The Battle of Champion Hill game is called The Road to Vicksburg and uses the Blue & Gray System. It was included in Strategy & Tactics Magazine Issue #103.
The May 16, 1863 Battle of Champion Hill was the largest, bloodiest, and most significant action of Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. 32,000 advancing Union soldiers met 23,000 Confederates in a fierce struggle for a vital crossroads roughly halfway between Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi. The field was dominated by bald Champion Hill, from which Confederate artillery opened fire on the Union army at 9:45 A.M. The first Federal assault on the hill drove the Southerners back with bayonets and clubbed muskets. As the Union soldiers tried to reform and consolidate their gains, they were swept away by a counterattack led by John Bowen’s Missourians and Arkansans. Ulysses S. Grant ordered more men towards the hill and Bowen’s Confederates were themselves driven off, compelling a general retreat. Southern Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman was killed while directing a desperate rearguard action that enabled most of the Confederate army to escape towards Vicksburg. The decisive Union victory at Champion Hill was instrumental in forcing the Confederates out of the open field and into a doomed position inside the walls of Vicksburg.
Board game publisher Awaken Realms has responded to a wave of anti-AI art review bombing for its upcoming crowdfund, Concordia: Special Edition, by saying no AI-generated imagery will be used in the finished game.
BoardGameGeek’s suggested ratings guidelines say a ‘1’ review “Defies description of a game. You won’t catch me dead playing this. Clearly broken.”, while a ’10’ is suggested as “Outstanding. Always want to play and expect this will never change”.
BGG’s current policy is that “users are allowed to rate games however they wish, as long as each person only rates a given game once.”
The original edition of Concordia, released by German publisher PD-Verlag in 2013, has a BGG rating of 8.1 from more than 45,000 users, and is ranked 29th out of the tens of thousands of titles listed on the site’s database.
Awaken Realms is yet to unveil many details about the upcoming special edition, with the Gamefound preview page currently only showing a box cover – which it has since described as a work in progress – and examples of two plastic miniatures set to be included in the game.
The company dedicated most of its first update on the Gamefound page to discussing its use of AI generated imagery, saying that it did not address the situation sooner because “we find this whole conversation extremely draining”.
Box cover design for Concordia: Special Edition, which Awaken Realms says is a “work in progress”
It said, “We feel that the current situation is really not respectful toward our artists, who are really working hard on each project, and Concordia will be no different. They will be doing their best to pay tribute to this classic and elevate it to new heights.
“So, first things first – in this project, in the final game, there will be no AI art. Human artists will be involved in everything. This has also been clearly stated from the beginning in our contract with PD-Verlag.
“However, we do use some AI tools during prototyping, mock-ups, and various initial phases of concept work (and honestly, it is really hard not to, as eg, Photoshop alone, which is our artists’ main tool, has already tons of built-in AI features).
“This makes it easier to test the game visually, iterate, find the best solutions and compositions, and, from there, start working on the final assets.
“In different projects, we might have different rules and approaches. For example, you can see our other project – Grimcoven. There, we also had an update on the topic, as well as a chance to see the final result of how the game looks as it is produced and delivered to backers ;).”
Update March 27, 2026: Jan Philip Sommerlade, an editor at Concordia publisher and licensor PD-Verlag, wrote on BoardGameGeek: “In the games published by PD-Verlag, neither the graphics nor the text were created using artificial intelligence. We consider this to be problematic from a copyright perspective, at least when the AI models are based on artwork created by artists.
“It was therefore very important to us that artificial intelligence will not be used in the Concordia Special Edition either. In December, we paid Awaken Realms an extensive visit and discussed the details of the Special Edition at length. Awaken Realms has a large team dedicated to developing content, graphics, and illustrations, and we are confident that this collaboration will result in a very high-quality product. We have stipulated in our contract that the final product will not be created using artificial intelligence in any form.
“However, this does not apply to the use of AI for brainstorming and concept development, nor to the internal use of AI for creating prototypes. In the course of ongoing discussions, we have realized that this distinction may not be as clear-cut as we initially thought. Nevertheless, the fact remains: All graphics and text in the final product are created by real people.”
Despite online pushback against Awaken Realms for its decision to embrace AI generated imagery, its use of the technology has had little apparent negative impact on the success of its crowdfunding campaigns to date.
The publisher’s six most recent campaigns which it says made use of AI image making tools have raised almost €39m between them across their crowdfunds and late pledges, with Lands of Evershade the standout at more than $12.5m.
The six most recent campaigns using AI imagery – which also include BELOW: The Asylum, This War of Mine: Second Edition and Grimcoven – all included a statement acknowledging that usage in the FAQ section of their respective Gamefound campaigns.
Awaken Realms’ AI art statement in its Agricola: Special Edition campaign FAQ states, “We are using different technologies, including AI tools, to various degrees – from built-in Photoshop capabilities (intelligent brushes, advanced texturing, and some AI tools), Internal Stable Diffusion models, MJ[Midjourney] models, pixel correction, scaling solutions and so on. Everything we use is screened and accepted by our legal team as fully legal to use.
“Those are different tools that we use NOT to decrease cost and DEFINITELY NOT to replace artists but to bring better quality to our customers and enhance creativity by allowing faster prototyping and iteration.
Pre-campaign card art for Agricola: Special Edition, which Awaken Realms described as “Work in Progress”
“We are constantly growing our art team (in the last 12 months, we have hired six new artists), as well as yearly increasing wages and sharing profits by yearly bonuses. We really care about our team and are extremely proud of their work.
“We deeply believe that in any creative endeavor, human involvement is absolutely essential, and instead of just ‘talking the talk’, we have actually walked the walk and increased our artist count and wages every year.
“This is our statement on the topic and we are fully dedicated to supporting and growing our art team, as well as bringing the best quality to our backers. We believe that this approach is better than making big PR statements and then firing people with a week’s notice, as, unfortunately, can be observed all around the industry.”
It is not immediately clear which board game publishers Awaken Realms is referring to with the final part of that statement.
That statement said, “We also noticed a few questions regarding the creative process behind Labyrinth Chronicles and whether any AI-generated artwork was used in the game.
“We would like to clearly state that no AI-generated art was used in the final product. Every illustration, graphic element, and 3D model was created by our talented team of artists who worked on this project.”
That statement then goes on to list 24 artists, graphic designers, illustrators and 3d modellers who it said worked on the title.
Awaken Realms has taken great pains recently to highlight the extent of its art and design team – which it said in the Concordia: Special Edition Gamefound update now comprises 32 people across art, 2D layout, 3D sculpture and desktop publishing, out of a board games division of more than 100 people.
Awaken Realms, meanwhile, began life as a miniature painting studio in 2014, before expanding into board game publishing a couple of years later.
The company garnered early success with a Kickstarter for This War of Mine: The Board Game in 2016, before the £3m Nemesis Kickstarter campaign in 2018 formed a springboard for the company to begin creating ever more intricate and expansive miniatures-focused tabletop projects.
I am very tired of the cold and dreary days of winter. I want it to be warm soon but we are realistically a few months away from consistently nice weather. But, this month, even though the weather has been brutally cold, we saw a warming trend with historical wargames. This month for the Wargame Watch I was able to find 33 games (including the 3 games from our sponsor Bellica Third Generation). Interestingly though this was a cooler month for crowdfunding as I only found 4 games featured on Kickstarter or Gamefound.
This month again we have a sponsor for the Wargame Watch in Bellica Third Generation, or Bellica 3G for short, owned by designer Francisco Ronco. I asked him to write up a summary of his company and their core values and he has provided the following:
Bellica Third Generation is a group of players with many games played between them and a longstanding and deep interest in everything related to Military History. Our members come from Cadiz and Seville (Spain) and we are proud to have started this Andalusian and Spanish project in the field of strategy and simulation games.
Please let us introduce ourselves:
Francisco Ronco Poce (1969).
Game designer and producer. A Napoleonic fan for over 45 years. He is both the heart and manager of the team. And has designed the four first game series that our company will start developing shortly.
Reyes Gallardo Gutiérrez (1978)
Our newest gamer. A military history enthusiast as a hobby and teacher of physics at a secondary school by trade. She is an outstanding playtester, with a critical and analytic mind.
Ramón López Martín (1973).
An experienced gamer. Game designer and play tester. Well known for his skill eliminating all game counters in play; both his and his opponent’s…
What do we do?
Strategy and simulation games. In fact they are “cardboard simulators”. Computer and video games based on the simulation of car races, first person adventures, aircraft -or spacecraft flight- or tank driving are both widely accepted and successful. Now we propose something similar; our games strive to make the player confront the experiences that historical commanders and leaders lived. Facing the same situations, managing resources and making decisions about a hardly predictable outcome.
The main attributes of a simulation as we understand it are:
Resource management
Essential role of logistics
Game centred on decision marketing
Uncertainty and fog of war
All of them are present in every one of our games. With the firm intent of achieving this with the least possible number of rules. We do not feel that elaborate and complex rules are necessary if the internal dynamics of a game system can produce the desired effect. Likewise, it is our intention to follow an editorial line based on game SERIES, thus the players may learn a new game effortlessly having to deal with just a negligible number of new special rules. In our view, the games will contain a “Series Rulebook” dealing with all the elements forming the game system and another “Special Rulebook” containing those rules that reflect the peculiarities of a given scenario.
Our commitment is to offer the player a maximum of playability and variability for their money without an unnecessary effort or learning rules. Our simulations are fun to play, both for those who are already versed in Military History – since they are simulation models – and for the uninitiated looking for a good opportunity to learn the hobby.
