We are Sparta...
More than a line from a movie, The Spartan Army is the sixth expansion for the Commands & Colors: Ancients game system.

The Spartan Army expansion features over 20 scenarios, which focus on a period of time from 669 BC to 338 BC. In the early battles of Sparta against Argive, we see the development of Hoplite armies. We then move onto the war with the Persian Empire and take a closer look at the battle of Thermopylae, 480 BC. During the Peloponnesian Wars, Sparta takes a leader position among the Peloponnesian states, which would last for almost two centuries. Finally there is a shift in power away from Sparta during the battles of the Theban Era and the rise of Macedon.

The Spartan Army expansion also provides all the blocks and stickers needed to field a Spartan Army and its allies to oppose the armies from Commands & Colors: Ancients - Expansion #1 - Greek vs Eastern Kingdoms. As well as one sheet of 15 new double sided Terrain Tiles.

Rules-wise, if you are familiar with Commands & Colors: Ancients, you'll have no trouble at all learning the special rules for Hoplite infantry, for the basic game mechanics remain unchanged. Battle dice still resolve combat quickly and the Command cards provide an element of luck that creates a fog of war and presents players with both challenges and opportunities for victory.

As with all Commands & Colors: Ancients expansions to date, the tactics you will need to execute with thees Hoplite armies will conform remarkably well to the advantages and limitations inherent to these historical units, their weapons, the terrain and history.

A special thanks goes out to Pat Kurivial, Miguel Marqués, Dan Fournie and all at GMT for their efforts and enthusiasm to bring forth another outstanding expansion for Commands & Colors: Ancients. Welcome once again to the fun... Enjoy!

Contents:
* Rule/Scenario Booklet that features 26 historical scenarios
* 1 Reference Card
* 228 Blocks
* Block Label sheets
* 2 Terrain Tile Sheets: each contains 15 double-sided Terrain Tiles

Game Design: Richard Borg

D-Day and the battle for Normandy, June 6 to August 21

On 6 June 1944, the western Allies landed in Normandy, and after bloody fighting, gained a lodgement in Nazi-occupied France. Caught off-guard and crippled by both Allied air superiority and Hitler's interference, the Germans under Field Marshal Rommel nevertheless put up a ferocious defense that threatened to turn the hedgerows of Normandy into a WWI stalemate. Only after three bloody months did the Allies shatter the German defenses, breaking out to overrun France, Belgium, and parts of Holland. Yet, despite horrible losses, enough Germans escaped the “Pocket at Falaise” to halt the Allies at the German border. The dark summer of 1944 would be followed by an even darker winter.

The Dark Summer: Normandy 1944 is the latest in Ted S. Raicer's WWII operational series that began with The Dark Valley: The East Front Campaign 1941-45. The game uses a chit-pull activation system that determines both the order and type of each sides' actions during the game's ten action-packed turns, covering June 6 to August 21, 1944.

The availability of Action Round chits (for the Germans, and separately for the British and US forces) is itself determined by the draw of Weather chits, one per turn, which reflect the importance of weather on the effectiveness of Allied air superiority and Allied shipping across the Channel. Weather also determines the number of German Reaction markers, which allow limited response to Allied actions. The “Dark” chit pull system makes The Dark Summer an excellent game for solo play, while keeping both players involved in face-to-face play.

The single map extends from just south of Cherbourg (itself covered by a Cherbourg Box) southwest to Avranches and southeast to Alencon, allowing players to recreate the entire campaign from D-Day to the closing of the Falaise gap in late August. Units are mostly regiment/brigades, with a few battalions, but German mechanized forces are presented as operational kampfgruppen.

Victory is determined by the Allies capturing Cherbourg, exiting units to Brittany and Paris, and preventing the exiting of German units, but the Allies win a sudden death victory if they capture all the cities on the map before Turn 10 and the Germans win a sudden death victory by closing down any three Allied Beaches, two of which must be contiguous. The unknown activation sequence means the Allies cannot take the safety of their landing beaches for granted in June!

The Dark Summer: Normandy 1944 is a game of moderate complexity, but nevertheless covers all the most important elements of the campaign. There are rules for the D-Day Landings, untried German strong-points and Ost battalions, Allied tac-air and carpet bombing, Allied artillery superiority, German nebelwerfer and flak guns, Allied naval support, the conquest of Cherbourg, exiting and re-entering the map, and variable entry and possible delay of both side's reinforcements.

A game on an epic campaign that is playable in a single day's gaming and with a small footprint that will allow it to be left set-up for solo study, The Dark Summer: Normandy 1944 is a must-have for fans of WWII operational games, the “Dark” system, or students of the campaign for northwest Europe.

COMPONENTS:
* 1 22” by 34” large-hex map
* 384 9/16” counters
* 1 Rulebook
* 1 Playbook
* 3 Player-Aids Cards
* 1 six-sided die

Game Scale and Scope:
Units: Regiments/Brigades
Time: ¼ Month per Turn
Map: 2.3 miles per hex
Players 1-2

DESIGNER: Ted S. Raicer
DEVELOPER: Ivan Blair
MAP and COUNTER ART: Charles Kibler and Chad Jensen
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Tony Curtis
PRODUCERS: Andy Lewis, Tony Curtis, Mark Simonitch, Rodger MacGowan, & Gene Billingsley

Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah is the seventh installment of the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) series, published by GMT Games. Eight full battles are included.

Three Battles of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862
In a campaign still studied in military academies, Confederate General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson engaged and defeated the Union forces pursuing him. Greatly outnumbered and at times facing three Union armies, Jackson defeated them all within ten weeks, at one point completely freeing the Shenandoah Valley of Union forces. Three battles from Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign are featured.

Kernstown, March 23, 1862
In the spring of 1862 Union General Nathanial Banks moved his 38,000 man V Corps into the Shenandoah Valley in conjunction with McClellan’s advance on Richmond. There was no resistance from the 3000 Confederates under General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson, a hero of Bull Run, then in his first independent command. Confident that all was secure in the Valley, but concerned for the safety of the capital, Washington began to transfer the V Corps troops to defend the city, leaving the 7000 men of General James Shields’ division to block the lower Valley. But Jackson was ordered to keep the Union troops in the Valley from joining forces with those threatening Richmond. After receiving reports that only a rear guard remained south of Winchester, he attacked. The battle was the first of Jackson’s Valley Campaign.

