March 2025 Monthly Update from GMT Games – Big, Big News with Combat Commander Going to Southeast Asia, a Tribute to Rodger MacGowan and Final Spring Sale Details!
I am a huge fan of Combat Commander! I think that this is an understatement because the game is simply my favorite tactical level wargame and it is awesome. I am not sure if I feel this way because this was simply my first exposure to and experience with a tactical level wargame or if it is just that good, but every time I play any other game I always compare it to CC. I own all of the big box games including CC: Europe, CC: Mediterranean, CC: Resistance and CC: Pacific as well as several of the Battle Packs. We have played this game about 50 times and I am always looking for the next opportunity to get it to the table. And the big news this month was that GMT has announced the first non-WWII entry in the series and it is focused on an American war that I have long had an interest in called Combat Commander: Vietnam. But there is also a of other good information in the update and this month was simply a pleasure to read.
There was just 1 new P500 addition offered this month but it was a big one as we get Combat Commander: Vietnam that I am terribly excited about! We also got a new 2nd Printing offered for the 2024 release For the People 25th Anniversary Edition.
But that wasn’t all as there was plenty of other information shared including updates on GMT One products, development updates, new digital games news, upcoming future P500 additions and the usual gorgeous art samples!
The first thing that Gene shared was a touching tribute to the passing of his friend Rodger MacGowan. As you probably know, last month we heard news that Rodger had passed at the too young age of 77. This news came after news earlier this year about his family’s issues with the wildfires in Southern California and the fact that Rodger lost both his home and his business (RBM Studio) to the Palisade fires. I didn’t get a chance to ever meet Rodger in person but he was always such a kind and inviting person to us here at The Players’ Aid. He shared our gaming pictures, commented on our posts and from time to time sent us complimentary copies of his art posters, that we have several hanging on our walls in our game rooms, as well as his fantastic C3i Magazine. He also was extremely generous and provided us with lots of magazines and posters to give away at conventions. He was a true icon in the wargaming hobby and his art has formed many of our first impressions of wargaming. Rodger was many things, including an artist, game developer, art director, and magazine publisher but also things like a father, friend, husband and family man who has been active in the board wargame industry since the 1970’s. Rodger is best known for his beautiful cover art for various classic wargames, as well as for publishing 2 very well known and well thought of wargaming magazines in Fire & Movement and C3i Magazine. Rodger was also one of the co-founding partners for GMT Games. He was a fantastic guy and will be missed greatly but he leaves a legacy that will not be forgotten with his artistic talents that have shaped and formed many of the wargamers in the hobby today.
If you are interested, we paid tribute to Rodger in our January Monthly Debrief Video and you can watch that at the following link (this video is always one month behind as we shoot them in the month following the month we are covering but this one was particularly late due to our schedules):
Here are Gene’s words about Rodger and their friendship:
Again this month, I have to start with very sad news. On February 21st, Rodger MacGowan passed from this life. Rodger was a legend in the gaming industry. I’ll have more to say about Rodger over time as we honor him in various ways. I think Mark Herman is working with Steven, Rodger’s son, to make the next issue of C3i a tribute to Rodger’s life, so I’m sure I’ll contribute there if they want me to. But for now, I want to think for a minute about the massiveness of what Rodger contributed to our hobby and to GMT.
Over 30+ years, until about 2021, Rodger’s cover art graced the vast majority of GMT’s 300+ games. And that’s only about 2/3 of the covers he created for our industry as a whole. I think I’m safe in saying that there is no other artist whose work has had such a broad, lasting, and profound effect on the wargaming hobby. It represents a life’s work that was well and creatively executed. As a gamer, I can only speak as one of many in the wargaming hobby, but personally, his best covers are absolutely unforgettable for me. They are indelibly connected in my mind to some of my favorite titles: Squad Leader, Third Reich, The Russian Campaign, Paths of Glory, Empire of the Sun, Fire in the Lake. Really, “Thank You, Rodger” seems insufficient in comparison to all the joy those games and Rodger’s covers have brought me over the years. But I’d still invite you all to pull out your favorite game with an RBM cover and join me in saying those words.
I’m so happy that Rodger got to finish his book about his artwork and his life in this hobby before he passed. It was something he talked about doing for a couple of decades and really wanted to finish as a chronicle of his professional life in gaming and as a gift to the hobby. Whenever we’d talk about it, he’d say “and you should write a book about GMT.” I’d usually laugh and reply: “I’m operations. There’s no time for books.” But I’m really thrilled that he got to finish his. The copy Rodger sent me sits on my coffee table right now. Like so many of you, I will treasure my copy—and especially the inscription. There aren’t a ton of people who can work together for over 30 years and still call each other “friends.” It means a lot to me that through all the ups and downs and struggles we had over the years, we were still able to maintain our friendship. So the way Rodger signed my copy speaks volumes about who Rodger was to me as a friend and a co-worker.
