Do the Right Thing. That is something that we all want to say that we do. But talk is cheap. Sometimes when push comes to shove we just don’t follow through with that ideal and miss the mark. Well, it is always a pleasure to say that I have seen this mantra of “Do the Right Thing” in action over the past several months as GMT Games has responded with their reaction to not only the global pandemic but in the way they respond to mistakes. First we witnessed their immense generosity with their pandemic game giveaway and we know that they gave away north of 1,400 games. I am no mathematician but at roughly $60 a game, that comes to around $84,000 in lost sales (now I know that the games don’t necessarily cost $60 each but you know what I am trying to say)! Wow. What a statement! And now they are responding to turmoil about errata!

Errata has been the subject of much discussion this past month or so after GMT released some of their bigger and most anticipated games of the year in Imperial Struggle, Versailles 1919 and now more recently All Bridges Burning. And wouldn’t you know it that those games had a considerable amount of errata, not only in the rulebooks but with components including counters, cards and the boards themselves. But, rather than waiting to fix those errors in the game’s 2nd Printings, Gene has decided that he wants to make it right and provide us with the appropriate components.

From the Monthly Update, here is the portion that addresses their plan:

Multi-Game Update Kit Coming Later This Year. Like most of you, I don’t love game errata, but over many years, I have learned that “errata happens” despite the best efforts of many smart, passionate, detail-oriented people involved in the final development and production of games. As you know, over the years, most of our game errata has involved rules or player aids, which we have addressed with Living Rules you can download and update kits when we do new versions of games.

Over the past four months since we were allowed to re-open, we’ve released fifteen products that we are very proud of. We think these are some of the best games we’ve ever created, and a few of them have potential to be long-term best-sellers for us. Unfortunately, three of those games (Imperial Struggle, Versailles 1919, and All Bridges Burning) include some minor component errata—my LEAST favorite kind—on a handful of cards in each game, a couple of map locations in two of the games, and two counters.

Now in terms of gameplay, none of this errata is a game-stopper. But it’s annoying, and while many gamers find it easy to write a note in their rulebook or download living rules, that’s a different and less pleasing proposition when the mistake is on a card, counter, or map.

So we are creating a Multi-Game Update Kit to get you corrected components for these games. Please accept my apologies for the errors, but know that we have your back and will get you corrected components as soon as we can get them to and back from the printers (it’s busy season for printers, so the process could take a few months).

Here are the details:

Multi-Game Update Kit composition
 
Playing Cards:

Imperial Struggle       8 cards

Versailles 1919          7 cards

All Bridges Burning    4 cards

Map patches:

Imperial Struggle       2

All Bridges Burning    2

Imperial Struggle Counters    2

Imperial Struggle Player Aid Cards

Two (identical) Main Player Aid cards

One War of the Spanish Succession / Seven Years’ War Display

One War of the Austrian Succession / American War of Independence Display

Pricing: Free item – no charge for the Update Kit Itself

Availability: We’re aiming to have these by the end of 2020, assuming no snags in the printing or shipping to us process.

Shipping and costs:

Shipped automatically (you don’t need to contact us) and FREE to anyone who purchased one or more of these games through our P500 program. Wherever possible it will be shipped with P500 or other orders.

Shipped upon request to non-P500 purchasers requesting a copy. Please contact our office folks to let them know you want a copy. Cost is $5 for US shipping and $10 for non-US shipping.

Shipped upon request to any retailer or distributor requesting copies—to be shipped as part of a regular order.

Impressive to say the least. And I know that many of you will be very happy about this news so enjoy the fact that your games will be made whole without having to purchase a 2nd Printing copy and that you have witnessed something truly great; admitting the mistake and then immediately addressing it. If this doesn’t reinforce the fact that GMT is the best publisher out there I am not sure what will in your eyes!

One final news tidbit before we get the meat of the update. There will be no Fall Sale this year. With all that has transpired this year, and the fact that there still are many new games shipping over the next few months, Gene has made the decision to forego the sale this year. The good news for you is you don’t have to spend that money now to save money!

In case you missed the Monthly Update email, here is a link: https://mailchi.mp/8440ee552cb5/september-24-update-from-gmt-new-p500s-teaching-videos-production-update-tts-modules-more

New P500’s

There was a new P500 added this month and it sure is one that excites me. Tanto Monta, which is a prequel of sorts to Here I Stand. There also were several reprints added as well including one that is not very old but which has already sold out. Onto the new games!

Tanto Monta: The Rise of Ferdinand and Isabella

We have played Here I Stand a few times, with our most recent play being a 4 player game last fall, and it is just special. The card driven mechanic simply makes the game and it really is a bit of a sandbox as you can win in various and sundry ways. Now comes a prequel to Here I Stand that takes place between 1470 and 1516.

From the game page, we read the following:

Tanto Monta: The Rise of Ferdinand and Isabella covers the period from 1470 to 1516, the height of the Age of Discovery and the years leading immediately into the period covered by Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation, 1517-1555. The game opens with Isabella’s disputed ascension to the throne of Castile, a position contested by a Portuguese-backed faction supporting Joanna La Beltraneja. Ferdinand’s possessions are similarly threatened by Aragon’s ongoing civil war against forces from the Principality of Catalonia, a faction often supported by France. How can these young Catholic Monarchs possibly deal with both these crises while still pursuing their agendas to unite their two kingdoms into a single Spanish realm, subjugate the Canary Islands, and finish the reconquest of Granada?  

The game pits four different powers against each other including Spain, Portugal, the various Muslim Kingdoms and France. From the game page we read the following:

The game retains many of the game systems from Here I Stand and Virgin Queen, as turns start with each player being dealt a hand of cards from the shared deck to supplement their Home Cards, which provide unique actions for each major and secondary power. After diplomatic negotiations and spring preparations have concluded, players play these cards as events or operations to conduct military, political, or exploration actions to maximize their victory point gains. At the end of each turn, armies winter, royal marriages take place, and—unless there is a winner—the game resets in preparation for the start of the next turn.  

Never fear. The game isn’t totally the same as there are various new features that have been included to create a new experience.

Tanto Monta introduces several innovations to the game series. The land combat system is enriched with the addition of explicit siege artillery units and cavalry units for all major powers, which can try to turn the tide in battle by making a dedicated cavalry charge. The spring phase is also extended to include play of Headline Events, chances to use a powerful hand to score bonus VP and sneak in an extra event card play before the turn is fully underway. Finally, the enhanced Exploration Map systems depict the arrival of Vasco Da Gama in India and Christopher Columbus in America and include explicit rolls to try and navigate into the Terra Incognita.

If you are interested in Tanto Monta: The Rise of Ferdinand and Isabella you can pre-order a copy for $60.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-884-tanto-monta-the-rise-of-ferdinand-and-isabella.aspx

Commands & Colors: Medieval 2nd Printing

As you know, we have really enjoyed playing through the different volumes of the Commands & Colors Series and recently posted a video ranking the 9 volumes we played. The most recent volume in the series was C&C: Medieval that came out in 2019. The game is innovative and adds some new elements to the tried and true system. We were not as high about it as when we heard Medieval we immediately turned our thoughts to Crusader Knights and the like and this game covers the transition from the Ancients period to the Middle Ages so you get Byzantines versus the Sassanid Persians. The game is what you would expect from the series using blocks to represent units and cards to activate them on the battlefield.

If you are interested in Commands & Colors: Medieval 2nd Printing you can pre-order a copy for $55.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-887-commands-colors-medieval-2nd-printing.aspx

Imperial Struggle 2nd Printing

We played Imperial Struggle a few months ago and the game is even better than it’s predecessor Twilight Struggle. Very different, but better. I didn’t think that was possible but it is. I still like TS a lot but this game fills a whole new niche and I have really enjoyed exploring it. Imperial Struggle deals with what historians refer to as the Second Hundred Year’s War and covers the period of 1697 through 1789 stretching over four different wars. The game uses cards and Investment Tiles to allow the player to take various actions that change their fortunes across the globe with diplomacy, economic growth, and if all else fails war. Players will score Victory Points from the domination of Regions, controlling various Markets and from victory on the field of battle. There are so many options and strategies available in this game that it makes for a very deep and lasting experience that only gets better with time and more plays.