Winchester, May 25, 1862
After Kernstown General Banks led a newly reinforced and newly named army of the Department of the Shenandoah in pursuit of Jackson. After a series of Confederate maneuvers Banks lost contact with Jackson’s army. During that time Jackson defeated a Union force threatening his left flank at McDowell and joined forces with the two Confederate brigades defending the mountain passes there. Jackson then turned on Banks. Uniting with another Confederate division under General Richard Ewell, Jackson outflanked Banks at Front Royal and threatened to cut his supply line, starting a race for Winchester. Banks reached the town first and set up a defense south of the town. He had to buy time for the Union supply train to escape.

Cross Keys and Port Republic, June 8-9, 1862
Following Winchester, Washington sent two Union forces to trap the Confederates in the lower Valley. Two divisions from the Mountain Department under General John Fremont advanced from what is now West Virginia, and one division under General James Shields from the Department of the Rappahannock moved into the Valley from the east. A rain-swollen Shenandoah River separated the Union forces. Jackson engaged both on successive days to end the Valley Campaign.

Five Battles of the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864

New Market, May 15, 1864
Early in 1864, Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant devised a plan to attack the Confederacy on multiple fronts simultaneously. As part of that plan Major General Franz Sigel was to lead 9000 men up the Shenandoah Valley to cut the Virginia Central Railroad at Staunton and deprive Robert E. Lee of the Valley's rich resources. Opposing the Union move in the Valley was Major General John C. Breckinridge. The Confederates were able to scrape together 7500 men by including county reservists and the cadets from Virginia Military Institute. Lee could space no reinforcements. After the lead Union forces occupied New Market, Breckinridge attacked.

2nd Kernstown, July 24, 1864
Grant dispatched elements of three Union Corps led by General Horatio Wright, to pursue Confederate General Jubal Early in his retreat from the raid on Washington. After a victory by the Union cavalry at Rutherford’s Farm and Early’s continued retreat up the Valley, General Wright was convinced that Early was withdrawing to join the defense of Richmond. Both the Union VI Corps and XIX Corps were withdrawn, leaving General George Crook’s 13,000 strong Army of West Virginia to defend the lower Valley. Tasked with tying up as many Union troops as possible, Early turned to attack upon learning that he faced only one Union corps.

3rd Winchester, September 19, 1864
Grant consolidated command over the Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley under General Phillip Sheridan. Even though Sheridan commanded a superior force, he remained on the defensive, behavior Early mistook for timidity. When Early undertook a raid against the B&O Railroad, stringing out his four divisions from Winchester to Martinsburg, Sheridan moved to cut off the entire Confederate army at Winchester, initiating the largest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley.

Fisher's Hill, September 22, 1864
Sheridan defeated the Confederates at the 3rd Winchester, but he was unable to destroy the army. Early retreated 20 miles up the Shenandoah Valley to Fisher's Hill, near Strasburg, a position that the Confederates had strongly fortified during their occupation of the area in the summer of 1864; however, that summer the Confederates had more troops to man the works and also had reinforcements on the way. Early wrote that it was the only place in the Valley to make a stand. Sheridan saw that a frontal attack was not practical, but was determined to finish what he started at Winchester and push the Confederates out of the valley.

Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864
After defeating Early at Winchester and Fisher’s Hill, Sheridan was convinced the Confederates were no longer capable of offensive operations and withdrew the Union army into camps along Cedar Creek. Early, reinforced with a division under General Joseph Kershaw, tentatively pursued. After studying the Union positions, a plan was devised for a surprise attack on the exposed Union left flank. Outnumbered by 3 to 1, the Confederates launched what initially looked to be one of the most successful attacks of the war.

The Great Battles of the American Civil War Series:
This series is one of the hobby’s longest-lived design concepts, springing from the legendary regimental level Gettysburg game – Terrible Swift Sword (SPI) – designed by Richard Berg in 1976. Under GMT, the rules system has remained stable, but has shown remarkable flexibility to allow each game to smoothly incorporate additional rules to reflect the historical battles. The series relies on interactive chit-pull mechanics to simulate the oftentimes-chaotic nature of the 19th Century battlefield at the regimental level.

Changes have been made to the series rules for Death Valley in order to enhance their clarity and simulation value. Veteran players will find the revised rules to be very familiar, with the main differences being in the user-friendliness of the rulebook, as well as how the game "feels", especially for players versed in Civil War tactics.

The Game:
Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah contains eight battle games with multiple scenarios. They range from division level contests on half sized maps to two map battles between armies. Experienced players will be able to play many of the scenarios in one sitting. The rules compare the development of the cavalry, and the changes in infantry and artillery organization and tactics in 1862 and 1864.

Components:
* 1960 counters
* Three 22" x 34" double-sided maps
* Two 17" x 22" double-sided maps
* One GBACW series rules booklet
* Two Battle booklets
* Sixteen Activation and Turn Record charts
* Two Player Aid Cards
* One Terrain Effects Chart
* One 2nd Disorder Chart
* Two 10-sided dice

TIME SCALE: Each Turn = 1 Hour
MAP SCALE: 145 Yards Per Hex with 25-Foot Elevations
UNIT SCALE: 50 Men or 1 Cannon per Strength Point

SERIES DESIGNER: Richard H. Berg
GAME DESIGNER: Greg Laubach
SERIES DEVELOPER: John Alsen
GAME DEVELOPER: Bill Byrne

Welcome to the Sandbox
Afghanistan—scene of tribal, ethnic, colonial, and Cold War conflict across the ages. Into this cockpit dropped a multinational post-9/11 coalition to root out al-Qaeda and replace the hardline-Islamist Taliban regime that harbored it. A quick invasion and regime change portended quiet reconstruction and good governance, but it was not to be so. In their sanctuary across Pakistan's border, the Taliban rebuilt for an insurgency that would ensnare the Coalition in the tangle of Afghan rivalries, shifting allegiances, and warlordism that the West could at first only distantly grasp.