A legend has left us, and he cannot be replaced. Please join me and all of our family here at GMT as we offer our sincere condolences to Steven and Mae MacGowan as they grieve Rodger’s passing. May he rest in peace.
If you are interested, GMT has announced in the Update that they have fewer than 20 copies of Rodger MacGowan’s book left so get one while they last. You can order a copy from the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1132-the-art-of-rodger-b-macgowan.aspx
Rebel Furyon Steam
We shared information about this last month but there was an update about the release being official. The following was shared:
We released digital Rebel Fury on Steam for PC and Mac on February 27th. If you’d like to be notified when the game is released, be sure to add it to your Steam wish list. If you’re interested in exploring the development of the rules, And note that the Mark Herman Rebel Fury bundle—which includes the Gettysburg and Waterloo games published in C3i as well as Rebel Fury at a 20% discount – is still available. If you already own one of the other games, don’t worry, you’ll only pay for games you don’t already have, but you’ll still get the bundle discount. You can check out the game as the following link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3072160/Rebel_Fury/.
This is a low complexity, low counter density system that is very much focused on maneuver and positioning of forces on the American Civil War battlefield and is really fun to play. The game has done very well and been a hit and they recently announced a 2nd Printing. If you are interested, here is a look at our video review for Rebel Fury:
Digital Version of Mr. President
I also shared about this one last month but there was some more insight provided from lead designer Ananda Gupta on the digital implementation of Mr. President.
From Ananda, we get the following remarks:
A big reason Exia and GMT decided to partner to put Mr. President on PC was the wide range of opportunities to improve the game’s playability. Not just physically, in terms of table space, but with respect to usability. The Exia team has been working hard on this translation.
Like most complex board games, Mr. President is procedural. And there are many cases where one procedure can initiate a new one, which has to be completed before the player returns to the original one. For example, you might be in the middle of Address a Domestic Crisis – but if you critically fail the die roll, you add a Domestic Crisis—which can turn into a Domestic Failure. But: both the original critical failure result AND the Domestic Failure table reduce Public Approval…and Public Approval generates a DRM for the Domestic Failure table. Mr. President’s procedural approach means that those two Public Approval hits will be resolved at different times, so your PA may be a little higher when resolving the Domestic Failure (small blessings!).
In the digital version, we want to help the player keep this straight. To that end, we’re looking at an interface approach that shows the player what procedure is currently being resolved and what other procedures are still waiting. We also want to reduce players’ need to add up DRMs driven by factors across the whole board, so the game will do that for you and show you on the action itself which of a given action’s DRMs will apply. Also, an important element of Mr. President’s gameplay mastery is knowing how many positive modifiers you need in order to eliminate the possibility of a critical failure; this can remove most or all of the direct downside from taking a particular action. These are just wireframes, and we’ll do some visual polish once we’ve tested them in actual gameplay rather than in user-interface design theory-land:
We hope to walk the tightrope: spare players a lot of hunting around but leave them enough visibility and agency to learn the game and build their own stories in Mr. President. As always: please wishlist the game on Steam if you haven’t already! – Ananda
I can attest that the game is very interesting and unique as Alexander and I played together cooperatively a year and a half ago (2023) and I have posted a First Impressions written post on the blog.
Here is also a link to our initial impressions video on the game:
Spring Sale
The sale has now become a Spring Sale, as it was originally referred to as as Winter Sale, but we are getting a sale and that is the important part. Besides, they just finished up their largest P500 shipment in GMT Games history with 14 games so they get a pass.
Here are the details on the sale shared by Gene:
We are less than two weeks away from our Spring Sale! Here are the key details:
Sale Dates: April 1-7, 2025
The sale will be for EVERYONE, not just for P500 orderers like our yearly sale is.
The sale discount will be 40% off retail.
There is no limit on quantities ordered as long as stock lasts.
Rachel and I are creating a Spring Sale Buyers Guide. Look for it on InsideGMT early this week.
I will send a Sale Email to everyone with final details, discount codes for checkout, and a link to the Sale Buyer’s Guide early this week.
