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

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 5th Marines Fleet Marine Force Manual 6-4 Marine Rifle Company/Platoon - "The primary mission of the Marine rifle company and platoon is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or to repel his assault by fire and close combat." In Fields of Fire Vol. II: "With the Old Breed," you pin on your captain's bars and take command of a rifle company in the 5th Marines, the most decorated regiment in the US Marine Corps. Test your mettle in three campaigns spanning World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Battle ashore in the blazing heat of Peleliu in September 1944 to discover the Japanese have changed their strategy and you are forced to dig them out of the coral ridges. Flares reveal waves of Chinese pouring over the rugged mountains of the Chosin Reservoir, Korea, in sub zero weather in November 1950. Fight house to house in Hue City, Vietnam in February 1968. These three campaigns live on in the legends and history of the United States Marine Corps. Fields of Fire is a solitaire game system that gives players the challenge of commanding a rifle company between World War II and Present Day. The game is different from many tactical games in that it is diceless and card based. There are two decks used to play. The Terrain Deck is based on a specific region and is used to build a map for the various missions your company must perform. The Action deck serves many purposes in controlling combat, command and control, various activity attempts. The units of the company are counters representing headquarters elements, squads, weapons teams, forward observers, individual vehicles or helicopters. A single playing is a mission and several missions from an historical campaign are strung together for the player to manage experience and replacements. A mission can be played in about 1 – 2 hours. This volume of Fields of Fire is based on three actual campaigns experienced by units of the 5th Marines of the 1st Marine Division "Blue Diamond" in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam and is the second volume of the Fields of Fire series. New features in Volume II: * Amphibious Operations * Urban warfare * Flame throwers * Demolitions * Large squads and good order rifle teams * Japanese fanaticism and Chinese Human Wave attacks * Expanded Experience Options Rules streamlining for use in Volume I and II * Simplified Prisoner Handling * Simplified use of Pyrotechnics Components: * Action Deck + Hint Cards - 55 Cards * 3 Terrain Decks of 55 Cards, total of 165 Terrain Cards * Rule Booklet * Campaign Briefing Booklet * Extended Examples of Play Booklet * Company Log Pad (8.5x11 – expendable) * 1 x 8.5 x 11 Command Asset Holding Display (Two Sided - WWII/Korea on one side, Vietnam on the other) * 1 x 8.5 x 11 Command Track (for tracking commands saved and activations) * 1 x 8.5 x 11 Aircraft Control Card (Two Sided - USMC on one, US Army on the other for use with Volume I) * 1 x 8.5 x 11 Player Aid Card Action Menu Front – Vehicle Info Back * 1 Tri-Fold Player Aid Card * 1 x 8.5 x 11 Enemy Activity Card * 5 Sheets of large counters and markers (880) * Includes USMC, Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), Communist Chinese Forces (CCF), and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units, vehicles and informational markers. Campaigns: * Peleliu September-October 1944 (8 Offensive Missions= * Chosin Reservoir November-December 1950 (4 Defensive, 3 Offensive Missions) * Hue City February 1968 (6 Offensive Missions) Designer: Ben Hull Developer: Ricky Gray

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

France '40 contains two separate games - Sickle Cut and Dynamo. Both games use the same rules and share many game pieces, but each has a separate full size map. 2ND EDITION France ’40 2nd Edition is a major upgrade to the original game. The rules for Extended Movement, Combat, Advance After Combat, Breakthrough Combat, and Determined Defense have been updated so they are more in line with the recent games in the 19XX series (such as Stalingrad ’42 and Salerno ’43). A new scenario has been included designed by Mark Merritt that combines both maps. In addition, many new units have been added and some old units modified to provide a more accurate order of battle for both Sickle Cut and Dynamo. A few minor cities, some roads, and a fortified hex were added to the Dynamo map. And most importantly, both scenarios have been sent through the playtest cycle again to make sure they are better balanced than they were in the first edition. This game has long been one of my favorites due to the exciting situation and short playing time. I’m really pleased with this 2nd Edition and excited about the new features it has. 2 PlayersPlay Time: 240 MinAge: 12+

