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Posted on May 19, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Fly a Lancaster through the unfriendly skies over the 3rd Reich with Legion War Games’ Target for Tonight. Board Game Review

Fly a Lancaster through the unfriendly skies over the 3rd Reich with Legion War Games’ Target for Tonight. Board Game Review

Target for Tonight – Britain’s Strategic Air Campaign Over Europe 1942 – 1945     Board Game Review.  Publisher: Legion War Games   Game Designer: Steve Dixon & Bob Best   Price $94.00 Passed Inspection: beautiful components, well researched, easy to learn rules, great replay value, strong solo narrative experience, makes you feel that you are there Failed Basic:  some issues with the moon phases (but the enclosed errata fixes this), needs a guide as to how many days pass between missions, a glitch can trap your bomber in a never ending combat loop (until you are shot down that is) with an Ace piloted night fighter in some specific circumstances (this is now fixed thanks to some intrepid gamers), the Halifax bomber needs some attention to its flaws “A searchlight catches the plane for an instant. The cockpit is awash with searing bluish brightness. As if a revelation is about to take place. As if an angel is about to appear. He can’t see the instrument panel. The finger of light...

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Posted on May 18, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Vicksburg Is the Key. Worthington Games ‘Pemberton versus Grant: The Vicksburg Campaign 1863’ Board Game Review

Vicksburg Is the Key. Worthington Games ‘Pemberton versus Grant: The Vicksburg Campaign 1863’ Board Game Review

Pemberton & Grant: Vicksburg Campaign of 1863. Publisher: Worthington Games. Designer: Sean Chick. Price $65.00 (Sale price $35.00) Passed inspection: Color, mounted map that conveys a sense of space and place. Two player game captures the challenges facing each historical general. The use of blocks brings the fog of war and limits intelligence of opposing forces. Failed basic: Pemberton’s starting location is missing in the set up. Depiction of the Walnuts Hills region around Vicksburg could have been depicted more clearly as to if/where the mountain terrain modifier is in effect. I pondered the map in front of me. Confederate divisions were defending the southern avenues to Vicksburg. Off to the northeast, a lone Confederate division held the city of Jackson, Mississippi’s capital and a key rail connection for the Confederacy. The rebel troops at Port Gibson had been driven back behind the Big Black River, but the question now was how to best move forward in an effort to capture Vicksburg and Jackson as quickly as possible. Perhaps,...

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Posted on Apr 23, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

3500 YEARS OF HISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! – GMT’s ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE INNER SEA Board Game Review

3500 YEARS OF HISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! – GMT’s ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE INNER SEA Board Game Review

Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea Board Game Review.  Publisher: GMT  Designer:  Christopher Vorder Bruegge and Mark McLaughlin Developed by Fred Schachter  Price $85 Passed Inspection:   Fun, Immersive, Great solo or multiplayer experience, easy to learn, full support on the GMT website Failed Basic:    the number of pages in the rule book makes the game look more complex than it is Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea is a dream of a game!  It is a huge sandbox of  a game that allows the players to relive over 3500 years of history of the kingdoms and empires found around the Mediterranean from 3000 BC to 500 AD and, so far, it’s one of my favorite games of late 2019 and early 2020! The cover artwork on the game box is stunning!  In fact, the artwork and graphic layout for the map, cards and books is not just functional, it’s beautiful so I must congratulate the artists and designers for the work on the whole package – good work Chechu...

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Posted on Apr 20, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Sailing into Big Trouble with ‘Pacific Fury’. Board Game Review.

Sailing into Big Trouble with ‘Pacific Fury’. Board Game Review.

Pacific Fury, Guadalcanal 1942. Publisher: Bonsai Games/Revolution Games/Quarterdeck International Designer: Yasushi Nakaguro. Price 30.00 Passed inspection: The colorful map is a clean, effective depiction of the waters surrounding Guadalcanal. Counters are die-cut and easy to read.  Rules are clear and to the point. A great game to introduce new players to area movement wargaming. Failed basic: Nothing. In 1942, a pivotal series of naval battles in the area around Guadalcanal ensured that the US victory at Midway was not a fluke. But unlike Midway, these battles would see heavy losses to both sides and stretch the US Navy almost to the breaking point. Designer Yasushi Nakaguro brings these battles to the tabletop in ‘Pacific Fury’. An updated version of 2001’s Campaign for Guadalcanal, released in the United States by Revolution Games. Pacific Fury is similar to other games produced by Revolution Games as well as other games designed by Yasushi Nakaguro. The game consists of a small map sheet, 53 die cut counters and eight pages of rules. The...

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Posted on Apr 16, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

This game has the right stuff! Age of Dogfights Preview

This game has the right stuff! Age of Dogfights Preview

Age of Dogfights Board Game Preview.  Publisher: Forsage Games  Designers:  Predrag Lazovic and Dragan Lazovic Age of Dogfights is a new game which is about to be Kickstarted by Forsage Games of Serbia.   It utilizes their trademarked “Triangle System” of movement which provides more realistic movements than does a traditional hex based system.  Previously Armchair General reviewed their modern tactical naval battles game “Naval Battles in the Archipelago” and “Age of Dogfights” is just as much fun and just as easy to learn as “Naval Battles”. Age of Dogfights is a tactical air combat game of World War I air combat.  The game’s components are: 3 bi-fold maps 4 board extensions 54 aircraft counters 100 plastic altitude stands 3 tilt compensators 3 initial position markers 18 control panels 117 sliders 24 photo mission markers 30 bomb mission markers 24 ace/rookie markers 36 damage overlay markers 10 cloud markers 1 each sun direction and wind direction indicators 6 task zone markers 5 six sided dice 1  16 page rule book...

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Posted on Apr 14, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Your Own Private Cold War. High Flying Dice Games ‘Cold Confusion: The Soviet Raid on Iceland 1985’. Tabletop Game Review.

Your Own Private Cold War. High Flying Dice Games ‘Cold Confusion: The Soviet Raid on Iceland 1985’. Tabletop Game Review.

Cold Confusion: The Soviet Raid on Iceland 1985. Publisher: High Flying Dice Games.  Designers: Paul Rohrbaugh.  Price $14.95-$28.95 (depending on options – zip lock or box, mounted counters, etc.) Passed inspection: Small, fast playing game of the Soviet raid on Iceland. Good replay value with variable reinforcements and set up. Card deck provides for a good fog of war. Failed basic: Unpredictable length of the game turn can be aggravating as players are constrained by the random appearance of the turn end cards. Personnel carriers are fire support vehicles and not used for carrying personnel. The first mention I can remember of Soviet troops invading Iceland was Tom Clancy’s novel ‘Red Storm Rising’. If the book did one thing, it was elevating the strategic importance of Iceland in the minds of thousands of readers. The novel delves into the invasion, occupation and eventual (spoiler alert) liberation of the island as one thread within the larger story of a ‘cold war gone hot’. Games focused on the invasion of Iceland...

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Posted on Apr 2, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Ice, Ice, Baby. High Flying Dice Games ‘Breaking the Ice: The Great Lakes Winter Fleet 1942’. Tabletop Game Review.

Ice, Ice, Baby. High Flying Dice Games ‘Breaking the Ice: The Great Lakes Winter Fleet 1942’. Tabletop Game Review.

Breaking the Ice: The Great Lakes Winter Fleet 1942. Publisher: High Flying Dice Games.  Designers: Paul Rohrbaugh.  Price $30.00-$41.00 (depending on version and options) Passed inspection: Presents a little told aspect of the Merchant Marine in World War II.  Offers a challenging series of decisions to the player. Failed basic:  You will learn to hate lake ice and unexpected work stoppages. By Ray Garbee Mention the merchant marine in World War Two and generally the first thing you think of is the Battle of the Atlantic. Allied convoys with columns of freighters facing off against the wolfpacks and aircraft. Possibly, you might think of the long trans-Pacific supply lines that supported the war against Japan. But you’d be forgiven for never thinking of the merchant fleet of the inland seas – the bulk carriers that cruised the Great Lakes of North America. Paul Rohrbaugh aims to change that gap in our knowledge with ‘Breaking the Ice: The Great Lakes Winter Fleet – 1942’. ‘Breaking the Ice’, a solitaire game...

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Posted on Mar 18, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

“All jets scramble! Intercept bombers!” TS’ “262” Board Game Review

“All jets scramble! Intercept bombers!” TS’ “262” Board Game Review

262  Board Game Review.  Publisher: TS Games  Designer:  Wojciech Zalewski  Price $38 Passed Inspection:    beautiful components; nice counters; only 1 page of  rules; very fun to play; solo and multiplayer scenarios, stunning box artwork; includes rules and scenarios in English, Polish, Spanish, Italian and Catalan. Failed Basic:     may be a little too simple for some gamers; wish it had rules broken in to basic, intermediate and advanced play; the Me262 is a little too maneuverable; fighters have to attack first and then bomber defensive fire occurs – this seems backwards based upon my experience in other games and in simulators. TS is a Polish war gaming company with an impressive catalogue of games (see the picture of their catalogue which I have included in this review).  262 is their newest game and it focuses on late World War 2 air combat –specifically the epic battles between the few Luftwaffe Me 262 jet fighter squadrons and the Allied day bombers and fighters.  The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the world’s first...

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Posted on Mar 16, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

The Fox is Cunning, But It Still Fears the Hounds. Consim Press/GMT Games, The Hunted. Tabletop Game Review.

The Fox is Cunning, But It Still Fears the Hounds. Consim Press/GMT Games, The Hunted. Tabletop Game Review.

The Hunted. Publisher: GMT Games.  Designers: Gregory M. Smith. Price $55.00 Passed inspection: Captures the experience of putting to sea in a German U-boat in the face of a capable and dangerous opponent.   Failed basic: Minor errors with the rulebook. Game brutally reflects the dangers faced by the U-boat crew in the latter half of the war. Most campaigns will not make it to the end of the war. Two torpedoes slammed into the unsuspecting merchant and detonated. The freighter’s back broke and the ship split apart. ‘A good start to the U-boat’s patrol. Now to evade the escort!  Just a couple of rounds of depth charges and we’ll slip away to find other targets. ‘ Those were my last thoughts as the British destroyer’s ‘Squid’ depth charge thrower bracketed the U-boat with three depth charges. The ensuing explosions crumpled the boat’s pressure hull like an empty tin can, ending the patrol along with lives of her crew. In early 2020 GMT Games’ released a reprint of Consim...

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Posted on Mar 9, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Stalingrad ‘42: Classic Mark Simonitch Board Game Review

Stalingrad ‘42: Classic Mark Simonitch Board Game Review

Mark Simonitch’s Stalingrad 42. Publisher: GMT Games. Designer: Mark Simonitch. Producers: Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Andy Lewis, Gene Billingsley, Mark Simonitch. Price: $75.00 Passed Boot: smoothest iteration of the “battle 4x” system so far, some nice chrome Failed Basic: somewhat bland map, nuts and bolts we’ve seen many times, offensive and defensive             Finishing the first game of Stalingrad 42 with a friend of mine, who also happens to be a big Mark Simonitch fan, he commented to me that the game was “classic Mark Simonitch.” I spent a lot of time thinking about this, and really, if I had to sum it up in only three words, “classic Mark Simonitch” are the best three for it. The two second review of the game is this- if you have played this not-quite-a-series before, and liked them, you’ll like this one! If you have played them before and thought they weren’t good, this won’t be the one that changes your opinion. Before we get into the details, let’s review what...

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Posted on Mar 5, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Nail Biting Solo Aircraft Action! – Fly an SM. 79 Torpedo Bomber in Quarterdeck International’s “278th Squadron – The Same 4 Cats” Board Game Review

Nail Biting Solo Aircraft Action! – Fly an SM. 79 Torpedo Bomber in Quarterdeck International’s “278th Squadron – The Same 4 Cats” Board Game Review

278th Squadron – The Same 4 Cats Board Game Review.  Publisher: Quarterdeck Games  Designer:  Marco Campari  Price $16 Passed Inspection:   small footprint, innovative solo system, easy to learn, strong narrative, addictive game play, excellent value for the cost Failed Basic:    final map size different from what the rules say, would like a chart detailing damage done to the target ships instead of just hit or miss Our SM.79 flew at near surface level as we prepared to pounce on the British destroyer Fearless.  Bright sunlight and nearly flat ocean made this approach almost perfect.  The torpedo launched as we pulled up and banked slightly to port to avoid colliding with the destroyer.  All hell broke loose as black puffs of flak and machine gun tracers danced across our flight path tearing holes in our starboard wing.  Just then over the increasing drone of our three engines, we heard a roaring boom and our top gunner reported Fearless listing to port with smoke and flames billowing from her.  As long...

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Posted on Feb 19, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

IMMERSIVE AND FUN INTRODUCTORY WAR GAME! – DVG’s CASTLE ITTER Board Game Review

IMMERSIVE AND FUN INTRODUCTORY WAR GAME! – DVG’s CASTLE ITTER Board Game Review

Castle Itter – The Strangest Battle of World War II Board Game Review.  Publisher: DVG  Designer:  David Thompson  Price $59.99 Passed Inspection:   Strong solo narrative, fast playing, easy to learn but hard to master, solo or multiplayer Failed Basic:    needs a little more explanation in the rules, have to buy a second product for $20 to get a history of the battle and designer’s notes, what are the colored cubes for? As the subtitle to the game suggest, this is definitely the strangest battle of World War 2 and one that I knew nothing about until researching this for my review of this game. Per the Battle of Castle Itter entry in Wikipedia: The Battle for Castle Itter was fought in the Austrian North Tyrol village of Itter on 5 May 1945, in the last days of the European Theater of World War II. Troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps led by Captain John C. “Jack” Lee, Jr., a...

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Posted on Feb 18, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Back to the USSR! Frank Chadwick’s Thunder in the East. Tabletop Game Review

Back to the USSR! Frank Chadwick’s Thunder in the East. Tabletop Game Review

Frank Chadwick’s Thunder in the East. Publisher: Victory Point Games / GMT Games.  Designer: Frank Chadwick. Developers: Alan Emerich, Lance McMillan Price $ 149.00 Passed inspection: A more playable giant version of the Great Patriotic War. Big, gorgeous counters and huge maps. A glossy well-constructed rule book. Quality play aids. Multiple scenarios spanning the war and a massive campaign game. Failed basic: It’s so big it might not fit on your game table! Back in the days of my youth, Game Designers’ Workshop, or as it later came to be known, ‘GDW’ was a prolific producer of conflict simulations, a.k.a. – wargames. Even in those days, a designer’s reputation – or brand if you will – was a way for consumers to gauge their interest in a new title. My buddy Matt and I use to flip over the box of the latest GDW game to see if it was yet another design from the creative mind of Frank Chadwick. In the spring of 1983, Matt and I embarked...

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Posted on Feb 5, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

“Advance at all costs!” The Battle of Stalingrad by Turning Point Simulations – Board Game Review

“Advance at all costs!” The Battle of Stalingrad by Turning Point Simulations – Board Game Review

The Battle of Stalingrad Board Game Review.  Publisher: Turning Point Simulations  Designer:  Hjalmar Gerber and Jim Werbaneth  Price $33.95 (Ziplock Bag) or $39.95 (Boxed) Passed Inspection:   Beautiful Components, interesting perspective, broad scope, Axis objectives are different each time you play adding replay value, unique way of tracking unit strength and combat effectiveness Failed Basic:    extremely large footprint, manual was a “dry” read, takes an hour to set up, needs an index, rules don’t address how to swap out or upgrade assets, couldn’t find where to put the Axis allies This game is the 20th game in Turning Point Simulations’ Decisive Battles of History Series.  Like all the other games in the series, the game comes either in a zip lock bag or, for a few dollars more, in a box.  The cover artwork is a stunning painting by Terry Leeds of a Soviet soldier standing in the ruins of Stalingrad with a hammer and sickle overlaid in to the image recreating the artistic style of Communist propaganda from the...

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Posted on Jan 23, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Ten-Hut! Attention War Fighters! A New Expansion is on Kick Starter!

Ten-Hut! Attention War Fighters! A New Expansion is on Kick Starter!

DVG Games has starter a new Kick Starter campaign for expansion decks for their War Fighter game system. Warfighter is a fully solitaire or cooperative tactical card-based game for one to six players, where you select and equip a squad of soldiers, and execute the mission by fighting your way to achieve the objective. It is available in Modern and WWII eras, and each expansion set adds to the incredibly deep game play narrative with new cards for your Loadout. War Fighter Packs For more information go to:...

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Posted on Jan 22, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

“Across the gulf of space…intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.” Tripods and Triplanes Wings of Glory Expansion Game Review.

“Across the gulf of space…intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.” Tripods and Triplanes Wings of Glory Expansion Game Review.

Tripods and Triplanes Wings of Glory Game Review.  Publisher: Ares Games Designer: Andrea Angiolino, Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello Price $45.99 starter set,  Individual Tripods $19.99, World War II Expansion $13.00, Additional Damage Deck $13.00 Passed Inspection:  Adds a whole new dimension to two great games systems.  Fun. Great looking components.  Beautiful artwork. Easy to learn. Failed Basic:  Nothing at all unless you don’t like aliens mixed with your historical aircrafts – in other words – “you got your Tripod in my Nieuport” From Ares Games’ own description – “March 18th, 1918: the nearest approach of planet Mars to Earth. The First World War suddenly changes into a War of the Worlds, when what appears as a meteor shower falls over a wood in Alsace. A few hours later, just after dawn, an army of giant alien fighting machines appear out of the trees and starts burning villages and houses with their lethal heat-rays, leaving pestilential trails of black smoke behind them. A truce is hurriedly signed between the...

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Posted on Jan 21, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Tap Your Inner Vampire with Masters of the Night now on Kick Starter!

Tap Your Inner Vampire with Masters of the Night now on Kick Starter!

Ares Games’ Masters of the Night Now on Kick Starter! Ares Games is most well known for their wonderful Wings of Glory, Sails of Glory and Battle Star Galactica tactical combat games but now Ares turns its attention to the vampires who haunt our dark dreams with their new design Masters of the Night!  This game is solo or co-operative with each player taking the role of a vampire.  From Ares’ description: one to five players play on the same side and will either win or lose together. You play as members of a vampire clan slowly regaining their former power. With the help of your minions, you will fight against the agents of the Inquisition, cast fear into the hearts of the people with your hunts, and shape dread sigils in different city districts, all in preparation for the grand Blood Moon ritual that will confirm your grasp on the city and its fate. But beware, the longer you prepare for the ritual, the harder it will be...

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Posted on Jan 16, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Tank Duel Puts You Right in to the Action! – GMT’s Tank Duel Board Game Review

Tank Duel Puts You Right in to the Action! – GMT’s Tank Duel Board Game Review

Tank Duel Enemy in the Crosshairs Board Game Review.  Publisher: GMT  Designer:  Mike Bertucelli, Jason Carr and Joe Aguayo  Price $78 Passed Inspection:   Immersive, Exciting, Solid Rules, Beautiful Components Failed Basic:    anti-tank guns and infantry can attack but there are no rules for attacking them, needs a campaign system (both of these will be addressed in an upcoming expansion), no King Tigers The two Panzer IV crews and the Stug crew were briefed and ready to go.  This morning’s operation was to establish a bridgehead across a river.  The infantry had reported that the bridge was overwatched by at least three T34s in hull down positions and their scouting had reported that there were not tank traps or mines on the bridge.  The Soviet Engineers must not have arrived yet.  Now was the perfect time to take and hold the bridge.  Hauptsturmführer Gotz was the senior officer and had the most experience of any of the men.    He told  Unteroffizer Helmut that his Stug should take an overwatch position...

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Posted on Jan 3, 2020 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

It’s a Red Storm on The Rise with Compass Games ‘Blue Water Navy’. Board Game Review.

It’s a Red Storm on The Rise with Compass Games ‘Blue Water Navy’. Board Game Review.

Blue Water Navy. Publisher: Compass Games. Game Designer: Stuart Tonge and James Derek Harris. Price: $109.00 Passed inspection: Provides a strategic overview of World War Three at sea, while retaining enough tactical detail of engagements to allow you to envision how the events unfold. The game does a good job of integrating all the aspects of naval warfare in a package that rewards coordinating attacks to maximize your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses.  Failed basic: Rulebook could be better organized for clarity. A table of contents and index would have been helpful. Including rule number references on the player aid charts would simplify looking up rules. You’ll need to be incorporate the errata into the rules and scenario book.   In 1979, General Sir John Hackett’s book ‘The Third World War’ laid out one possible scenario for what a war in Europe between NATO and the Soviet Union might look like. While written as a backwards looking retrospective of fictional events, it was a sobering look at the state...

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