I said this a few months ago when this was first brought up but this is a great chance for us to get great games at a deep discount but also to help GMT as they maneuver the difficulties they are experiencing right now. If we support them, as I know that we all do, they will continue to remain strong and be able to continue making the games that we crave! So get those orders ready and those credit cards warmed up! You will need them.
Counter Issue for The Battle for Normandy Deluxe Edition
A bit more bad news but Gene shared some information about a problem with the recently shipped out P500 game The Battle for Normandy Deluxe Edition. I know that this game has been hotly anticipated by many and I am sad to hear that there were issues with the counters. But, as you know, no one is perfect and we are going to get these type of situations from time to time and just need to understand that this process has a lot of moving parts and the possibilities for issues so when they happen we can know that we will get this type of response from GMT and that they will take responsibility and attempt to make it all better for us rabid gamers.
Unfortunately, some of the counters for The Battle for Normandy Deluxe Edition were incorrectly printed. We’re still trying to figure out exactly what happened and get a final list of counters affected, but it looks like at this point it was a version-control problem where somehow the final edited version the designer saw wasn’t the version that got sent to the printer. Please accept our apologies for this problem. I can’t tell you right now exactly when we’re going to fix this, but we WILL fix it. We just need to wrap our arms around all the details before we give you our action plan. Hopefully I’ll have that for you in the April newsletter. Until then, we’re planning to get a downloadable pdf of the affected counters up on our website as soon as possible.
Mistakes are a part of life and I am very appreciative of GMT’s response to these kinds of things as they are always stand up about them and do their best to make things right.
Playtesters/Help Wanted!
As you know, GMT uses their Monthly Update to communicate about many things and ongoing projects. One of the ways they use the Update is that they aske for volunteers to assist with the playtesting of their ongoing projects. The following projects and design teams currently need extra testers. If you are interested in helping out, please contact the team members for the game you are interested in at the links below.
We also got the following updates from Jason Carr, the head of the GMT One studio on several ongoing projects. They are working on so many projects and I can only imagine the pressure that they are under, both with managing their time but also brining in these game projects on time and without issues.
When is a game done? For GMT’s development team this isn’t a rhetorical question, it’s a primary practical concern of our craft (although both Joe Dewhurst and I are trained philosophers, so if you catch us at a party we can wax philosophical about it at length—we’re fun, I promise).
We spend a lot of time working out what it means to be “done” both in the design and development of a game. Early in my time working at GMT, Volko Ruhnke told me “A game is never done, only published.” I remember being so nervous to give the OK to have Tank Duel printed when Mike and I decided it was time to stop working on it—not that we couldn’t have continued for another year, but that we needed to stop. That feeling never goes away. I get nervous every time we print a game, because I can’t stop thinking of what else I could do to make it better.
This is why done matters. If a game isn’t done then it will not be satisfying to play. It won’t be complete and clear, and it might have significant errata. A game that is really done will tell a story when it hits the table and will have a clear hook and reason to play it again and again. But note that each of these qualities, while completely true, are subjective. You know them when you see them, and they’re going to be different for each player. And they’re all in tension with the other definition of done: a game that actually exists that you can play.
GMT’s team of developers lives in that tension every day. I can’t think of a single game I have worked on that couldn’t have been a better game if I had spent more time working on it—but how much more time, and how much better would the game have been? What else could I have been doing with that time and energy? Could I have traveled, seen family, played games with friends, read a good book, worked on another game? We all have to make these tradeoffs every day, and we hope we make them well.
The past few months have seen some dear friends and luminaries in the game industry pass away. The fact that we miss them is a reminder of why we make games at all: gathering around a table for our favorite games creates bonds of friendship that persist when we are apart. Their passing is also a somber reminder that we don’t make games only for the perfection of the art of game making but also for the way that games challenge us to think, connect, and expand our awareness beyond ourselves.
So when I make a game, and I know I speak for my team as well, the craft is important. It is important because of the ways the craft connects us in common cause. But the end result of connecting you to the game makers, the game players, and the stories these games tell is far more important. So we want to carefully balance the ideal game with the finished game. When we make this tradeoff poorly—and it will happen; we are only human—then we will work to make it right. Not because of our pride or ego, but because of the connection with you, and your connection to others, and the role that games can play in drawing us closer together.
Enjoy the games – and each other. – Jason
I thought this information was something that was good to see and read on this update. I know that I have never designed a game but like most other pursuits in life you always have to call it quits and move on from a project when it is done. Nothing can be perfect and sometimes things just have to be good enough. Projects can be consuming and take on a life of heir own if you let them and it is refreshing to read these kinds of takes from those that do this for a living.
Now onto the main event with the new P500’s!