The latest volume in Volko Ruhnke's COIN Series takes 1 to 4 players into the Afghan conflict of today’s headlines, this time in a unique collaboration between two top designers of boardgames on modern irregular warfare. A Distant Plain teams Volko Ruhnke, the award-winning designer of LABYRINTH—The War on Terror, with Brian Train, a designer with 20 years' experience creating influential simulations such as Algeria, Somalia Interventions, Shining Path, and many others.

A Distant Plain features the same accessible game system as GMT's recent Andean Abyss but with new factions, capabilities, events, and objectives. For the first time in the Series, two counterinsurgent (COIN) factions must reconcile competing visions for Afghanistan in order to coordinate a campaign against a dangerous twin insurgency:

As the Coalition, how will you secure popular support for an Afghan Government that cares more about corrupt patronage and control than legitimacy? Your high-tech forces are capable, but your publics are pressuring you to keep your footprint small: how will you stabilize this complex country and get out?

As the Government, how can you run the country when your foreign partners continually redirect your war effort? You can reshape Afghanistan's human terrain by encouraging the resettlement of millions of refugees, and your Coalition-trained forces are potentially the most numerous of any faction. But they are unsteady, and your war chest is not your own: how will you keep your allies' firepower in-country long enough to ensure that you are the top dog once they leave?

As the Taliban, how will you come back against the potent forces arrayed against you? Islamism, Pashtun ethnic solidarity, and your Pakistani friends behind you will help you recruit and move with ease amidst the enemy. But not all Afghanistan is Pashtun, its warlords are treacherous allies at best, your fighters are seasonal, and Pakistan’s word is ever uncertain: can you sting the occupier and his puppets to reawaken Islamic revolution without drawing an unrelenting fire upon yourself?

As the Warlords, how will you secure your traditional ways against the intrusive centralizers of Kabul and the Taliban? You profit from the country's lucrative opium crop, and your money can talk loudly to the Government's venal officials. But your fighters have neither the equipment of the Coalition, the numbers of the national army and police, nor the fanaticism of the Taliban: how will you block this latest cast of combatants from unifying the country and imposing their rule on you?

Afghanistan is not Colombia!
A Distant Plain adapts familiar Andean Abyss mechanics to the conditions of Afghanistan without adding rules complexity. A snap for COIN Series players to learn, A Distant Plain will transport them to a different place and time.

New features include:
* Coalition-Government joint operations.
* Volatile Pakistani posture toward the conflict.
* Evolution of both COIN and insurgent tactics and technology.
* Government graft and desertion.
* Coalition casualties.
* Afghan returnees.
* Pashtun ethnic terrain.
* Multiple scenarios.
* A deck of 72 fresh events.
*... and more.

As with each COIN Series volume, players of A Distant Plain will face difficult strategic decisions with each card. The innovative game system smoothly integrates political, cultural, and economic affairs with military and other violent and non-violent operations and capabilities. Terror, drug trafficking and eradication, highway extortion and sabotage, drone strikes, and many more options are on the menu. Flow charts are at hand to run the three Afghan factions, so that any number of players—from 4 to solitaire—can experience the internecine brawl that is today's Afghanistan. Have a good tour.

Components:
* A 22” x 34” mounted game board
* A deck of 78 playing cards
* 165 tan, medium blue, light blue, black, and green wooden playing pieces, many embossed
* 6 red and 6 white wooden pawns.
* 4 foldout Faction player aid sheets
* 2 foldout Non-player Faction aid sheets
* A Sequence and Planning Map sheet
* A sheet of markers
* Rulebook
* Playbook
* 3 6-sided dice

Players: 1-4 (includes full solitaire system)
Map: Area Movement
Timescale: 1-2 years per Propaganda round

Designers: Brian Train and Volko Ruhnke
Series Developer: Mike Bertucelli

Empire of the Sun (EotS) is Mark Herman's third card driven design since he introduced the system to the hobby in We The People. EotS is a strategic level look at the entire War in the Pacific from the attack on Pearl Harbor until the surrender of Japan. EotS is the first card driven game (CDG) to move the system closer to a classic hexagon wargame, while retaining all of the tension and uncertainty people have come to expect from a CDG. Players are cast in the role of MacArthur, Yamamoto, Nimitz, and Mountbatten as you direct your forces across the breadth of the globe from India to Hawaii and from Alaska to Australia. This is represented on a single map based on a 1942 equal area projection of the entire theater of conflict.

As in other games using the CDG system, players try to maximize the impact of their cards even as they hide their intentions and traps from their opponent. The player is faced with a wide set of clear strategic choices. The focus of EotS is on directing major offensive axes of advance. The Japanese early in the game are challenged to achieve their historical expansion as Allied forces battle the clock to react with their in-place forces trying to achieve maximum damage to the hard-to-replace Japanese veteran units.

Combat in EotS is based on successfully bringing superior combined land, air, and sea forces to bear in a two-tiered combat system. The first tier is the resolution of air-naval combat, the second tier covers ground combat. The culmination of both tiers results in one side prevailing in battle.

The key variable in determining strategic victory is the level of U.S. political will. The Japanese win the game by forcing the U.S. into a negotiated peace, which was not achieved historically. The Japanese achieve this by knocking countries like India, China, and Australia out of the war, while inflicting massive casualties on the United States. The delivery of the A-bomb on its historical schedule is not a guarantee, often necessitating Operation Olympic and the invasion of Japan. It is often in its darkest hour that the Japanese find victory in EotS.

EotS scenarios were designed with the busy enthusiast, grognard, and competitive tournament player in mind. EotS was designed to be played n yearly scenarios (1942, 1943, and 1944) of three turns each that play in under two hours. If you are a fan of CDG's, EotS takes the genre into a familiar, but new direction. If you are a fan of classic hexagon wargames, this game has all of the features that brought you to this hobby in the first place, but with a new level of excitement and replayability. The game is comprehensive, but easy to learn.

COMPONENTS:
* 280 9/16" counters and 88 5/8" counters
* Two decks of Strategy Cards (82 Japanese and 83 Allied)
* One 22"x34" MOUNTED Mapsheet
* 2 x Player Aid Cards (11"x17" & 8.5"x11")
* Rules Booklet
* One ten-sided die

Game Features:
TIME SCALE 4 months per turn
MAP SCALE 150 miles per hex
UNIT SCALE Brigade, Division, Corps, and Army
NUMBER OF PLAYERS 1-2

DESIGNER: Mark Herman
DEVELOPER: Stephen Newberg
ART DIRECTOR: Rodger B. MacGowan
MAP & CARD ART: Mark Simonitch
COUNTER ART: Mark Simonitch, Dave Lawrence, & Rodger B. MacGowan
PRODUCERS: Gene Billingsley, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch

All Gaul...

Winter, 53 BC: In a series of brilliant and brutal campaigns, Caesar has seized Gaul for Rome. But not all tribes rest subdued. In the north, the Belgic leader Ambiorix springs a trap on unwary legions while Caesar is away. In the south, an ambitious son of the Arverni seeks to unite a Celtic confederation in revolt against the hated Romans. And what of the influential Aedui? Their republic appears content to shelter under Roman protection – but can they be trusted any further than any other Gauls? Meanwhile, along the Rhine, Germanic warbands multiply.

FALLING SKY takes 1 to 4 players into the military actions and complex politics of Roman-occupied but not-yet-conquered Gaul. Caesar and his hard-hitting legions cannot be everywhere and will not triumph without powerful allies among local tribes. But each Gallic confederation has its own agenda and must keep its eyes not only on the Romans but also on Celtic, Belgic, and Germanic rivals. Players recruit forces, rally allies, husband resources for war, and balance dispersed action with the effectiveness and risk of concentrated battle.

Leveraging GMT’s popular COIN Series system to integrate historical events with wide-ranging strategic options across the gameboard, FALLING SKY provides accessible and deep historical gaming of war, politics, and diplomacy. A full solitaire system enables solo players to test their skill against an array of game-run factions, each unique. From Britannia to the Rhenus and down to Narbonensis, armies are on the move. Who shall finally subdue Gaul?

Components:
• A 17”x22” mounted board.
• A deck of 76 playing cards.
• Over 180 wooden pieces—
o 3 15mm dia. X 20mm high cylinders (embossed)
o 8 15mm dia. X 10mm high cylinders (embossed)
o 38 15mm dia. X 4mm high discs
o 105 10mm X 10mm octagonal cylinders (embossed)
o 12 9mm cubes
o 11 15mm x 15mm X 8mm blocks
o 12 small pawns.
• 5 5x7” Available Forces displays.
• 4 Faction player aid foldouts.
• 2 Non-Player foldouts.
• 2 Sequence of Play and Germanic Tribes sheets.
• A sheet of markers.
• 4 plastic 6-sided dice.
• Play book.
• Rule book.

Players: 1-4 (full solitaire system)
Map: Area movement
Time scale: 1 year per 15-card campaign

Designers: Volko Ruhnke and Andrew Ruhnke
Series Developer: Mike Bertucelli

The 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus,” 2nd Infantry Division faced three weeks of intense combat from December 13th, 1944 to January 8th, 1945 as part of the Battle of the Bulge. This campaign covers those critical days. The Campaign consists of seven new missions featuring a new Terrain Deck for the forests, fields, and villages of the Ardennes. The counter sheet includes a U.S. heavy machine gun platoon, Bangalore torpedoes, anti-tank mines, wire entanglements, German tanks, assault guns, Panzergrenadiers, and Volksgrenadiers.

We left the “Manchus” of World War Two in Fields of Fire: Volume I at the close of the Normandy Campaign. The 2nd Infantry Division was rapidly moved to join the assault on the port city of Brest, in Brittany. The city was captured after heavy fighting from August 21st to September 18th. By that time, the German resistance elsewhere in France had collapsed, and the 2nd Infantry Division raced to Paris, arriving on September 29th. The rapid advance ended on October 4th when the Division entered the region just east of St. Vith, Belgium called the Schnee Eifel on the highly symbolic German border. The 2nd Infantry Division relieved the 4th and 28th Infantry Divisions, completing the relief on October 5th. Ahead lay the German border, defended by the Siegfried Line cutting across difficult terrain.

The “Manchus” were able to incorporate replacements and prepare for whatever would come next throughout October and November. This period saw frequent patrol activity but no major combat actions. On December 10th, the 2nd Infantry Division began a relief in place by the 106th Infantry Division. By the 11th, the relief was complete, and the Division gathered at Camp Elsenborn to prepare for the renewed offensive. The attack north through the Siegfried line would commence on December 13th.

Important Note: Fields of Fire Volume I, either first, second, or Deluxe edition is required to play this expansion.

Included Missions:

Wahlerscheid Crossroads “Heartbreak Crossroads” December 13th-16th, 1944
The “Manchus” led the 2nd Infantry Division north to the Wahlerscheid crossroads on the German border. In a cold, wet snowscape the Siegfried line fortifications lay before them. An extensive mined wire entanglement with bunkers and pillboxes covering. Germans planning their major offensive had no idea the Americans would attack in force in this area; their plans only included the inexperienced 99th Infantry Division spread thinly across the German border, which was covering the “Manchus’” right flank. In miserable weather, the “Manchus” were held up and finally rolled up the position in a night infiltration. The morning of the 16th brought news of German attacks along the entire sector.

“Purple Heart Corner” December 17th-18th, 1944
It became clear through the 16th that the German attacks were part of a larger offensive that was beginning to gain ground. This put the 2nd Infantry Division in a precarious position. The decision was made to pull back to prevent from being cut off. The 99th Infantry was slowly crumbling. The “Manchus” raced south toward the twin villages of Rocherath and Krinkelt. Just north of Rocherath, the 1st Battalion reinforced by Company K from the 3rd Battalion was rapidly sent east about a kilometer to the crossroads of farming roads. The Germans were breaking through. As it became dark, the “Manchus” rapidly dug in as best they could. The Germans (thinking the American lines were breached) committed the 12th SS Panzer Division. The fighting through the night and next morning stymied a German breakthrough. Private William Soderman of Company K was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and skill with a bazooka. He personally knocked out three tanks.

“Cat and Mouse Street Fight at Krinkelt” December 18th-19th, 1944
Some Germans fought their way into the twin villages; they sought to secure their foothold in the streets of the villages. Various U.S. units, including the “Manchus,” thwarted their attempts in deadly game of cat and mouse with tanks and bazookas. Unable to hold and unable to bring up reinforcements or supplies, the Germans fell back.

“Last Attacks on Krinkelt” December 19th, 1944
The Germans redirected the 12th SS Panzer Division to the south to bypass the twin villages and follow in trace of the 1st SS Panzer Division that had broken through. Volksgrenadiers were tasked to cover the movement with a series of attacks on the twin villages.

After parrying these attacks, the 2nd Infantry Division moved back to Camp Elsenborn where they started on the 13th. The 12th SS Panzer Division faced a second rebuff at the hands of the 1st Infantry Division. Over the next ten days, the “Manchus” were in reserve rebuilding. Despite heavy shelling, the Germans were stopped cold on their attempts to attack the Elsenborn positions.

“Attack on Bullingen-Hill 629” December 30th, 1944
The German offensive ran out of steam. Ten short days after some of the most desperate fighting ever experienced by the “Manchus,” they transitioned back to the offensive. Striking out from the Elsenborn ridge, the “Manchus” attacked the road junction where the 12th SS Panzer Division was mauled by the 1st Infantry Division. The main German armored units had lost much of their material and were withdrawn. Now a thin screen of Panzergrenadiers and Volksgrenadiers held the lines.

“Attack on Schöneseiffen” January 2nd, 1945
Turning north, the “Manchus” marched through the twin villages and back to the Wahlerscheid crossroads. To their relief, the Germans did not reoccupy the fortifications. The “Manchus” turned right and headed east deeper into German territory. The next major town, Schöneseiffen, was held in force by Panzergrenadiers backed by assault guns and FLAK guns. A tank-infantry attack captured the town.

“Scheuren, Bronsfeld, and Schleiden” January 5th-8th, 1945
Over the next three days, the “Manchus” pushed east towards Schleiden through a series of villagesn and mixed ground. The German resistance was waning, and these actions were the final chapter of the Campaign.

COMPONENTS:
* Campaign Booklet
* Terrain Deck of 55 Cards
* Counter sheet - 176 counters
* One 8.5 x 11Player Aid Card (Vehicle Table/German Squad Breakdowns)

This COIN has become one of GMT's most popular, with Fire in the Lake, covering the insurgency in Viet Nam, leading in series sales. Now the Fall of Saigon expansion allows players to answer whether South Viet Nam could have survived on its own.

The expansion requires a copy of Fire in the Lake to play.

Never Get Out of the Boat
Vietnam, 1964. The most wrenching US engagement of the Cold War would be far more than GI versus Charlie. The conflict had set tribesman against nationalist, Buddhist against Catholic, mandarin against villager, and of course Northerner against Southerner—even among the communists. As revolutionary change burned through that ancient civilization, Washington would apply its armament and its operations research. To get out, the US counterinsurgency would have to motor deeper and deeper in. In the end, culture and will would overcome technology and math and signal the end of the primacy of industrial might in modern warfare.

Volume IV in GMT’s COIN Series dives headlong into the momentous and complex battle for South Vietnam. A unique multi-faction treatment of the Vietnam War, Fire in the Lake will take 1 to 4 players on US heliborne sweeps of the jungle and Communist infiltration of the South, and into inter-allied conferences, Saigon politics, interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, air defense of Northern infrastructure, graduated escalation, and media war.

Renowned designer and modern warfare expert Mark Herman joins COIN Series creator Volko Ruhnke for a collaborative production not to be missed. Fire in the Lake features the same card-assisted counterinsurgency game system as GMT's Andean Abyss, Cuba Libre, and A Distant Plain, with a pack of twists that take the Series to another level, including:

* Pivotal events that trump initiative (Tet Offensive, Vietnamization, Easter Offensive, and Linebacker II)
* Inter-coup campaign effects that vary by RVN leader
* Counterinsurgent guerrillas (US-led Montagnards and ARVN Rangers)
* Insurgent troops (NVA) for direct force-on-force engagements
* Tunneled VC and NVA bases
* Trail construction and degradation
* A larger-than-ever event deck for even greater play variety
* Short and medium-length scenarios with either random or period-event options.

Each Fire in the Lake faction presents fresh challenges:
* As the Viet Cong, you must light the people’s fire for the Revolution. How long do you build in the shadows, and when do you emerge to set the spark? Your big brother from the North will draw the enemy’s attention away from you, but be careful that he does not take over your movement from the inside!
* As the Republic of Vietnam, you have a big brother too. He will help you build a strong Army, control the country, and kill the Communists, but at what cost to your traditional way of governing? Should you fight hard with the forces and resources that you have, or leave that to the US and just focus on strengthening your political hold?
* As North Vietnam, you have friends feeding you resources as well. But you must see to funneling them southward through a well-developed logistical trail, then decide which moment is right for your painstakingly assembled forces to venture from the relative safety of Laos and Cambodia to control the South.
* As the United States, you have the firepower and the mobility. A certain number of US casualties is to be expected, but too many will break the public’s support for South Vietnam and the War. And your air power and incursions into Laos or Cambodia can help or turn counterproductive. Together with the ARVN, the fight is winnable—so long as your so-called friendlies do not undermine the plan!

As with earlier COIN Series volumes, players of Fire in the Lake will face difficult strategic decisions with each card. The innovative game system smoothly integrates political, cultural, and economic affairs with military and other violent and non-violent operations and capabilities. Terror and subversion, pacification, infiltration, NVA long-range bombardment, road and river ambushes, VC front taxation, aid diversion, US bombing of the Trail, Montagnard recruitment, ARVN Ranger raids, and many more options are on the menu. Flow charts are at hand to run any faction missing a player—solitaire, 2-player, 3-player, or 4-player experiences are equally supported. Ride on up the river.