I have written a series of Action Point posts on the game covering the various mechanics and elements. In Action Point 1, we covered the map focusing on the different Regions and Sub-Regions and the various spaces, boxes and lines located in each. In Action Point 2, we examined the very interesting limited action selection mechanic using the Investment Tiles and the Advantage Tiles that enhance them and what that means for the player and their efforts. In Action Point 3, we looked at the various Event Cards and Ministry Cards to get an idea for how these fit into the design. In Action Point 4, we looked at the Game Sequence, including the differences between Peace and War Turns, Action Rounds and the different actions available including Diplomatic, Military and Economic Actions.

If you are interested in Imperial Struggle 2nd Printing you can pre-order a copy for $59.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-888-imperial-struggle-2nd-printing.aspx

Unconditional Surrender! 3rd Printing

One of GMT’s best selling games covering World War II is now getting a 3rd Printing, which should tell you something about the system. Sal Vasta’s Unconditional Surrender! is a great game although I have only played one of the very small scenarios from C3i Magazine. If you remember recently, they announced a smaller version of the game that only focuses on Western Europe called Unconditional Surrender! Western Campaigns.

From the game page we read the following:

Unconditional Surrender! World War 2 in Europe is a strategic level game covering World War Two’s European Theater. Players control the political decisions and military forces of the Axis, Western, and Soviet factions that struggled for European dominance and survival.

With its emphasis on force projection and decision making, players focus on the big picture of managing military fronts and political opportunities. Through the use of simple mechanics and low on-map counter density, players easily handle the strategic action without a myriad of complicated subsystems or tall stacks of counters.

Though the focus is on the big picture, the game delivers historical detail. Each country in the game has an historical army level order of battle, and the relative strength of its economy and national will to fight are effectively and simply modeled. Also represented are such World War II events as airdrops, Free Forces, jets, naval evacuation, partisans, radar, heavy artillery, and ULTRA; all of which are woven into the game’s core mechanics for ease of play.

If you are interested in Unconditional Surrender! 3rd Printing you can pre-order a copy for $52.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-885-unconditional-surrender-3rd-printing.aspx

Charging & Shipping

The following information for Charging and Shipping was copied directly from the Update:

As we work through the logjam of great games sitting in our warehouse, we are shipping them in batches so as not to charge them all at once and cause problems for our customers. Currently we have seven items in our warehouse. We’ve already shipped Batch 1 and 2 in June and July. Here’s a look at the rest of our late summer/early Fall charging and shipping:

The 3rd P500 Batch – Charged August 5th. Shipped. It included 5 products:

1989, 2nd Printing 
Flying Colors, 3rd Printing 
Flying Colors Update Kit 
Storm Over Asia 
Versailles 1919 

September Batch – Charged Sept. 8th. Shipping Now. It includes two products: 

1960: The Making of the President, 2nd Edition 
All Bridges Burning 

October Batch – We plan to charge the following games on September 30th and ship them starting October 15th:

1918-1919: Storm in the West 
A Time for Trumpets 
Apocalypse Road 
Caesar: Rome vs Gaul 
Next War: Vietnam 
Normandy ’44 Mounted Map 

The one thing that comes to my mind when I think of all of this gaming goodness hitting the streets is an avalanche! We here at TPA will be covered up until May 2021 just with these games.

The last few months I sort of redeemed myself with the New P500’s on the Horizon segment as I had 3 out of 5 guesses correct in July and 3 out of 5 again in August. This month is not going to be as good for me but I think that I have three.

Here is a brief tease for P500 additions lining up in the coming months. Note that this is not a comprehensive list, so I will switch these up a bit from month to month. Over the coming 1-6 months, I anticipate that we will add:

A game focusing on the Battle of Britain – This one is Skies Above Britain which sees Gina Willis join Jerry White on the design. This is the third game in Jerry’s series of solitaire airwar games covering World War II including Skies Above the Reich and Storm Over the Reich

A game that will make Sekigahara fans rejoice! – I just can’t seem to find anything on this one so no guess.