New P500’s
As mentioned above, there was 1 new P500 addition offered this month in Combat Commander: Vietnam and we also got a new 2nd Printing offered for For the People 25th Anniversary Edition.
Combat Commander: Vietnam
As I espoused earlier, I just love Combat Commander. The system is really good and creates some very interesting choices for the players including how best to utilize their hand, whether full of good cards they need or not, how to bluff their intentions to obfuscate their true objectives or paths of approach and also how best to utilize the abilities and benefits of the soldiers under their command. I love tactical games in general but when you throw in the chaos of card management to the mix it just creates that much of a better gaming experience. I am also very glad to see that someone is taking up the torch passed on by the late Chad Jensen and taking his system into new and interesting theaters and wars. I know that there are several other Combat Commander products in the works, such as the previously announced Island Hopping Campaign Battle Pack and the rumored CC: Afghanistan or CC: Spanish Civil War.
From the game page, we read the following:
Long awaited by fans of the series, Combat Commander now covers the Vietnam War in all its complexity. Building off of Chad Jensen’s superb Combat Commander: Europe, this new game strives to capture the spirit of the original while transporting the system to a new era.
Starting from the view that the heart of CC is Chad’s random scenario generator (RSG) design, Combat Commander: Vietnam captures the immense diversity of units, regions, and periods during the Indochina conflicts from 1961-1975. We harnessed the ingenuity of the RSG system and extensive research of perspectives from all sides to provide one of the most representative depictions of the Vietnam War (plus Laotian and Cambodian civil wars) to date. Whether famous or lesser-known, comprehensive coverage of nearly all relevant units, engagements, and periods is provided by 6 factions, 24 scenarios, a full RSG system, and a new Campaign mode tailored to fit the Vietnam War. For additional coverage we could not cram into the already stuffed base game box, Battle Packs and an expansion are already being devised. We are happy to introduce players to the first step in the broader Vietnam Experience of games by adapting a classic wargaming system to explore the dynamics of small-unit engagements.
Alright that sounds awesome already and I shouldn’t be surprised as Chad created a very good and stable yet versatile system that could be tailored to fit other conflicts. I also am very pleased with the design duo here with Stephen Rangazas and Non-Breaking Space taking on this effort. Both are smart dudes who approach game design very well and I expect great things from them. Let’s take a look now at the makeup of the different factions that will be playable in the game.
Combat Commander: Vietnam includes 6 factions, each with their own Fate Deck, Counters, and Order of Battle table. The factions were selected to cover all major fighting formations relevant to the fighting in Indochina (South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) between 1961-1975. Two Communist factions, NLF and NVA, go up against four Free World factions, ARVN, Free World Allies (FWA), Special Forces (SF), and US. They can be organized into three categories:
Local Irregulars: Using 36 card Fate Decks, similar to those of CC: Resistance, these factions represent locally recruited forces fighting as irregulars. The NLF Faction represents the National Liberation Front (NLF), commonly known as the Viet Cong, but also the Pathet Lao and Khmer Rouge. The SF Faction covers local Free World Force irregulars, usually led by Special Forces, including units such as MIKE Force, CIDG, and Hmong Special Guerrilla Units.
Local Conventional: Using standard 72 Card Fate Decks, these factions represent the conventional forces of the states in the region. The NVA Faction represents the North Vietnamese Armed forces, officially the People’s Army of Vietnam (VPA), that served in South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Rules account for their deployment as light infantry early in the conflict and their more conventional deployment during the major offensives toward the end of the war. The ARVN Faction represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) but also the armed forces of Laos and Cambodia. They include units such as ARVN Rangers all the way down to Territorial Forces.
Foreign Conventional: Also using standard 72 Card Fate Decks, these two factions represent conventional forces deployed from outside of the region fighting on behalf of the Republic of Vietnam. The US Faction represents the Airborne, Army, and Marine infantry deployed to South Vietnam alongside units such as the Combined Action Platoons. The FWA Faction represents the “many flags” that joined the American war in Vietnam including ANZAC, Republic of Korea (ROK), and Thai forces. Special Fate Deck shifts account for the differences between Army and Marines in the US Deck and between ANZAC and the other nations in the FWA Deck.
As well as having the basic game included there will be a new Campaign Mode that will see several scenarios be strung together while offering various objectives to accomplish.
Not wanting to just adapt Chad’s superb system for the Vietnam War (a fairly daunting task already!), we also designed and included a full Campaign mode for Combat Commander: Vietnam that can be played as either one of 8 historical campaigns or a randomly generated campaign using the random campaign generator. Campaigns in CC:V focus on “one scale up” from standard CC engagements by placing players into the role of Battalion commanders launching a month-long operation. Players will confront issues normally above the scale of Combat Commander such as finding and fixing the enemy, attrition and interdiction of opposing forces, and the impact of military operations on the “village war.” Using a modified version of the standard RSG, the Campaign mode generates engagements relevant to what is occurring on the Campaign display. In other words, the Campaign mode illustrates how the broader goals of each side generates CC scale engagements.
The eight included campaign scenarios were carefully selected and researched to capture the incredible range of variation across factions, regions, and periods highlighted above. From a Marine Operation into the Que Son Valley in I Corps, to ROK operations in II Corps, to ANZACs in Phuoc Tuy of III Corps, and finally the famous Sea Swallows CIDG units in IV Corps—these are only half the included historical campaigns. Like with Combat Commander: Europe, we hope to extend campaign scenarios and mechanisms with future Battle Packs.
Kai’s lovely near-final art of a rubber plantation map in III Corps, inspired by the battle of Long Tan (1966)
On the eve of the 20th Anniversary of Combat Commander and the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, now is the perfect time to revisit the Combat Commander system in the new context of the Vietnam War. Sufficient distance from the war has enabled us to leverage hundreds of sources including memoirs, oral histories, archival research, and translations of accounts in French, Lao, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese. The various factions of the war are presented on their own terms.
Like with Combat Commander: Europe, we plan to expand Combat Commander: Vietnam beyond the extensive content provided in the base game box, we are working on Battle Packs themed around the Tet Offensive, US Army Divisions, “Wider War,” and an expansion dialing back the clock to the first Indochina War (1945-1954) that offers new maps, counters, and an RSG for the earlier conflict.
I like the direction and approach being taken with this one. They appear to have a plan and are going to give us what we want as they expand the offerings to encompass most every aspect of the Vietnam War. I very much look forward to seeing how this develops and what future offerings are going to be. Very exciting!
For the People – 25th Anniversary Edition2nd Printing
For the People is one of the most respected Card Driven Games out there and happens to have been designed by my favorite designer Mark Herman. A few years ago, they announced a 25th Anniversary Edition of the game in a 4th Printing and they also added new art to the game with a reimagined cover. I guess that it has been well received and they are doing a 2nd Printing of the new 25th Anniversary Edition, which is a good thing to see.
From the game page, we read the following:
For the People is a grand strategy game of the American Civil War covering the conflict from Texas to Pennsylvania, from the firing on Fort Sumter to the end at Appomattox Court House. You take the role of either President Lincoln or President Davis and command armies, promote and relieve generals, conduct amphibious assaults, dispatch cavalry raids, and even battle incompetency and political intrigue among members of your own cabinet.
For the People includes a deck of strategy cards for conducting campaigns and incorporating the many events and personalities of the war. The Confederate player can build ironclads, naval mines (torpedoes), submarines, conduct overseas purchases, and work towards foreign intervention. The Union player can build up his naval blockade, his ironclad fleet, fight draft riots, secure the Border States, and issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Relive the history of this exciting time when our nation was torn asunder.
Note on 2nd Printing: This will be nearly identical to the 1st Printing except that all known errata will be corrected.
I am embarrassed to say that I bought a copy but we still haven’t been able to get it to the table. But, there is always hope that 2025 will be our opportunity. Here is a look at our unboxing video for the 25th Anniversary Edition1st Printing:
One of the features that I have always enjoyed about these Monthly Updates has been the New P500’s on the Horizon segment 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 Combat Commander: Vietnam was teased last month as “A game set in Southeast Asia.” 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 hex and counter battle game from the Austro-Prussian War – could this be the use of Simonitch’s ZoC Bond System about the Battle of Koniggratz? I think so.
A new strategy game from Matt Calkins – Matt Calkin’s Tennis I believe.
Something new from Jim Day – I am going to guess that is is either an expansion to Panzer: North Africa or the system will be taken to other theaters.
An Old West-themed strategy game – this sounds intriguing but I don’t have any guess on this.
How did I do Gene? I think that I got at least a couple of these correct but just am unsure.
Charging & Shipping
The following information for Charging and Shipping was copied directly from the Update:
As of last Thursday, they have now finished P500 shipping on the huge batch of items:
GMT will keep us all busy for the next 10 years if they keep this up and I am totally fine with that! We have about 5 GMT Games products that are sitting on our table awaiting their turn at being played.
Designer/Developer Updates
I also wanted to share a few of the project updates that were included in the email as they are just chock full of great information.
I’m delighted to report that 1848 has officially moved into art! In case you missed it the first time, we have a teaser for the near-final board for you today (with some errors fixed—thank you to those who pointed these out!).
Don Hegarty (our artist) is now starting to work on card art, and we expect to be able to share some sample cards in the coming months. We’re really excited to see what he comes up with. – Peter
I will be attending GMT East in April, where I will have a copy of A Fading Star that I can show to anyone who is interested. In addition to GMT East, I will also participate in Stack Académie in Montreal on May 3rd and 4th, where I will be presenting A Fading Star with several scheduled demonstrations. On the COIN pipeline front, China’s War is now at the printer, and The Pure Land is now in the art department, marking gradual progress toward production. We’re right behind, and to celebrate this I’ve written a short InsideGMT article about the current situation in Somalia, ten years on from the end of the period covered by the game. – Yann
We’re reaching an exciting milestone for Decisive Action! Playtesting has been extensively refined, and at this point, we’re primarily waiting on the final artwork to bring everything together. Our talented artist, Antonio Pinar, is wrapping up work on the last map (see the Sneak Peaks above) and is now shifting focus to the counter artwork—another major step toward production!
On the gameplay front, recent playthroughs have led to a few dynamic new enhancements. A fresh random event card, Higher Priority, has been introduced. This card shakes things up by canceling an opponent’s Asset for the next turn (randomly selected) and returning the affected Asset to the Available Deck. This adds another layer of strategic decision-making and uncertainty, ensuring each battle unfolds in a unique way.
Additionally, we’ve slightly increased the number of Ops Points—both at the start and throughout the turn—to enhance the tactical flexibility of using Assets. This change makes maneuvering and resource allocation even more dynamic, reinforcing the balance between careful planning and bold execution.
Beyond mechanics, we’re also working on making Decisive Action more accessible and engaging for new players. Our exceptional lead playtester, Matt Kelley, has created a detailed example of play that walks players through mission setup and asset management—key aspects of achieving victory. We’re in the process of integrating his work into the Scenario Book and hope to include even more of his examples soon! – Joe
I’ve been working on tuning, balancing, and complexity reduction in the lead-up to Circle DC. Some highlights in the past few months include:
Population now appreciates when you save them from disaster
Tuned a few victory conditions to make it more difficult for Ken Kuhn to win
Made it more difficult to predict the spice blow where Salt would show up
Reduced the power of a surprise attack, to require a bit more planning
Removed traffic jams now that they’re no longer needed for balance
If you’re going to Circle DC, find me and we’ll play a game of Echo From the Dark! – Adam
We have yet to reach out to Adam about the game but will try to do something soon so you can get a better idea about what the game is and how it plays.
With the core gameplay locked in, we have been focusing on testing the game’s non-player mode, which allows for automated non-player opponents to fill in for any missing players, enabling one-, two-, or three-player games alongside the regular four-player game. Alex designed his own custom non-player system for this game, which originally only covered the forces of Counter-Revolution (White Army and New Nations), but he has since expanded it to cover the Bolsheviks and Anarchists as well.
I always appreciate when a designer is able to come up with their own non-player system, and in this case Alex has done a fantastic job of preserving the core structure of the gameplay while keeping the non-player system as simple as possible. Essentially you just flip one regular action card to determine each non-player faction’s action for the turn, then use a simple dice-based system to figure out their priorities for resolving that action. It flows extremely well, with the non-player opponents feeling almost as intelligent as human players (perhaps more intelligent than some), and I’ve been having a great time putting it through its paces myself. If you’d like to try out the Hammer and Sickle non-player system, you can sign up for our ongoing testing here: https://forms.gle/x1SNzHSxkmEqKDxn8. – Joe
We have reached out to the designer with a list of questions and he is currently working on answering them. I hope to have this one up sometime in April or May.
Since our last update things have been progressing smoothly. We have done a lot of work on refining the solo game, and gameplay is looking great. Now that Seljuk is near the finish line, we are in the process of getting ready to start the final dev & art sprint. Make sure to look out for some exciting updates! – Joe
Picture above is of Joe and the family at Kenilworth Castle, one of King Henry’s favorite vacation spots!
Since P500, we have gotten a complete set of all of the expansion cards, counters, and rules from Ted. First, we did a round of reviews on the card text so everything follows the conventions from the base game and seems to work together as intended. Having completed that, we built a Tabletop Simulator module and are currently playing through a series of test games. We continue to refine things as we work through all of the new opportunities and pitfalls for wannabe Emperors. – Ted and Team
We have yet to reach out to Ted about the game but will try to do something soon so you can get a better idea about what the expansion offers and how it ties into the narrative.
Just sent off the Guadalcanal campaign to developer Jack for testing. Mechanically it’s very similar to the original version by James Crate and Roger Horky in Corsairs & Hellcats. The order of battle is greatly improved, with the Japanese receiving reinforcements as well as the Americans. And I added a Random Events Table, including repair of Damaged aircraft and the possibility of Japanese naval bombardment of Henderson Field. Testing will determine the number of Weeks (campaign rounds) in the game and the optimum number of aircraft available to the players each Week.
I will have this with me in Hanford next month for anyone who would like to try a Week or two (or the whole campaign), and I can bring any other campaign with me if you ask ahead of time by email drklahn@gmx.com.
Iron Storm – Designer Edgar Fennolar
In the last few months we have been testing an important change to the game: the number of army cards has been reduced, and instead of activating a specific army, they allow for the activation of any army of a specific nation. The intention of this change is to reduce the duration of the games, with a smaller number of decisions throughout the game but of greater significance. However, this is not a definitive change, and we want to test it more before making a decision. So, if you are interested in trying the game, or have played it before and would like to try the new version of Iron Storm, now is a good time to jump in and help us make a decision about it! You can sign up for the next wave of testing here: https://forms.gle/EXrqRBjFfE4G8fcc7. – Edgar
I don’t mean to complain or sound ungrateful but I have sent a set of interview questions to the designer Edger Fennolar nearly 2 years ago and he has not finished them and has now gone radio silent. He agreed to do them and I put the time and effort in to craft the questions. Is there someone at GMT that could prod him for me? Thank you.
We have officially reached the milestone where the game would be ready for layout if it were a straight reprint! That means we have incorporated all the errata, clarifications, and enhancements we could think of! Now we turn to the exciting stuff: the 2E changes!
How about a Counterattack result on the CRT where you swap the Attacker/Defender roles? How about a greater emphasis on the Strategic Capabilities so that Cyber Warfare is no longer a no-brainer? How about a greater strain on your Ally Relationships? How about a “New Year’s Surprise” where you have to draw ‘2’ and ‘3’ Cascading Events even if you managed to dodge them during the Year? And more!
Gene’s creative juices are on full display! Oh, and keep your eyes open on BGG as I’m about to share a complete rehaul of the infamous WM5 section, the one that covers Wars! We’re pushing hard for this to go to the printer sometime during the second quarter! -Marco
Recently in the development process of Order & Opportunity, we’ve had a good run of playtesting. A number of new players got their hands on the game, and it’s been exciting to receive their feedback. An upcoming insideGMT article contains a more detailed description of one playtest that took place with a gaming group in Minnesota recently. In this update, I will collate some recent playtesting feedback to generate an overall picture of where we are with the game.
Throughout development, our aim has been to make the game as quick-playing as possible but one with a big, global feel. A recent playtester commented that “I am impressed how easy it is to get hang of this game.” That is an encouraging comment. In another playtest, the playtime was reported as 4 hours, including a 30 minute teach. As another playtester wrote, “Many people might be drawn to a game that is manageably playable in one mid-week evening game session.”
New players reported that the flow of the game feels “clean and solid.” However, there were some reservations about the balance of the Democracies and Authoritarian competition. The game can indeed be punishing especially to the Democracies, so that aspect of the gameplay will receive special attention in upcoming playtests. Typically, a game of Order & Opportunity is won by a single player only, but the game systems also contains an element of a war of ideas between Democracy and Authoritarianism. This is coupled with a simultaneous competition among friends. In this context, I was happy to read a recent playtest report that mentioned “positive comments about the dynamic of being a four-player game with friendly competition” between players.
Good historical games depend on thematic immersion and narrative. So I was happy to read in a playtest report that “lots of conversation around the history of these events and their shaping of the current global environment was had. The game showed a very contemporary affinity to current day events”.
On my end, I’ve been working to refine the game’s solitaire system. I can tell you that I’ve been regularly getting my bottom handed back to me by the solitaire opponents, so there is no lack of challenge there. It may even be that some of the screws the bots put on the player could use some loosening.
Overall, it looks like the game is gradually but surely reaching the home stretch of its development journey—always a bold statement mixed with emotions of relief and nervousness! – Vez
So much to say—this one is red hot! Terry Leeds started to work his magic, so we can share some near-final artwork with you today. Here’s the countersheet. Can you guess what some of these markers are for?
Remember when the worst that could happen when you Searched was to have to deal with a 3-tile Murder of Horrors? Well, have a look at two of the six Search Cards you HAVE to add to the deck when playing the new Alarming Mode (because yes, poking around during a Horrors apocalypse should be dangerous!).
And if you like your game extra-spicy, these Horrifying Fate Cards will haunt you forever if you opt to enable this Nightmare Option:
Layout for the rulebook has started and this one is on track to go to the printer by the end of Q2! – Marco
The Weimar Republic – Designer Gunnar Holmbäck and Developer Bruce Mansfield
The Weimar Republic is now in final art. The team has been working closely with GMT artist Terry Leeds to finish layouts for the event cards and map board art. Terry is an amazing artist, and his work really shines here. He has captured the turbulent feel of 1920s and 30s Germany while keeping the game’s components accessible and easy to use. Below you can see a few previews of Terry’s work.
As we are finishing card and map art, we will finalize the player aid cards, complete several examples of play and a tutorial for helping to learn how to play the game, and make sure the whole package is clear and coherent. We think this is a terrific game on an important and consequential period of history, and we can’t wait to see it hit tables later this year. – Gunnar and Bruce
We got in a lot of playtests on Tsar last year using both TTS and a physical prototype. I’d like to thank all the volunteers who tried the game and especially the GMT team who played the physical prototype at Weekend in the Warehouse last October (Jason, Kai, NB, and Adam). Since then, I’ve been busy improving the interface, cutting some nonessential things to streamline the game, making small adjustments to improve balance, and building out more content. When complete, Tsarwill cover four multi-year “Eras” played as separate games in a legacy style. Three of these Eras are now complete, starting with Nicholas II’s accession to the throne in 1894 through the Romanov Tercentenary in 1913. We plan to do another round of playtesting this spring or summer and then complete the final Era covering the World War I years. In the meantime, we now have an updated physical prototype that Jason will be showing at Circle DC later this month. I’ve also started a series of InsideGMT articles to share more details about Tsar, beginning with a closer look at the historical figures who appear in the game. – Paul
I have finally gotten time to get through all the edits needed for the event cards. For this edition, Jason Matthews, Ananda, and I have put together a style guide for the cards which has led to rewording several of the effects to be consistent with each other. While we haven’t undertaken a full rewrite of the cards (which would be risky for a game with as much interpretive history as Twilight Struggle), we have sought to clarify the key places that the game has been confusing for new players. This has included going through all 18 of the promotional cards that are being included in this game (including one brand new promo card) and making sure that they make sense. Here’s a few more sneak peeks at the updated cards:
The big remaining task is to finalize the new alt-history scenario, Red Sun Rising. The premise of the scenario is a world where Japan is invaded by the Soviet Union at the end of WW2, leading to a divided Japan. This is accomplished through 18 brand new cards (some of which replace existing cards) and an overlay that changes the geography of Southeast Asia permanently. This scenario is more for fun and variety than tournament level play, but we want to make sure it’s fun and balanced for players who explore it. – Jason
Project Updates and Sample Art
As is usually the case, I wanted to share last 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 piece of sample art that was shown to us was the box back for the upcoming Combat Commander: Europe/Med. 20th Anniversary Edition, whichincludes all components of the original CC: Europe and CC: Mediterranean plus additional minors counters and updated scenario pages where those minors appear.
We then got a look at the near-final Nicaragua map for The Guerrilla Generation. This just looks awesome and I have so much hope for this as I just loved The British Way.
We were then showed the Sample National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA map and the sample Suwalki Gap, Lithuania map for Decisive Action. The more I see of this game the more excited I get. I know these boards are not overly done but they look good and clean and that tells me the game is going to be very playable. They have a decidedly classic look and I think that this is a good thing.
The final piece they share were some more sample counters for Firefight Tactical and these are looking really sharp. We played this game at SDHistCon in 2023 and it was fun and a bit involved but I am very much looking forward to playing the final version.
I will end this post by sharing our recent content on the blog and YouTube Channel for GMT Games products including reviews/interviews/unboxing videos:
3 thoughts on “March 2025 Monthly Update from GMT Games – Big, Big News with Combat Commander Going to Southeast Asia, a Tribute to Rodger MacGowan and Final Spring Sale Details!”
The Players' Aid 
Gosh, a lot to take in, cheers Grant. Guess I’d better get some overtime in before the spring sale and all the enticing P500s!
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Reminded me to sign up for some ‘Decisive Action’
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