After years playing war games of all kinds, periods and scales (from World War II to Ancient Rome, including XVIII century or Napoleonic tactical games) we are convinced that there are basically two different approaches to war gaming; one is game oriented while the other emphasizes simulation. To reach an equilibrium between these two tendencies is not an easy task. There are games whose mechanics and effects might equally apply to a Panzer Division or a Roman Legion. These games are usually easy to learn and are nicely presented, essentially they provide competitive play, are fun and quick paced. Others try to accurately portray a period, campaign or battle where the player must play the role of a corporal firing a machine gun and –at the same time- that of the Army Corps Commander; sometimes they have plenty of rules, exceptions and an alleged “realism”. Quite often, this double perspective has presented “playability” as opposed to “realism”. Quite often, this double perspective has presented “playability” as opposed to “realism”. We think that this approach completely misses the point; We rather see it as a question of “game” vs “simulation”.
We make games:
Rules systems that allow players to perform certain actions while forbid others; with goals that all participants may and want to reach. But our desire is to provide “simulations”; our rules try to establish a framework as close as possible to the one that historical participants faced so that the goals that players must achieve correspond to their historical counterparts, then it is up to the players to find the means.
We have produced not only in-house designs but also designs from other designers. Recently, we have released An Impossible War from David Gómez Relloso -designer of the famous Crusade & Revolution from Compass Games.
An Impossible War is a game about the decisive years of the First Carlist War in the North. Infantry and cavalry are represented by blocks, which introduce fog of war into operations. There are also artillery counters (field and mountain artillery) and logistics units (supply trains and backpacks).
The main map is a point-to-point board covering the northern theater of operations: Navarre, the Basque Country, and surrounding areas of La Rioja, Burgos, and Cantabria. In addition to provincial capitals, major towns and other localities are shown, along with primary and secondary routes of communication. There is also a smaller map of the rest of peninsular Spain, showing the regions affected by the Carlist uprising and allowing expeditions being launched from the North.
Each turn, players compete for initiative and carry out a variable number of actions. There is also a card deck for each side, including historical, operational, and tactical events. The cards add background and unpredictability to the game, helping make each session different. This is NOT a card-driven game, but one assisted by cards.
An Impossible War simulates the historical conflict, which featured numerous skirmishes, few major battles, and significant siege warfare. It is an asymmetric game in which each side has strengths and weaknesses. Players must exploit their advantages and mitigate their disadvantages to achieve victory.
The Carlist player must make use of superior mobility and unit quality to consolidate territory, wear down the enemy, and threaten cities. The Liberal player must contain and suppress the insurrection; they have more troops, but of lower quality and plagued by logistical nightmares. Additionally, they must quell uprisings and chase down Carlist expeditions across the rest of Spain.
We produced the games fully in Spanish and English versions, this game also had an Italian version.
Now we are preparing the reprint of our small but well-known Santa Cruz 1797, the forefather of Von Manstein’s Triumph and Castelnuovo 1539. And the soon to be released Volume IV of the Campaign Commander Series: White Sea, which covers the Spanish-Ottoman struggle in the Mediterranean from 1565 to 1574.
Both of these games are planned to be released later this year.
In summary, here is a look at a sampling of Bellica Third Generation’s games from their website. Many of these are out of print but can be found on the secondary market at places like Noble Knight Games. Click the image below to be taken to the Bellica Third Generation selection of games at NKG.
But now onto the games for March!
Pre-Order
1. Combat! 4: Eastern Front from Compass Games
This month we had another one of the huge downloading of a large amount of new pre-order games from Compass Games that I have affectionately referred to in the past as “Pre-Order Palooza”. The first game that I am highlighting here is the next volume in the highly thought of Combat! Series of solitaire wargames. These games represent man to man combat on the battlefields of World War II where typically each of the counters on the board represent a single soldier. This small tactical scale is one of my favorite wargaming modes as I just enjoy the decisions required regarding movement, the use of tactical strategy such as scoot and shoot, throwing smoke for cover, suppressing fire and the like. I have yet to play any of the previous 3 volumes, even though I own all 3, but they are high on my want to play list and I am very much interested in this system.
The newest volume is called Combat! 4: Eastern From and deals with the fierce fighting on the East Front of World War II during Operation Barbarossa in 1941-1943.
From the game page, we read the following:
Combat! is a solitaire game series of man-to-man combat in World War II. This is the fourth game in the series. The system uses a unique AI to make for intense combat situations as well as unlimited replayability. You will stand on the defense against a relentless foe. Can you hold on?
Combat! Eastern Front is a solitaire game of man-to-man combat on the Eastern Front in WWII. The player can command a squad of German or Soviet soldiers in various engagements. This game includes the all-new Series Rules, which have been clarified and streamlined from the original rules, and now enable players to control either nationality in this game.
There are 11 tense scenarios across 4 full-size maps ranging from forest partisan warfare, to urban fighting in Stalingrad, to desperate battles on the steppes. A comprehensive random scenario generator further expands the possibilities and will create a limitless supply of unique scenarios. In addition, the included campaign game allows the player to lead a squad of men through 10 battles.
One of the things that I do like about this system and the various volumes is that it is not just cookie cutter churning out new games but each game has their own unique elements modeled into the game play as special rules or changes to account for the history of the setting. Here is a look at the changes in this new volume:
Soviet and German OOB’s contrast the crude but determined Red Army with the efficient Wehrmacht.
City fighting with demolition charges, factories, upper stories, fortress buildings, and other forms of close-quarter fighting.
Light Mortars are long-range nuisances able to saturate an enemy position with explosives.
Weather and Fire add flavor and realism to any battle.
Artillery is now a frightful weapon with a new and accurate placement process.
Confidence rules ensure that a side will not fight to the last man, but may retreat or waver if they sustain too many casualties.
2. Man of War: Fleet Combat in the Age of Sail, 1775-1815 from Compass Games
I have only ever played a few Age of Sail games but have always been interested in the era and the concept of gaming that out on the tabletop. One of the recent pre-order offerings from Compass Games is Man of War: : Fleet Combat in the Age of Sail, 1775-1815 designed by Stephen Newberg. The game looks very interesting and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what it has to offer.
From the game page, we read the following:
Man of War is a game of naval combat between sailing ships from 1775 to 1815. Turns are of variable length and represent up to 4 minutes. Ships are represented individually, but the concentration of the game system is on actions involving a number of ships on each side, that is, squadron and fleet level actions.
Rules cover wind speed and direction, which affect movement. The firing broadsides with crews rated for their proficiency ranging from green to excellent. It is possible to board enemy ships, have them strike the colors, and take them as a prize!
You take command from the viewpoint of a fleet commander.
The game is scenario based and it offers a total of 12 historical playable scenarios as follows:
• USHANT, 27 July, 1778
• DOGGER BANK, 5 August 1781
• CHESAPEAKE BAY, 5 September 1781
• MADRAS, 17 February 1782
• THE SAINTS, 12 April 1782
• THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE, 1794
• CAPE ST. VINCENT, 14 February 1797
• CAMPERDOWN, 11 October 1797
• CABRITA POINT, 12 July 1801
• TRAFALGAR, 21 October 1805
• SAN DOMINGO, 5 February 1806
• LISSA, 14 March 1811
I think that one of the most interesting parts of the way this is designed is that there is an ability to create custom scenarios to play out “what-if” scenarios or to create larger battles with tons of ships just because you can.
As I said above, I have not had the chance to play any of the games in the Combat! Series but am interested in them and own the 1st 3 volumes. This month, Compass Games released information on their next volume following Combat! 4: Eastern Front, which was just announced as well, called Combat! Crete. Combat! Crete is a stand-along game that can be played without any other games in the series. When I saw this I was immediately taken as I have played a few smaller scale tactical games on the ground combat in Crete but was excited to see this subject come to a solitaire system. And the opportunity to play as the British Tommies against the German Fallschirmjäger is always a welcome opportunity on my gaming table!
From the game page, we read the following:
Combat! Crete is a stand-alone solitaire game of man-to-man combat in WWII. The player commands a squad of British Tommies or German Fallschirmjäger in various engagements. The included scenarios are set on the islands of Crete and Leros, but full-war OOB’s are included for both factions.
The comprehensive Random Scenario generator further expands your gaming possibilities. With this tool, players can generate a limitless supply of unique scenarios for Combat! Crete or combine their game with Combat! Eastern Front and/or Combat! Tunisia & Sicily to create an even more expansive gaming experience.
In addition, the included Campaign Game allows the player to lead a squad of men through 10 battles, gaining experience along the way.
One of the things that I do like about this system and the various volumes is that it is not just cookie cutter churning out new games but each game has their own unique elements modeled into the game play as special rules or changes to account for the history of the setting. Here is a look at the changes in this new volume:
Off Board Artillery rules including air support (Stukas!).
New Terrain types including Vineyards, Weapon Pits, and an Airfield.
Parachute Drops, with a massive four map paradrop scenario.
Scenarios with Australian, New Zealand, and Maori troops.
Scenarios on Leros which feature Fallschirmjägers with FG42s.
Competitive Play rules for head-to-head battles!
Armed Cretan Civilians give the Fallschirmjägers a nasty welcome.
I have played a few games from Joe Miranda over the years and have always found them to be good and well designed games. This month, Compass released a 2-pack of a few of his interesting card driven games called Imperial Wars. This box set includes 2 games in the card-driven Imperial Wars System—Sikh War and Caucasus Campaign. Both become a contest between great powers fighting for control of regions with wider strategic implications. With multiple scenarios for each game, Imperial Wars provides you with many opportunities to alter the course of history on far-flung and lesser gamed frontiers. This box set really looks unique and I am very much intrigued and will be reaching out to Joe to see if I can get a designer interview completed to share.
From the game page, we read the following:
Sikh Wars covers the 1845-46 conflict between the British Indian Empire and the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab. Roth powers were expanding in northwest India, and their armies clashed from the Sutlej River to the outskirts of Afghanistan. The war led to the later expansion of British India to what became the Northwest Frontier.
Caucasus Campaign has the Russian and Ottoman Empires fighting for control of the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas as part of the wider Crimean War. This campaign had a considerable impact on the future of the Middle East.