Components:
* A 22” x 34” mounted game board.
* A deck of 102 playing cards.
* 236 olive, bright blue, red, yellow, and orange wooden playing pieces, many embossed.
* 6 black and 6 white wooden pawns.
* 4 foldout Faction player aid sheets.
* 2 foldout Non-player Faction aid sheets.
* A Sequence sheet.
* A Random Spaces sheet.
* A sheet of markers.
* Rulebook.
* Playbook.
* 3 6-sided dice.

Players: 1-4 (includes full solitaire system)
Map: Area Movement
Timescale: 1-2 years per Campaign between Coups

Designers: Mark Herman and Volko Ruhnke
Series Developer: Mike Bertucelli
2nd edition 2018

"All the male heroes bowed their heads in submission; Only the two sisters proudly stood up to avenge the country.”
-15th century Vietnamese poem

Tru’ng is the name of a new bot system for Fire in the Lake. It follows in the footsteps of the innovative card-based bot system that was first developed for Gandhi, giving fans of Fire in the Lake more opportunities to get this great game to the table.

Tru’ng is quick to use and easy to implement, but is sophisticated enough to play the full Fire in the Lake game. When selecting Operations and Special Activities, cards are drawn from the Tru’ng deck—there are six cards for each Fire in the Lake faction. Each card examines the current state of the game and selects the appropriate action for the active faction. A single, faction-specific table then determines where that action will occur. The same table is used to select spaces for Operations, Special Activities, and Events, minimizing the need to flip between multiple player aids.

Playing against Tru’ng feels like playing against a human opponent. It is unpredictable yet responsive to strategic needs, it goes after its enemies while keeping an eye on its ally, and makes moves up to now limited to human players—like choosing a Limited Operation to block an opponent’s Event. Tru’ng can take the place of a human player for any Fire in the Lake faction, can be used with every Fire in the Lake scenario, and can be used in any combination of player and non-player setups.

In 40 CE, the Tru’ng sisters successfully fought to liberate their homeland from foreign occupation. They defeated the Chinese army that had been sent to pacify the region and for three years ruled as queens. In the past two millennia, the legend of the Tru’ng sisters has grown; they are now celebrated as exemplars of sacrifice and patriotism in defense of their homeland. It was the birth of Vietnamese national identity.

“A woman proudly led a young nation;
Even the Han emperor heard of it, and was terrified.”
-19th century Vietnamese poem

Note: The Tru'ng bot works for Fire in the Lake only, not for the Fall of Saigon expansion. The bot in Fall of Saigon has to deal with the additions in that expansion, so it only works for Fall of Saigon.

Note: The Fire in the Lake Tru'ng Bot Update Pack is compatible with the First and Second Edition of Fire in the Lake as well as the Second Edition Upgrade Kit. This is a Solitaire system for Fire in the Lake only and is not the same as the Solitaire System included in Fall of Saigon, which is for Fall of Saigon scenarios only. Tru'ng can be combined with Fall of Saigon to enable players to play Solitaire across the entire scope of the Vietnam war.

COMPONENTS
* 24 double sided operations cards
* 1 11x17” player aid
* 1 8.5”x11” reference card
* 1 Rulebook

SYSTEM DESIGN: Bruce Mansfield
COIN SERIES DEVELOPER: Jason Carr
ORIGINAL GAME DESIGN: Volko Ruhnke and Mark Herman
CARD ART: Mark Simonitch
PRODUCERS: Mark Simonitch, Andy Lewis, Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, & Gene Billingsley

Flashpoint: South China Sea is a two-player strategy game that simulates the complex geopolitical contest currently taking place between the United States and China in a disputed region of the South China Sea. The game is driven by a card deck that captures developments ripped straight from today’s headlines, bolstered by cards with a context-setting reading of recent history, and a set of speculative cards capturing a diverse range of potential future events. 

The Chinese player works to influence other countries in the region, establish territorial claims and regional hegemony, and improve its world standing. The U.S. player works to maintain influence with allied countries in the region, secure freedom of navigation, and keep China in check. Success for both players hinges on the support and allegiance of non-player countries in the region. The game stops short of dealing with a potential full-scale military conflict. Rather, it requires the nuanced exercise of political, economic, and military resources, in a form of prima facie diplomacy – on the waters, in the air, and ultimately in the minds of the people – to achieve victory.

Each player manages a hand of cards that can be used immediately for various operations, or may be held for future operations under more favorable circumstances. 

Strategically, there are several key focal points for the players:
* First, the US player bears the burden of keeping the region’s shipping lanes free and open. If the US player falls behind in Freedom of Navigation Operations, Chinese claims grow and game momentum will shift.
* Both players must take heed of the game’s Tension Track, which directly influences the impact of events. If the Track is not managed properly, a high level of tension can increase the stakes and derail the 'best-laid plans'. 
* The Chinese player must work to improve Chinese World Standing, which affords them added influence as their World Standing increases. The US player can win by reducing Chinese World Standing to a critically low level. 
* Protagonist countries in the region are key influence battlegrounds for the players. This represents the pragmatic reality that claimant countries in the region have unique impact on international dispute resolution mechanisms. If the Chinese can influence them to the point that they will not exercise those claims, the Chinese position is strengthened. If the US can influence and support them to consistently exercise their claims, China’s position is weakened. In the game, both players attempt to assert economic and military influence on these claimant countries.
* In order to increase the strength of their claims in the region, the Chinese can develop islands. This development will cost influence in the region and increase Tension, but is a cornerstone of Chinese strategy. To counter these claims, the United States must conduct offsetting Freedom of Navigation Operations. These Freedom of Navigation Operations help keep the Chinese claims in check but must be diligently maintained.

As the United States player, can you defend the claims of your allies, stare down the Chinese player in a high stakes game of chicken, and use your economic and military influence in the region to thwart China’s expansion? Can you erode or limit Chinese World Standing while frustrating their ambitions, without allowing Tension to get out of control? 

As the Chinese player, can you use your developing economic and military power in the region to solidify your claims and develop strategic dominance of the region?

Flashpoint: South China Sea lets you determine how this conflict will play out in a fast-to-play, easy-to-learn game.

COMPONENTS:
* 22 x 17" mounted map board
* 35 wooden influence cubes and markers
* 63 cards
* Rulebook, Solitaire Rulebook, and Playbook
* 3 Player Aids

DESIGNER: Harold Buchanan
DEVELOPER: Jason Carr
GRAPHICS: Terry Leeds
PRODUCERS: Mark Simonitch, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Gene Billingsley

On the 21st of October 1805, in a light wind off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Admiral Horation Nelson turned his fleet to engage a combined Franco-Spanish force on its way to Naples to deposit 4,000 troops in support of Napoleon's forces in Italy. The British fleet, organized into two columns, drove forward under threatening skies toward the enemy and just before noon, Nelson raised the famous signal: "England expects that every man will do his duty."

Less than an hour later the two colossal fleets engaged in one of the most famous naval battles in history. It would become Nelson's greatest victory and would ensure British naval supremacy for decades, but he would never again see an English port.

Flying Colors recreates naval actions during the height of the Age of Sail, from small engagements to full battles involving dozens of ships in each fleet. Play is fast, furious, and does not require the pre-plotted movement found in many other naval games. Instead, a simple initiative and command system allows players to activate and maneuver their fleets in a realistic manner, indicating how older commanders adhered to rules of engagement where more forward thinking commanders, like Nelson, could retain control of their fleets after the first broadsides began to be exchanged.

This is not a strategic level game where one piece represents several ships. Flying Colors includes 300 individually named ships rated for size, gunnery, boarding ability, and damage capacity. Also included are nearly four dozen individually named commanders, rated for their ability to control their formations as well as the impact of their presence within the fleet. The game system provides what naval enthusiasts will expect in a tactical Age of Sail game: broadsides, rakes, anchoring, wind effects, weather, shore batteries, and much more. All this is packed into a short, accessible rulebook.

Included within the game are 17 historical scenarios ranging from the Battle of Minorca (1756) during the Seven Years War to the Battle of the Capes during the American Revolution and on through the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) during the Napoleonic Wars. The battles range in size from small engagements playable on a single map through huge engagements like the Glorious First of June playable on three maps. Players are also free to create their own variants and "what-if" scenarios using point values for each ship. Most scenarios can be played within a few hours and two players can complete even the largest within a day. Several are also well suited to solitarie play.

You can now recreate Nelson's glory with Flying Colors!

COMPONENTS:
* 840 full-color counters
* Three 34x22 full-color maps
* One 10-sided dice
* 24-page Rule and Scenario book
* Pad of Ship Status sheets
* 1 11x17 Player Aid card

Game Features:
TIME SCALE 5-10 minutes per turn
MAP SCALE 100 meters per hex
UNIT SCALE Individual Ships

NUMBER OF PLAYERS One to Four

The South American Naval Battle in the Age of Fighting Sail, 1811-1841

Napoleon’s invasions of Portugal and Spain fractured Royalist sovereignty over both nations’ Empires in the New World. Patriots across the continent were quick to seize on the opportunity and as the second decade of the 19th century opened,independence movements sprang up all over the Americas. While the names of Bolivar, San Martin, and Belgrano may be familiar, the role of naval and riverine forces in the various Wars of Independence and the ensuing conflicts between the new American republics has been largely overlooked. Until now.

Under the Southern Cross: The South American Republics in the Age of Fighting Sail is the fourth volume of the highly regarded Flying Colors series of games on naval combat. The focus is on the southern part of the South American continent: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, from the Wars of Independence starting in 1810 through the last naval war fought completely under sail between Argentina and Uruguay in 1841. These wars attracted naval officers recently unemployed by the end of the Napoleonic Wars as well as providing a proving ground for the first generation of naval heroes native to Latin America. Updated rules introduce river and tidal currents, modified grounding rules for operations in the Rio de la Plata and Uruguay rivers, and the use of ship’s boats to tow stranded or becalmed ships. In all, over two dozen battle scenarios ranging in size from a handful of ships per side, to full-blown fleet actions are presented. Also included is the return of the popular ship duel map and activation cards originally found in Serpents of the Seas (Flying Colors volume II), along with 18 ship duel scenarios.

Like the preceding volumes in the series, Under the Southern Cross is completely independent of, while being fully compatible with, the other volumes in the series. Everything needed to play is included!

Can you, as the Spanish, strangle the rebel American governments and preserve the centuries old Spanish Empire, or will you help the Patriot forces throw off the Imperialist yoke of the European monarchies? Now you can try with Under the Southern Cross!

COMPONENTS:
* 1 Rulebook
* 1 Playbook
* 2 Player Aid Chart
* 1 Deck of 55 Action Cards
* 2 22x34" Maps
* 1 22x34 dual game map
* 2 Counter Sheets
* 1 10-sided dice

TIME SCALE Each turn = 5 to 10 minutes
MAP SCALE 100m per hex
UNIT SCALE Individual ships
NUMBER OF PLAYERS 1 - 4
PLAY TIME 3-8 hours

SERIES DESIGNER Mike Nagel
VOLUME DESIGN Steve Paul
DEVELOPER Chris Valk
MAP & COUNTER ART Justin Martinez
PRODUCERS Gene Billingsley, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch

Full Sheet Blank white 1/2 inch counters

Half Sheet Blank white 5/8 inch counters

Half Sheet Blank white 9/16 inch counters

NOTE: Here I Stand was due for a reprint in 2017, but with October 31, 2017 being the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's posting of his 95 Theses, Ed Beach and his team of Here I Stand enthusiasts have put together a series of enhancements to the original game that transform this reprint into a deluxe 500th anniversary treatment.

Enhancements include:
* 6 brand new cards added to the deck, including Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Rough Wooing, and Imperial Coronation.
* Revisions to over 15 existing cards including Copernicus, Master of Italy, and Machiavelli to allow for more exciting in-game play and additional possibilities for diplomatic deals.
* A new Chateau construction table is now used to resolve France's Patron of the Arts home card plays.
* Several Virgin Queen rule updates are incorporated back into Here I Stand, affecting minor power activation, piracy, space trading, and foreign wars.

Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation 1517-1555 is the first game in over 25 years.to cover the political and religious conflicts of early 16th Century Europe. Few realize that the greatest feats of Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, Ignatius Loyola, Henry VIII, Charles V, Francis I, Suleiman the Magnificent, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernando Cortes, and Nicolaus Copernicus all fall within this narrow 40-year period of history. This game covers all the action of the period using a unique card-driven game system that models both the political and religious conflicts of the period on a single point-to-point map.

There are six main powers in the game, each with a unique path to victory.

The Ottoman player needs to bring Christian Europe to their knees, either through a dominant military victory in Central Europe or by naval conquests and piracy in the Mediterranean. Their corsairs, based initially along the Barbary Coast of Africa, are the only units that can steal resources (cards, fleets, or victory points) from other players through piracy.

The Hapsburgs begin the game in a dominant position, with Charles V inheriting lands in Castile, Aragon, Burgundy, the Netherlands and Austria. As the newly-elected Holy Roman Emperor, Charles is also in charge of the defense of Germany. However, the Hapsburgs are spread thin and threatened on all sides, tasked with defending Europe from the Ottomans, protecting Italy from the interests of the French, and cleansing Germany of the rapidly developing Lutheran heresy. Only through diplomatic finesse and the establishment of a New World empire will they be able to continue in their ascendant position.

The English player, taking the role of Henry VIII, is tasked with securing his dynasty and raising the stature of England in European politics. The English start the game with the fewest cards of any power but can increase that through conquest of Scotland or colonizing the New World. They often serve as the swing player in the struggle between the Hapsburgs and French. The English player has to balance these interests with Henry's need to spend time securing a male heir (gained through rolls on the Henry's Wives' Pregnancy Chart). In the end, Henry is the key, for he is the one dynamic military leader the English possess but he can not marry a new wife if he is captured or under siege.

The third participant in the race to the New World is the Valois dynasty of France, led by Francis I. Like the English and Hapsburgs, France gains both victory points and additional cards through conquest, colonization, and exploration of the New World. Francis is also a great patron of the arts, taking a great interest in the art and architecture of Italy while starting the long succession of French chateaux. French strategies in Here I Stand vary widely, for victory can come through any combination of points from New World exploits, chateaux-building, and conquest of European city-states.

The final two powers, the Papacy and the Protestant, fight the religious struggle that occurs concurrently with the rest of the action. The initial move of the game sees Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses on the church in Wittenburg, typically flipping religious control of several nearby spaces to the Protestant player. Religious conflicts use a proximity system to model the likelihood of religious conversion. If Protestant spaces, reformers, and armies are adjacent to a city, the chance of those townspeople also adopting the new faith is increased. Catholic spaces, armies, and Jesuit universities allow the Papacy to halt the spread of the "heresy" and counter reform spaces back to the Catholic faith. The religious conflict system includes factors such as the publication of biblical translations in one language at a time, the benefits of the printing press, and landmark events in the history of the Reformation such as the Diet of Worms and the Council of Trent. If one side finds itself blocked from advancement, they can raise the stakes and call a theological debate. Here the leading Protestant reformers meet the Papal legates in a battle of words, with the winner (measured by the number of debate "hits" rolled) gaining new converts. If the victory was lopsided, the loser suffers disgrace or death by burning at the stake. Progress toward victory for these two powers is measured by the number of areas under religious control and the number of enemy debaters burned or disgraced.

Here I Stand is the first card-driven game to prominently feature secret deal-making. A true six-sided diplomatic stuggle, the game places a heavy emphasis on successful alliance-building through negotations that occur away from the table during the pre-turn Diplomacy Phase. Set during the period in which Niccolo Machiavelli published his masterpiece "The Prince," backstabbing is always possible, especially because the card deck is loaded with event and response cards that can be played by any power to disrupt the plans of the powers in the lead.

The lineage of Here I Stand includes descent from both SPI's A Mighty Fortress (published in 1977) and GMT's The Napoleonic Wars (2002). Reusing the theme of A Mighty Fortress, the game improves on its predecessor with a much deeper system to handle religious conversions, the additions of New World exploration and Mediterranean piracy, and the explicit inclusion of minor powers that can be coerced into the conflict through card play. Borrowed from The Napoleonic Wars is the use of important cities to determine economic strength and elements of the land combat, avoid battle, and interception systems. Many game mechanics borrowed from The Napoleonic Wars were simplified to ensure a fast-paced game despite the wide range of factor considered by this design. From this base, the game adds mechanics unique to the 16th Century, including heavy use of short-term (and unreliable!) mercenaries, explicit wintering of armies, and the mercurial nature of siege operations, especially against targets that can be resupplied by sea. Here I Stand is an innovative game system, being the first to integrate religion, politics, economics and diplomacy in a card-driven design. Games vary in length from 3-4 hours for a tournament scenario up to full campaign games that run about twice the time. Rules to play games with 3, 4, or 5 players are also included. The 3-player game is just as well balanced as the standard 6-player configuration, taking advantage of the natural alliances of the period.

Game Components:
* COUNTERS Four and a half full-color counter sheets
* CARDS 116 Strategy Cards
* MAPS One 22"x34" Mounted Mapsheet
* Player Aid Cards (11"x17" & 8.5"x11")
* Rules/Scenario Book
* One ten-sided die

Game Features
TIME SCALE 4 years per turn
MAP SCALE Point-to-Point system
UNIT SCALE Land unit = 5000 men. Naval squadron = 25 galleys
NUMBER OF PLAYERS 3-6

AWARDS
* Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Pre-World War II boardgame, 2006.
* Walter Luc Haas Award (Germany) for Best Simulation Game, 2006.
* Finalist, International Gamers Award for Historical Simulation, 2007.
* Finalist, The Boardgamegeek, Golden Geek Award for Best Wargame 2007.
* Nominee, Game Magazine for Historical Simulation Game, 2007.

DESIGNER: Ed Beach
ART DIRECTOR: Rodger B. MacGowan
MAP & CARD ART: Mark Simonitch
COUNTER ART: Mark Simonitch and Rodger B. MacGowan
PRODUCERS: Gene Billingsley, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch