and I am very much interested. I have them on my list to do an interview but just haven’t put that together as of yet.
Sticking with the boards they then shared a final version of the board for In the Shadows, which is a very cool little game on the French Resistance during WWII. We had an opportunity to play the game at SDHistCon last November with one of the designers Dan Bullock and it was a great deal of fun. It is one of the Lunchtime Series of games and plays in about an hour. But it really has a lot of meat on its bones. The cards are great and each player has their own specific asymmetric action menu. It also is a very graphically pleasing game and will definitely be a hit once it is released. I really liked the board for that prototype and am glad to see that they recycled some of those graphic elements and style here in the final version.
They then showed 3 of the scenario maps for the Great Battles of the American Civil War Series game By Swords and Bayonets. This one is currently in the Art Department and appears to be making some fast progress. Here is a look at the Mill Springs map:
They also showed 2 of the other maps for the game including New Bern and 2nd Rappahannock Station:
They then shared some of the final counters for Next War: Iran that is currently at the printer with no shipping date given as of yet.
We then got a quick look at some sample cards that are not final for Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World designed by Morgane Gouyon-Rety. This game looks amazing and I am very much interested in it.
They also showed off the player boards for the game and they look really sharp.
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:
6 thoughts on “April 2024 Monthly Update from GMT Games – The British Way Gets an Expansion and Mark Herman’s Civil War Heritage Series Gets a New Volume”
I really think the concepts of hidden information and recon is a very interesting and underrepresented aspect in wargaming. This Coastwatchers game is taking that head on and the follow on game to it Verdun looks to take this to the next level.
Of the P500 titles currently simmering in the preorder kettle, I think Coast Watchers is going to be added to the list. If I don’t opt for The British Way at this point, I may instead opt for The Guerrilla Generation for next year. Other likely GMT orders on the horizon are Wolfpack, Order and Opportunity, and Red Dust. Also have been considering Congress of Vienna with its claim of Churchill lineage, but still on the fence with this one.
Nice summary, Grant! I will note though, regarding potential future content for Rally the Troops, that GMT will apparently license only one game from a series for free on-line play, so we’re limited to Andean Abyss at this point. (Maybe in the future it would be possible to “retire” AA from the platform and put up another COIN title instead, although if that happened I’d prefer to see FitL, ADP or another “big” COIN title since those are harder to get to the table, IME.)
That’s fair, but I didn’t think “COIN Multipack” qualified as an actual separate product line from “COIN”? GMT’s website lists Volko as “COIN Series Designer” on the British Way page (https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1095-the-british-way- counterinsurgency-at-the-end-of-empire-2nd-printing.aspx), which makes it seem like part of the same line as AA, etc. Obviously, however, GMT is presumably free to change its mind, so all this is academic!
The Players' Aid 
A lot of goodness here. Coast Watchers goes to the top of my future want list. Friend of My Enemy is next.
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I really think the concepts of hidden information and recon is a very interesting and underrepresented aspect in wargaming. This Coastwatchers game is taking that head on and the follow on game to it Verdun looks to take this to the next level.
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Of the P500 titles currently simmering in the preorder kettle, I think Coast Watchers is going to be added to the list. If I don’t opt for The British Way at this point, I may instead opt for The Guerrilla Generation for next year. Other likely GMT orders on the horizon are Wolfpack, Order and Opportunity, and Red Dust. Also have been considering Congress of Vienna with its claim of Churchill lineage, but still on the fence with this one.
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Nice summary, Grant! I will note though, regarding potential future content for Rally the Troops, that GMT will apparently license only one game from a series for free on-line play, so we’re limited to Andean Abyss at this point. (Maybe in the future it would be possible to “retire” AA from the platform and put up another COIN title instead, although if that happened I’d prefer to see FitL, ADP or another “big” COIN title since those are harder to get to the table, IME.)
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The British Way is COIN Multipack but you are correct.
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That’s fair, but I didn’t think “COIN Multipack” qualified as an actual separate product line from “COIN”? GMT’s website lists Volko as “COIN Series Designer” on the British Way page (https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1095-the-british-way- counterinsurgency-at-the-end-of-empire-2nd-printing.aspx), which makes it seem like part of the same line as AA, etc. Obviously, however, GMT is presumably free to change its mind, so all this is academic!
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