2017 Holiday Gamer’s Gift Guide!

By Rick Martin

The 2017 Armchair General Holiday Buyers Guide for Gamers

2017 has been a great year for gamers and, more specifically, war gamers! We at Armchair General believe that if 2017 isn’t a “Golden Year” for games, it will certainly qualify for an “Almost Golden Year”. For solo gaming, we have seen some truly fantastic and innovative games released plus at least one update of a classic solo game from yesteryear. We have had not one but two excellent B17 Flying Fortress games this year but each one features a different aspect of the air war over Europe! For multi-player games, we have seen games covering so many different topics and subjects that there is certainly something for everyone. In addition, some great science fiction, fantasy and horror games have graced our gaming tables this year! While not all of the games listed below have been covered by reviews yet, rest assured that we at Armchair General are very stoked about them and you, dear readers, will be seeing reviews coming in the next month or so. Let the games commence!

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In no particular order, the Games that you need to have for 2017 are:

Target for Today – an update of B17 Queen of the Skies in which you command one B17 or B24 and its crew – part role playing, part combat – all good!

1754 Conquest – The French Indian War – a family friendly game which captures the time period perfectly!

Conquest of Paradise – a scaled down case study of Imperialism in the form of Polynesian settlement across the Pacific

Arbela – a unique look at the famous battle between Darius III of Persia, ruler of the largest empire in the world– and a young man named Alexander, who ruled a small, semi-backward nation and a collection of Greek states

Sergeants Miniature Game – a fast paced, beautifully designed miniatures game covering squad combat on D Day and the few days following that “Day of Days”. Hell on Wheels expands the game to cover tanks and other vehicles.

B17 Flying Fortress Leader – a solo game in which you manage American bomber squadrons during World War II

1846: Race for the Midwest – a game of unfettered, no holds barred capitalism in which the player play railroad barons and in which he who acquires the most personal wealth wins

Wings of Glory Battle of Britain – a new set for the venerable Wings of Glory miniatures aircraft game but this time you fly British and German aircrafts made famous during the Battle of Britain

Falling Sky –entry in the COIN (COunter INsurgencies) game series jumps back in to the turbulent 50s, no not the 1950s but to 54 to 52 B.C. as Caesar’s Roman Legions attempt to pacify Gaul!

Conflict of Heroes – Guadalcanal Solo Expansions and Fire Fight Generator – three brilliant games of tactical World War II squad level combat!

Triumph and Tragedy – a block game of politics and combat during World War II

Merrill’s Marauders – a solo game in which you play raiders attacking the Japanese during World War II

Panzer Orders – a fascinating and beautiful World War II card game featuring infantry and armor

Kidu Butai – a solo game in which you command the Japanese fleet at Midway; can you snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?

Colonial Twilight – A COIN game modeling asymmetrical warfare during the French-Algerian War

Galaxy Defenders – a squad level solo or multiplayer miniatures game in which you defend the Earth from nasty alien threats

Comancheria – the beautiful sequel to Navajo Wars in which you play the Comanche and try to defend your culture from other Native American tribes and colonial invaders

Mound Builders – another beautiful solo game featuring Native American themes ; this time you are of the Mound Builder culture in the American Midwest trying to expand and then defend your kingdom

Hindenburg’s Hour: The Tannenberg Campaign, 1914 – an innovatie solo game of World War I strategic combat

Lightning North Africa – a card game focusing on the North Africa campaign during World War II

Naval Battles in Archipeligo – an amazing game of present and near future naval combat – we have never seen so many fantastic components stuck in one game box of goodness!

Nemo’s War – a solo or multiplayer game in which you command the fantastic submarine, the Nautilus, on the seas of the 1870s. Totally captivating.

Last Friday – A game of survival horror in the grand tradition of the slasher films of the 1970s and 80s such as “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th”. One person plays the killer while the other players try and either escape or kill the killer! Ghoulish fun!

NOT REVIEWED YET BUT WORTH CHECKING OUT

Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid
Wing Leader: Supremacy 1943-1945
Arquebus: Men of Iron Volume IV
878 Vikings – Invasions of England
Gato Leader
Sword and Sorcery
Sherman Leader and the Tiger Leader Update Kit

There you go fellow gamers – if you need to print this out and hand it to Santa Claus, you have our permission! We hope he brings you all of these great games! Onward to 2018!