Another year in the books and I am in awe of what we were able to get accomplished in 2025! In this post, I want to take a look back at some of what we did, played and experienced in 2025! But, I also want to share my thoughts and create some discussion here about some very interesting trends and changes that I am seeing. So welcome to my musings as I take a retrospective look back at the year that was 2025.

The Numbers

To start this post off, let’s take a quick look at the numbers associated with our gaming and the content that we created in 2025. This is not a full deep dive into the statistics (like we normally do in our annual State of the Union posts in April) but a quick look at the number of games and then some simple info about the content.

In 2025, I am pleased to announce that we played a total of 26 new wargame titles but we will still get in a few more over the next several months as we don’t put together our “Best of” lists until around March in order to give some time to play at least some of the games released in December. That number is quite a bit less than it was last year. We had a weird 2025 in the gaming time availability department as we were busy with work, family vacations and commitments and some minor health issues. We just didn’t meet each and every week to play, which was a bit disappointing.

I also was able to play a total of 12 solitaire games but am still fiddling around with 4 or 5 titles (Black Skin Black Shirt from White Dog Games, Trench Raid from Compass Games, The Twelfth Battle from Hexasim, SPQR: The Battle of Alesia from Art of Wargames and Iwo Jima: Hell on Earth from Neva Wargames) that I hope to finish out before March.

I had quite the streak going over the past 2 years plus as I had a post on the blog for 876 consecutive days! By my calculations, that represented 2.4 years straight that something had appeared here! I gave up the streak over the holidays as I was just more interested in spending time with family and friends and enjoying myself. That was a bit mind blowing and I was just in a groove and had the ability to write quickly, sometimes repurposing previous posts, and still had the drive to do it. I am saddened that my streak came to an end but as they say all good things must come to an end! I am now actively trying to get myself back into a good streak but have had a bit of trouble with motivation at this time of year. In 2025, I posted a total of 395 blog posts! That is a bit behind the records for posts we had in 2024 (410) but still a really good number and represents 1.08 blog posts per day. Thanks for reading and consuming what I put up and for the great feedback.

A bit more of the numbers, for 10 out of 12 months we exceeded 50,000 views with 5 of those months far exceeding that number (May 65,344, August 72,868, October 68,081, November 130,612 and December 202,847). I am not sure what happened in those months but the views were really, really good. Maybe I was hacked or spam bots were sharing my content but it was nice to see. So, in 2025, the blog did just fine and keeps chugging along, mainly due to your consumption and I thank you.

Our YouTube Channel has also grown to 21.2K subscribers (we were at 19.5K subscribers in January 2025) and we have posted 184 new videos in 2025! We have a pattern of 1 new video (including unboxings, reviews, interviews, debriefs and other videos) every other day and some times we had 2 or 3 in a row due to timelines for Kickstarter/Gamefound projects, new games we simply wanted to share quickly or mistakes in scheduling. We hope that you find our videso genuine, insightful, helpful and fun because we really enjoy doing them and have plans to continue our torrid pace. Enough with the numbers! Now onto some of the trends we saw or things we did in 2025.

How do you prefer to consume our content? What do you like best about our stuff? What would you like to see?

Proliferation of Solo Wargames

A trend that I have seen expanding is the number of high quality solitaire wargame offerings on the market. I know that there have always been solo wargames, and those 2-player games that are more easily solo able such as Chit-Pull Activation, but the number of dedicated solitaire wargame options has just exploded. In 2025, I acquired 29 new dedicated solitaire wargames. I was only able to play a handful but there are just so many options out there that it is really amazing.

Here is a list of those games that I acquired (with those played bolded):

• Okinawa: The Last Battle of WWII
• The Fall of Röhm 3rd Edition
• Iwo Jima 1945
• The Pursuit of John Wilkes Booth
• Battles of the American Civil War
• Operation Dragoon Travel Game
• Solitaire D-Day
• Crusaders: The Siege of Acre 1291
• Nightfighter Command
• SPQR: The Battle of Alesia
• Siege Works: A Napoleonic Siege Roll & Write
• War In The Pacific: A WW2 Roll & Write
• Lonely Cairn
• World War II Solitaire: Echoes of War: (Right Handed Allied Edition)
• The Twelfth Battle
• Pocket Air War
• Combat Volume 3 Arnhem
• Fields of Fire Deluxe 2nd Edition
• Bloody Lane
• French & Indian War Solitaire
• Lone Wolf: U-Boat Command 
• Europe at War 1940 Solitaire
• Shogun Solitaire
• Black Skin Black Shirt
• Trench Raid
• Empire of Grass
• British Tank Ace
• Onoda

I have always been a believer in the market and I think that this proliferation is due to more games being purchased and played than ever before. I hope this trend continues and that I am able to get to more of these games in the future.

What are your thoughts on dedicated solitaire wargames? How many did you acquire in 2025?

Shelf of Shame Dustoff! Event Part II – 12 Games from Our Shelves of Shame

One of the new things that we tried in 2024 and now have continued into 2026 was our Shelf of Shame Dustoff! where we identified 12 older games that have been sitting on our shelves for far too long and need to see the light of day and our gaming tables. We initially chose one game per month to play but due to time and other constraints ended up simply choosing a few games to play this year. We didn’t get around to 12, but still were able to play quite a few that we had owned for a while. The Shelf of Shame! games we were able to play in 2025 were as follows:

Medieval Conspiracy from UGG – not a wargame per se but a hybrid euro style area control game with bidding and combat along with event and action cards that are used to build up your economy and influence and control fiefdoms to gain prestige and power. The game is set during the Holy Roman Empire of Germany. The HRE is divided into many small earldoms, principalities, and bishoprics. The Ruler of the Empire is the Holy Roman Emperor who is elected by the 7 electoral princes and the players vie for control of these areas to build up trade, wealth and armies to fight wars of conquest. 

Here is a link to our video review of Medieval Conspiracy:

Border Reivers: Anglo-Scottish Border Raids, 1513-1603 from GMT Games – In Border Reivers, each player rules over one of the Marches on the border of England and Scotland and has the goal to increase the wealth and fame of their clan by gaining VP’s from successful combats, amassing large herds of livestock consisting of sheep and cattle, and by elevating their notoriety above the other players on the regions of the map. The game is unique and in essence is a limited action selection game where players use cards to target the various marches and perform various atrocities such as raiding and stealing livestock, feuding with rivals and participating in ongoing battles. But the most unique part is the it is made for 2-6 players and is best with 4 or 6 players, though 2 and 3-player versions are also supported where each player leads both an English and a Scottish family.

Here is a link to our video review of Border Reivers:

The Napoleonic Wars 2nd Edition from GMT Games – The Napoleonic Wars is a Card Driven Game where the cards have Command Points that can be used to build units, move armies, lay siege, negotiate with neutral countries and other such actions. The game is a strategic level look at the entire Napoleonic Wars from 1805-1815. We had a very good time with the game and are very glad that we had a chance to play it with seasoned and experienced players.

Here is a link to our video review of The Napoleonic Wars:

Time of Wars: Eastern Europe 1590 – 1660 from Strategemata – Time of Wars is a multi-player card driven game similar to games like Here I Stand and Virgin Queen designed by Krzysztof Dytczak that focuses on the 16th and 17th centuries in Eastern Europe. The game focuses on the five superpowers of the time in Eastern Europe including the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Tsardom of Russia, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire.

Here is a link to our first impressions video of Time of Wars:

Black Orchestra from Starling Games – Black Orchestra is a lighter cooperative but seriously thematic game focused on the various coup and assassination attempts on Hitler near the end of World War II. We did a full 5-player game and had a blast with it.

Here is a link to our video review of Black Orchestra:

1714: The Case of the Catalans from Devir Games – This is a game that I purchased off Amazon for $18 a few years back and have been wanting to play called 1714: The Case of the Catalans from Devir Games. The game tells the story of the death of king Charles II of Habsburg, which left the throne vacant and started a war all over Europe to settle the matter of the Spanish Succession.

The players in the game represent the powers of the Grand Alliance and will fight the Bourbon forces composed of French, Castilian and Bavarian troops. The overall goal of the game is to obtain the best commercial and territorial concessions, and conquer the Bourbon territories gaining VP from control. But this is not a true cooperative game as only 1 player will win.

Here is a link to our video review for 1714: The Case of the Catalans:

Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 from Compass Games – Crusade and Revolution is a fairly traditional card-driven game system that mimics Paths of Glory but adapts it to the specific circumstances of the Spanish Civil War. Each player, the Republicans and Nationalists, has their own unique deck of strategic cards, which are the heart of the game, and must make difficult choices on their use through-out the game. Each card has four possible uses, but only one of them can be chosen each time the card is played! The possibilities included using it for Ops points to move and attack, the printed Event, Replacement Points to be able to rebuild damaged and eliminated units and Strategic Redeployment to place these units out onto the board.

Here is a link to our video review of Crusade and Revolution:

So we only ended up getting 7 games played but that is better than zero!

Another Busy Convention Year

Again 2025 was very busy on the convention front as we attended Basement CON, Buckeye Game Fest, the World Boardgaming Championships and the big one in ESSEN Spiele in Germany. We always have such a great time at conventions and love to see our friends and play lots of great games.

Here are some summaries of those events as well as video debriefs to get you caught up on our experiences.

Basement CON – At the end of March, Alexander and I traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to meet up with friends to play wargames all weekend during what we affectionately call “Basement CON”. We do this annually, usually in the spring, and play large multiplayer wargames with max players. In the past, we have played games like War Room, Virgin Queen, Here I Stand and Tank Duel just to name a few. This year at Basement CON, which was our fourth such gathering, we played multiple games over 3 days including Red Dragon / Green Crescent Deluxe Edition from Decision Games, War Room (again) from Nightingale Games, Dune from Gale Force Nine, Virgin Queen from GMT Games and a few others.

Here is a link to our debrief video for Basement CON:

Buckeye Game Fest 2025 was a fantastic time and we got to play a lot of games including Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 from Compass Games, Black Orchestra from Starling Games, 1714: The Case of the Catalans from Devir Games, Congress of Vienna from GMT Games, Tattered Flags No. 1: Into the Whirlpool from Blue Panther, Rebels Against Rebellion from Flying Pig Games coming soon to Crowdfunding, Divine Right from Pungo Games, True Command from Catastrophe Games, Crisis: 1914 from Worthington Publishing, Successors 4th Edition from PHALANX, Nations & Cannons RPG from Flagbearer Games, Time of Crisis from GMT Games, New Cold War from VUCA Simulations and finally The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick Taking Game from Office Dog. That’s a total of 13 games. Amazing!

Also, I wrote a Daily Debrief Series of posts on the blog while attending and you can read those at the following links:

BGF 2025 Daily Debrief Series Overview

BGF 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 1

BGF 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 2

BGF 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 3

BGF 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 4

Here is a link to our debrief video for Buckeye Game Fest 2025:

The World Boardgaming Championships 2025 held at the beautiful Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania was a great time and we played a lot of games including B-52D Linebacker II from Compass Games, Medieval Conspiracy from UGG, Congress of Vienna from GMT Games, The Napoleonic Wars from GMT Games, Time of Wars from Strategemata, Triumvir from GMT Games, Here I Stand from GMT Games, Operation Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game from Starling Games, Battlestar Galactica from Fantasy Flight Games, Border Reivers: Anglo-Scottish Border Raids, 1513-1603 from GMT Games, Eschaton from Archon Games and Great Battles of the American Revolution Germantown from the new American Revolution Tri-Pack from GMT Games.

Here is a link to our WBC 2025 debrief video:

Also, I wrote a Daily Debrief Series of posts on the blog while attending and you can read those at the following links:

WBC 2025 Daily Debrief Series Overview

WBC 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 1

WBC 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 2

WBC 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 3

WBC 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 4

WBC 2025 Daily Debrief Series Day 5

And finally, we attended ESSEN Spiel in Essen, Germany in October. SPIEL Essen, often referred to as Essen Spiel, is the world’s largest public fair for board games. The convention is held annually in Essen, Germany, typically in late October, and attracts a massive crowd of visitors and exhibitors. The fair is intended for board gamers to be able to discover new games, play demos, meet with game designers, and purchase new products. The convention is more about board games than wargames but we went over due to the generosity of Sound of Drums and Uwe Wallentin. While there, we also spent time driving through Germany, France, Belgium and Holland to take in various historical sites.

Here is a link to our ESSEN Spiel 2025 debrief video:

While there, I posted a daily summary of our activities on the blog and you can read those at the following links:

Europe Trip and SPIEL Essen Convention Road Show Daily Debrief Series Introduction

Day 1 – Ouvrage Hackenberg (Maginot Fort), Metz and Verdun

Day 2 – Bastogne and Sedan

Day 3 – Paris, Versailles and Caen

Day 4 – Sainte-Mère-Église, Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc

Day 5 – Mons and Waterloo

Day 6 – Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem

Day 7 – Day 1 of the Convention

Day 8 – Day 2 of the Convention

Day 9 – Day 3 of the Convention

What a year it was for us on the convention circuit. We had a lot of fun, played a ton of games and saw many friends and made even more. I look forward to they future of our conventions.

What was your best convention experience in 2025?

2025 Gaming Convention Attendance Plans

We next will take a look at our big plans for 2026 and attendance at several gaming conventions. We are planning to attend our traditional gaming conventions this year with nothing really new.

BasementCON – March 27-29th – St. Louis, Missouri – Attending our friends BasementCON again in St. Louis in March and hope to play several big games including Here I Stand for the umpteenth time and possibly the new Napoleonic wargame Imperial Borders from Nightingale Games as well as some other large games.

Buckeye Game Fest – May 10-15th – Columbus, Ohio – This is a staple in our convention schedule and we look forward to playing some games, running some events, including sessions of Nations & Cannons RPG from Flagbearer Games, the COIN Series and some other larger multi-player wargames.

World Boardgaming Championships (WBC) – July 25–August 2nd – Seven Springs, Pennsylvania – I will be planning to attend again this year but Alexander will once again be out of the country with family and I will be solo. Have no concrete plans as of yet but it will probably involve 8-10 videos, several games (probably including a rematch with Mark Miklos of one of the BoAR Series titles) and meet ups with publishers to discuss upcoming games.

SDHistCon – November 6-9th – San Diego, California – Back to sunny California for another small and intimate convention where we will play lots of prototype games, shoot designer interview videos and have a great time.

There might end up being others that we add but our slate is pretty full with these conventions and we hope to see many of you there! I have considered trying to attend Circle DC in late March but am afraid it will conflict with my family’s spring break trip to Florida. I also keep threatening to make the 2 1/2 hour drive over to Columbus, Ohio in June to got to a few days of Origins but June is always so busy for me at work.

What conventions are you planning on attending in 2026?

Thank you for following along and please let me know what you loved about 2025 and what you are looking forward to for 2026.

-Grant