It is Spring 1940, and both the British and the Germans have plans to invade neutral Norway. The British still have the French on their side, while the German Kriegsmarine will never be larger. Who will strike first?

Norway 1940 is a ziplock expansion for PQ-17 that adds all the British, French, Polish, and German naval and air units needed to re-fight this tense air-naval battle, including such seldom-seen ships and aircraft as the repair ship HMS Vindictive, German Type II U-boats, Blackburn Skuas and Rocs, and early Ju88 heavy fighters. Special rules reflect the unique conditions of the campaign, such as Scandinavian neutrality, Norwegian coastal defenses, faulty German torpedoes, shore bombardments, and Allied establishment of a forward naval base (historically in the Lofotens). And just as in the parent game, secretly determined special conditions offer new opportunities and threats to both sides. Will the British pre-empt the German invasion? Will the Germans attempt to break out into the Atlantic with their heavy ships? Will the Allies elect to stay in Narvik instead of evacuating with the fall of France imminent? Or will the Germans make a daring attempt to seize Iceland before the Allies can occupy it in force?

Norway 1940 includes three operational scenarios highlighting key periods of the campaign. Operation WESERÜBUNG covers early April 1940, with both sides attempting to land ground forces in neutral Norway. Operation SICKLE covers the second half of the month, as the Allies counter-attack after the successful German invasion. And Operation JUNO depicts the end of the campaign in early June, when the Germans attempt to interfere with the Allied offensive on Narvik, unaware that the Allies have already decided to evacuate (or have they?). Plus a 1940 Campaign scenario allows players to refight the entire 10-week campaign, including a semi-abstract system for ground operations that will ultimately decide victory in the game.

COMPONENTS:
* 115 1" square counters
* 140 1/2" square markers
* 26 circular counters in 3 sizes
* Two 8-1/2 x 11" Player Aid Cards
* One 8-1/2 x 11" Campaign Display
* Two 8-1/2 x 5-1/2" Port Displays
* 2nd Edition PQ-17 Rules booklet
* Play booklet

Rebel Fury, Volume I of the Civil War Heritage series, uses the low-complexity Gettysburg system featured in C3i Magazine #32. The Battles featured are Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg (solitaire).

This design features a new system on Civil War combat akin to the old SPI Blue and Gray Quads. Each game in Rebel Fury is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.

Rebel Fury places you, the player, in the role of the Army Commander (Lee, Burnside, Hooker, Bragg, Rosecrans, Grant). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks, concentrate your forces for an attack, and determine where to commit your artillery assets.

Units are portrayed at the Infantry/Cavalry division level. The Civil War Heritage series game system features a new Zone of Influence/Zone of Control mechanic that controls unit formation (March/Battle) based on their proximity to your opponent. As your units close with the enemy, your forces naturally break into battle formation, where they then maneuver the last distance to engage. Unlike most hex and counter wargames, this system allows you total freedom to move units in any order multiple times, unleashing the full range of historical tactics in a simple and clean format.

Combat features a differential combat system with few but significant factors that capture the key features of Civil War division level combat. Units are rated for quality, artillery support, supporting units, and terrain. The game features artillery duels with the occasional Exploding Caisson result. The Civil War Heritage series combat system accurately depicts the ability of units to launch multiple waves of attacks on the same position, capturing the back-and-forth nature of many famous combat duels.

Each battle features special units and situations, such as Wilder’s Brigade of mounted infantry (Chickamauga) plus other famous units and personages. If you are looking for a competitive, quick-playing Civil War battle game, Rebel Fury may be the game you have been looking to fit into your busy schedule. The short playing time (1 hour or less) entices you to play multiple battles in the same sitting.

Components:
* Three 22” x 34” single-sided map sheets
* Two 130-counter sheets
* One Rulebook
* One Playbook
* Two Player Aid cards
* Two Displays
* Two 10-sided dice
* One 6-sided custom die
* One 2" Box

Designer: Mark Herman

1871: The RIse and Fall of the Paris Commune

Following the Franco-Prussian War, Paris has been besieged by German troops since September 18, 1870. Only protected by the National Guard (composed mostly of Parisian workers and craftsmen), the people of Paris, hard-hit by the siege, feel humiliated by the decision to sign an armistice with Germany in January 1871. The common folk are hungry and angry.

So when Adolphe Thiers, head of the government, tried to seize the cannons from the National Guard in Montmartre and sent regular troops to Paris on March 18, the Parisians rose against the political and military leaders who had retreated to Versailles.

Red flags are flying high over Paris. The Parisian revolutionaries take control of the French Capital, leading to the beginning of the Paris Commune, a socialist and popular government that would rule the City of Light from March 18 to May 28, 1871. The tension escalates between the Commune and Versailles until the tragic events of the Bloody Week.

As history unfolds, leverage great leaders like Auguste Blanqui, Adolphe Thiers, Louise Michel, or Patrice de MacMahon to lead the Civil War in France!

Red Flag Over Paris, the spiritual successor to Mark Herman's Fort Sumter, is a short, yet challenging, two-player card-driven game depicting the two months of intense confrontation between the Communards and the government in Versailles during the 1871 Paris Commune. You will play as one of these factions and fight for control over Paris. But, you will also need to win the hearts and minds of the French population, as the board is divided into two areas–military and political–themselves divided into several dimensions (Political Institutions, Public Opinion, Paris neighborhoods, and the forts on the outskirts of the city). The game forces players to make tough decisions like when to focus on political influence or military dominance and how to optimize limited resources.

On top of controlling the military and political spaces and fulfilling your objectives to score Victory Points, you will have to manage your momentum. Versailles needs to collaborate with the Prussian invader to build up an army that will restore order in the Capital. On the other hand, the Commune needs to build a robust revolutionary momentum to ensure that the population stays mobilized after months of siege and food shortages.

Each card represents either a critical personality or a significant event of the Paris commune. You may use a card for its event, for its operational value (which allows you to place or remove influence cubes in any given area), to buy an event discarded by your opponent, or build your momentum. After up to three rounds, Red Flag Over Paris culminates in a Final Crisis where each player will have to play all the cards they left aside earlier in the game as the last opportunity to place influence before determining the winner.

COMPONENTS:
* 1 mounted mapboard
* A 39 card strategy deck
* 15 cards for Objectives, Final Crisis, and Initiative
* 36 wooden influence cubes
* 4 wooden discs for Fortifications and Barricades
* 4 wooden cylinders
* 1 Rulebook
* 1 Playbook
* 1 six-sided die

DESIGNER: Fred Serval
SYSTEM DESIGN: Mark Herman
DEVELOPER: Luke Billingsley, Jason Carr, and Joe Dewhurst
CARD AND GAMEBOARD ART: Donal Hagerty
LAYOUT AND GRAPHICS: Charlie Kibler
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Tony Curtis
PRODUCERS: Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan, Gene Billingsley, Mark Simonitch, Tony Curtis

Salerno ‘43 is a regiment/brigade-level game on the Allied invasion of mainland Italy in September 1943. Two British and two American divisions land in the Bay of Salerno defended by the full strength 16th Panzer Division, which is soon reinforced by five other German mechanized divisions. For 8 days the survival of the beachhead is in doubt, and emergency measures are taken to reinforce the beachhead with the 82nd Airborne Division. With their counter-attack stopped and the British Eighth Army approaching from the south, the Germans withdraw their left flank to avoid being trapped. However, their right flank stubbornly holds back the British from pushing north to Naples.

Salerno ’43 uses the exact same map, unit, and time scales as Normandy ’44, providing an excellent way to compare these two invasions. Salerno ’43 uses a modified Normandy '44 game system. With a smaller size, the game is easier to learn and play than its predecessor.

Salerno ’43 includes two scenarios: an 8-turn Invasion Scenario and a 24-turn Campaign Game. In the Campaign Game, the Allies must exit the north map edge by the end of September 1943. The Germans must delay the Allies to give time for the construction of the Gustav Line further north. The 8-turn scenario can be finished in an afternoon.

FEATURES: Breakthrough Combat, Artillery Support, ZOC Bonds, and new rules for crossing and fighting across mountain hex sides.

COMPONENT LIST:
* 1 22" x 25.5" game map
* 1 Countersheet
* 1 Rules Booklet
* 2 Identical Player Aid cards: 8.5" x 11"
* 1 Allied At Start and Reinforcement Schedule
* 1 German At Start and Reinforcement Schedule
* 1 6-sided die
* 1 plastic counter tray

TIME SCALE: 1 day per turn
MAP SCALE: 3.8 km per hex
UNIT SCALE: Regiment, brigade, and battalion size units
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2

Game Designer: Mark Simonitch

The battle of Sekigahara, fought in 1600 at a crossroads in Japan, unified that nation under the Tokugawa family for more than 250 years.

Sekigahara allows you to re-contest that war as Ishida Mitsunari, defender of a child heir, or Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japan's most powerful daimyo (feudal lord).

The campaign lasted only 7 weeks, during which each side improvised an army and a strategy with what forces their allies could provide. Each leader harbored deep doubts as to the loyalty of his units - for good reason. Several daimyo refused to fight; some even turned sides in the midst of battle.

To conquer Japan you must do more than field an army - you must be sure it will follow you into combat. Cultivate the loyalty of your allies and deploy them only when you are confident of their allegiance. Win a battle by gaining a defection from the ranks of your opponent.

Sekigahara is replete with unusual mechanics:
* No dice are used
* Cards represent loyalty and motivation. Without a matching card, an army will not enter battle.
* Allegiance is represented by hand size, which fluctuates each turn.
* Battles are a series of deployments, from hidden unit stacks, based on hidden loyalty factors. Loyalty Challenge cards create potential defection events.

Sekigahara is a 3-hour block game based on the Japanese campaign waged in 1600. The 7-week war, fought along Japan's two major highways and in scattered sieges and backcountry skirmishes, elevated Tokugawa Ieyasu to Shogun and unified Japan for 265 years.

Sekigahara is designed to offer an historically authentic experience within an intuitive game mechanic that can be played in one sitting. Great effort has been taken to preserve a clean game mechanism. (Despite a healthy amount of historical detail, the ruleset is a brief 6 pages.) Chance takes the form of uncertainty and not luck.

No dice are used; combat is decided with cards. Blocks = armies and cards = motivation. The combination of army and motivation produces impact on the battlefield. Armies without matching cards don't fight. Battles resolve quickly, but with suspense, tactical participation, and a wide range of possible outcomes.

Legitimacy is represented by hand size, which fluctuates each week according to the number of castles a player holds. Certain events deplete legitimacy, like force marches and lost battles. Recruitment, meanwhile, is a function of a daimyo's control over key production areas. Objectives (enemy units, castles, resources) exist all over the map.

The initial setup is variable, so the situation is always fresh. Concealed information (blocks and cards) lends additional uncertainty. In this way the game feels like the actual campaign.

Blocks are large and stackable. Every unit on the board is visible at once, and the strategic situation is comprehensible at a glance. Components use authentic clan designations and colors, and have a Japanese feel.

True to history, the objectives (castles and economic centers) and forces (armies of allied daimyo) are dispersed. Support for one front means neglect for another. The player is pulled between competing priorities. Each side wonders where his opponent wants to fight, and where he is unready. There is a great deal of bluff in the game.

Each player must rally the several daimyo of his coalition, managing the morale and motivation of each clan. The forces are dispersed, and while there are reasons to unify them, the objectives are also dispersed, and the timeframe compact, so skirmishing will occur all over the island.

COMPONENTS
* Mounted Map
* 119 wooden pieces
* 1 and 1/2 sticker sheets
* 110 cards
* Rulebook
* Two player aid cards

TIME SCALE: 2 weeks per turn
MAP SCALE: Point to point
UNIT SCALE: One block = 5000 soldiers
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2

DESIGNER: Matthew Calkins
MAP & BLOCK ART: Mark Mahaffey
RULES LAYOUT: Neil Randall
PACKAGE ART: Rodger B. MacGowan
PRODUCERS: Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Andy Lewis, Gene Billingsley & Mark Simonitch

Skies Above Britain is a solitaire game depicting a Royal Air Force squadron of Hurricanes or Spitfires waging a desperate effort to disrupt and destroy German daylight bombing raids over southeast England in the summer of 1940.

The player’s individual aircraft—each represented by a stickered block—must locate the incoming raid, intercept it, and evade or defeat swarms of escorting German fighters that usually outnumber you and whose pilots have superior experience and tactics. The game simulates the dogfighting and fighter-vs.-bomber action at an individual aircraft level using a card-assisted system that simulates key tactical decision-making without losing the feel of fast-paced aerial combat. A player can fly scenarios representing an individual patrol or use the patrol generator to create an endless variety of realistic individual patrols, multi-patrol campaigns, or larger campaigns covering the entire Battle of Britain. Each patrol will take a half hour or more to play, while a campaign can last anywhere between 6 and 28 patrols. 

The Patrol
You select a roster of pilots with varying experience and skill levels. The squadron takes off, takes up a patrol station, and tries to locate and intercept a German raid before it reaches its still-unknown bombing target. Patrol success depends on your disrupting or destroying bombers and shooting down German fighters, but losses of your own pilots count against your score. You must weigh potential reward against risk as you try to keep your planes in contact with the bomber formation and each other, seizing opportunities for successive attacks before your fuel and ammunition levels get too low and the centrifugal forces of aerial combat scatter your unit across the sky. After each mission, you try to recover bailed out or injured pilots and get ready to scramble again—often several times in the same day—while your squadron faces the constant threat of exhausted pilots and excessive losses that could render it ineffective.

The patrol is played on several displays and surfaces at the same time, each one representing a different zoom level of the action in and around the bombing raid. An Interception Map presents the German formation as a lethal space of escort stations, where you can position your squadron for different approaches and assign planes to attack bombers or engage German escorts. Once engaged, moveable bomber tiles are positioned on the tabletop to show bombers in a variety of historical formations and cohesion states. Tiles allow the formation to literally break apart. Fighter blocks and escort markers on the tabletop show the ever-changing positions of attacking fighters and defending escorts. A separate squadron display shows the organization and cohesion of your squadron at a glance and tracks the relative positions of bogeys in relation to your planes during dogfights.

The game poses a series of questions: Will you strike the bombers from a high flank angle to get a safer shot or make a daring head-on attack to break their formation apart? Will you split your squadron to engage escorting Messerschmitts before they bounce you from out of the sun, or will you charge into the bombers hoping to get there before escorts get to your pilots? Unlike its predecessors, Skies Above the Reich and Storm Above the Reich, here the bombers are lightly armed and are at the mercy of determined interceptors. But the German escort is brutal, and their tactical formation of the Rotte and Schwarm are difficult to contend with. Skies Above Britain shifts detail from encounters between fighter and bomber to dogfights between fighter and escort. Your pilots are trained for the officially sanctioned “vic” tactics organizing your squadron into Sections of three aircraft. That gives the Section excellent firepower, but the Bosche is a nimble adversary. Getting on his tail does not guarantee success. Will your squadron leader gain the experience to be an innovator, allowing you to experiment with the more agile four-plane Section?

The Campaign
As tough as each mission can be, the real challenge is the campaign where you watch as your roster of pilots gradually shrinks. Some pilots will survive long enough to acquire ace skills, but you will be forced to replace downed or wounded pilots, and those young newcomers come “green.” Some campaigns will end because you run out of sufficiently experienced pilots and/or sustain too many losses in too short a time.

Full campaigns follow the chronology of “phases,” each representing a distinct period of the Battle of Britain and comprising a number of patrols that your squadron flies: Channel War, The Hardest Days, Peak Phase, and Late Phase. The patrol generator offers you the flexibility to play a shorter, single-phase campaign (6 to 8 patrols) or play two or more phases in order to make a longer campaign (12 to 28 patrols). A campaign will challenge you to keep your squadron intact while making an impact on the relentless wave of bomber formations roaring in from the English Channel. Each phase has its own post-patrol Random Events Table, featuring occurrences characteristic of that time period. The operating tempo of your squadron and the strain on your men will vary as the table tells you when you will have to scramble again—two days from now, tomorrow … or perhaps immediately, with barely any time to rearm and refuel.

"I think the evening raid was the worst in that one had already flown three or four sorties and probably lost three or four pilots, and you were reduced down in numbers. Then you had another go and one was getting tired."
-Denys Gillam, 616 Squadron, RAF

Game Design: Gina Willis and Jerry White

Little Saturn/Winter Storm adds a 5th scenario to Stalingrad '42 covering the period from December 14th through February 5th, 1943. The scenario starts with the Soviets launching a major attack against the Italians along the Don River while Manstein's Operation Winter Storm to relieve Stalingrad is in progress.

The scenario uses all three maps (not included). Each turn represents 4 days. More than 50 new units included.

COMPONENTS:
* One-half counter sheet
* 2 Setup Cards
* 2 (identical) Player Aid Cards
* a 4-page 11" x 17" flyer of the scenario rules.
* The Stalingrad '42 rule-booklet with the latest Living Rules changes.

DESIGNER: Mark Simonitch 

Storm Above the Reich is a solitaire game depicting a Luftwaffe squadron of Fw190s struggling to deter and destroy the relentless daylight raids over Germany during World War Two. The player’s individual aircraft, each represented by a stickered block, must confront the mighty “combat box” formation of the United States Army Air Force, a deadly terrain of B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

Like its counterpart, Skies Above the Reich, the game is a broad strokes depiction that presents the arc of the desperate air war. Stretching from late 1942 to early 1945, Storm Above the Reich follows that trajectory in a series of missions strung together to make a campaign. Each mission will take a half hour or more to play, while a campaign can last anywhere between 6 to 60 missions.

Stand-Alone and an Expansion: Storm Above the Reich is a stand-alone game; you don’t need Skies Above the Reich to play. However, it can also serve as an expansion for that game. Storm uses the same rules as Skies, and components in one game transfer seamlessly to the other. Combined, Storm and Skies present eight formation maps, six pursuit maps, B-17s and B-24s. In Storm, you get an oversized staffel of 18 Fw190s, with the option of augmenting it into a Sturmbocke staffel. In Skies, you get a staffel of Bf109s, and with the games combined, the staffels can also be combined.

The Mission: You select pilots and “attachments,” such as gun pods, rockets, or added armor. You may also augment your attack with auxiliary aircraft such as Me110s, Bf109s, or later in the war, jet propelled Me163s, an erratic but powerful weapon. Time in a mission is limited, so you must do your best to wreck the bomber formation as quickly as possible, while bringing home as many pilots as you can in order to muster a force for the next mission.

The mission is played on a formation map that depicts as many as twenty-one B-24 bombers in a tight array. The game comes with two double-sided map boards (four maps in all) that as a set chronicle the development and increasing lethality of the bomber formation. Each map is a bigger and more lethal terrain than its predecessor.

Will you strike the formation from the nose or from the tail? Will your fighters make a dead-level attack or will they drop bombs on the formation from above? Will you split your squadron to attack from multiple angles, or will they charge at the bombers in successive waves? Will you even have time for this kind of maneuver?

What if you encounter the bombers’ “little friends,” fighter escort lurking nearby? How will you handle them if you do, or will you even try? Will you organize part of your force to tangle with escort, or will you arm your entire contingent to focus on the bombers?

The Campaign: As tough as each mission can be, the real challenge is the campaign where you watch as your roster of pilots gradually shrinks. Some pilots will survive long enough to acquire ace skills, but you will be forced to replace downed or wounded pilots, and those young newcomers come “green”. Some campaigns will end simply because you run out of pilots.

Full Campaigns follow the chronology of “seasons,” each comprising a number of missions that your squadron flies striving to disrupt the American bomber raids. In a full campaign you must endure all seven seasons, keeping your squadron intact while making an impact on the relentless wave of bomber formations roaring over your homeland. A short campaign challenges you to win a single season, although you may wish to extend it to a second or third season depending on how well you fare.

Each season represents a distinct period of the war, as the campaign traverses the history of the air war. Bombers become more heavily armed but so too do your own Fw190 fighters. Early seasons are characterized by smaller formations, while seasons in the middle of the war are notable for the lack of fighter escort. And later seasons will put the squeeze on your squadron.

Basic and Advanced Games: In the basic game, your goal is to knock bombers out of formation, or destroy them outright. The advanced game adds “pursuit” where you dispatch fighters to chase after and intercept bombers knocked out of the formation. Played out on an 8.5” x 11” map depicting a single bomber, pursuit makes the advanced game even more challenging.

In Storm, you also get an expanded set of advanced rules that stretches a Mission to include the vector to the bomber formation where your fighters may themselves be intercepted by United States escort fighters. Will you devote some of your fighters to tackle American escort, leaving others equipped to attack the bombers? Will your Sturm 190s be able to fight their way through to the bombers or did you leave them vulnerable? And for those who already own Skies Above the Reich, in Storm you’ll find new Experte skills and green penalties, aft firing rockets for those Sturm 190s, as well as a feature exclusive to that fearsome machine – the “Aggressive Attitude” that augments its Determined Mode capabilities. Finally, the B-24 will be seen in Storm Above the Reich to fly a greater variety of formation patterns than in Skies, reflecting the USAAF’s experimentation with that heavy bomber.

The Two Player Game: You may also play this as a (un)cooperative game. Players each command a squadron of fighters and attack a formation of bombers together. Although players may lose together, even if they win the campaign only one of them may be declared the victor.

COMPONENTS:
* one 17” x 22” map board (double sided)
* one 22” x 34” map board (double sided)
* one 8.5” x 22” off-map display panel
* one 8.5” x 11” pad: Pilot Roster & Staffel Log (double sided)
* two countersheets (one sheet of 1” counters; one sheet of 5/8” counters)
* 60 blocks
* two sticker sheets
* 96 attack and continuing fire cards
* four bi-fold player aids (11” x 17”, double sided)
* one pursuit map (8.5” x 11”, double sided)
* one interception map (8.5” x 11”, double sided)
* one rule book
* one situation manual
* one advanced rule book
* two 10-sided dice

TIME SCALE Each turn = seconds and minutes
MAP SCALE Area movement
UNIT SCALE Individual fighters

NUMBER OF PLAYERS 1 - 4

Triumph and Tragedy is a geopolitical strategy game for 3 players (also playable by 2) covering the competition for European supremacy during the period 1935-45 between Capitalism (the West), Communism (the Soviet Union) and Fascism (the Axis). It has diplomatic, economic, technological and military components, and can be won by gaining economic hegemony or technological supremacy (A-bomb), or by vanquishing a rival militarily.

The 22” x 34” area map covers Eurasia to India and the Urals, with the Americas and the eastern British Empire represented abstractly. Military units are 1/2” blocks, of 7 types (Infantry / Tank / Fortress / AirForce / Carrier / Fleet / Submarine), in 6 different colors (Germany / Italy / Russia / Britain / France / USA). The mix of approximately 200 blocks allows great flexibility of force composition. There is a 55-card Action deck and a 55-card Investment deck, plus 30 Peace Dividend chits and 50 markers of various types.

The game starts in 1935, with all 3 Great Powers virtually disarmed: Germany has repudiated the Versailles Peace Treaty, initiating an arms race in Europe. With blocks, the nature of military buildups remain unknown to rivals unless/until military conflict breaks out. The game may end peacefully or there may be war. There are game sanctions for attacking neutral minors or declaring war on an opponent, and rewards for remaining peaceful (you get a Peace Dividend chit of value 0-2 for every year you remain at Peace).

You can win peacefully by:
* Economic Hegemony (total of Production + secret Peace Dividend values is the greatest in 1945, or reaches 25 at any time) OR
* Technological Supremacy (build the A-bomb — which takes 4 stages).

If there is war, you can still win by either of the above methods, or by:
* Military Victory (capture of TWO enemy capitals – each Great Power has 2).

Economic production underlies all forms of power in the game. Production is the LEAST of controlled Population (cities), controlled Resources, and Industry (which starts low and can be built up with Investment cards). Powers can spend their current economic Production on either:

* Military units (new 1-step units or additional steps on existing units), OR
* Action cards, which have Diplomatic values (to gain Population and Resources without conflict) and a Command value (to move military units), OR
* Investment cards, which have Technological values (to enhance unit abilities) and a Factory value (the only way to increase Industry levels).

Building a unit step or buying a card costs 1 Production. Simple. You can’t inspect cards bought until after you have spent all Production.

Initially, the Axis economy is Population/Resource limited, but ahead in [war] Industry, while the West and Russia are Industry-limited, with adequate empires of Population and Resources. Throttling/limiting rival economies by denial of Population/Resources is a key form of competition. In peacetime, this is primarily done via Diplomacy, committing Action cards to gain control minor nations and their Population/Resources, or to deny or reduce Rival control of them. At war, this can be done more directly by military conquest on land, by Naval/Submarine blockade of trade routes at sea, and by Strategic Bombing of enemy Industry by air forces.

The early phase of the game tends to revolve around:
* Diplomatic infighting (using Action cards), to gain minor nations (Czech, Rumania, etc) for their Population and Resources.
* and Industrial buildup (via Investment cards),
* with Military buildups (with the nature of forces being built being unknown to opponents)
* and some Technology advancement (also via Investment cards),
* and some military movement (using Action cards for Command), which can include Violating (attacking) neutral minors to gain Population/Resources when Diplomacy fails.

If the game continues peacefully due to imposing defenses or player inclination, pressure builds as players approach a Production of 20, as secret Peace Dividend chits may take someone over the 25 Victory threshold. Or players may succeed in developing the Atomic Bomb and steal a victory that way.

At some point, however, one Power (seeing opportunity or necessity) may Declare War on another. The victim gets immediate economic benefits in reaction, but military reality comes to the forefront from this point onward. The third party may well continue its economic development in peace. Or not.

Unit movement is by Command card, which specifies a Command Priority letter that determines order of movement/combat and a Command Value number that determines the maximum number of units that can be moved. Command cards are only valid during one specified Season (Spring / Summer / Fall), so a variety of Command cards in one’s hand is necessary for a Power to be able to move in every Season. But HandSizes are limited, so each player must balance competing demands for card resources with military security.

Combat occurs when rival units occupy the same area, and is executed by units firing in order by Type (defenders firing first amongst equal types), rolling dice for hits. Units have different Firepowers (hit values) depending on the Class of unit they are targeting (land, naval, air, sub). Land combat is one round per Season while sea battles are fought to a conclusion. Units without a Supply line lose 1 step per Season and cannot build (except Fortress units which are immune to both effects but cannot move).

Triumph and Tragedy is a true 3-sided game: there is no requirement that the West and Russia be on the same side (and in fact there are valid reasons to attack each each other), and only ONE player can win the game. “Table talk” is allowed (and encouraged) but agreements are not enforceable. Alliances are shifting and cooperation is undependable. The game can continue as an economic battle of attrition or a sudden military explosion can change everything. There is immense replayability as players can pursue dominance in Europe via land, sea or air military superiority, technological supremacy, or economic hegemony without rivals realizing their strategy until it is TOO LATE! It is a highly interactive, tense, fast-moving game with little downtime between player turns, covering THE crucial geopolitical decade of the 20th century in 4-6 hours.

Components:
• 22x34 area map
• Approximately 200 1/2” Blocks:
• label sheet (+/- 240 1/2” labels)
• 100 3/4” TWO-SIDED diecut markers
• 55 card Action deck
• 55 card Investment deck
• 16 pp Rulebook
• 16 pp Playbook
• 8x11 cardstock BattleBoard
• 4 dice

Developer's Note:
When Craig asked me to work with him on his new game, “Triumph & Tragedy,” I was initially very reluctant. I have a very busy schedule and was really not wanting to add something to my “plate.” Curiosity got the better of me, however, and I had the opportunity to review the game at length. What I found with Craig’s design is one of the most innovative strategic-level WW2 games I’ve ever seen!

Come on, let’s face it: there’s a LOT of start-level WW2 games out there — good ones at that! What Craig’s game does, however, is something I’ve never seen. He’s made the Second World War into a true three-sided conflict. This game will really shine as a 3-player game. One side plays the West, one side plays the Axis, and one side plays the Soviets. Any combination of coalitions is permissible in the game. You can have the Soviets team up with the Axis against the decadent West. Or you could have the West and the Axis forge a stance against communism. Of course, the historical alliance is certainly possible. BUT, and this is a huge part of the game’s attraction for me, ONLY ONE player can win. Even amongst “allies” there will be a nagging suspicion of the other player’s true goals and motives.

With three ways to win (Economic Victory, Military Victory, or Atomic Bomb Deployment), the game is almost certain never to play the same way twice. Technologies can be researched to enhance your military forces. You can keep these developments secret in order to keep your opponents from gaining the same advantages but if you do this, it will narrow your choices as researched technologies take up valuable space in the player’s “hand.” You can also use your resources to gain allies among minor countries, or to put pressure on such countries tilting towards your opponent.

The card-play in this game is some of most compelling I’ve run across. It’s a block game like none other and it can be played to completion in 4-5 hours! I heartily recommend anyone with any interest in WW2 — especially those with a fascination with alt-history to buy this game.

The U.S. Civil War is a 2-player strategic-level war game of the American Civil War. The game covers the entire war from 1861-65 on a large 30” x 44” map area (2 mounted maps) of the Southeastern United States. Turns represent 3 months during the winter and 2 months during the summer, with four Action Phases to each turn.

Military forces are represented by generals and strength-points (SPs). Each SP represents approximately 5,000 soldiers. Game mechanics stress strategy, maneuver and leadership but details like ironclads, naval battles, leader promotions, forts, and commerce raiders are included.

Shorter scenarios are included that cover just 1861, 1862 and 1863.

Players of Eric Lee Smith’s The Civil War (VG) and Mark Herman’s For the People (AH and GMT) will see many similarities between this game and those two benchmark games. Those two wonderful games inspired many of the rules and concepts used in this game.

CONTENTS:
• a rules booklet
• Two mounted maps ("30 x "44 play area)
• Three die-cut counter sheets (9/16" playing pieces)
• Two identical 11” x 17” Player Aid Cards
• Three 8.5" x 11" scenario cards
• One deck of 30 Special Action Cards

Game Design: Mark Simonitch

Word from the Designer:
"It has been wonderful to see the intensity and dedication of Vietnam's players over the years. I am truly delighted that the game will soon be back in print; that the ambiguities and errors in the original manuscript will be resolved; and that players will have the benefit of new, fresh graphics, with charts and aids optimized to streamline play. I am thrilled and honored that GMT has taken on the project, giving me the opportunity to revisit the challenges and joys of modeling and incredible complex and intriguing part of our history."
-Nick Karp

Introduction
"This simulation game re-creates the longest, most complex, and least understood conflict in US history in all of its military and political aspects. The rules include detailed treatment of movement, terrain, search and destroy operations, special operations, firepower, airmobility, riverines, brigade-level formations, limited intelligence, and auxiliary units in each scenario..."

That's the blurb from the back of the original Victory Games edition of the game. This game has long occupied the top spot in many gamers' lists of favorite Vietnam games. GMT Games is excited about the opportunity to get a new version of this classic back into print.

If you're not familiar with the original game, there are several small scenarios and a couple of campaign games. Each year is divided into four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter), and each season has two turns (so, roughly 6 weeks per turn). The map scale is roughly 6 miles per hex and units are, generally, battalions or regiments. During the operational phase, players take turns (who gets to operate is determined by the NLF player) conducting operations with their units to destroy the enemy, clear the roads, take towns and cities, or just reposition units. In the Campaign Game, during Seasonal Interphases, each player decides whether and how many additional units and/or resources to bring in to the fight. The game features hidden VC units, airmobility, riverines, national morale, pacification, ARVN effectiveness, and many other nuances that allow the player to grasp the some of the experience of what it might have been like to conduct the war in Vietnam.

Word from the Developers
For many of you, as for us, the mere existence of this announcement is a dream come true. That we get to work on it is just icing on the cake.

Vietnam 1965-1975 has always represented the quintessential grand operational Vietnam game for us. The systems all work together beautifully to evoke the feel of the war whether playing the focused scenarios or the sweeping breadth of the campaign games. To that end, let us tell you what to expect with this reprint edition.

But first, we want to let you know what this reprint is not: it is, most emphatically, not a reimagining of the game. There will be no major rule changes. No chrome will be added. Although we are well aware that the available historical record on Vietnam is vastly expanded since the original publication, the game has always been an abstraction of the conflict as opposed to a meticulously exact reproduction of every fact. The intent with this edition is to clarify where needed and change only if necessary.

With that said, let's get on to the good stuff! The primary goals are to bring the components up to a modern standard and to clean up any ambiguity in the rules. This will be done using both the collected wisdom of the community as well as Nick's input through close consultation as to his original intent on some of the thornier questions.

We're increasing the hex size on the map which will force us to move to three maps, but that's so we can accommodate making the unit counters bigger: 9/16" for units counters while informational markers remain at 1/2". And of course, there will be plenty of player aid cards. There will be 12 PACs in the box including a two-sided CRT/TEC for use during the season, an 11x17 fold-out for use during the Seasonal Interphase, and an 11x17 Operational Flow Chart that details each type of Operation.

With this we will bring this game back in to print and breathe new life into it.

-Mitch and Ralph

Non-exhaustive List of Clarifications and Changes
* The US, ARVN, and FWA are now collectively referred to as the Allies. US, ARVN, and FWA, when used, specifically mean those units.#
* More rule numbers have been provided for easier reference.
* Units may not be assigned to more than one operation per turn with the exception of Offensive Reserves (who conduct their Offensive Reserve operation and are then assigned to the ongoing operation).
* The defender choose his terrain in combat immediately before combat ratios are determined.
* VC HQs exert ZOCs.
* International, Corps, and Regional boundaries and their effects have been clearly defined.
* Operations have been clarified in terms of which can have support assigned, etc. (a new, more detailed Operations Flow Chart is available).
* Reaction movement is clarified.
* Airmobile Support losses is clarified (in terms of when they are lost vs available to be lost).
* Dedicated artillery is clarified (in terms of when it can be used in an operation).
* Ground-bound units has been changed to be less restrictive in terms of amphibious operations (105mm and 155mm independent artillery can use riverine points).
* Strategic Movement for Ineffective ARVN is clarified and expanded.
* Regional Forces do qualify a force to use ARVN replacements.
* Regional Forces are available for the HEX they occupy regardless of the terrain chosen by the defender.
* ARVN units in Cambodia and Laos fall under the Chief of Staff for Effectiveness.
* Bombardment and/or interdiction is not an invasion.
* North Vietnam may be Bombarded.
* The Queen's Cobra Regiment no longer has a commitment cost.
* Sea Supply has been altered: 2 points are added for each NVN commitment point spent on sea supply.

# There's a necessary design note included for this, too: Design Note: The term, “Allied,” is not meant to imply an equal partnership between the US, FWA, and ARVN. This was very much a US-controlled conflict. It’s use within the rules is exclusively meant as a short-hand convenience when speaking to the general versus the specific.

COMPONENTS:
* 3" box
* 3 22"x34" maps (approx. 66"x40")
* Rulebook
* Playbook
* 8 x 8.5 x 11 player aid cards
* 2 x 11x17 Seasonal Interphase
* 2 x 11x17 folding Operations Player Aid Card
* 4 sheets 9/16" counters
* 2 sheets 1/2" counters

Designer: Nick Karp
Developers: Mitchell Land & Ralph Shelton

Washington’s War is a card-driven game on the American Revolution. It pits the forces of King George III against the American colonists as they fight for their independence. In Washington’s War, you assume the role of either:

* the King of England as he tries to bring his rebellious colonies back into the Empire, while at the same time dealing with a global war against ancient enemies bent on revenge for their losses in the Seven Years War; OR
* the Continental Congress as they battle the forces of England, while trying to rally their countrymen to the cause of liberty.

Washington’s War is not just a re-tread of my earlier design on the same subject, but a true re-design that is keeping the basic feel while simplifying and speeding up what was already a fast paced game. Washington’s War features a dice-driven combat system that quickly resolves combat and is very friendly to internet play. The game also features a new CDG discard mechanic that enables a player to play a discarded event for the cost of an operations card. Now unusual card distributions create challenges and not insurmountable barriers to push your strategy forward. Washington’s War is being broadly tested on the internet to give players a voice and a source of input prior to publication. What was old is new again…. Be the man on the white horse and forge a nation or save an empire.

Wing Leader: Blitz is the first expansion for GMT’s Wing Leader system. Blitz adds more aircraft and scenarios to play while expanding the game into new theaters of war. Fly Dewoitine D.520 fighters into the cauldron of battle against German Heinkels. Lead Japanese Ki-27s against the Soviets in the skies over Nomonhan. Direct Royal Navy Fulmars and Martlets at Italian torpedo bombers in Operation Pedestal. Launch P-39D Airacobras against Japanese invasion forces approaching New Guinea.

New Aircraft will also include the Soviet I-16, I-153 and MiG-3, the Curtiss Hawk 75 fighter, and most of the major French fighters including the M.S.406 and MB.152C.

Players will need a copy of Wing Leader: Victories 1940-1942 to play Wing Leader: Blitz.

In addition to new aircraft and scenarios, Wing Leader: Blitz features a brand-new campaign system, which recreates air actions in the early weeks of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The campaign comes with its own 11 x 17” campaign map, while special markers for tracking bomb damage are included for the first time. The campaign will confront the German and Soviet players with tough decisions on targeting, attack planning and raid execution in the desperate days of Operation Barbarossa.

Wing Leader: Blitz brings the major air combats of the Blitzkrieg right to your gaming table!

Contents:
* 1x Campaign rules and scenario booklet
* 1x 11 x 17” campaign map
* 1x countersheet
* 2x sheets of Aircraft Data Cards
* 1x Campaign player aid sheet

Game Design: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood

Players will need a copy of Wing Leader: Victories 1940-1942 to play Wing Leader: Blitz.

Wing Leader: Legends 1937-1945 is the fourth expansion for GMT’s Wing Leader system. In Legends, we seek to cap the Wing Leader game system by bringing together previous games and expansions in a series of crossover scenarios.

Featuring combat from the beginning to the very end of the war, Legends features some of the smaller air forces. The Chinese over Nanking, the Yugoslavs over Belgrade, and the Bulgarian defense of Sofia all appear. The last gasp of the Regia Aeronatica over Sicily and Calabria are captured in a series of exciting scenarios. There are new scenarios for China and France. Old favorites, including the Pacific and Eastern Front, also feature, matching Italians against Soviets or recreating the famous Battle of the Bismarck Sea.

New Aircraft range from the obscure Yugoslav IK-3 interceptor to the American P-26 ‘Peashooter.’ Italian types including the G.55 fighter and the Z.1007 bomber also appear.

Players will need copies of all previous Wing Leader products to fully enjoy this expansion.

In addition to new aircraft and scenarios, Wing Leader: Legends features a whole campaign system, replicating the experience of the desperate air battles over Kursk in the summer of 1943.

Wing Leader: Legends brings major air combats right to your gaming table!

Components:
* 1 x Campaign rules and scenario book
* 1 x What ADC Do I Use? booklet
* 1 x countersheet
* 1 x sheet of Aircraft Data Cards
* 1 x combined sheet of Aircraft Data Cards and counters
* 1 x Campaign map
* 2 x Campaign order of battle cards

DESIGNER: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Tony Curtis
PRODUCERS: Mark Simonitch, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan, Gene Billingsley

Wing Leader: Origins 1936-1942 is the third expansion for GMT’s Wing Leader system. Origins dives into the thrilling battles of the inter-war and early-war period. This expansion matches biplanes against fast monoplanes in combat over Spain, China, and Poland. Nationalist CR.32s face off against ‘Red’ I-15s over Madrid. Soviet volunteers fly ‘Chaikas’ against Japanese ‘Claudes’ above China. Bf 109s dive into streams of British Wellingtons, Halifaxes, and Manchesters while defending battleships in Brest.

New Aircraft range from pre-war German warplanes (such as the He 46 and He 51) to Polish fighters and bombers (such as the PZL P.11) and American Curtiss fighters (such as the CW-21 Interceptor).

Players will need a copy of Wing Leader: Victories 1940-1942 to play Wing Leader: Origins.

In addition to new aircraft and scenarios, Wing Leader: Origins features a whole campaign system, recreating two days of the German and Italian maximum effort against Malta in 1942. Titled Malta Spitfires, the campaign simulates the tough attrition battles over the islands.

Wing Leader: Origins brings major air combats right to your gaming table!

COMPONENTS:
* 1 x Campaign rules and scenario book
* 1 x countersheet
* 5 x sheets of Aircraft Data Cards
* 1 x Campaign player aid card

DESIGNER Lee Brimmicombe-Wood

WING LEADER is an exciting new game system of large scale aerial combat in World War II. Based on a unique side-scrolling view, in which altitude is clearly visible, players can recreate the great air battles of the war.

This first volume focuses on the fighting from 1940 to 1942, with scenarios for the Battle of Britian, Malta, Coral Sea, Midway, North Africa, and Stalingrad. Future games will expand the system to the late war.

Players fly squadrons and flights, attempting to intercept raids or fend off marauding fighters in fast-playing games that take between 90 and 120 minutes.

Wing Leader takes a new look at aerial warfare, incorporating aircraft, altitude, and weather in a way never seen before!

Components:
* Rule book
* Scenario book (20+ scenarios)
* 22 x 34" map
* 560 counters in three countersheets
* Forty 2.5 x 3.5" Aircraft Data Cards
* Two 8.5 x 11" Wing Displays
* Three 8.5 x 11" player aid cards
* Two six-sided dice

Designer: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood