This month, there was just 1 new P500 game offered called A Hell So Terrible: Verdun 1916 designed by Hermann Luttmann. I have been awaiting the announcement of this game from Hermann and am very excited about it as I have really enjoyed his games overall but his solo games have been really good including games such as Crowbar!: The Rangers at Pointe du Hoc from Flying Pig Games, Attack of the 50 Foot Colossi! from Tiny Battle Publishing and In Magnificent Style originally from Victory Point Games and then a new edition from Worthington Publishing. There were also 2 reprints offered in Barbarossa: Typhoon! 2nd Edition and Combat Commander: Pacific 3rd Printing and the 2025 Replacement Countersheet was unveiled.
And that wasn’t all though as there was plenty of other information shared including updates on GMT One products, development updates, shipping updates, upcoming future P500 additions and the usual gorgeous art samples!
First things first though. Gene had a few bits of interesting information to share with us about their shipping process, which is still being worked out, and their new Direct Shipping option for International Customers. Here is some of what Gene had to share:
Operations Update – and Charge and Ship Schedule. We’re making a lot of progress on establishing and improving our direct-from-the-printer international shipping. Last month, I noted that we had worked through all the initial difficulties of integrating our data and operational flow with multiple new international shipping providers and that they had the data and would begin shipping on a schedule that was going to vary provider-to-provider. Shipping is in progress now, and we’re basically in “watch and learn” mode right now as we wait to see how quickly those providers actually deliver games to our customers.
This month’s update is that those shipments have now gone out, and the good news is we’re already seeing customers around Europe reporting that their games have arrived. We anticipate that we’ll see the same in other international destinations over the next week or two based on when we were told games were shipped to our various non-European providers around the world.
We’re definitely still very much “watching and learning” so that we can a) improve shipping times on the next shipments and b) be able to give international customers better guidance on how long to expect for games to arrive. But we feel certain at this point that the next shipment (just charged and heading out over the next week or two) will be much quicker, just based on not having to get snarled in all those “doing this for the first time'” problems I mentioned last month. Hopefully by the time we finish this 2nd shipment, we’ll have much better data on the international shipping piece of our operations, which is where we’re still learning. Things are much more stable on the US Operations side of the house, as this “new normal” of shipping for our office and warehouse folks seems to be moving forward pretty smoothly.
We charged (both US and International customers) for the “Batch 2” group of games that I referred to above on September 15. You’ll all have until Friday, September 19 (tomorrow) to add any new P500 orders to go out with this batch. After the 19th, P500 pricing will be finished for these games, and they’ll be retail priced thereafter on our website. So please get yours now if you want them!
The games in “Batch 2” that were charged on September 15 are:
A few things to note: (See our August update for a full list of changes to our website and shipping operations):
– We have seen some occasional problems with the shipping and billing addresses on our website. So please, when you get a minute, go into your account on our website and double check that it displays your current billing and shipping addresses. Thanks!
– On our Shipping Table, there are now columns for new “DIRECT” Friendly P500-Only shipping for Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Asia/Pacific Rim, and you will see these new rates pop up in your shipping options when you order. Except for Canada (where we now charge Canadian sales tax separately on our website), all of these new “Friendly” shipments include pre-paid VAT/Taxes.
– Beginning with our NEXT (October) charge, all customers in China and the Republic of Korea will be able to get the same DIRECT (much lower) rates as the customers in Japan. There is a new combined (Japan/China/Korea) shipping option that should show up for you when you order your games. If your games already on P500 order are not currently set to use this new shipping method, you can cancel the game in your website Admin section and then re-order on our site using the new shipping method before we start charging Batch 3 in mid-late October. We encourage this, as it should save you considerable shipping costs.
– For ALL International Customers, be sure that you are using the “DIRECT” shipping option for your country or region. If you have existing P500 orders that are not yet set to the DIRECT shipping option, simply go into your admin account and cancel them, then re-order them from our site with the DIRECT shipping option selected. Note that each of these new “DIRECT” rates is less expensive by 10-50% (at least for about 1-3 games or up to about 18 lbs, which is generally where the most savings is garnered) compared to our previous shipping costs due to shipping direct from the printer. And ALL of these shipments will avoid the US Tariff surcharge.