Players command armies composed of regiments, brigades, and divisions, which fight using battle and skirmish combat results tables. Certain units have elite status, giving them greater resiliency in combat. The many imponderables of leadership, expeditionary warfare, and chaotic political situations are accounted for in each player’s deck of Campaign cards. Astute play of cards can decide a battle or spark an uprising deep within enemy territory.
Both games have multiple scenarios. There are also options for bringing in additional forces, which can swing the tide of a campaign. Each game becomes a contest between great powers fighting for control of regions with wider strategic implications. Imperial Wars provides the opportunity to alter the course of history on far-flung frontiers
We have played several of Adam Starkweather’s games and systems and have very much enjoyed them, particularly the Company Scale System or CSS. He is a very solid designer and his newest game coming from Compass Games is Warriors of Mexico, which deals with the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. The game looks to be pretty good and uses the system first seen in Warriors of America and Warriors of Politics, adapted to the unique military situation that existed in 1846.
From the game page, we read the following:
Warriors of Mexico is a fast-playing game of the conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, using a similar system to the one used in Warriors of America and Warriors of Politics, but adapted to the unique military situation that existed in 1846. As was the case in those times, image and perception are as important as military success. Players will navigate the treacherous waters of time and yet fulfill America’s ambitious land expansion.
6. The Battles of Burgoyne’s Campaigns from Compass Games
Several years ago, while attending Buckeye Game Fest in Columbus, Ohio, we met a new designer named Ken Repel and got a chance to take a look at a few of his games including 1812! War on the Great Lakes Frontier from Compass Games and The Battles ofBurgoyne’s Campaign that was announced this past month from Compass Games. The summer and fall of 1777 was a major turning point in the fate of the American Colonies and the Revolutionary War and this game captures the action at 3 of those key battles including the Battle of Hubbardton, the Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Freeman’s Farm.
From the game page, we read the following:
During the sweltering summer of 1777, the American Revolution reached a turning point in the rugged terrain of upstate New York where the Saratoga Campaign unfolded. Led by General John Burgoyne, the British Army marched south from Canada aiming to cleave the American colonies in two by defeating General Horatio Gates’ Continental Army, capturing the Hudson River Valley and gaining control of Albany.
The Battles of Burgoyne’s Campaign is a 2-sided historical board game with one player commanding the Gates’ Continental Army and the other player commanding Burgoyne’s British Army. The game depicts three critically important battles fought during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777, The Battle of Hubbardton, The Battle of Bennington, and The Battle of Freeman’s Farm. Each contest presents the players with a unique tactical situation: Hubbardton is a rearguard action, Bennington a surprise attack, and Freeman’s Farm a meeting engagement.
While attending Buckeye Game Fest in the Spring of 2023, we shot the following video that contains a discussion about this game. You can watch that at the following link:
I was once told that you cannot understand warfare until you under naval warfare and how important it is to the overall scope of the tactics. Well, a new game called Lords of the Seas appears to examine strategic naval warfare during the 5th Century through the 16th Century AD. The game is designed by Stephen Newberg, who has done several naval focused wargames, and is set in the Mediterranean Sea.
From the game page, we read the following:
Lords of the Seas is an uncomplicated 2-player war game centered on the naval campaigns during the era when rowed warships vied for dominance of the Great Middle Sea, the Mediterranean.
The game depicts this conflict at a strategic level, with most operational and tactical details represented by fast and easy-to-play systems, rather than intricate mechanisms.
Players take the part of the commanding leadership of opposing States in historically-based scenarios. The intent of the game is to provide a broad overview of the historical events while being fun to play.
The object of the game is for each player to use their naval forces to keep open the trade routes of their State while also controlling the coastal sea areas needed for the land forces operations of their respective States.
The specifics of these objectives are set out in each scenario, as well as the forces involved, any reinforcements arriving, and the time frame of the scenario or campaign. The time scale of the game is 2 turns per year.
Both players must obtain their objectives by deploying their naval resources into the sea areas on the map and engaging in combats that are resolved on the Battle Board.
Victory points are earned for sea areas and trade routes under their control at the end of each turn of the scenario, as well as for inflicting hits on opposing units in combat. Each represents an individual State as indicated by the scenario.
The Boer War is a conflict that I have never really played a game on. I know that there are several out there but I have just not had a chance but maybe that will change with this beauty called simply Boer War from Compass Games.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Boers, white settlers of Dutch and French descent, started to colonize the shores of what would become Cape Town in 1652. Over time, British settlers and pressure forced them inland, where they founded the Orange Free State and Transvaal, isolated areas rich in gold and diamonds. The British continued to try to subdue the Boers in the Transvaal War of 1881 and the Jameson Raid of 1895. Anticipating a third attempt by a feared invasion, the Boers decided to invade the British colonies first in October of 1899. It is here that the game begins.
Boer War is a 1-2 player game split into two phases, the Conventional War Phase and the Guerrilla Phase. It is played in 6 turns, with each player alternating between spending Action Points and playing Event Cards. With unique victory conditions and Event Cards for each phase, and the Guerrilla Phase being playable as a separate scenario, players get two games in one box. As the British try to keep up their Morale and the Boers destroy and plunder through Guerrilla warfare, who will be the one in control when no one is left standing?
9. Historical Advanced Squad Leader (HASL) ModulePrelude to War: Marco Polo Bridge, 8 July, 1937 from Multi-Man Publishing
Last year, I finally played ASL! As you may have seen, I wrote my First Impressions post about the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #4: Pacific Theater of Operations after playing a scenario with a friend I had a very enjoyable time. I still have lots to learn and lots to experience but at least that first plunge is done. And I definitely want to play more! So this month, I saw that they are bringing back a few things including ASL Prelude to War: Marco Polo Bridget, 8 July, 1937.
From the game page, we read the following:
Prelude To War: Marco Polo Bridge is a Historical Advanced Squad Leader (HASL) module depicting the battle outside the walled town on Wanping, China on July 8, 1937 when Chinese troops resisted Japanese attempts to force their way into town on the pretext of finding a lost soldier. This precipitated the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, commonly called the Second Sino-Japanese War, which was the start of WWII. The battle focuses on the key railroad bridge over the Yongding River just outside the walled town.
Prelude To War: Marco Polo Bridge comes with a historically accurate 22″ x 34″ map of the area outside the walled town crafted by designer Ken Dunn and artist Charlie Kibler. There are five stand-alone scenarios on the map recreating portions of the battle. Then there is the Campaign Game covering the entire action, with the calendar day divided into five Campaign Game scenarios separated by a special Refit Phase that allows players to regroup and reposition their forces. The Campaign Game starts with the Japanese attacking onto the map to capture the bridge, followed by the desperate Chinese defense of the bridge and the Dragon Temple (a prominent feature east of the river), the possibility of a Japanese river assault in boats, and concludes with a Chinese night assault by special broad-sword equipped Volunteer units. The only other ASL modules needed to play are Beyond Valor and Rising Sun.
If you are interested in Historical Advanced Squad Leader (HASL) ModulePrelude to War: Marco Polo Bridge, 8 July, 1937, you can pre-order a copy for $33.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-prelude-to-war-marco-polo-bridge-p-455
10. Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit Historical Module (HASLSK) Prelude to War: Marco Polo Bridge from Multi-Man Publishing
And along with the regular ASL Historical Module for Marco Polo Bridge, they also offered their Starter Kit version of the game on pre-order. I will be picking this one up this summer at WBC hopefully and add it to my ASL Starter Kit #4 box.
From the game page, we read the following:
Prelude To War: Marco Polo Bridge (SK) is the second Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit Historical Module and covers the battle outside the walled town on Wanping, China on July 8, 1937 when Chinese troops resisted Japanese attempts to force their way into town on the pretext of finding a lost soldier. This precipitated the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, commonly called the Second Sino-Japanese War, which was the start of WWII. The battle focuses on the key railroad bridge over the Yongding River just outside the walled town.
Prelude To War: Marco Polo Bridge (SK) comes with a historically accurate 22″ x 34″ map of the area outside the walled town crafted by designer Ken Dunn and artist Charlie Kibler. There are five stand-alone scenarios on the map recreating portions of the battle. Then there is the Campaign Game covering the entire action, with the calendar day divided into five Campaign Game scenarios separated by a special Refit Phase that allows players to regroup and reposition their forces. The Campaign Game starts with the Japanese attacking onto the map to capture the bridge, followed by the desperate Chinese defense of the bridge and the Dragon King Temple (a prominent feature east of the river), and concludes with a Chinese night assault by special broad-sword equipped Volunteer units. All the necessary counters for Chinese units are included. ASL Starter Kit #4 (Japanese) is required to play.
Prelude To War: Marco Polo Bridge (SK) contains:
one box and lid
one 22″ x 34″ map sheet
two counter sheets
five scenarios
one Campaign Game rules booklet, with all of the new rules needed to play the scenarios and the Campaign Game, including rules for rivers, railroads, bridges, hedges, roadblocks, offboard artillery, night combat, and special broad-sword equipped Chinese Volunteer units.
one page Data Chart
one reduced-size copy of the map sheet
If you are interested in Historical Advanced Squad Leader (HASL) ModulePrelude to War: Marco Polo Bridge, 8 July, 1937, you can pre-order a copy for $33.00 from the Multi-Man Publishing website at the following link: https://mmpgamers.com/asl-prelude-to-war-marco-polo-bridge-p-455
11. Peking: 55 Days of Fury from Neva Game Press
Neva Games Press (formerly Neva Wargames) is a new publisher who has appeared on the scene in the past couple of years. When I started seeing their posts on Twitter and Facebook, I was immediately impressed with their interesting topic choices for their upcoming games as well as the fact that they are trying to make small footprint wargames that pack a punch. And the art is also very appealing and brings an aesthetically pleasing and attractive look to their games! Their next set of pre-order games is ready to launch in mid-March and the first game that I will highlight here is Peking: 55 Days of Fury that deals with the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900.
From the game page, we read the following:
Peking: 55 Days of Fury is a tactical wargame that places players in the heart of the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. Players choose to command either the besieged Eight-Nation Alliance or the attacking Chinese forces, each with unique objectives and strategies.
The game is designed for 1-2 players and offers a tense, immersive experience lasting approximately 1.5 hours. In solo play, players take control of the beleaguered Eight-Nation Alliance.
Each turn represents roughly 11 days of the siege. The game board depicts the International Legations, divided into four main areas. Players use a combination of event cards and operation points to execute actions, such as firefights, raids, artillery attacks, and barricade repairs.
The game begins with an initiative phase, determining the order of play. The player with the initiative initiates a mandatory firefight, followed by the other player. Players then play event cards to trigger various effects, supported by additional cards if conditions are met.
Next, the eight nation alliance player must manage supplies, with shortages potentially leading to epidemics or desertions. In the operation phase, players use remaining cards as operation points to perform actions. Finally, the maintenance phase involves checking victory conditions, handling fog of war cards, and preparing for the next turn.
A distinctive fog-of-war mechanic sets this games apart. Mastering this element is key to outmaneuvering opponents.
Will you be able to withstand the siege and protect the International Legations?
Experience the intensity of the Boxer Rebellion in this tactical wargame.
I am currently working on a designer interview with the designer José Manuel Neva (who is also the owner of the company) and hope to have that out in the next few weeks.
12. Reformation: Fire and Faith from Neva Game Press
The 2nd game of Neva’s new release pre-order phase is the interesting looking Reformation: Fire and Faith designed by Clint Warren-Davey. I am keenly interested in this one and have been working with Clint to do an interview and maybe a series of other articles on strategies.
From the game page, we read the following:
Reformation: Fire and Faith is a game about the wars and religious struggles that raged in Europe from 1517 to 1555. This time saw the Protestant Reformation sparked by the renegade monk Martin Luther and the subsequent wars of religion in Germany and elsewhere, as Christianity was shaken to its core on. It saw numerous wars between the great powers of Europe regardless of religious affiliation. The Ottoman Empire was at its height and threatened the Christian world from the south-east, while at the same time new lands were discovered in the Americas that started a race for colonial expansion. In this game, 1 to 6 players will use their Armies, Fleets, Followers and Churches in an attempt to achieve their victory conditions and attain the most Victory Points (VP). It plays in about 60-90 minutes. The rules are very simple and easy to teach as the game was originally designed for use in a high school setting by the highly experienced game designer and teacher, Clint Warren-Davey. The game includes 6 unique Factions that are all competing for dominance in their own way
A few years ago, while attending SDHistCon we sat down with Sam London and played his new upcoming game called Common Sense (it was originally called Absolved from All Allegiance), which was recently announced on GMT Games P500. The game is an American Revolutionary War Strategic Level game that uses trick-taking and is a struggle over the Will to Fight Track that measures the level of commitment by both sides to the fight. We very much enjoyed playing the prototype and really could see what the design was trying to do and that it did it very well.
From the game page, we read the following:
Common Sense is an asymmetrical trick-taking card driven wargame. One player will take control of the 13 colonies in their fight for independence while the other uses the might of the British crown to quash the rebellion. The game revolves around the Will to Fight Track which tracks both sides’ willingness to continue to fight the war. As it is an asymmetrical game, both sides have different problems they will have to manage to resist the decline of their Will to Fight. The colonies are primarily concerned with morale and their ability to believe that they could potentially win their independence. Losing control of colonies and failures of the Continental Congress to galvanize the colonies will have the heaviest impact on their conviction. The British on the other hand never had hearts and minds to begin with, as the war was never popular at home. Instead, their Will to Fight represents parliament’s willingness to continue to fund the war. Poor results relative to commitment of forces as well as losses of British Regulars can spell a speedy exit from the war for them. The game will end when both player’s Will to Fight markers converge on the track, or rarely at the end of 1783, with position on the track determining much of the game’s scoring.
Common Sense is played with 2 unique 36 card decks. Each card in a player’s deck is also unique, and represents a key personality, battle, event, or concept from the American Revolution. Cards are divided into 4 suits, which are Battle, Mobilize, Recruit, and Special. Since the game is asymmetrical, while Battle, Mobilize, and Recruit serve similar purposes for both players, their actual executions vary in some ways. Battles let you engage in fights with the enemy in the same space, Mobilize lets you move your armies between spaces, and Recruit lets you bolster your forces. The Special suit on the other hand varies radically and really showcases differences between the two sides. The Colonial Special suit governs training of militia into the Continental Army as well as all interactions with the French. The British Special suit on the other hand manages native led operations as well as the might of the British navy. Each card grants a certain number of actions of a specific type, as well as a historical themed event. Events can be one off effects, powerful action modifiers for the current turn, or remain in play for multiple turns granting powerful abilities or changing core rules. Each card also has a numbered value that is used for the trick taking.
The game is played over a series of 10 card hands (each hand is considered a year of the war). Each year consists of 10 tricks, wherein the winner of the trick is given the chance to perform actions. The lead player chooses and plays a card from their hand face up. The other player then plays a card from their hand based on what their opponent played. If they have at least one card that matches the suit of the card their opponent played, they must play one of those cards. If not, they can play any card that they wish. If the card they played matched the suit of the lead player’s card and was the same value or higher, they win the trick and will get to take the turn and become the new lead player. Otherwise, the lead player gets the turn. If the responding player does not have a card of the matching suit they could also win by playing the highest value card they have of the trump suit that corresponds to the lead suit. In any case, the player who wins the trick gets to resolve the event on the card and perform the actions on the card. Alternatively, the player can always choose not to resolve the winning card to perform any one action of their choice.
Here is a link to a designer interview and discussion with Sam London regarding Common Sense at SDHistCon in 2024:
14. Iron Triangle: Search and Destroy Operations in the Vietnam War from GMT Games
A new series, and we have seen how well series have done at GMT GMT Games, a new designer and a new concept to wargaming (lane battler), I think that this game has great potential and it happens to be focused on one of my most liked wars to game – the Vietnam War. Iron Triangle: Search and Destroy Operations in the Vietnam War is designed by Darren McGuire takes a look at the struggle between the United States military and the Viet Cong insurgents as they fight over control of three key “lanes” or key regions. I am very much excited about this one and will be reaching out soon to Darren for some additional information.
From the game page, we read the following:
Iron Triangle opens the new Lines of ConflictSeries with a focused and tense asymmetric lane battler set during the Vietnam War search and destroy operations from 1966 up to the Tet Offensive in 1968. Two players assume opposing roles: the Viet Cong, leveraging concealment, mobility, and disruption, and the United States, applying sustained pressure and attritional tactics to limit insurgent influence. Across three rounds, players commit action cards to search and destroy operations along three lanes, contesting control of three key regions in III Corps: War Zone C, War Zone D, and the infamous Iron Triangle.
Each faction employs distinct tactical systems. The Viet Cong may deploy cards in three states—tunnelled (face down), concealed (face down and rotated), or exposed (face up)—and, through careful resource management, can flip and rotate these cards to conduct hit and run attacks and ambushes, lay booby traps, and establish Tunnel Bases to accelerate gains or blunt U.S. advances. The U.S. player focuses on revealing and eliminating insurgent units by exposing tunnelled and concealed Viet Cong cards with Tunnel Rats, restricting movement and concealment through tools such as Defoliation and ADSIDs (Air Delivered Seismic Intrusion Devices), or or employing more forceful measures such as napalm, saturation bombing, and zippo raids, which, while effective at disrupting Viet Cong support networks, also undermine the stability of urban areas like Saigon.
At the end of each round, players evaluate operational outcomes and their impact on control across the three areas, adjusting regional stability and tracking the resulting shifts in South Vietnamese public opinion. Players can achieve victory if the Viet Cong drives Public Opinion low enough or if the U.S. accomplishes its body count objective while stabilising the region. Otherwise, the conflict culminates in the Tet Offensive—a final chit-pull from a bag shaped by the position of control markers on the area tracks, remaining Viet Cong Tunnel Bases, and the scale of the refugee crisis—where each Tet chit drawn represents a stronger offensive that further erodes Public Opinion toward U.S failure.
I am all in on this concept and the new series and very much look forward to what might be included in future conflicts and how the series grows.
15. Levy & Campaign Ost Bot Solitaire System from GMT Games
One of the more active series out there today is the Levy & Campaign Series from GMT Games from the mind of Volko Ruhnke. The series had its start with Nevsky: Teutons & Rus in Collision, 1240-1242 and then followed that up with Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086. Since that time, there have been multiple other games published including Inferno: Guelphs and Ghibellines Vie for Tuscany, 1259-1261 and the most recent Plantagenet: Cousins’ War for England, 1459 – 1485. In addition to the released volumes, there are many others on the P500 with at least another dozen (or more) that have yet to be announced but are being developed and playtested. With such a popular series and with solitaire gaming becoming a mandatory part of any new wargame, I am very glad to see that GMT has prioritized this new offering and released it on the P500. The Levy & Campaign Ost Bot Solitaire System is designed by Jan Arvanitakis and Christophe Correia, who have significant experience in developing the L&C Series and I couldn’t be more excited about this offering.
From the game page, we read the following:
Introducing Ost, a solitaire system for the acclaimed Levy and Campaign Series that allows you to play 5 Volumes in the series against a non-player opponent.
The system eases the tedium of bot upkeep and simplifies the implementation of the bot’s turn so that you can concentrate on your move.
Your opponent will complete the game’s signature Levy & Campaign phases of each turn—including Arts of War, Muster, & Call To Arms. On its turn, a Non-Player Active Actions flowchart will dictate the bot’s main action—March, Siege, Storm, Sally, Tax, etc. Then, a dedicated chart for each action will briskly lead the player through a number of simple Yes/No questions until the action’s full resolution. The system thus sidesteps the need to evaluate complex priorities and check for conditions each turn.
The bot does not use any assets, such as Provender and Coin, nor Levies Capabilities, further easing the burden of bot upkeep. Yet key Capabilities are incorporated as part of the bot’s actions, Battle, & Storm. The system features special rules for automating non-player Lords’ Service shifts on the Calendar, as well as preparing the bot’s Campaign Plan.
Ost will present you with an unpredictable and challenging, yet easy to implement opponent that is responsive to your moves and the current game state. It offers a realistic simulation of the moves a human player would make—like approaching your Lords in the field, laying siege to your Strongholds, blocking Supply Routes, and marching to friendly ground before an upcoming Levy phase.
Ost is named after the service d’ost, the French feudal military service owed by vassals to a Lord. It is an allusion to one of the game’s underlying concepts. The service d’ost, or ost, often lasted around 40 days per year and was imposed on all free men, vassals, and vavasors (a vassal’s vassal).
16. Next War: Korea 2nd Edition, 2nd Printing from GMT Games
The Next War Series of wargames from GMT is very popular and also very large and detailed. We still have been unable to get our copy of Next War: Korea to the table yet but one day we will. But, for now there is a 2nd Edition being offered on the P500.
From the game page we read the following:
This reprint edition includes all known errata (including counters) as well as updated counters for the US, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese Orders of Battle. The map has changed slightly as we bring both the bridging rules from Next War: India-Pakistan back to this game, which necessitates noting which hex sides can’t be bridged, as well as defining Beaches and Invasion Hexes a la Next War: Taiwan, which actually takes us back to the original Crisis: Korea 1995 map. The Series Rules and Player Aid Cards will be brought up to the latest standards, and, of course, the Game Specific Rules will have to be changed to incorporate all of the above.
From Pyongyang in North Korea to Pusan in the South, the war rages. In a scene reminiscent of the first attack by the In Min Gun in 1950, the North Korean People’s Army surges across the Demilitarized Zone and penetrates deep into South Korea. Special Operations Forces from both sides conduct raids, interdiction, and reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines while airborne, air assault, and amphibious forces strike far behind those lines attempting to outflank the main army forces of both sides. In the air, both sides wage a heated campaign in an effort establish superiority over the skies of Korea. With rough terrain and the full ferocity of modern armor, airmobile, airborne, and marine warfighting capabilities, there is no safe haven in the lethal cauldron of battle which has engulfed the Korean Peninsula.
While North and South battle for a quick, decisive victory, the world awaits the response of the two military superpowers in the region: the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. Will the United States, stung by high casualties among the soldiers of its 2nd Infantry Division near the DMZ during the surprise artillery barrages and initial assaults on the first day of the war, be able to reinforce the South quickly enough, and, if so, how and in what strength? Will the Communist Chinese again react to a massive US response and intervene, thus widening the conflict? As the situation evolves, choices are made, forces are committed, and the security of Japan and the future of the two Koreas hangs in the balance.
Next War: Korea, Game #1 in our Next War series, allows players to fight a near future war on the Korean peninsula. In this updated and improved version of the previously-released Crisis: Korea 1995, players have access to virtually all military assets of North and South Korea, as well as large forces from the USA and the PRC. The integrated, easy to learn air-land combat system allows for unit efficiency, armor effects, light infantry, attack helicopters, Close Air Support, Cruise Missiles, and the particularly tough terrain of Korea.
Make no mistake: Next War: Korea is not an Introductory wargame. Rather, we have intended herein to create a system (and a series) that will allow detailed study of modern warfare in various venues as well as engaging gameplay. That said, the Standard Game rules encompass a fairly straightforward ruleset that will, we think, be considered pretty “easy to learn” by experienced wargamers. So players who choose to play Standard Game scenarios can have a relatively quick game when that’s what suits them. The real flavor of a war in the theatre, though, comes through in the Advanced Game, where you get much more control over airpower and can more clearly see each side’s strengths and weaknesses. For players who want a “mini-monster game” experience, playing the Advanced Game Campaign Scenarios with some or all of the optional rules will definitely “deliver.”
So our hope is that we have created a game with enough variety and scaling of complexity that you can find an engaging and maybe even enlightening experience whether you want to play a fast two-player game, a longer monster game, or an ongoing solitaire study. We intend to provide tools for online game play as well (a Vassal module is being created now for use during
17. Révolutions! France 1820-1880 from Fellowship of Simulations Coming to Kickstarter Soon
We have played and enjoyed several of the games offered by Fellowship of Simulations with my 3 favorite being Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno, Wars of Religion France 1562-1598 and Napoléon’s Conquests. They recently announced their next project that deals with the French Revolution called Révolutions! France 1820-1880, which is coming to Kickstarter soon.
From the game page, we read the following:
Révolutions – France 1820-1880 is an immersive political simulation for 3, 4 or 5 players.
Get ready to relive 60 years of political conflicts, civil wars and major societal choices. Whether in the Chamber of Deputies or on the barricades, Ultras, Orleanists, Bonapartists, Republicans or Socialists clash to ensure the triumph of their ideals. Each faction has its own starting situation, objectives and assets.
You’ll need to constantly adapt your strategy to the situation at hand, and convince allies to impose your vision of society.
Each turn, players begin by taking their action cards, which represent their supporters. They use them to develop their influence in six Society zones: Songs, Newspapers, Notables, Peasants, Workers and Clergy. They can also modify Social Tensions, which determine the stability of the government.
If the regime is stable, a Chamber of Deputies is elected. Players take advantage of the influence they have acquired in the Society zones to obtain votes. These votes give access to the best seats in the Chamber. Players receive political influence tokens according to their posi¬tion. Political influence is the «currency» that enables legislative action to change the current regime.
If social tensions become too great, Paris will rise up, and a civil war will begin. Players mobilize Society zones to support the government or fuel the insurrection. If the revolution triumphs, the victorious insurgents can make more radical changes to the state.
If you are interested in Révolutions! France 1820-1880, you can learn more about the project on the Kickstarter preview page at the following link: Révolutions! by Walter Vejdovsky — Kickstarter
18. Pacific War Games (including 1943: Race to Rabaul and Tora Tora Tora!) from PHALANX
PHALANX does some really great games and they have 2 new games that have been recently placed on pre-order in a 2-pack called Pacific War Games. This package includes 1943: Race to Rabaul designed by Volko Ruhnke and Tora Tora Tora! designed by Wataru Horiba.
From the game page, we read the following:
1943: Race to Rabaul
In 1943 the Allied push across the Pacific reached a critical phase. Every step toward Rabaul demanded nerve, planning and a constant fight with the limits of supply. 1943: Race to Rabaul puts you right in the middle of that pressure.
This time the series introduces opposed play. You can play as a team or head-to-head, with one or two players commanding the Japanese side and one or two leading the Americans. Both fronts chase momentum, both struggle with logistics and both try to outthink the other before their plans run dry. The map is wide, resources are tight and every choice has weight.
The result is a game where ambition always meets resistance, and the path to Rabaul is never straightforward.
Tora Tora Tora!
Tora Tora Tora! is a two-player strategic game that presents a holistic and dynamic view of the Pacific War. Rather than focusing on individual historical battles, the game captures the broader struggle for control across the theater, emphasizing tempo, positioning, and resource management.
Players take command of either Japan or the Allies, each operating under a different economic logic. Japan pays to expand across areas of the map, while the Allies pay per unit regardless of distance. This fundamental asymmetry shapes every decision, forcing each side to approach movement, expansion, and confrontation in a distinct way.
Actions require limited resources, and battles involve hidden commitments before resolution, creating tension even before dice are rolled. Overextending can leave forces undersupplied and vulnerable, so players must constantly balance immediate gains against long-term sustainability. The game rewards careful pressure, territorial control, and forcing the opponent into inefficient responses.
The game ends after a fixed number of rounds, and victory is determined by strategic control of key areas and overall position on the map. Winning is less about a single decisive clash and more about managing tempo, preserving strength, and gradually exhausting the opponent’s options.
If you are interested in Pacific War Games (including Race to Rabaul 1943 and Tora Tora Tora!), you can pre-order one or both of the games at the Gamefound page located at the following link: Pacific War Games by PHALANX – Gamefound
19. Fix Bayonets! Volume II1809: Talavera from Tactical Workshop Currently on Gamefound
Last year, I caught wind of a new edition of a very interesting looking Napoleonics wargame getting a second edition. The game was 1811: Albuera Second Edition from Tactical Workshop, which was originally released in 2020 designed by Frederic Delstanches. Now, he is seeking crowdfunding for the next game in the series called 1809: Talavera.
From the game page, we read the following:
1809: Talavera is the second volume in the Fix Bayonets! Series of Napoleonic tactical wargames. It covers, at the battalion level, the two days of the battle with one player in charge of the Anglo-Spanish armies and the other leading the French forces. The game allows players to recreate the eponymous battle of the Peninsular War, face to face with another player or as a solitaire experience.
Take command of the French army under Joseph, Napoleon’s older brother, and shatter the nascent Anglo-Spanish Alliance standing their ground near the town of Talavera! Alternatively, you can lead the Allied armies and attempt to hold the line with your disparate force. Can you equal the tactical victory achieved by the future Duke of Wellington and his Spanish ally general Cuesta or will the bloody engagement result in the rout of your armies?
As of March 1st, the Gamefound campaign has funded and raised $7,322 toward its $7,000 funding goal with 99 backers. The campaign will conclude on April 1, 2026 at 1:00am EST.
New Release
1. 2025 Errata Counter Sheet from GMT Games
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.
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.
2. Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 3rd Printing from GMT Games
One of my favorite movies of all time is Das Boot. I know that this is a movie about a German submarine and I am using it as the introduction to a post about American submarines but it is simply so good and really helped to give me an understanding of the absolute hell that those submariners endured in the depths in a slender metal tube being depth charged to death. I remember the scene where the Chief Machinist Johann loses it and has to be restrained. As we follow along on the patrol of the U-96, we grow to understand the difficulty with which those men had to deal as they did their job and took the punishment. As you know, the movie ends when they are in a sub base and are bombed by Allied planes and we see the Captain and most of the crew shot up and dying as they watch the U-96 slip under the water. After playing Silent Victory, where the player takes the helm of an American submarine in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, I could understand (not physically or psychologically) emotionally how they felt, just a bit, as my boat was depth charged mercilessly and I simply could not get away from the Escort. Eventually, I did get away but not before I lost a few crew to injuries and basically nearly sank myself by deciding to go past test depth to escape.
From the game page, we read the following:
Silent Victory is a solitaire tactical level game placing you in command of an American submarine during WWII in the Pacific. Your mission is to destroy as much Japanese shipping and as many warships as possible while advancing your crew quality and decorations – all while remembering you have to make it home.
Silent Victory is purposely designed to deliver a brisk yet intensive gaming experience that forces many decisions upon you as you take command of one of the major U.S. Fleet submarine types in service. Patrols will take you to differing parts of the Pacific as time progresses in the war. The most successful commanders will be those that can manage the risks they take while prosecuting as many targets as possible.
The game engine is built upon the successful The Hunters design and has proven to be a solid, playable experience. All the major U.S. Fleet boat types are accounted for with every level of detail including period of service, armaments, crew makeup, damage capacity, and more.
As a Fleet submarine commander, you will be confronting many decisions during your patrols. To begin with, seven U.S. Fleet submarines are profiled and available for you to choose from. Patrol zones reflect the changing operational areas as the war progresses, from the Philippines to Midway, the Solomons, and even patrols to the waters just off the coast of Japan and China.
Conducting patrols is the heart of the system, as you will be resolving encounters against individual ships, convoys, or even enemy aircraft and submarines. Situations you face and decisions you make suddenly come in quick succession:
How will you engage a convoy once spotted?
Do you close the initial target range at increased risk of detection for a more lethal attack?
If your engagement is at night, will you conduct a surface attack?
Do you launch one or two fire salvos, and how many torpedoes do you fire?
Will you try to follow a convoy or ship to engage in additional rounds of combat?
How will you slip away from escorts to avoid or minimize damage?
3. The Hunters: German U-Boats at War, 1939-1943 4th Printing from GMT Games
Another fantastic solitaire submarine game designed by the incomparable Gregory M. Smith is The Hunters and they are now releasing the 4th Printing version of the game. 4 printings should tell you something about the game and how good it is!
From the game page, we read the following:
The Hunters is a solitaire tactical level game placing you in command of a German U-boat during WWII. Your mission is to destroy as much Allied Shipping and as many Capital ships as possible while advancing your crew quality and increasing your commander rank culminating in special decoration ‒ all while remembering you have to make it home.
The Hunters is purposely designed to deliver a brisk yet intensive gaming experience that forces many decisions upon you as you will take command among the major German U-boat models in service during WWII, and try to complete an entire tour. If you ultimately survive all patrols from 1939 to 1943, you will be transferred to the U-boat Training Command for the remainder of the war, having successfully carried out your service for the Fatherland.
Those familiar with the classic Avalon Hill game title, B-17: Queen of the Skies, will come to enjoy the same type of gaming experience of the German U-boat War. All major U-boat models are accounted for with every level of detail including period of service, armaments, crew make-up, damage capacity, and more.
As U-Boat commander, you will be confronting many decisions during your patrol. To begin with, eight German U-Boat models are profiled and available for you to choose from. Patrol zones reflect the time period during the war at sea and will shift as the war progresses. All stages of the U-Boat campaign are represented as missions become increasingly more difficult as your adversary makes advances in anti-submarine warfare.
Conducting patrols is the heart of the system as you will be resolving encounters against individual ships, convoys, or even enemy aircraft. Situations you face and decisions you make suddenly come in quick succession:
How will you engage a convoy once spotted?
Do you close the initial target range at increased risk of detection for a more lethal attack?
If your engagement is at night, will you conduct a surface attack?
Do you launch one or two fire salvos, and how many torpedoes do you fire?
Will you try to follow a convoy or ship to engage in additional rounds of combat?
How will you slip away from escorts to avoid or minimize damage?
What evasive maneuvers do you undertake?
The major German U-Boat models are represented and accurately profiled for the patrols you will undertake:
Type VII A
Type VII B
Type VII C
Type VII D
Type VII FlaK
Type IX A
Type IX B
Type IX C
Patrol Assignments include:
Atlantic
British Isles
Spanish Coast
Mediterranean
Norway
West African Coast
North America
Arctic
Caribbean
The game delivers an historical narrative as 350+ ship targets are uniquely identified (including tonnage) with their historical counterparts that were sunk during the war, including freighters, tankers, and American ships.
4. COIN Series Multi-Pack #2 The Guerilla Generation: Cold War Insurgencies in Latin America from GMT Games
Stephen Rangazas has been active behind the scenes over the past few years with his development work on Fall of Saigon: A Fire in the Lake Expansion. He used his background and research capabilities to great effect as he did the background work on the Event cards for that game. From that experience, he has now come forward with a few of his own designs in The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire, which was announced in 2021 as well as Sovereign of Discord announced in 2022. Now, his most recent work on a new COIN Series Multi-Pack that deals with insurgencies in Latin America during the height of the Cold War called The Guerrilla Generation is shipping.
From the game page, we read the following:
The Guerrilla Generation: Cold War Insurgencies in Latin America is the second COINMulti-Pack, containing four separate games exploring a series of thematically related insurgencies. Building on the The British Way, this new multipack allows players to explore variations in insurgent groups’ organizational structures, strategies, and relationship with civilians, across four insurgencies in Central and South America between 1968 and 1992. During this part of the Cold War era, Latin America experienced an incredible number of different insurgent groups, many inspired by the Cuban Revolution featured in Cuba Libre, ranging from popular backed rural insurgencies, flexible urban guerrillas, externally sponsored raiders, and brutal ideologically rigid groups. This multipack features a game exemplifying each of these types of insurgencies, to offer players the chance to compare different approaches to rebellion highlighted in the quote by scholar Jeremy Weinstein above. The Guerrilla Generation also offers four longer and more complex individual games than those found in The British Way, as well as an entirely different approach to the linked campaign scenario, which combines two games into a simultaneous side-by-side experience.
This Multi-Pack includes four full games in one box, which is a fantastic value that will allow players to explore four different conflicts set during the height of Cold War Latin America between 1968 and 1992. Each game uses a unique ruleset building on the same general mechanical structure, ensuring that they are easy to pick up while still offering a distinctive experience.
I also love these Multi-Packs because they have a small board footprint with each of the 4 games playing in under 2 hours and taking place on a single 17” x 22” board. But, the game doesn’t just treat these games as individual as they are designed to experience at least a portion of the full span of the period and be used to learn more about these insurgencies.
There is also a “Resisting Reagan” Campaign designed into the game. A linked campaign scenario allowing up to 4 players to play El Salvador and Nicaragua side-by-side, with new mechanisms to represent the Central American peace and solidarity movement’s efforts to resist the Reagan Administration’s aid to both the Salvadoran government and the Contra insurgency, by influencing Congress and American public opinion.
5. Battle of the Bismarck Sea from War Diary Publications
As I was recently trolling the internet, I came across a new solitaire game from the guys over at War Diary Publications. The game is called Battle of the Bismarck Sea and is designed by Allyn Vannoy.
From the game page, we read the following:
Battle of the Bismarck Sea is a solitaire wargame that uses individual ships and flights/squadrons of aircraft. The Player assumes the role of General George Kenney, Commander of the 5th U.S. Army Air Force, with the mission of intercepting the Japanese effort to reinforce its ground forces on the island of New Guinea. The Player must utilize the limited resources available and then determine how best to apply them within specific time constraints. The results of these efforts will be borne out in the effectiveness of air operations.
This design by Allyn Vannoy contains: one 22″ x 32″ Mapsheet, a 16-page rulebook, one Player Aid Card, and 114 oversized laser-cut counters.
6. Souls to Waste: The Battle of An Bao, May 5, 1968 from High Flying Dice Games
Paul Rohrbaugh is a designer I love to follow. He is always doing games on smaller or lesser known conflicts and I just find his work to be superb and really draws me in. He has done a line of games dealing with different battles from the Vietnam War and always names them after popular songs of the time including games like Long Cruel Woman: The Attack on Firebase Mary Ann, March 28, 197, No Satisfaction: Operation Hump November 5-8, 1965 and As Tears Go By: Operation StarliteAugust 1965. Recently I saw one of their newest games on the Battle of An Bao called Souls to Waste and I guess it might be named after the Rolling Stone’s song Sympathy for the Devil (Souls to Waste).
From the game page, we read the following:
Souls to Waste portrays the epic fight waged between the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and tanks and the 1/69th Tank Battalion against three Battalions of the 22nd Regiment, 3rd PAVN (People’s Army of Vietnam) Infantry Division.
The NVA laid a trap in the hills to the west of three firebases maintained by the 173rd Infantry Brigade. The NVA’s 22nd Infantry Regiment was recently deployed to the area and well-armed with the latest Soviet weaponry, especially new Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) that could easily penetrate the armor of the American’s M-113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), as well as mortars and heavy machine guns. The goal was to lure one of the US troop companies into an ambush, and then either inflict more casualties on any relief force that would come to their aid, or fall back and do it again at a time and place of their choosing.
Each turn represents 30 minutes of time. An inch on the map corresponds to about 100 yards in actual distance. Infantry type units are platoons, and armored units represent 1 or 2 vehicles.
If you are interested in Souls to Waste: The Battle of An Bao, May 5, 1968, you can order a copy for $22.95 from the High Flying Dice Games website at the following link: https://www.hfdgames.com/anbao.html
7. Death or Glory: The Battle of Rorke’s Drift from Art of Wargames
Solitaires games are plentiful this month and another one that I found was Death or Glory: The Battle of Rorke’s Drift from Art of Wargames. This one looks pretty interesting and has some really interesting mechanics to it. Plus, it is a solitaire game on one of the most known and greatest battles of history.
From the game page, we read the following:
Dive into history and Heroism in Death or Glory: The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, a war game that immerses you in the heart of this legendary clash. Relive the valiant stand of 150 British soldiers as they defend a mission station against a Zulu “impi” numbering in the thousands, during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.
As the clock strikes 4:30 PM, the earth trembled with the thundering chant of “Usuthu!” – the Zulu battle cry. Masses of warriors surged forward in wave after wave, their horns echoing across the plains and their assegai spears flashing in the sun. The British defenders, entrenched in the makeshift redoubt, met the onslaught with unwavering resolve and disciplined volleys of rifle fire.
When the dust settled, the battlefield lied eerily quiet, strewn with hundreds of casualties. Eleven British heroes will be awarded the Victoria Cross for their extraordinary bravery.
8. And the War Came: American Civil War 1861-1865 from Pinkerton Games
Add this one to the publisher that I didn’t know about until now category but this game looks to be very interesting. And the War Came: American Civil War 1861-1865 from Pinkerton Games is a strategic level look at the American Civil War and looks to be well made with good solid components.
From the game page, we read the following:
Civil war came to the United States on April 12, 1861, and finally ended 4 bloody Aprils later in 1865. And The War Came is a strategic level boardgame on that conflict, the American Civil War. Play either the side of the United States, attempting to restore the Union; or the rebelling Confederate States of America attempting to gain southern independence.
The game is “We Go” turn based. In the same three-month seasonal turn, both players recruit and mobilize replacement units, promote and reassign generals, play orders cards to activate corps sized units to conduct area movement and engage in combat, and perform logistics functions.
By both land and naval movement, or successful combat actions, players gain victory points by seizing areas or taking victory points away from the enemy. Generals may command units in combat and movement, and higher ranked generals can command more units-but generals may also be killed, wounded or captured. To create fog of war and uncertainty there are covers that hide unit strength and type from the opposing side until committed to combat.
There are four short length yearly scenarios (1861 through 1864), two multi-year campaign scenarios, (1861-1863, and 1863-1865) and the entire war scenario. Select a Scenario, deploy your troops, and prepare for action!
VUCA Simulations is a new company on the scene the last few years and they are coming out with some really great looking games. We have played several of their games and always have a great experience with them. One of their newest pre-order offerings is called Operation Overlord designed by Clem. It covers the D-Day invasion and as usual looks to be of the highest quality and production.
From the game page, we read the following:
Operation Overlord is a deep, historically grounded strategic wargame that simulates the Normandy invasion and the critical battles that followed from June to August 1944. One player commands the Allied SHAEF forces, planning and executing the largest amphibious operation in history, while the opposing player takes the role of Oberbefehlshaber West, defending the Atlantic Wall and attempting to delay the Allied advance long enough to alter the course of the war.
Rather than focusing on tactical skirmishes, Operation Overlord operates at the operational–strategic level, where timing, logistics, intelligence, and command structure are decisive. Players maneuver divisions and army corps across a detailed map of Normandy, manage supply networks and reinforcements, execute historical and fictional operations, and influence battles through doctrine, supports, and event cards.
Each month begins with high-level planning: the Allied player secretly schedules strategic and special operations, while the German player designates key cities as Festungen, to be held at all costs. Weekly turns then unfold through intelligence gathering, supply allocation, reinforcement arrivals, and alternating unit activations that combine maneuver and combat into a tense, fluid system. Fog of war is maintained through hidden unit values and simultaneous combat card reveals, ensuring constant uncertainty and meaningful decision-making.
Victory is not measured simply by territory, but by time and consequences. The German player is unlikely to drive the Allies back into the sea—but every week gained has far-reaching implications for morale, resources, and other fronts of the war. Likewise, an Allied breakthrough ahead of schedule can dramatically reshape history. Each scenario and campaign outcome includes historically reasoned consequences that frame the result within the broader context of World War II.
With multiple scenarios (June, July, August, and a full campaign), robust asymmetry, and a strong emphasis on planning and operational art, Operation Overlord offers a demanding and rewarding experience for players seeking a serious, historically informed wargame.
If you are interested in Operation Overlord, you can order a copy for €119,99 ($141.68 in US Dollars) from the VUCA Simulations website at the following link: https://vucasims.com/products/operation-overlord
10. Hold the Line: Hannibal from Worthington Publishing
Love me some Ancients and particularly if those Ancients include elephants! Such is the case with the newest game from Worthington Publishing called Hold the Line: Hannibal. The Hold the Line Series is a series of historical wargames by Worthington Publishing focused typically on horse-and-musket era combat, specifically the American Revolution. The game features quick-playing, tactical, hex-based scenarios and the series uses custom dice for combat.
From the game page, we read the following:
Hold the Line: Hannibal is a grand tactical two-player game covering 10 of the greatest battles of the Punic Wars. Following in the footsteps of Richard Borg’s Commands and Colors system and more directly Worthington’s Hold the Line series, Hannibal includes the same standard size map board, 13 hexes wide and 9 hexes deep. Combat is resolved with custom dice.
The scale is 300-400 meters per hex, 90 minutes per turn and units of 3-6,000 infantry, 2-4,000 cavalry and 15-25 war elephants. The units are mainly of 4-steps and include four types of infantry: elite, regular, barbarian and light; three types of cavalry: regular, barbarian and light; and, of course, war elephants. Some units have missile capability, which enhances lethality in combat.
Hold the Line: Hannibal, features 10 battles of the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome.
As usual, thanks so much for reading along and sticking with me this month as I navigated through the many websites and game pages looking for new and interesting games to share.
Finally, thanks once again to this month’s sponsor Bellica 3rd Generation!
Martin Melbardis began his design career with Campaign: Fall Blau from Catastrophe Games. This was a very interesting little dice chucking solitaire game on Operation Barbarossa during WWII. Since that time, he has started his own independent wargame company called Solo Wargame and has designed 13 different and very interesting roll and write wargames on a plethora of subjects including World War I (Trench Tactics), World War II (Operation Barbarossa, Lone Wolf: U-Boat Command and War in the Pacific), Napoleonic Wars (Siege Works), the Crusades (Crusade: Road to Jerusalem) and Ancient Rome (Rome Must Fall). His newest game called Fliegerkorps is focused on the airwar during WWII and looks really interesting and I reached out to Martin to get a bit more information about the game.
Grant: Welcome back to the blog. What is your new game Fliegerkorps about?
Martin: Hello everyone, great to be back! Fliegerkorps, my newest game, is a solo operational air war game where you command a German Fliegerkorps (air corps) across one of three historical campaigns, The Battle of Britain, Barbarossa, or the Mediterranean. At the very beginning of the game you build your Fliegerkorps by choosing a commander to lead them and choose four aircraft cards to make up your air corps. During each of the fixed 12-turn campaigns, you manage your aircraft, fuel, and squadrons under mounting enemy pressure from air, land, and sea. You must complete enough missions to rack up Victory Points (VP) to influence the campaign before attrition grinds you down.
Grant: Why was this a subject that drew your interest?
Martin: I’ve always been in love with military aircraft for as long as I can remember, but honestly, it started with late-night YouTube rabbit holes on the Battle of Britain with those grainy clips of Spitfires vs. 109’s which got me hooked on the subject recently. After a few days, I came to the realization that I’ve never seen a wargame about managing an entire air corps. I’ve seen plenty of games about dogfighting or perhaps controlling a squadron of aircraft…but never at the corps level where you must deal with logistics, maintenance and planning sorties. I soon came to the realization that I wanted to design something that felt like you were commanding from a smoky ops room in 1940, watching your force slowly bleed out through attrition and sorties while high command demands more. One night I sketched a rough game design document on the idea and couldn’t sleep until I had the basics down.
Grant: What is your design goal with the game?
Martin: My goal was to create a light-to-medium operational solitaire air game that feels tense but stays streamlined and abstracted. I wanted players rolling dice, making meaningful decisions, and constantly weighing risk versus sustainability. Most importantly, I wanted to capture that operational rhythm of launching, suffering losses, refitting, and launching again.
Grant: What sources did you consult to get the historical details correct?
Martin: Core was the Rand McNally encyclopedia of World War II for consulting on general WWII aircraft histories, campaign overviews of the Battle of Britain, Barbarossa, and the Mediterranean Theater, as well as aircraft production and deployment timelines.
I’ll admit that I’m a total visual guy, and that shapes everything I design. YouTube documentary dives into Battle of Britain dogfights, early air war chaos, and Luftwaffe ops kept me fired up, motivated and increasingly informed on the subject throughout the entire Fliegerkorps development.
Grant: What battles are included in the game?
Martin: Battles in Fliegerkorps are more or less abstracted into missions rather than recreated tactically. For example, something like the potential invasion of Malta is represented through a Campaign Mission rather than a detailed operational scenario.
The game includes three campaigns: the Battle of Britain (1940), which focuses on an air supremacy grind, Barbarossa (1941), which blends air and land operations on the Eastern Front and the Mediterranean (1942), centered around convoy strikes, the siege of Malta and desert support. Each campaign has its own mission structure and pressure profile, so while the core system remains the same, the overall challenges change depending on the theater.
Grant: What elements from the early air battles of WWII did you need to model in the design?
Martin; I wanted this game to lean heavily into the simulation aspects of controlling an air corps in WWII and leave out much of the unit tactics involved in battles. Several key elements needed to be represented in the design were aircraft rotation between the Operational and Refit rows, logistical limitations, and escalating enemy pressure tracked through the Air, Land, and Sea Campaign Dice. I also wanted the game to reflect the reality that these campaigns were multi-domain efforts. Air operations rarely existed in isolation, they influenced and were influenced by events on land and at sea. It was important for me that the player could meaningfully affect the larger campaign across all three theaters: Air, Land, and Sea.
Grant: How does the player have to balance their missions, fuel, aircraft losses and worsening strategic conditions?
Martin: In the Mission Phase, all existing mission timers are reduced by one (if they reach zero, you fail the mission) and so missions can’t be ignored for long. If you allow timers to expire, penalties escalate with VP losses, Campaign Dice increases, or additional enemy cubes entering play. If you choose to engage those missions, it will cost fuel and you risk aircraft losses. Launching aircraft costs fuel and after attacking, you move the squadrons to the Refit Row on the aircraft card for maintenance. Larger aircraft like bombers take longer to recover than lighter fighters. So every turn becomes a balancing act. The tension builds steadily over the 12 turns, and that operational pressure is really what the game is about.
Meanwhile, Campaign Dice track strategic pressure in the Air, Land, and Sea sections. As missions and events accumulate, those values can possibly creep up. If a Campaign Die ever reaches 5+, Saturation penalties will apply and certain section-specific restrictions will come into play. This will reduce your options and make future attacks on that section even tougher.
Grant: How does campaign pressure from air, land and sea campaigns affect the player?
Martin: All Campaigns have on their gamesheet containing three Campaign Sections…Air (red for enemy fighters), Land (green for ground forces, AA, and infrastructure), and Sea (blue for convoys, naval logistics, and supply lines). Each one has its own Campaign Die that tracks how bad things are getting in that section. The higher the number, the worse conditions are getting for the Germans. Things such as more enemy pressure, tougher challenges, and nastier effects kick in. If a section becomes Saturated, it seriously lowers your effectiveness when dealing with that Campaign section. In addition, that sections’ specific penalty applies (like in the Battle of Britain, where the Land die at 5+ blocks any chance of rerolls.) Ignore any section too long, and the pressure snowballs across turns.
There is also the chance of a Campaign Collapse which happens if any two of those dice ever hit 6 at the same time (Air + Land, Sea + Air, whatever), the whole campaign falls apart and you lose immediately. No VP tally…it’s game over. It’s a tipping point where one front collapses and drags everything down with it.
Grant: What is the dynamic mission system? How does it work?
Martin: Missions are the central heartbeat of Fliegerkorps, popping up fresh each turn right in the Mission Phase. Each Mission has a die as a timer that you tick down by -1 each turn and meaning no mission lasts forever, and can expire if not completed in time. This does really well to reflect history by adding a sense of urgency to each mission.
Usually Missions are generated by rolling a 1D6 on the Standard Mission table for routine ops like fighter sweeps or convoy strikes and deploy enemy cubes in the section. However, if you land on a green spot on the Timeline? You Skip the roll and generate a Campaign Mission with bigger risks, but juicier rewards. Campaign Missions are unique, historical operations like the London Blitz or the Encirclement of Kiev.
Grant: What choices does the player have for building their Fliegerkorps?
Martin: I absolutaly wanted to include some sort of customization or army building mechanic in the game to allow players to build their own Fliegerkorps using a tight 25 Victory Point (VP) budget.
Before each game you start by choosing a Commander card and pay its VP cost. Commanders simply provide a single, but powerful, special ability. An aggressive option like Richthofen boosts offensive output, while others may reward efficiency or control. Always choose one that matches your style.
Next, choose exactly four Aircraft cards, keeping in mind theater and year restrictions. A mix of fighters, bombers and some Recon aircraft is usually best.
If you have unspent VP, you can always buy extra black Fuel cubes or white Iron Cross cubes (for clutch rerolls.) In Campaign-mode, after each Campaign, you get a chance to further upgrade your Fliegerkorps by buying upgrade cards, or exchanging aircraft cards as new aircraft become available in later campaigns.
Grant: What does an aircraft card look like?
Martin: Aircraft cards are the real stars of Fliegerkorps, they include fighter, dive-bomber, recon, bomber, or even heavy fighter wings, with 2-4 grey cubes each to track the strength of the squadrons that make them up. I honestly think one of my best design decisions for the game was to have an airfield diaroma on the top half of each of the aircraft cards which is further divided into the Operational Row for launch-ready aircraft cubes and the Refit Row, just below, for beat-up aircraft nursing wounds, maintenance and parts.
Each card also has attack ratings vs. Air, Land, or Sea, plus a special ability that will help you during the Campaign. In addition, each card also lists if it’s a Large or Small aircraft type (which affects some actions, the reasoning behind this is that bombers are much more “hangar queens” than small fighters.) Finally, all cards have a VP cost to buy them in your 25 VP build, a year availability and sometimes icons for Recon.
Grant: What is the ultimate player goal for the game?
Martin: The goal is all about how well you balanced your aircraft sorties to complete as many important missions as possible before time runs out. At the end of an intense 12-turn campaign it really boils down to pushing aggressive launches and attack tempo, against refit, recovery and the logistical limitations of WWII Germany. At the end of the game, you tally up those hard-earned VP’s from mission completions and lowering Campaign dice enough and check them against the Victory threshold table on your game sheet.
Grant: What is the layout of the Game Sheet?
Martin: The Game Sheet in Fliegerkorps is laid out so everything’s visible at a glance. I always try to make it as easy as possible for solo play without over-complicated charts or even flipping pages. The top left has the Timeline with 12 slots or turns. Green spots on the Timeline for triggering those rare high-stakes Campaign Missions and with the VP thresholds just above the Timeline.
The center is dominated by the three Campaign Sections (Air: red fighters, Land: green AA/ground, Sea: blue convoys and naval forces) while the top right lays out the Standard Mission and the Campaign mission tables. Finally, the Bottom right has the all-important Action Boxes.
Grant: How are Action Cubes used by the player?
Martin: In the Luftwaffe Phase each turn, you grab four Action Cubes (think of them as your command orders), and allocate them one by one into any empty slot inside any of the Action Boxes at the bottom-right of the game sheet. Slots are limited on certain actions and some slots cost more Fuel or gives less options than others. For example, the Logistic action allows you to pick three options such as recover a loss aircraft or gain fuel. However, using the same action a second time limits you to picking only two options. I felt that adding diminishing returns for repeated use of the same action would help prevent players from spamming certain actions.
Grant: How is the number of Action Cubes available determined each round?
Martin: Action Cubes are fixed at four Action Cubes every Luftwaffe Phase. Campaign effects, Commander abilities or upgrade cards can sometimes alter the available actions in a turn, but for the most part you will always be given four Action Cubes per turn.
Grant: What different orders does the player have access to? How do they affect the game?
Martin: Orders, or Actions, are where the player get’s a chance to react to the evolving Campaign. Some actions require Fuel and each action resolves immediately once placed. The available actions are:
Launch/Attack: Launch aircraft from the Operational Row of one Aircraft card to target a Campaign Section. Successful rolls remove enemy cubes, which may be placed on Mission objectives if possible. After resolving the attack, those squadrons move to the Refit Row.
Recon: Use Recon-capable aircraft to gain Recon points, which can be spent to re-roll dice, ignore Saturation, gain an extra action, or adjust missions and events.
Refit: Moves squadrons from the Refit Row back to Operational status. Larger aircraft recover more slowly than smaller fighters.
Martin: At the end of the 12-turn campaign in Fliegerkorps, you simply total your VPs from completed Missions and any Campaign Die bonuses earned for keeping pressure under control. You then compare that total to the Victory threshold. Each campaign has its own required totals. The difference between Victory and Brilliant Victory is simply a matter of having a few extra VP’s to upgrade your Fliegerkorps at the end of the campaign (not to mention bragging rights)
In Campaign Mode (or Linked-Campaigns), any VP earned carries forward and can be spent on upgrades for your Fliegerkorps, such as additional Fuel or Iron crosses as starting resources, upgrade cards or exchanging aircraft cards .
Grant: What are the loss conditions?
Martin: You lose in one of two ways…First, if at the end of the 12-turn campaign your total VPs fall below the required threshold of Victory listed on the Game Sheet. For example, in the Battle of Britain you need at least 11 VP to achieve Victory. Anything below that is a loss.
Second, you lose immediately if a Campaign Collapse occurs. This happens if any two Campaign Dice reach 6 at the same time. For example, the Air and Land Campaign sections both maxing out. When that tipping point is reached, the campaign ends instantly. This reflects the idea that sustained pressure across multiple fronts can overwhelm theoverall campaign of yourFliegerkorps. Ignore one theater too long, and the consequences will cascade quickly.
Grant: What type of experience does the game create for the player?
Martin: I’ve always enjoyed fast-playing management-style games where you’re juggling resources and trying to prevent systems from spiraling out of control. That feeling was something I really wanted to reflect with Fliegerkorps. At its core, the game is a compact operational simulation themed around running a WWII Luftwaffe air corps. Each playthrough runs about 30 to 40 minutes. I also added options for different force builds and campaign theaters to try and create strong replay value.
Grant: What other topics are you planning to create games for in the future?
Martin: Firstly, some big news… Catastrophe Games will soon be launching a boxed edition of my game, Campaign: Bagration on Kickstarter. It’s the direct sequel to Campaign: Fall Blau, but this time you’re on the Soviet side in 1944.
I’ve also begun designing a new game called Shock & Awe, centered on the 1991 Coalition air campaign against Iraq’s integrated air defense network. I’ve also been exploring something completely different, a fast, arcade-style air combat experience centered on piloting a single Cold War-era fighter such as an F-15, MiG-29, or F-16. It’s still in the conceptual stage but the idea will evolve.
Beyond that…my solo print-and-play pipeline always remains active where I’m planning to continue my epic WWII Roll & Write series, focusing next on a North African campaign or possibly D-Day. Smaller games like this allow me to finish them relatively quickly while keeping the designs accessible and portable. I may also put out a voting poll to backers soon to help shape ideas for a future project. There are simply so many wars and time periods still worth exploring, and to me, community input is always valuable. As you can probably tell, I have far more game ideas than time to fully develop them all!
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