A “Here come the Zombies”-type strategy game for cooperative play – this one is designed by Hermann Luttman and I am going to say it is called Beware the Shades!

A game set in Ancient Rome – I don’t know but am very interested for sure.

A new game for you Panzer Series fans (this one is a “gimme.”) 
“The mystical desert sands are mesmerizing even for the most battle-harden veteran. Poised in your turret, you glance at the barren landscape fondly recalling the lush, green fields of France. With only the whisper of the hot wind to keep you company, your mind drifts to that Bedouin proverb, ‘Only in complete silence, will you hear the desert.'” – My guess is Panzer: North Africa.

Conclusion and Summary of My P500 Orders/Tracking

As I always tend to end these posts, I will post a summary of where my P500 games stand as of September 28th. I routinely check the status of each of my games and also will show the change in orders as compared to the last time I wrote them down on August 28th.

  • Bayonets & Tomahawks – 991 [+0 orders, made the cut!] – I love a good game about the French & Indian War. Read my interview with designer Marc Rodrigue about B&T! Getting really close now. Going to the printer at the end of September so should be shipping in the next few months.
  • Plains Indian Wars – 519 [+2 orders, made the cut! thanks to a mystery donor] – A great game that looks at the inevitable wars between the expanding United States and the proud Native American tribes of the west. Read our interview on the game with John Poniske. We posted a few videos on this one to help push it on up toward the P500 goal. Review video and How to Play video. How far this one has come. After being announced as being in danger of being removed from the P500 if orders didn’t pick up an anonymous donor has bought the remaining +/- 100 copies to get this one printed. Yeah! It will be headed to art soon.
  • A Time for Trumpets: The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 – 1,163 [-21 orders, made the cut!] – I see that some got cold feet after hearing that it would be shipping soon. A monster wargame covering the Battle of the Bulge (5 maps and 1,600 counters). This design seems to take many familiar elements from other designs and adds some new shiny things to spice it up. I’m really interested to see the different colors used for the various formation/HQs as this one purports to include the entire rainbow. Congrats to Bruno on making the cut so quickly. Here is our interview with Bruno for your reading pleasure. Charging on September 30th and set to ship as of October 15th.
  • Flashpoint: South China Sea – 697 [+6 orders, made the cut!] – Another new entry in the Lunchtime series that was announced last year and for which the first entry is Fort Sumter. The South China Sea is a source of great concern for the West and this game looks at the struggle between China and the rest of the world over influence and control in this contested quadrant of the world. We were lucky enough to meet up with the designer Harold Buchanan at GenCon 2018 and got to play and shoot a video interview on the game. In the art department and shipping in approximately 5-9 months.
  • People Power: Insurgency in the Philippines, 1983-1986 – 871 [+10 orders, made the cut!] – Volume XI in the COIN Series, this game is another introductory level game set in the Marcos years in the Philippines. New additions, such as key personality cards and an Election Cycle, are sure to make this game a unique addition to the series. Here is our interview with designer Kenneth Tee. We also posted the first few cards in our series of Event Card spoilers for the game including #51 Aquino Dead, #31 The First Lady, #12 Another Beirut, #72 Rolly Kintanar, #9 Call for Unity, and #53 Alejo Santos to give you some more historical and game play background into the design. Nearing art department readiness. Developer Jason Carr gives an update on InsideGMT as they have revised the design. I might need to reach back out to Ken to discuss again in an interview.
  • Atlantic Chase – 1,165 [+29 orders, made the cut!] – Simulates the naval campaigns fought in the North Atlantic between the surface fleets of the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine between 1939 and 1942. It utilizes a system of trajectories to model the fog of war that bedeviled the commands during this period. This leads to my affectionate nickname for the game “Ticket to Ride: North Atlantic” as you will see lines of ships on the map much like the lines of trains in that game. Alexander posted an interview with Jerry White last year that you should read. Great looking game! At the printer with no shipping date yet. Here is a look at the final cover:
  • Expansion or Extinction: A Triumph & Tragedy Series Game – 635 [+3 orders, made the cut!] – If you liked Triumph & Tragedy, you will like this game…only it is in space! We were fortunate enough to play a game at WBC 2018 with the designer Stuart Pierce and also shot this video interview with him. We also posted a written interview with him on our blog in February 2019 which was really good. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Commands and Colors: Samurai Battles – 1,289 [+23 orders, made the cut!] – A reprint of a former game that looks amazing as I love any type of game focused on feudal Japan. We have been playing lots of C&C Napoleonics and Ancients recently and are really anticipating this title. In final art and next to get a print slot. Going to the printer at the end of September so should be shipping in the next few months.. Here is a look at the final cover:
  • Storm Above the Reich – 750 [-5 orders, made the cut!] – A follow up effort to the wildly successful Skies Above the Reich. A solo game focused on depicting a Luftwaffe squadron of Fw190s struggling to deter and destroy the relentless daylight raids over Germany during World War II. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Dominant Species: Marine – 1,432 [+50 orders, made the cut!] – If you like Dominant Species, and I sure do, you are bound to love this take on the genre as marine life fights it out beneath the primordial waves! At the printer with no shipping date yet. Here is a look at the final components:
  • Next War: Vietnam – 1,011 [+29 orders, made the cut!] – The fifth game in the Next War Series this game returns the action to Asia and the powderkeg surrounding the South China Sea. This time the Chinese don’t intend a limited, punitive expedition; they intend to squash the burgeoning threat from their southern border once and for all and prove, through force of arms, that the South China Sea is theirs. I can’t wait to slug it out in and above the jungles of Vietnam! Per the update, this will charge on September 30th and start shipping by October 15th.
  • Rebel Fury: Five Battles from the Campaigns of Chancellorsville and Chickamauga – 808 [+3 orders, made the cut!] – We really enjoyed Mark Herman’s Gettysburg game found in C3i Magazine #32 and when I heard about Rebel Fury, I jumped on it immediately. Low complexity system with some really great elements to simulate fighting in the American Civil War. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Clash of Sovereigns: The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740-48 – 623 [+16 orders, made the cut!] – As I have said we love CDG’s and this one is on a different subject than we are used to. Very intrigued by this one and have added it to my P500 for now. Need more info though. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Caesar: Rome VS Gaul, Gallic Wars 57-52 BC – 1,039 [+57 orders, made the cut!] – Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul is a fast-playing, easy-to-learn, two-player card-driven game on Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. One player plays Caesar as he attempts to gain wealth and fame in Gallia at the expense of the Gauls. The other player controls all the independent tribes of Gaul as they slowly awake to the peril of Roman conquest. This one looks great! This game appeared on my Most Anticipated Wargames of 2020 list at #4 along with several other games on this post. Per the update, this will charge on September 30th and start shipping by October 15th.
  • Banish the Snakes – 628 [+11 orders, made the cut!] – A cooperative game that simulates Ireland in the 5th century, while the Roman Empire was collapsing in the west and Ireland was turning to the Christian religion. Players represent Saints Patrick and others (up to six of you) who set out to convert the pagans on the island. You must work as a team to convert the people of Ireland before the barbarians completely overwhelm Britain. We love good and interesting cooperative games. We published an interview with designer Kevin McPartland a few months ago.
  • No Retreat! Battles: 1942 – 442 [+11 orders] – A game that looks at battles for an individual year during World War II. Game offers solitaire rules for a few of the included battles, of which there are 5 in this edition. We posted an interview with the designer Carl Paradis a few months ago.
  • COIN Series Volume XII China’s War: 1937-1941 – 1,235 [+28 orders, made the cut!] – Brian Train is back on the COIN wagon as he specializes in counterinsurgency. Love his other two games in the COIN Series (A Distant Plain and Colonial Twilight) and look forward to this one as I have always had a great interest in this part of World War II. We posted an interview with Brian Train late last year. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Fall of Saigon – 1,603 [+23 orders, made the cut!] – We love Fire in the Lake and this expansion delves into the period of the Vietnam War from 1972-1975 and really boils down to a play game with the US and VC involved but their role is minimized. We played the game at WBC and posted the following video with Mark Herman and Dan Pancaldi from No Enemies Here. We have also posted a written interview with co-designer Volko Ruhnke. In the art department and shipping in 5-9 months. We are working on a series of 12 Event Card spoilers for the game with the development team that will be posting on the blog over the next few months. Here are links to the first few in the series – #S11 Le Duan, #S2 War Powers Act, #S14 Four No’s, #S22 Resolution 21 and #S20 Delta Drought, #S42 “The War Has Begun Again”, #S33 Main Battle Tanks and #S74 Coup! Nixon Resigns,
  • The Last Hundred Yards Volume 2: Airborne Over Europe – 810 [+54 orders, made the cut!] – a follow up to the hit The Last Hundred Yards focused on airborne troops. You can’t go wrong with that. We posted an interview with designer Mike Denson a few months ago. At the printer with no shipping date assigned yet.
  • Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East – 615 [+8 orders, made the cut!] – if you like a bit of chaos and some randomness in your lite civilization building games, then this series will be right up your alley. We have posted an interview with designers Mark McLaughlin and Christopher Vorder Bruegge. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Conquest & Consequence – 692 [+12 orders, made the cut!] – The Pacific Theater of World War II using the Triumph & Tragedy system. We love block wargames and this one is going to be good. We recently published an interview with designer Craig Besinque. Nearing art department readiness.
  • SpaceCorp: Ventures – 1,377 [+36 orders, made the cut!] – We really enjoyed the space exploration in SpaceCorp and this expansion will add unique enterprises via fourteen HQ mats, each putting a player in control of a different corporation, agency, or institution with its own capabilities and missions. I reached out to the designer John Butterfield for an interview and hope to have that in a few months. In final art and next to get a print slot. Shipping in 4-6 months.
  • The Weimar Republic – 1,067 [+22 orders, made the cut!] – we love CDGs and this one looks really interesting. The game focuses on the political struggle in interwar Germany. Four factions compete for dominance: the democratic Coalition, the Soviet-backed Communist Party, Hitler’s National Socialists, and the far-right Radical Conservatives. We posted an interview with the designer Gunnar Holmbäck a few months ago. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Red Flag Over Paris – 581 [+13 orders, made the cut!] – a game similar in style and mechanics to Fort Sumter but that deals with the Parisian revolutionaries taking control of the French Capital, leading to the beginning of the Paris Commune, a socialist and popular government that would rule the City of Light from March 18 to May 28, 1871. The tension escalates between the Commune and Versailles until the tragic events of the Bloody Week. We posted an interview with the designer Fred Serval last year. We also started a new series of event card spoilers called History Behind the Cars with the first entry being #1 Victor Hugo followed by #2 Les Cantinières, #3 Les Amis de l’Ordre,#4 Georges Clémenceau, #5 Otto Von Bismarck and #6 Louise Michel.
  • Congress of Vienna – 804 [+37 orders, made the cut!] – a diplomatic Strategy CDG for one to four players which is based on Churchill but that deals with the Napoleonic Wars and their end between 1813-1814. We posted an interview with designer Frank Esparrago last month. Here is a look at the most recent playtest map:
  • Into the Woods: The Battle of Shiloh – 968 [+19 orders, made the cut!] – The eighth installment of the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) series, which is an amazing accomplishment in this day of new systems and new games grabbing most of the attention. This one is a big game as it does include 1,120 counters and two huge 22″ x 34″ double sided maps along with 10 scenarios. I will be reaching out to the designer for an interview but hope that the developer Bill Byrne is involved as he did an interview with me covering Death Valley. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Tank Duel Expansion #1: North Africa – 773 [+24 orders, made the cut!] – Tank Duel moves to the North African desert with new terrain and desert rules and allows you to take on the role of the Germans, using their Panzer III’s and IV’s or the British in their Churchill’s, Valentine’s, Matilda’s and Crusader’s. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Tank Duel Tank Pack #1 – 769 [+13 orders, made the cut!] – 8 new tanks added to the Tank Duel system including KV-1’s, T-26, M3 Lee’s and Puma’s. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Almoravid – 775 [+30 orders, made the cut!] – Volume II in the Levy & Campaign Series that focuses on 11th century Spain and the battle between the Moors and Christians. We posted an interview with designer Volko Ruhnke a few months ago. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Twilight Struggle: Red Sea – Conflict in the Horn of Africa – 1,369 [+42 orders, made the cut!] – follow up to Twilight Struggle but this time focused in East Africa, the Arabian Gulf, and the vital sea lanes stretching between them. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Pacific War – 1,994 [+68 orders, made the cut!] – Pacific War is a strategic wargame that takes you from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the climatic summer of 1945… from Australia to China… from Burma to Hawaii… from the defense of Wake Island through the invasion of Guadalcanal culminating in the desperate battles to defend the Japanese Home Islands. A super sized deluxe remake of the classic game from 1985. Nearing art department readiness.
  • Border Reivers – 584 [+52 orders, made the cut!] – made by the designer of Here I Stand and Virgin Queen, this CDG is a bit different as it uses meeples. Each player rules over one of the Marches as leader of one of the six major riding families of the border: Grey, Fenwick, Dacre, Maxwell, Kerr, or Hume. Your goal is to increase the wealth and fame of your clan throughout the reigns of Henry and Elizabeth to end the century as the most famous Border Reiver of all time. Players gain VP’s from successful combats, amassing large herds of livestock, and by elevating their Notoriety above the other players in the regions of the map.
  • Salerno ’43 – 1,133 [+102 orders, made the cut!] – the next operational World War II game from Mark Simonitch begins a new three game series that covers the Allied invasion of Italy.
  • Drop Zone: Southern France – 168 [+10 orders] – Dan Fournie takes us into a block wargame focused on airborne operations in France after D-Day. We will be reaching out to him soon for an interview.
  • The Last Hundred Yards Volume 3: The Solomon Islands – 405 [+69 orders] – the 3rd volume in this amazing tactical series that focuses on the Solomon Islands.
  • Unconditional Surrender: Western Campaigns – 399 [+49 orders] – this game is kind of a light introductory version of the Unconditional Surrender system that focuses on the Western Front of World War II.
  • Tanto Monta: The Rise of Ferdinand and Isabella

I also wanted to include at the end of this post our reviews/interviews/unboxing videos of recent GMT games that we have played and enjoyed:

Imperial Struggle: The Global Rivalry – Britain and France 1697-1789 – Action Point 2

Imperial Struggle: The Global Rivalry – Britain and France 1697-1789 – Action Point 3

Imperial Struggle: The Global Rivalry – Britain and France 1697-1789 – Action Point 4

Fall of Saigon: A Fire in the Lake Expansion – Event Card Spoilers with Co-Developers Jason Carr and Stephen Rangazas – #S42 “The War Has Begun Again”

Fall of Saigon: A Fire in the Lake Expansion – Event Card Spoilers with Co-Developers Jason Carr and Stephen Rangazas – #S33 Main Battle Tanks

Fall of Saigon: A Fire in the Lake Expansion – Event Card Spoilers with Co-Developers Jason Carr and Stephen Rangazas – #S74 Coup! Nixon Resigns

Men of Iron Series – Variant Chit-Pull System Guest Post from Francisco Gradaille

Unboxing Video: Unhappy King Charles

Unboxing Video: 1989: Dawn of Freedom

Space Empires 4X 3″ Box – Should It have been 4″? – a pretty silly little video where I try to squeeze the base game and both expansions into the box.

Finally, a big thank you goes out to Gene and GMT Games for the support that they give us content creators as they continue to share our stuff, posting it to their website and sharing on Twitter and Facebook. It is also very good to see so many new creators covering GMT’s games. There are some really talented people out there and we love how this pushes us to evaluate our content and consider upgrades and improvements.

-Grant