Full Sheet Blank white 1/2 inch counters

This will be a significantly enhanced product from the previous version. Specifically, this Reprint Edition will include all battles from Alexander Deluxe plus the battles from Diadochoi and Phalanx, as well as a few "bonus battles" that we are still working on. Anticipated Reprint Edition Components: * 9x12x3 box * 4 backprinted maps * 5 counter sheets * GBoH Series rule book * 3 x scenario books * Several player aid cards (tba) * 1 x D10 COMPONENTS * 720 full-color two-sided counters, including 43 full-color two-sided double-size counters * Three full-color double-sided 22x34" mapsheets * 32-page Rule Book * 24-page Scenario Book * Two 8.5x11" cards showing game charts & tables * One 10-sided die EXPANSIONS: Diadochoi, Phalanx, Tyrant The Great Battles of Alexander: Deluxe Edition, the updated, expanded, full-color-enhanced version of the best-selling, multi-award-winning game system that started the Great Battles of History series, includes new game counters, maps, packaging, battles, and scenarios that cover all the major battles from the original game and the Juggernaut module, plus five additional battles ... ten in all. The Great Battles of Alexander: Deluxe Edition is virtually the complete history of Alexander the Great and the Macedonian art of war. Chaeronea, 338BC Phillip II of Macedonia defeats Athenian and Theban armies to establish hegemony over Greece. Pelium, 336BC Alexander secures his rear lines in the Balkans by smashing the Illyrians under Clitus. The Lyginus, 336BC Alexander subdues the Triballians in his first campaign as King of Macedonia. Jaxartes, 329BC A nasty river crossing against the always-dangerous Scythians. Samarkand, 328BC A Macedonian expedition under Pharnaces heads north to punish the Scythians but is trapped before Alexander can help. The Granicus, 334BC Alexander faces his first Asian test across the banks of the Granicus River against a force determined to stop the invaders. Issus, 333BC The Persian King, Darius III, steals a march on Alexander and surprises him by cutting his lines of communication. Gaugamela, 331BC Alexander, having conquered half of the Persian Empire, turns east to face the huge army Darius has assembled. Arigaeum, 327BC Alexander assaults a mountain stronghold on the way to the Indus. The Hydaspes, 326BC Alexander's last battle, this time against King Porus' Indians and the cataphracted Indian Elephant Corps! Game Features * Third Edition rules, with many changes and additions * New maps for The Granicus and Chaeronea, plus an expanded Gaugamela map * Armies for the Danubian tribes, Illyrians, Greeks, Persians, Scythians, and Indians * Eighteen new Macedonian Commanders * New Restricted Line Command system for Persians, Indians and Greeks * Wing Commanders and Macedonian Contingent Commanders * Cavalry Shock Formations: The Companion Wedge and the Thessalian Diamond * The Persian Immortals and Kinsmen, Macedonian artillery, cataphracted cavalry ... and cataphracted elephants! TIME SCALE 20 minutes per turn MAP SCALE 70 yards per hex UNIT SCALE 100 men per strength point NUMBER OF PLAYERS One to four

We are proud to bring back in print two classic Great Battles of History titles in a deluxe treatment (like we did with Great Battles of Alexander and SPQR). Great Battles of Julius Caesar combines Caesar: The Civil Wars, published in 1994, and Caesar: Conquest of Gaul, published in 1996 and reprinted in 2006, into a single package along with the battles that were published as separate modules. Great Battles of Julius Caesar will have a single rulebook brought up to the production standards of the latest GBoH titles, written so that all the land battles in the original games can be played from single rule book. The one naval battle has its own rule book. The scenario book features 20 (!!) battles presented in a chronological order that traces the evolution of the Roman military system from early battles against various foreign foes, Caesar’s wars in Gaul followed by Caesar’s wars against his Roman rivals, and culminating with the Roman invasion of Britain a century later. The complete list follows and includes the game/module where the battle appeared. Rise of the Roman Warlords - Marius and Sulla: * Cirta 106 BCE (Jugurtha) * Vercellae 101 BCE (Dictator) * Chaeronea 86 BCE (Dictator) Caesar’s Gallic Wars * Bibracte 58 BCE (COG)
 * The Rhine 58 BCE (COG) * The Sabis 57 BCE (COG) * Bay of Biscay 56 BCE (COG) * Britannia 55 BCE (COG) * Lutetia 52 BCE (COG)
 * Gergovia 52 BCE (Gergovia) Caesar’s Civil Wars * Dyrrachium 48 BCE (TCW) * Lesnikia 48 BCE (TCW) * Pharsalus 48 BCE (TCW) * Nicopolis 48 BCE (Veni, Vidi, Vici) * Zela 47 BCE (Veni, Vidi, Vici) * Ruspina 46 BCE (TCW) * Thapsus 46 BCE (TCW) * Munda 45 BCE (TCW)  Roman Conquest of Britannia  * The Medway 43 CE (Caratacus) * Wales 51 CE (Caratacus) The scenarios vary in size from four large battles using 1 1⁄2 game maps to six small battles on a half size map with the remainder using one full size map. In addition to the Roman on Roman contests, the battles showcase the Romans facing off against a colorful array of non-Roman opponents- the Numidians, Germans, various Gallic tribes, and the Hellenistic style armies of Pontus. The counter mix includes 43 distinct cohort style legions, a host of specialty type auxiliary units, numerous tribal infantry and cavalry units, and some old favorites from SPQR – Elephants, Chariots, and even the double sized Phalanx. Along with the typical set piece battles, several battles feature the use of fortifications, one an amphibious invasion Roman style, and one a full blown naval battle. The original maps will be updated to the latest GMT graphics standard and have the same look and feel across all the battles. The set will include a “blank” map for use with the Cirta and Bay of Biscay scenarios and new map for the Nicopolis battle – no more drawing in trench lines. The counters will be updated to the latest production standards and will be similar in style to those in SPQR. Additional counters are included to minimize the need for counter substitutions in those battles featured in the originally published as modules. Simple GBoH scenario instructions are included for the Gergovia battle. The remaining battles are already covered in the Simple GBoH rules set. Components: * 7 1⁄2 Counter Sheets (1⁄2” - 280 per sheet) -> 2,100 counters * Six 22” X 34” back printed maps * One 11” x 17” back printed map * Four 11” x “17 Charts and Tables PAC (two for each player) * One 8 1⁄2” x 11” Turn Record and Rout Point Tracks Display * One 8 1⁄2” x 11” Naval Charts and Tables PAC * Rules Book * Naval Rules Book * Scenario Book * One ten-sided die Original GBoH System Design: Mark Herman Great Battles of Julius Caesar Game and Scenario Design: Mark Herman and Richard H. Berg Great Battles of Julius Caesar Development: Alan J. Ray

