I love a different style and focus of wargame. A game that takes a look at an important but somewhat obscure or rarely addressed historical topic, such as espionage or intelligence, and creates a gaming experience tailored around the events to highlight and evoke the difficulties and tension that would have been present. In January 2026, GMT Games announced such a game in Checkpoint Charlie, which is a solo or cooperative game focused on SIS espionage missions in Berlin in the 1960’s designed by Russell Brown. We have posted an interview with Russel and it was very well received and he has now agreed to create a series of History Behind the Cards to highlight the events of the 1960’s Cold War struggle in West Germany but also to share aspects about the game play and how it models the history.

*Note: The cards highlighted in this series and their event text, as well as any pictures used showing any of the various components, are still in the design and development process and as such event effects and text might still change prior to final development and publication. Also the art and layout of the cards are only for playtest purposes at this point and the game will enter the art department as it nears publication.

History Behind the Cards – Checkpoint Charlie from GMT Games – Card #7: Ich Bin Ein Berliner

In the summer of 1963, the Berlin Wall had been in place for almost two years, the reality of a city split between east and west, between Soviet and Western influence, was impossible to deny. Politicians, military leaders, and the people living day-to-day in Berlin continued to argue about the lack of forceful response from the west, particularly the Americans, when the wall went up. Other than a modest buildup of US forces within and around the city, there had been precious little action to re-assure the people of Berlin that the west hadn’t abandoned them.

In June of that year, President Kennedy hoped to change that perception by personally visiting this western city in the center of Soviet-controlled East Germany. He received the reception and the reaction he was hoping for, driving through the city to crowds of cheering West Berliners, and giving his famous speech on the steps of the Rathhaus Shöneberg to a gathered crowd of over one hundred thousand. In a calculated risk, he referred to the city as West Berlin, officially acknowledging the split created by the wall. He introduced his “Fellow Americans” and at the mention of General Clay (Card #6), the crowd interrupted the speech for some heartfelt cheering for the man that saved their city during the Berlin Airlift. Kennedy’s famous line of solidarity, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” — I am a Berliner — came at the end of the speech and may have been a bit off-script.

So how would Kennedy’s speech affect a mission in Checkpoint Charlie? I’m going to answer that with a story.

I spend a lot of time at a wonderful coffee shop near my home, so much time that my iPhone has labeled the location as my “work.” The baristas there know me, and one day one of them asked me what I was working on. “Right now,” I said, I’m working on a board game about spies in Berlin in the 60’s.”

He laughed. “Have you met John?” He pointed to an older customer at one of the tables. “He was a spy in Berlin in the 60’s.”  It was true.

Since then, I’ve had many conversations with John about his time in Berlin. He was Army Intelligence, keeping track of what was going on in the city. He was there when the wall went up. He interviewed the refugees that, for a time, still managed to find a way into West Berlin. And he was there during Kennedy’s speech.

I asked him about the speech and said that in the game it resulted in crowds (a Demonstrations marker) near Tempelhof. He shook his head. “Everywhere. Crowds everywhere. All over the city.”

I’m sorry to report that I’ve restrained the effects of this card and the speech for gameplay reasons, but I haven’t ignored John in every case. The Daily Military Train event (Card #9) exists solely because of his stories, and after removing the Refugees event (Card #13) from the game because I assumed the flow of refugees disappeared after the wall went up, I put it back in because John assured me that they were still coming – he had met and interviewed hundreds of them.

In the next article in this series, we will take a look at the ongoing propaganda efforts from both sides of the Berlin Wall with Loudspeaker Wars.

In my opinion, this game looks extremely interesting and I am very much excited to learn more about it. I am appreciative to Russell and his efforts to bring us these cards and to write these entries to share with our readers. I am also very glad that this topic is being covered in a game and look forward to playing this one day soon.

We published an interview with the designer Russell Brown on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2026/02/23/interview-with-russell-brown-designer-of-checkpoint-charlie-from-gmt-games/

You can catch up on the posts in this series to date by following the below links:

Card #1: Cousins Operation

Card #2: Cuban Missile Crisis

Card #3: Demonstrations

Card #4: Faceoff with the Soviets

Card #5: Berlin Film Festival

Card #6: General Clay Steps In

If you are interested in Checkpoint Charlie, you can pre-order a copy for $48.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1211-checkpoint-charlie.aspx

-Grant

Dass Sierra von einem Künstlerpaar erschaffen wurde, merkt man dem Kartenspiel Sierra vom Kobold Verlag schon beim Cover an. Doch auch die großen, ungewöhnlichen Karten machen mit der Schnittsilhouette in…

The post Sierra appeared first on Reich der Spiele.

Wir waren in Bonn beim Kapplex Vor-SPIEL 026 Event und haben dort Pitches von elf Verlagen zu ihren Messe-Neuheiten erhalten. Die ein oder andere Erstpartie ist dann auch noch dazugekommen, doch hört selbst: Kapplex Brettspielmöbel, Strohmann Spiele, Haba, Skellig Games, PD-Verlag, Ornament Games, Ulisses Spiele, Board Game Circus, Biberstein Spiele, Elznir Games, Feuerland Spiele, Frosted Games

Kapplex? Ist das nicht ein Brettspielmöbelhersteller? Ja, das stimmt. Kapplex fertigt Tische und Regale, hat Zubehör und Stühle im Angebot. Dem Firmeninhaber Alexander Kapp-Huß kam auf der Spiel Doch! die Idee, Neuheiten gemeinsam mit Verlagen zu präsentieren – und damit auch die eigenen Produkte zu zeigen. An diesem Wochenende fand das erste Event statt. Das Ziel: Auch kleinere Verlage bekommen…

Quelle

I played another game of Merchant of Venus last night, and it has quietly moved up from “Once every few years” to “Two or three times a year is fine, more would probably be fine” on my list. Part of my appreciation might have come from writing an appreciation, and the 5p game I played last night was perhaps a touch too long, but I also liked that there were a variety of strategies I saw used, including the “Buy a freighter” strategy, which is rarely seen, but won.

I have little to add; but my rating is solidly a Suggest.

In Folge 44 verirren wir uns mit ARIDNYK in die Karparten und mit DIE SÜMPFE VON FEYA in selbige. Zusätzlich tauschen wir uns über die Sinnhaftigkeit eines Brettspielkanons aus.

Der Beitrag CfM044 Sumpfige Karparten erschien zuerst auf fjelfras.de.

Zu den Privilegien als Content Creator gehört es, zu Presseveranstaltungen eingeladen zu werden. Diese finden jährlich vor der Spiel statt, meist im September, und bieten die Gelegenheit, Neuheiten vorab zu testen.Wie schon im Vorjahr zog es mich am vergangenen Wochenende nach Merseburg in Sachsen-Anhalt zu B-Rex Entertainment. Hinter B-Rex steht Happyshops, also die Spiele-Offensive und weitere.

Quelle

Die Steinzeit ruft! In unserer Stonesagaserie, findet ihr alle Infos zum großen Steinzeitabenteuer.

Den Abschluss unserer kleinen Blog-Reihe zu unserem Team bildet unser Neuzugang Joanna. Erfahrt mehr darüber, wie sie zu uns gestoßen ist und was sie an der bunten Welt der Brettspiele besonders reizt.

In der neuen Folge unseres Podcast sind wir ganz begeistert. Von der Rückkehr an Mikro, unseren drei August-Neuheiten und unserem neuen Team-Mitglied. Hört rein!

I love a different style and focus of wargame. A game that takes a look at an important but somewhat obscure or rarely addressed historical topic, such as espionage or intelligence, and creates a gaming experience tailored around the events to highlight and evoke the difficulties and tension that would have been present. In January 2026, GMT Games announced such a game in Checkpoint Charlie, which is a solo or cooperative game focused on SIS espionage missions in Berlin in the 1960’s designed by Russell Brown. We have posted an interview with Russel and it was very well received and he has now agreed to create a series of History Behind the Cards to highlight the events of the 1960’s Cold War struggle in West Germany but also to share aspects about the game play and how it models the history.

*Note: The cards highlighted in this series and their event text, as well as any pictures used showing any of the various components, are still in the design and development process and as such event effects and text might still change prior to final development and publication. Also the art and layout of the cards are only for playtest purposes at this point and the game will enter the art department as it nears publication.

History Behind the Cards – Checkpoint Charlie from GMT Games – Card #6: General Clay Steps In

US General Lucious D. Clay was appointed as military governor of the United States zone of Berlin from 1945 until 1949. He was best known, especially to the people of Berlin, as the person responsible for the Berlin Airlift, which fed and supplied the people of Berlin from the air when the Soviets cut off all access to the city for eleven months, from June 1948 to May 1949. Without the airlift, the west would have been left with two terrible options – allow West Berlin to be starved into submission and annexation, or invade East Germany to open a supply corridor, almost certainly starting an all-out war with the Soviets.

In the early 1960’s, US President Kennedy turned to the now retired General Clay and called on him to deal with serious issues that arose in Berlin, like the faceoff between tanks at Checkpoint Charlie (card #4). Clay understood Berlin and had the respect of its people, so Kennedy brought him along on his famous visit to the city, during which the president gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech (card #7).

The General Clay Steps In card in Checkpoint Charlie represents the retired general being sent by Kennedy to resolve issues in West Berlin. Playing the card removes an event marker from the city and is the only way many of the event markers can be removed during a mission. It is especially useful for removing the Faceoff marker or a troublesome Stasi Stakeout.

In the next article in this series, we will take a look at Ich bin ein Berliner Speech by President John F. Kennedy.

In my opinion, this game looks extremely interesting and I am very much excited to learn more about it. I am appreciative to Russell and his efforts to bring us these cards and to write these entries to share with our readers. I am also very glad that this topic is being covered in a game and look forward to playing this one day soon.

We published an interview with the designer Russell Brown on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2026/02/23/interview-with-russell-brown-designer-of-checkpoint-charlie-from-gmt-games/

You can catch up on the posts in this series to date by following the below links:

Card #1: Cousins Operation

Card #2: Cuban Missile Crisis

Card #3: Demonstrations

Card #4: Faceoff with the Soviets

Card #5: Berlin Film Festival

If you are interested in Checkpoint Charlie, you can pre-order a copy for $48.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1211-checkpoint-charlie.aspx

-Grant

Spiele für zwei sind so beliebt, dass manche Verlage eigene Zwei-Spieler-Reihen haben. Natürlich ist nicht jedes Spiel für zwei gleich ein Duellspiel. Bei Duell um Cardia (Hans im Glück) von…

The post Duell um Cardia appeared first on Reich der Spiele.

Zahlenjagd mit Stier, Fuchs und Co. Wer schafft es, zuerst 25 Punkte zu sammeln? 25 ist ein Kartenspiel von Michael Wybierek (Lingo Play). So wird 25 gespielt? Es gibt 54…

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Die Schachtel ist gut gefüllt mit Spielmaterial und vor allem mit 150 Ideen für kleine, originelle Gruppenspiele. Task Team liefert auf kleinen Karten zahlreiche Herausforderungen für die nächste Party, den Geburtstag oder das Klassenlager. In der Schachtel findet man vor

Der Beitrag Task Team – Spielkritik erschien zuerst auf brettspielblog.ch.

Unser Dauerbrenner Reforest geht in die Zweite Auflage. Mehr zu unserem Waldhighlight gibt's in unserem Artikel.

- Den Beitrag Dicecream findest du auf Spielevater - Die ANDERE Seite der Brettspiele

Wieder ein Jahr Conquest of Mythodea, und das zweite Mal ging es auf den südlichen Kontinent Sarkan. Doch kann der zweite Großcon auf dem neuen Kontinent an den positiven Eindruck vom letzten Jahr anschließen? Wir haben das Rüstzeug gegürtet und sind den Marschbefehlen der Schlacht des letzten Glockenschlags gefolgt.

Dieser Beitrag wurde von Markus Kastell geschrieben

Ich stelle vier Städtebau-Spiele in jeweils vier Sätzen vor. In diesem Quartett geht es um Tower Up, Grundstein von Metropolis, Shake That City und Skyrise. Die Titelbild-Collage zeigt Cover-Ausschnitte dieser Spiele in der genannten Reihenfolge von links oben nach rechts unten.

Grundstein von Metropolis

Wir erwerben Grundstücke, um darauf Gebäude zu bauen. Flächen, die zusammenhängen, eignen sich für große und ertragreiche Bauwerke; auf kleinen Parzellen errichte ich beispielsweise Häuser, die von passender Nachbarschaft profitieren. Stark ist, wie Grundstein von Metropolis Stadtentwicklung simuliert: Kleinere Gebäude werden wieder abgerissen, um dank neuer Flächenzukäufe größer zu denken. Mitunter habe ich jedoch den Eindruck, dass es klüger ist, vor allem auf Geld einbringende Architekturen zu setzen – statt auf Wohnraum.

Grundstein von Metropolis | Kennerspiel | Kobold Spieleverlag | Emerson Matsuuchi | 2 bis 4 Personen | ab 8 Jahren | 40 bis 60 Minuten | Meine Einschätzung: ★★★ (gut)

Shake That City

Einen solchen Shaker habe ich vorher noch nie gesehen: Wie eine Sämaschine spuckt ein aus Pappe zusammengebautes und mechanisch einwandfrei funktionierendes Gerät Holzwürfel in einem 3×3-Raster aus. Die Farben der Steine stehen für unterschiedliche Bebauungen, wie etwa Wohnhäuser, Fabriken und Parks. Jede Runde wähle ich eine Farbe aus und ordne dann entsprechende Stadtplättchen genau so auf meinem Stadtplan an, wie die Würfel in der Shaker-Matrix liegen. Daraus entwickelt sich ein klar designtes Legespiel, das die Lage der Plättchen an sich sowie die der Plättchen zueinander belohnt – schön!

Shake That City | Spiel für alle | Board Game Circus, AEG | Mads Fløe und Kåre Torndahl Kjær | 1 bis 4 Personen | ab 10 Jahren | 20 bis 40 Minuten | Spielanleitung | Meine Einschätzung: ★★★ (gut)

Skyrise

In einer Stadt in den Wolken werden unsere einzusetzenden Gebäude zu Geboten in Auktionen um Bauplätze. Die Besonderheit dabei ist, dass meine Erhöhung nicht für das Gebiet mit dem aktuell höchsten Gebot gilt, sondern für eine benachbarte Fläche. Wer den Zuschlag erhält, lässt das Haus dort stehen, sammelt Punktemultiplikatoren ein und stärkt seine Chancen auf Mehrheiten in Stadtteilen. Das Prinzip dieser Auktionen wirkt neu, doch zugleich leidet der Spielfluss darunter, immer wieder mögliche Bietketten auszählen zu wollen.

Skyrise | Kennerspiel | Giant Roc, Roxley | Adam Wyse, Gavan Brown, Sébastien Pauchon | 2 bis 4 Personen | ab 14 Jahren | 30 bis 75 Minuten | Meine Einschätzung: ★★ (ordentlich)

Tower Up

Wenn ich den Bau eines neuen Hochhauses beginne, platziere ich nicht nur ein Stockwerk auf dem neuen Bauplatz, sondern muss auch alle angrenzenden Gebäude um eine Etage erhöhen. Das erfordert ein entsprechendes Ressourcenmanagement, um Stockwerke der richtigen Farben parat zu haben, wenn sich lukrative Baugelegenheiten ergeben. Stets habe ich dabei öffentliche Stadtbauziele im Blick sowie das Vorhaben, möglichst hohe Häuser zu erweitern, um auf den Punkteleisten für die einzelnen Farben schnell voranzukommen. Was dem an sich eingängigen Spiel fehlt, ist ein variabler Spielplan, der das Lesen der Bauplatzanordnung immer wieder neu erfordern würde.

Tower Up | Spiel für alle | Pegasus Spiele | Grégoire Largey, Frank Crittin, Sébastien Pauchon | 2 bis 4 Personen | ab 8 Jahren | 30 bis 45 Minuten | Spielanleitung | Meine Einschätzung: ★★ (ordentlich)

Fledgling Dubai board game convention tabletop.me is facing a very different challenge as it prepares for its second year: persuading overseas publishers the commercial opportunity of reaching the Gulf’s growing tabletop market is worth pursuing amid safety concerns around the US-Iran war.

The three-day event, which debuted last November as the Middle East’s first dedicated board game convention, attracted about 3,000 attendees and 55 publishers according to founder Mark Azzam. He told BoardGameWire ahead of the convention’s 2025 launch that he ultimately hoped to create something akin to a “Gen Con of Dubai”, drawing visitors from the UAE and across the region.

The show is aiming for at least 5,000 visitors when it returns between November 6 and 8 this year, Azzam said – but he added that the US war with near-neighbour Iran had already caused some publishers not to return for this year’s event, while others plan to wait until September or October before making a firm decision.

Azzam told BoardGameWire, “The main concern has been staff traveling here. Several publishers have told us that, because of the current situation, their companies are simply not allowing employees to travel to the region for the time being.”

He said that although tabletop.me offers the option to take care of booth builds, staffing, game demonstrator training and product logistics without a publisher representative being present, tighter publisher budgets this year were also factoring into its challenges.

“Many publishers are being more selective this year and focusing on their established convention schedule, such as Gen Con and Essen”, Azzam said, but added: “We believe emerging markets like the Middle East are exactly where brands should invest for long-term growth.”

This year’s show has already signed up companies including Asmodee, Allplay, Dice Throne, Oink Games and Blue Orange Games, alongside TCG brands that participated last year and seven publishers which did not attend the first event, according to Azzam.

But the continuing uncertainty around the US-Iran war makes the task of building an international exhibitor base considerably more complicated than it appeared when tabletop.me first launched.

Dubai and the wider UAE have continued operating as major international business and aviation hubs since the war began in February this year, but the conflict has affected air travel and freight through the region.

Gulf News reported this month that most UAE flights were operating, although airlines continued to warn of cancellations, rerouting and short-notice changes, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency recently extended an advisory covering UAE airspace until August 31. Reuters reported this week that tensions between Iran and the UAE had again escalated, while shipping uncertainty has persisted around the Strait of Hormuz.

Azzam said those developments had clearly affected publisher decision-making, despite day-to-day life and business activity in Dubai having largely normalised following the most intense period earlier this year.

He said, “From our perspective on the ground, the situation has been much calmer than many people outside the region may have perceived. The first few weeks were a little shocking, as you had never experienced anything like this here before, but the UAE authorities responded extremely well.

“Since the ceasefire on April 8, things have largely returned to normal. The airspace is fully open again, flights have normalised, and Emirates and Etihad Airways are operating as usual. From what we see day to day, life in Dubai feels very safe and business has picked up again over the past couple of months. I have remained in the UAE throughout the entire period and have always felt safe here.

“There has definitely been a difference between the international perception, mostly due to the media, and the reality on the ground in the region. While the news coverage naturally focused on the wider conflict, daily life in Dubai has continued largely as normal, and confidence is steadily returning.”

Azzam, who also runs a trio of Back to Games board game stores across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, said that rather than the conflict denting his retail business, demand had actually risen at points during the last few months.

He told BoardGameWire, “Interestingly, it has almost been the opposite of what we expected! It reminded me a little of the early days of Covid, where more people started spending time at home and looking for ways to connect with friends and family.

“We saw a noticeable increase in demand for tabletop games, particularly TCGs and board games. With many large events cancelled or postponed over the past few months, people seemed to turn toward tabletop gaming instead.

“Rather than seeing a decline, our retail business actually grew during that initial period when the conflict started. It was a pleasant surprise, and now that things have settled down, business has largely returned to normal.”

When asked what he would say to publishers whose management has ruled out attending because of regional tensions, Azzam said, “I would tell them that, if anything, the conflict increased demand for tabletop gaming rather than reducing it. We saw that directly through our retail business, where sales, particularly in TCGs and board games, actually increased as more people turned to the hobby.

“Distribution was affected for the first month or so while freight and logistics adjusted, but that has now completely recovered. Products are arriving on schedule again, and the market continues to grow, with new game stores and cafés opening across the region every month.

“From what we are seeing, thankfully, the long-term opportunity in the Middle East remains just as strong as it was before.”

Azzam has spent more than a decade building businesses around that opportunity.

Spotting a gap in the market, the former airline captain funnelled his savings into launching a small kiosk in The Dubai Mall in 2015, before launching his first Back to Games store in Abu Dhabi six months later.

He subsequently built Back to Games into a three-store operation and became co-owner of publisher and distributor Boardgame Space in 2017. BoardGameWire reported last year that Boardgame Space had localised more than 55 games.

Speaking about the Gulf market for board games in general, Azzam told BoardGameWire, “I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that an internationally successful game will automatically sell well here just because it succeeded elsewhere. In reality, brand awareness and marketing are incredibly important in the Gulf.

“People are much more likely to buy a game they have already seen in social media or online, heard about through creators, or know is trending internationally.

“Presentation also matters. The box needs to clearly communicate the game and look visually appealing, as that first impression is often what generates interest.

“Also, publishers should be aware of some cultural considerations, which is exactly where local partners like us can manage easily. We understand the market and can help publishers present their products in the best possible way for the region.”

Azzam added that the show was spending more heavily on marketing this year, using budget freed up from the “significant” first-year setup costs that came with launching the event.

The show is also introducing a rewards programme designed to encourage attendees to try out unfamiliar publishers and games.

This year’s tabletop.me will take place in Dubai from November 6 to 8.

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