– Note that these new DIRECT shipping columns/rates are for international P500 orders ONLY, except the countries listed in last month’s update that are shipped only from the US. Any in-stock orders will still use the older shipping tables because we don’t have any bulk overseas warehousing of our existing inventory. The vast majority of our stock is in our Hanford warehouse, and we don’t at this time have any way to fulfill international in-stock orders from anywhere else. We don’t foresee this changing anytime soon. So if you want our new games at the best prices, get them ordered BEFORE we change the P500 pricing for each batch of charges/shipments. All direct orders after the price changes will be at retail price and fulfilled from the US, not direct from China.
Finally, all of us at GMT want to thank you all again for your ongoing understanding and support as we make these challenges oprational improvements. We appreciate you! – Gene
Gene also shared a request for proofreaders from Director of Development Jason Carr. As they increase the speed of sending games to the printer, their proofreading teams are becoming a bottleneck. They need more help! If you’re interested in proofreading (and maybe getting some free games along the way as payment!), please fill out the following form, and they’ll be in touch with you soon: https://forms.gle/3vDunyDdGaA7PKGWA
One final piece of information that I found noteworthy was news about a new GMT Game that has been added to Rally the Troops!:
Widely recognized as all-time classic, Paths of Glory puts players in command of either the Central Powers or the Entente (Allies), balancing the complex strategic decisions of a grinding global conflict. From the trenches of the Western Front to the sands of the Arabian desert, every choice shapes the outcome of the Great War.
Thanks to Nathan Forget for the implementation of the game. Additional thanks to GMT Games for granting permission, to Ted Raicer for his brilliant design, to Brian Reynolds for his expert advice, and to Tor Andersson, Christophe Correia, and the other Rally the Troops volunteers for their assistance with Paths of Glory and for their ongoing maintenance of the platform.
Rally the Troops is an online site where you can play board games in your browser for free. Play live or turn-based games. Play with friends or strangers; or play multi-handed solo to explore and learn. Play on your computer, on your tablet, or on your phone.
As mentioned above, there was 1 new P500 game offered called A Hell So Terrible: Verdun 1916 designed by Hermann Luttmann. There were also 2 reprints offered in Barbarossa: Typhoon! 2nd Edition and Combat Commander: Pacific 3rd Printing and the 2025 Replacement Countersheet was unveiled.
A Hell So Terrible: Verdun 1916
I already mentioned this but Hermann Luttmann is a great designer and I just love his solitaire takes on historical battles. His newest design is a solitaire game called A Hell So Terrible: Verdun 1916 that focuses on the German assault on the city of Verdun in 1916 during World War I. Keep in mind that Hermann is a very creative designer and uses lots of very interesting and chaotic design elements to create a very interesting and satisfying gaming experience. Also, most of his games are just that, with very engaging gameplay and a lot of the unknown that will hit you in the face from time to time! I just love his games.
From the game page, we read the following:
A Hell So Terrible is a solitaire wargame simulating “Operation Gericht” (Operation Judgement), the German assault on the city of Verdun launched on February 21st, 1916. You take the role of Germany’s Crown Prince Wilhelm (eldest son of Kaiser Wilhelm) in command of the German 5th Army as he attempts to fulfill Falkenhayn’s goal of knocking France out of the Great War through attrition. The attack on Verdun is envisioned as a stab at the heart of French national morale. Falkenhayn hoped that threatening this iconic city and fortress complex would force France to react hastily and carelessly, thereby compelling its forces to launch suicidal counterattacks against prepared German defenses and artillery kill zones. Falkenhayn anticipated that this sacrifice would be so bloody and demoralizing that it would ultimately drive France from the war. Thus, you must push your forces forward and inflict as much damage and destruction on the French defenders in front of Verdun as possible and do so before the opening guns of the Battle of the Somme are fired at the start of July 1916. If you cannot accomplish that goal, precious reinforcements, supplies, and heavy artillery resources will be diverted to the defense of the Somme River line, and with that will come an end to the effort to “bleed France white.”
Unlike other “tower defense” games (including a certain one where Horrors invade a place called Plum Island!), you will now step into the shoes of the German attackers while the game system controls the French defenders. This game system simply and accurately depicts the tough tactical decision-making imposed by the conditions prevalent during the First World War. You will be forced to constantly choose whether to push the German units harder and faster—balancing the risk of higher casualties against the seizure of enemy territory and destruction of their forces. And because you only have ten game turns in which to accomplish your mission, time is of the essence, and you will often be forced to push your troops hard. But there is also one other insidious factor to this conundrum…keeping up the pace of advance of your artillery and logistical support. Every German unit has a “Support” marker on its track and the relative position of that marker has consequences to the unit’s ability to fight well. But the “Support” marker only moves with certain events or when the attached unit Regroups…meaning it must sometimes stop and become “Spent” to allow its assigned “Support” marker to catch up. If, and when, to Regroup a German unit is a critical decision for the player.
Hermann loves his press your luck mechanics and I always feel like they fit in the history of the game. You have to take chances, but these must be measured chances or you risk burning yourself out and ending gup with nothing left to fight with.
A Hell So Terrible uses a unique dice-activation system that challenges the solitaire player every turn of play. There are nine tracks spread across three Sectors, all leading to the outskirts of the Verdun fortress. Located on each track is a German unit, representing an amalgamation of the various divisions that fought at the battle. You must push each of these units along their respective tracks, advancing against the French defenders while enduring artillery barrages, bombing raids, and counterattacks.
And custom dice are always welcome in my humble opinion.
The activation of the German units is accomplished with the roll of custom Activation Dice, of which there are four types: two “Movement” types and two “Casualties” types. Every unit being activated must have one “Movement” die assigned to it along with one “Casualties” die. You roll all dice at one time and then assign the dice as you wish to each unit in the activated Sector. The pair of dice assigned dictate how far the unit can move (if at all) and if it takes any casualties from enemy fire. The concept is that the effect of enemy incoming fire is built into the activation/movement mechanism. It’s your German units pushing up against the French “wall of fire.” By building that effect into the movement system, gameplay is sped up as the player does not need to separately resolve every single incidence of opposing fire combat.
The two “Movement” type dice are the “Advance” die, which is your basic die possibly allowing one space of movement forward, and the “Infiltration” die, which represents the deployment of Stosstruppen and other assault assets which can allow the assigned unit to move up to two spaces and gain benefits during combat. You receive one “Advance” die per German unit for free but may convert that die into an “Infiltration” die by spending one Command Point (these are points that you can spend to beneficially affect some game mechanics and which abstractly represent German higher command influences).
The two “Casualties” dice are the “Friction” die, which is the default die and could inflict up to a 2-Strength Point loss on your unit, and the “Suppression” die, which can be substituted for the “Friction” die if the German unit has its “Support” marker close enough. The “Suppression” die reduces the chance of a Strength Point loss on your unit by simulating the suppressing effects on the French defenders of the close artillery support from the local German batteries.
And the game uses cards as events which represent the Fog and Friction of War.
Over the past month, GMT shipped out their new print run of Barbarossa: Army Group North, 1941 2nd Edition and now they are adding another of these EFS games to their P500 list, which is great because it allows us to get them as well and play them as they are out of print.
From the game page, we read the following:
In the fall of 1941, German High Command focused their renewed Blitzkrieg on the ultimate prize in Russia: Moscow! In what proved to be one of the most decisive campaigns of the Second World War, the German attack fell short of capturing the Soviet capital, but just barely. Barbarossa: Typhoon! 2nd Edition recreates that great battle for Moscow that began in earnest on 30 September 1941 and ended around 6 January 1942 when the first great Soviet counteroffensive that took the strategic initiative away from Germany.
This game is part of the other East FrontSeries of games and can be combined with these games. There are nine game scenarios that cover important phases of the campaign, as well as the entire 49 turn Campaign game itself.
This game can be added as an extension of the Army Group Center game that covers the preceding Operation Barbarossa offensive to form a 99 turn combined game from 22nd June. The other games in the series can also be combined to cover the massive East Front offensive in 1941.
Scenarios:
Guderian’s Panzer Group covers Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Group offensive toward Orel and Tula, to the south of Moscow.
The Vyazma Pocket is the initial phase of Typhoon Offensive, which caught the Soviets improperly prepared and thus they became enveloped in a great encirclement at Vyazma. As with many such double-envelopment battles, it took time for the German 4th Army to close and reduce the pocket.
The Mozhaysk Line picks-up where the previous scenario concluded with Army Group Center renewed in its offensive, now with Moscow as the clear goal. The panzers of German 40th Motorized Corps pushed eastward; opposing the Germans in this sector was a newly formed 5th Army.
The Kalinin Front covers the initial German actions toward the north of Moscow.
The Battle for Tula is Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Army attempt to take Tula and then Kolomna, and then strike north to encircle Moscow from the east.
Last Gamble for Moscow covers that period during which German forces had the strength for offensive action. They captured Klin and the Istra Reservoir while holding Borodino, Volokolamsk, and Kalinin, for a total of five objectives and suffered substantial armored and artillery losses.
The Battle for Moscow covers the late November attempt by the (by now weakened) German forces to take Moscow. The Soviets had greatly recovered from the October battles; they were still weak in many spots and had only enough reserves to meet the local situation.
Zhukov Attacks covers the first Soviet counter-offensive against the over-extended and weakened German forces.
The Campaign. The full Typhoon Offensive game from its beginning at the start of October 1941 until the Soviet winter offensive and ending in January 1942.
This 2nd Edition version of the venerable 1995 Typhoon! game comprehensively updates and extends this game, bringing it up to date with the results of the latest research. It includes an Inset Map for Moscow, several smaller scenarios that build toward the larger Campaign game.
I have played all of the Combat Commander family of games many times over the years including Europe, Mediterranean and Pacific as well as a host of the Battle Packs. They are really fun games and I love the system! I also recently acquired a copy of Resistance and need to get it to the table. I really love the narrative that the game creates. I love the cards and how they are used for combat, there are no dice in CC in case you didn’t know, for activations and events. The system is just full of chaos and fun. I was very pleased when I heard that they were reprinting one of the best in the series Combat Commander: Pacific. Keep in mind though that I do prefer the original but do enjoy the changes made to the system in Pacific.
From the game page, we read the following:
Combat Commander: Pacific is a card-driven board game covering tactical infantry combat in the Pacific Theater of World War II. CC: Pacific‘s main theme is the addition of three new factions to the Combat Commander family:
Imperial Japan
the Pacific US – with a strong emphasis on the US Marine Corps
the Pacific Commonwealth – focusing on Indian and ANZAC forces
Combat Commander: Pacific is a stand-alone game in the card-driven Combat Commander game series. While utilizing Combat Commander: Europe‘s basic rules, CC: Pacific includes numerous rule tweaks and additions in order to more accurately portray tactical warfare as experienced by the participants in and around the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This will slightly ramp up the complexity of the Combat Commander series while at the same time imparting a bit more depth and realism. Just a few of the additions include:
Banzai attacks
BARs and Thompson SMGs
Beach landings & river crossings
Hidden movement
Caves
Scouts
Aircraft
Bayonets
Mortar spotting
Reconnoitering
A game of Combat Commander is divided into several Time segments. There is no sequence of play to follow, however: each Time segment is divided into a variable number of Player Turns, each of which may consist of one or more Fate Card “Orders” conducted by the active player. Fate Card “Actions” may generally be conducted by either player at any time. “Events” and die roll “Triggers”—both good and bad—will occur at random intervals to add a bit of chaos and uncertainty to each player’s perfect plan.
CC: Pacific will include twelve new maps featuring terrain specific to the PTO.
Note on 3rd Printing: This will be identical to the 2nd Printing, except that any known errata will be corrected.
Errata is a fact of life with all publishers and all games! No matter what, a mistake will always slip through and cause us gamers a bit of angst. This is where GMT Games stands head and shoulders above the competition though as they admit to their mistakes and more importantly try to make them right. We have seen this time and time again. So they have a solution for errata found on counters in their new games this year that makes a lot of sense and makes it economically very easy to acquire: a replacement countersheet.
From the P500 page, we read the following:
We are happy to announce today that we have created a 2025 Replacement Countersheet that includes all of the counter updates that we and the designers know of as errata for games from 2025. We’re setting this up as a P500 item like we did last year—except that it’s already approved to print. We just need to know how many of you want the item. Please get your order in over the coming few weeks so we can get these in your hands by year-end.
The price for this item will be $5 for US customers and $10 for non-US customers. Note that the cost INCLUDES shipping. Clearly, we’re supplementing most of the cost on these, which we think is only fair, in that these counters represent mostly errata that we missed when we produced the games the counters belong to.
P500 Ordering: In the pricing box at the right side of this page, you’ll see two prices—one for US ($5) and one for non-US ($10). Please double check and make sure you choose what applies to where your countersheet will be shipped. This will save our office folks a lot of work when we get to charge time. Thanks much!
The games with counters on the sheet are:
By Swords & Bayonets
Here I Stand NOTE: These are the same as the 2024 versions but not everyone got theirs so we’re printing them again.
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 A Hell So Terrible was teased last month as “a WWI Battle Game.” 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 block game set in the ancient world – I have no intel on this one.
A Deluxe Edition of one of our most popular 19th century games – Again, nothing. I just am out of the loop at this time.
A fast-playing 2-player CDG set in Vietnam – could this be Sam London’s Will to Fight Series game set in Vietnam?
A “Simple” Rules Set for one of our popular wargame series – A World at War lite? Let’ hope. Or maybe for the Next War Series?
Well, my guesses this month were pretty lame! Not my best effort. How did I do Gene? Did I even get one correct?
Charging & Shipping
The following information for Charging and Shipping was copied directly from the Update:
Current Charge/Shipment: We charged BOTH US and international customers this past Monday, September 15th. US shipping should begin early next week International shipping should begin in about two weeks. This charge and shipment are for the following EIGHT items:
Next Batch We don’t have an exact charge date on the next batch of P500 releases yet, although it will likely be mid-late October. The items included in that batch will be:
As always, that is just a ton of good looking games coming our way! The month of October is going to be fantastic and I am very much looking forward to playing most of these.
Production Outlook
Also we got the following production update from Kai Jensen:
We have six items at sea which are set to arrive just before the end of this month. There are an additional 13 items currently at the printer in various stages of production, and two* more slated to be sent in before the month is out. Although that seems like a small number, it’s enough to put us on target for the quarter.
We have 20 items lined up for printing in the fourth quarter. Due to the holidays, we tend to see a few projects slip over into the new year so these might not all make it. But it’s a strong line-up headed into the final quarter and it looks like a strong finish to 2025 even if we don’t hit all twenty.
* One of those is Commands & Colors: Napoleonics Expansion 7: The Grand Battles. You’re welcome.
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.
First up was a total masterpiece as they showed us the final cover for the upcoming Combat Commander 20th Anniversary Edition.
We got the following comments from Kai Jensen on the process for finding this art:
When pulling together the materials for the 20th Anniversary Edition, I enlisted the aid of Scott Mansfield to assist in my search for an iconic piece of art for the box cover. Chad had envisioned a stark image, mostly silhouette, for the original box—not quite how that first box turned out.
After much searching, discussion, and tinkering with images, Scott found the piece we ultimately selected. The art that forms the foundation of the box cover is a wartime sketch done by Sgt. Howard Brodie in 1945 Germany which bears the caption: “GIs froze in position when caught in flare on snowy road. One held his arm outstretched. Moving, they may be detected by enemy. Motionless, they may appear part of landscape.”
The name Howard Brodie sounded very familiar to me, and I contacted my Dad to ask if he, also being a history buff, also recognized it as well. It turns out Mr. Brodie married one of my Dad’s cousins! Dad even has two Brodie pieces hanging in his house.
I think it is a fitting piece to form the final cover of this edition of Chad’s game. I hope you like it, too! – Kai
I love the story behind this and also love the piece! It is just gorgeous and now I am furiously searching for Howard Brodie’s art to hang on my walls.
We then were shown the box back for the upcoming Commands & Colors: Napoleonics: The Grand Battles.
Next we were shown the final cover for the upcoming Baltic Empires: The Northern Wars of 1558-1721 designed by Brian Asklev and it looks very period and fitting for the subject. The artwork is by one of my favorite wargame artists in Nils Johannson and it is just as gorgeous as his usual work is!
Finally, we were shown some near final card images for Turn Zero cards from Twilight Struggle 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition. In case you didn’t know, Twilight Struggle: Turn Zero is a mini-expansion that lets players explore alternate starting situations for the two superpowers. These alternate starts change the opening setup in Twilight Struggle and add some new tricks and dilemmas for players to deal with.
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.
While we didn’t get any text updates on the design progress, we were given these images that expound on the detail known about the game.
Bumper Development Update – Joe Dewhurst
We interrupt your regular designer updates to bring you a special bumper development update, live from the beating heart of GMT UK (my spare room). I’m currently juggling at least twelve games at different stages of development, some of which I’m also the designer of, so I’ve recently regrouped these into several “waves” that indicate what stage they’re at and what kind of attention they need from me. These waves are currently as follows:
Wave 1: The Guerrilla Generation, Baltic Empires, Bear Trap – Art for all three of these games is either complete or nearly complete, and The Guerrilla Generation is currently undergoing a final round of proofreading before we send it to the printer, with the other two soon to follow. At this stage of development, the main work that is needed from me is final editing and triple-checking for any errors that might have been missed.
Wave 2: Enemy of My Enemy, The Pure Land, Resisting Revolution – Art for these three games is either underway or, in the case of Resisting Revolution, likely to be very quick once it gets started (due to being an expansion for an existing game). At this stage, I need to finalize everything for layout, including writing examples of play and finishing up the non-player systems for The Pure Land and Resisting Revolution (which, as I have emphasized elsewhere, takes a lot of work!).
Wave 3: Hammer and Sickle, Iron Storm, Lenin’s Legacy – These three games are all ready for art, and I am currently coordinating with Kai to get someone working on each of them. Once there is an artist assigned to a project I will begin working with them and finalizing everything for layout.
Wave 4: Echo from the Dark, Combat Commander: Vietnam, A Fading Star – These are games that we are still testing or, in the case of A Fading Star, one that is waiting for me to be done with earlier COIN projects so I can begin working on the non-player system. It’s important that I make time for these even while I am focused on getting the earlier waves finished, so that they’re ready to go once we have art department availability for them.
Wave 5: Unannounced Games – Beyond the first four waves, I am also working behind the scenes to get more games ready for P500, which includes evaluating prototypes, giving feedback to designers, and then working with them on some initial development once a game is provisionally accepted. This ensures that by the time a game reaches P500, I am already confident that it is at a high enough standard for GMT, and we are usually ready to begin wider testing pretty much immediately.
Hopefully this list gives you a sense of the many different roles I take on during the development of a game: not just working on the game itself, but also coordinating playtesting, designing non-player systems, and extensive editing in the final stages of a project. I deliberately haven’t given timelines for any of these four waves, but we are currently making very good progress on waves 1 and 2, which will free up my time and GMT’s resources for the next two waves. It’s an exciting time at GMT UK, and I can’t wait to get all these games out to you! – Joe
Over the summer I’ve managed to finish the initial design for all 24(!) scenarios that you’ll find in the game, alongside the 8 campaign scenarios that accompany them. Joe and I have continued putting each scenario through their paces, and next month we are planning to start wider testing with a select group of Combat Commander veterans (keep an eye out in the October newsletter if you’d like to volunteer for this). This month we’ve decided to tease the current thematic names for each scenario, some of which are deliberately quite obscure, so if you’re up for a challenge, see if you can take a stab at which famous (and some not so famous) engagements these might refer to, or at least which factions might be involved in each one:
1. Uphill Struggle 2. Hearts and Minds 3. Everything But Learn From It 4. Outpost of Freedom 5. Jenkins’ Assault 6. Tunnel Clearing 7. They’re Going to Attack Us! 8. Ensnared Dragon 9. Brown Water Brawl 10. Unpleasant Welcome 11. Downriver Ambush 12. Hilltop Betrayal 13. Permission Granted 14. None Left Behind 15. Raid the City 16. Sideshow Skirmish 17. Tightening Noose 18. Initial Contact 19. Rumlong Rout 20. The Last Valley 21. Pass Defense 22. Another Day in An Loc 23. Storm the Citadel 24. Beginning of the End
The march to Agincourt is taking shape! With development wrapped up and both multiplayer and solo modes fully tested, final art has now begun.
As with Inferno, Plantagenet, and Seljuk, Robert Altbauer is working on Henry, with Matthew Wallhead joining soon after he finishes his current work.
Players will be able to relive Henry V’s historic campaign in northern France leading to the Battle of Agincourt. An additional alternate history scenario imagines John of Burgundy dying four years early, leaving his son Philip to spark an uprising, while seeking English support.
Here’s what the Henry V lord mat will look like with his starting assets. – Christophe
We’re making good progress on the revised Carrier Operation system. Here’s a sample of the new Log Sheet for the introductory second day of the Coral Sea campaign.
The Planning Segment of each round is now streamlined. Players still fill in their Tactics choice to Open, Hold, or Close the Range. They note whether their fighters on each carrier will fly CAP or escort a Strike being launched (rearming is actually automatic; the boxes remind players those aircraft are not available). And each carrier may launch one mission (a search, a large strike, or a small strike) from those shown by marking the box. If one or more strikes are launched, players write in the target.
Rather than listing which aircraft comprise the missions, the boxes are color-coded to match the aircraft rosters for each carrier at the bottom of the log sheet. Players need not choose which aircraft to include and mark these rosters, so no more record-keeping in this regard. This is now predetermined based upon historical precedent and plausibility.
Searches are not conducted every round. Instead, note the ‘R’ after the numeral for Round 1. This tells players it is a Reconnaissance Round, in which a single card draw determines whether there will be one Recon Mission played this Round and/or other search results. All of this gets players into playing missions faster and with less effort. If you’d like to try for yourself, contact Developer Jack Beckman and volunteer to play on VASSAL or face-to-face. – Chris
We completed an internal review of all the cards and expansion mechanics, then launched a first round of playtesting for the upcoming expansion to I, Napoleon. That playtest is going well, with a number of highly engaged and astute playtesters providing feedback, refinements, and after-action reports! The playtest closes towards the end of September, at which point we’ll evaluate where we are and whether we need some refinements and an additional round of playtesting or can move forward. – David
The World Crisis, a World War I grand strategy game that uses many of the mechanics from A World at War, Gathering Storm, and Storm Over Asia, is in the playtesting phase. The mapboard is nearly complete, most of the counters are done, and the rules and player aids are close to their final form. All of these are available for review at the World Crisis website: https://www.theworldcrisis.org/.
Much of the playtesting is being done on Warplanner – the e-platform for A World at War, which now also supports The World Crisis. https://www.warplanner/com.
Completed playtest games have seen a Central Power defeat in Fall 1917 and a negotiated peace in Spring 1919. Other games are ongoing. The one thing all the playtest games have in common is that they have all seen high casualty rates… – Bruce
Tsar – Designer Paul Hellyer
This summer we began a third round of playtesting in Tabletop Simulator with over 30 participants, the largest playtesting group we’ve had so far. We got some great feedback and the key takeaway is that most players want the game to be more challenging, so we’re now making some adjustments to increase the general difficulty level and proceeding with an earlier idea to create variable difficulty levels for solitaire mode. Thank you to everyone who tried the game! We also had some recent InsideGMT articles about the game, Factions and Scoring in Tsar and Decision-Making in Multiplayer Games. Look for another article soon on solitaire play. – Paul
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:
Interview Video with Mark Herman at WBC Discussing Army of the Potomac:
Unboxing Video: Next War Iran:
From Cover to Cover: The Napoleonic Wars featuring several GMT titles including Congress of Vienna, Imperial Struggle, Commands & Colors: Napoleonics and The Napoleonic Wars:
Thank you for reading along this month. Please let me know what caught your interest from the update and what GMT Games products that you have been enjoying lately.
A lot of great games in the pipe. I would like to see more play information on Arcs – Underworld. It seems interesting, but at this point it is difficult to make a judgment against, for example FPG’s Night of Man (which I have).
I am excited for Iron Storm, Henry, Baltic Wars, and A Fading Star; and of course who does not love another Hermann Luttmann title!
I will not purchase another Ted Raicer game — IMO he is an abusive lout and I refuse to support his kind of vitriol.
The Players' Aid 
A lot of great games in the pipe. I would like to see more play information on Arcs – Underworld. It seems interesting, but at this point it is difficult to make a judgment against, for example FPG’s Night of Man (which I have).
I am excited for Iron Storm, Henry, Baltic Wars, and A Fading Star; and of course who does not love another Hermann Luttmann title!
I will not purchase another Ted Raicer game — IMO he is an abusive lout and I refuse to support his kind of vitriol.
Cheers!
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What did Ted Raicer do? I see that over at BoardGameGeek a bunch of people started rating his games a 1.
What’s that all about?
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Commentary about the current Charlie Kirk situation.
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