Half Sheet Blank white 5/8 inch counters

Half Sheet Blank white 9/16 inch counters

Holland '44 is a two-player game depicting the Allies’ combined ground and airborne attack in the Netherlands during WWII, which was code named Operation Market-Garden. The game starts with the airborne landings on September 17th and continues until September 23rd. The Allied player must rush his ground forces forward as fast as possible to relieve his beleaguered airborne divisions and capture a bridge across the Rhine. Each day has three turns—two daylight turns representing 6 hours each and one night turn representing 12 hours. The total length of the game is 20 turns. A short scenario covering the first critical 10 turns is included. The scale of the map is 2 kilometers per hex and covers the battlefield from the Belgium border to Arnhem. The map also includes the area where the British 8th Corps fought on the right flank of 30th Corps. Most units in Holland ‘44 are battalions, but some company size units are included. Holland '44 uses a system very similar to Ardennes ‘44. It is basically a simple move-fight, I-go then u-go game. If you have played Ardennes ‘44 or Normandy ‘44 you will have no trouble learning the game. Rules such as ZOC Bonds, Determined Defense, Extended Movement, and Traffic Markers all make their reappearance. Due to the terrain of the Netherlands, special attention was given to river crossings, bridge building, and fighting in the flat polder terrain. Components: * one 22 x 34 map * one 8.5 x 22 map extension * Two full sheets of counters * one 32 to 40 page rule booklet * Two identical Player aid cards * One German Setup Card * One Allied Setup Card * Two d/6 dice Game Design: Mark Simonitch Developer: Ivano Rosa

"No option but to fight on." -Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz the time is: 0800 hours, 3 July 1943 The Hunted is a solitaire tactical level game placing you in command of a German U-Boat during WWII. This is the long-anticipated sequel to the award-winning, multiple-print edition release The Hunters, and picks up the action where The Hunters left off. You command one of many U-Boat models available starting in 1943 and look to successfully complete U-Boat operations until the end of the war. Not only is this a standalone game, but fans of The Hunters will enjoy having the capability to easily combine both games to span all of WWII and experience the career of a U-Boat commander from 1939 until 1945. While your mission is to destroy as much Allied shipping and as many Capital ships as possible, players will find it extremely challenging to "go the distance" and survive the entire war. The second half of the war has not been sugar coated; the brutal aspects facing U-boat commanders in the final phases of the war make surviving your attack difficult at best. True to history, your challenge is to accomplish what only a few could achieve — to make it to the conclusion, as happened historically. The Hunted is purposely designed to deliver a brisk yet intensive gaming experience that forces many decisions upon you as you take command among the major German U-Boat models in service during WWII, and try to survive until the end of the 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. Fans of The Hunters will enjoy the same nail-biting game system, but fraught with many more challenges to withstand the advances the Allies have made in anti-submarine warfare. If you ultimately survive until 1945, you will surrender at port, having done your part on the front lines. As U-Boat commander, you will be confronting many decisions during your patrol. To begin with, eleven German U-Boat models are profiled and available for you to choose from. Patrol zones reflect the period during the war at sea and will shift as the war progresses. All stages of the U-Boat campaign are represented; missions become increasingly more difficult as your adversary makes advances in anti-submarine warfare. Conducting patrols are the heart of the system as you will be resolving encounters against individual ships, convoys, enemy submarines, and aircraft. Situations you face and decisions you make suddenly come in quick succession: * Will you travel by Schnorkel with reduced visibility, or on the surface to spot more targets? * How will you engage a convoy once spotted? * Can you survive after attacking, and will your BOLD decoys work? * How many torpedoes will you fire, and at what targets? * 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 during the latter stages of the war: * Type VIIC * Type VIIC/41 * Type VIIC-Flak * Type VIID * Type IXC * Type IXC/40 * Type IXD-2 * Type IXD/42 * Type XB * Type XII (hypothetical) * Type XIV * Type XXI Patrol Assignments include: * Arctic * Atlantic * Australia * Brazilian Coast * British Isles * Caribbean * Indian Ocean * Invasion (Atlantic) * Mediterranean * North America * Norway * West African Coast The game delivers an historical narrative as 300+ ship targets are uniquely identified (including tonnage) with their historical counterparts that were sunk during the war, including freighters, tankers, and American ships. Game System Highlights: * 12 German U-Boat types represented * 12 Patrol Assignments including anti-invasion patrol * 300 named shipping targets, including 20 Capital ships * Special Missions for Abwehr Agent Delivery, Supply Delivery, Replenish, and Minelaying * Combat encounters with individual ships, ships with escort, convoys, enemy submarines, and aircraft * Daytime and Night Engagement including Wolfpack patrols * U-Boat Damage includes flooding, hull, torpedo doors, periscope, fuel tanks, crew injury (by crew type), engines, hydrophones, flak gun(s), deck gun, batteries, radio * Crew Advancement, Commander Promotion including decorations up to the Knight's Cross and new awards including the Wound Badge, U-Boat Front Clasp, German Cross in Gold, and U-Boat War Badge * Multi-player and Tournament Rule options (including Wolfpack Tournament) * Evasive Maneuvers, Patrol Abort, Variable Escort Quality, Resupply at Sea, Gibraltar Passage, Reassignment to Newer U-Boat, Torpedo Duds, BOLD decoys, "Alberich" Anti-sonar coating, Schnorkel, NAXOS radar detector, Random Historical Events, and much, much more! German technological advances abound in the second half of the war. Decoys, Schnorkels, homing torpedoes, FaT ladder search pattern torpedoes, and the Type XXI "Electroboot" have all given hope to the U-Boat crews. But balanced against these are Allied ASW advances — Hedgehog, Squid, Fido, and an ever-increasing air presence. You were The Hunter, but now you are The Hunted. Can you bring your boat home in a tension-packed situation where every decision may be your last? Game Components: * One 1/2" full-color counter sheet * One 3/4" wide full-color counter sheet * Rules booklet with designer's notes * Five player aid cards, 2-sided * Six U-Boat Display Mats, 2-sided * Two U-Boat Patrol Maps, 2-sided * U-Boat Combat Mat * Eight U-Boat Kommandant Cards * U-Boat patrol logsheet * Three 6-sided, two 10-sided dice, and one 20-sided die Complexity: Low to Moderate Average Playing Time: Two-Three Hours Players: One (with options for more players) Solitaire Suitability: Very High Replayability: Very High DESIGNER: Gregory M. Smith DISPLAY & COUNTER ART: Ian Wedge EDITOR: Jack Beckman SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR: Alexey Borodkin ART DIRECTOR: Rodger B. MacGowan and RBM Studios PRODUCER: John Kranz

The Second Hundred Years' War In 1697 the Sun King, Louis XIV, emerged from a decade of war with his Continental ambitions still unsatisfied. Meanwhile, King William III of England sat easier on his new throne than he ever had before. With the Spanish succession crisis unresolved and looming, there were no illusions that the new century would be a quiet one. But neither France nor England could have anticipated the tumult of the years to come: a Second Hundred Years’ War, during which these two tenacious adversaries would compete fiercely and proudly along every axis of human achievement. On battlefields from India to Canada to the Caribbean Sea their armies and fleets would clash; in the salons of Paris and the coffee-houses of London the modern world’s politics and economics would be born; and finally a revolution would rock the foundations of society – a revolution that could have ended not in blood and terror but in a triumph of democracy and liberty that might have transformed the world beyond imagining. Imperial Struggle is a two-player game depicting the 18th-century rivalry between France and Britain. It begins in 1697, as the two realms wait warily for the King of Spain to name an heir, and ends in 1789, when a new order brought down the Bastille. The game is not merely about war: both France and Britain must build the foundations of colonial wealth, deal with the other nations of Europe, and compete for glory across the span of human endeavor. Imperial Struggle covers almost 100 years of history and four major wars. Yet it remains a quick-playing, low-complexity game. It aims to honor its spiritual ancestor, Twilight Struggle, by pushing further in the direction of simple rules and playable systems, while maintaining global scope and historical sweep in the scope of a single evening. In peace turns, players build their economic interests and alliances, and take advantage of historical events represented by Event cards. They must choose their investments wisely, but also with an eye to denying these opportunities to their opponent. In war turns, each theater can bring great rewards of conquest and prestige… but territorial gains can disappear at the treaty table. At the end of the century, will the British rule an empire on which the sun never sets? Or will France light the way for the world, as the superpower of the Sun King’s dreams or the republic of Lafayette’s? Gameplay Imperial Struggle is a game about what historians call the “Second Hundred Years’ War.” It tries to capture the whole span of this global 18th-century rivalry between Britain and France. From the beginning of the game, the stakes couldn’t be higher: in the War of the Spanish Succession, France fights to become the world’s first global superpower by uniting its peerless army with Spain’s colonial wealth... all the way to the end, where the British struggle to maintain control over the vast North American territories. There are two types of turns in Imperial Struggle: peace turns and war turns. Each peace turn, an array of Investment Tiles is laid out: each tile represents a diplomatic, military, or economic opportunity your government can exploit. Each tile shows the action points you’ll be able to spend when you choose it – but be careful – if there’s only one Diplomatic tile on view, it may be worth denying it to your opponent rather than taking an Economic or Military tile with a higher action point value. With Economic action points you’ll extend and develop your control over trade in essential commodities: furs, sugar, cotton, and spices; with Diplomatic ones, you’ll negotiate understandings with other European countries and native groups; and with Military points you’ll decide the extent of your military preparations for the inevitable wars to come and fortify your colonial holdings against unrest. With all three, you’ll have the chance to take the lead from your opponent in areas of competition like taxation, industry, and scholarship. And, like your historical counterparts, you’ll have to keep a close eye on the massive debt that can accumulate as a result of your ambitions. You’ll also hold Event cards which can be used for a minor benefit regardless of your board position, but which can yield much larger gains if you’ve planned ahead for them. Event cards can only be played alongside an investment tile of matching type. Taking a leaf from Volko Ruhnke’s COIN system, most Events have two versions: pro-French and pro-British. Thus events that went one way historically can break to the other side’s advantage in any given game. During war turns you compare your carefully assembled military strength in each of the war’s theaters to your opponent’s. This strength comes not just from troops but from alliances, naval superiority, and espionage. Only during wars can you take territory from your opponent, so they present a unique opportunity to strengthen your nation. Each of the major wars of the period is individually represented. The stakes in each theater and war vary as they did historically, and legendary historical figures like the Duke of Marlborough or the Marquis de Lafayette can leave their mark on the game as they did in history. Imperial Struggle is a low-complexity game that can be finished by experienced players in a short evening. It is not a card-driven game in the sense that cards do not determine the entire scope of player actions each turn; rather, players must combine the Investment Tiles, accessible to each of them, with the Events, which are secretly held. Additionally, Imperial Struggle has no die rolling. The randomness in the game comes from three sources: the Investment Tile deal each peace turn, the initial military strength in each theater of war, and each player’s Event draws. As France, will you forge a French Raj and dominate eastern trade? As Britain, will you retain control of the American colonies? Will the French Revolution fulfill its promise as the ultimate realization of the Enlightenment, eclipsing the American one in importance and impact? Will Britain dominate trade and industry on the sails of the Royal Navy? How will your Imperial Struggle unfold? COMPONENTS: * One mounted gameboard * One rulebook * One playbook * Two playmats * One Investment Tile Display * Two double-sided War Displays * Two double-sided Player Aids * Four countersheets * 41 Event cards * 26 Ministry cards DESIGNER Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews DEVELOPERS Ralan Hill MAP, CARD, & COUNTER ART Terry Leeds & Mark Simonitch PRODUCERS Gene Billingsley, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch