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Background for the How to Play Congress of Vienna Solitaire Video

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Introduction by Congress of Vienna (CoV) Assistant Designer & Editor, Fred Schachter: This article is intended to supplement and serve as a narrative for the game’s now available Solitaire System from GMT.

The genesis of Congress of Vienna’s solitaire system began with the good efforts of Game Designer Frank Esparrago, ably assisted through the talents of Jim Gutt and David Yllanes.  To learn more of what they considered and accomplished, access this link for a 2021 InsideGMT article explaining the various versions of CoV, including its Solo game at the time:  Congress of Vienna: Designing Its Solitaire Game | Inside GMT blog

This was a great start, but the CoV Team sought a Solitaire Game more player-friendly and easier to grok and use.  It was then David Schoellhamer took the project’s reins.  Rather than utilize something completely new, Frank recommended with David and Frank subsequently composing a Congress of Vienna Solitaire System using the already successfully established CDG Solo System by Stuka Joe (thanks Joe, what a wonderful approach you devised!). 

The CoV Team loved it!  They embraced the solo system and Bot edits David created for CoV playtesting. David now resumes this tale…

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Rebellion in the Colonies (American Revolution, #1)

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Below you will find another fantastic article from Clio’s Board Games. This is the first in an American Revolution article series from Clio that you will find here on InsideGMT and on Clio’s blog. Enjoy! -Rachel

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Napoleon in Egypt: The Battle of the Pyramids

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In Napoleon in Egypt, whether in The Conquest scenario or in the Campaign game, the French Player must seize Cairo in order to open up routes to southern and eastern Egypt. Of course, the Mamluks will be there to protect the city from the French troops. Historically, this battle took place on July 21, 1798. At the gates of Cairo, the ferocious Mamluk cavalry was overwhelmed by the infantry of the French Expeditionary Corps. In this article, we will take a more detailed look at the battle of the Pyramids, the most prestigious French victory of Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt.

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Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) Part 14: On Outcomes, History and Your Place in It

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by Ed Ostermeyer (Master Engineer – Grade 2)

My young friend, it is good to see you.

How can I be of service to you this fine day?

You’ve doubts about the usefulness of what you are doing?

Yes, I’ve heard of the project Simeon Bourgeois has undertaken.

The French Navy is not as close-mouthed as they would like to think that they are.

Model of French engineer Simeon Bourgeois’ 1860’s-era submersible. Named “Le Plongeur” (English: “The Diver.”) the craft was 146 ft in length with a 12 foot beam (width), was armed with a spar torpedo, had a crew of 12 and was propelled by a compressed air engine. The model shows the interior and exterior makeup of the vessel. {navsource.org}
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 What’s in a Name? A Challenge Issued to “Illusions of Glory” 

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The second edition of Illusions of Glory: The Great War on the Eastern Front (“IoG”) is currently on the P-500 list. 

Links to prototype unit counters, player aid cards, mapboard, and playbook can be found on the IoG webpage. 

Pete Chadwick posted in BGG that he’s planning to buy “Illusions of Glory, 2nd Edition” but had issues with a number of place names on the mapboard. I used The West Point Atlas of World War I to name those spaces (see below). 

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Infernal Machine: Commissions, Purchase Orders and Promotions – Their Use and Benefits

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While a Confederate privateer can use his Letter of Marque to, so to speak, “play pirate,” the United States Navy takes a dim view of civilians captaining an armed vessel during war time, or any time for that matter.

In the game “Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare,” the “Navy Way” begins with the vessel’s captain being recognized as an individual with sufficient knowledge, training and honor.

The “Navy Way” is accomplished by “being Commissioned” into the United States Navy.

Acting Master Henry Sturgis of the Union Navy {Library of Congress}
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Posts from the Dark #1: A shifting population.

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This series of articles will discuss different gameplay aspects of Echo from the Dark, including an introduction to how they work and what makes them unique from previous COIN/ICS games. Each article will also include a short scenario illustrating the concept.

Over on BoardGameGeek, @Konstantin asked a great question:

Usually, in space empire building games planets/provinces/spaces, etc. simply provide a certain fixed number of money/population/resources etc. what you can spend and that’s it. […] Therefore my question: is it different in “Echo from the Dark”? Particularly, do changes in society take place here and if so, how do they contribute to the (in)stability, rise and fall of your empire?”

Sectors in Echo have a “terrain” type that I’ll talk about more later, but in this first article I’ll focus on how I represent the population.

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Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) Part 13: On Outcomes and Their Legacy

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by Ed Ostermeyer (Master Engineer – Grade 2)

Oh, there you are, my young Inventor friend.

 What brings you to this tavern, at this hour of the evening?

You are wondering if your fishboat idea will ultimately be successful.

You are also wondering if what you are building will perhaps “change the rules” of naval warfare, be the start of a new era in warship design and usher in a new era of “terrible-ness?”

You are also concerned about what the future will hold for you personally; correct?

“Hunley” dockside in Conch Creek near Breach Inlet South Carolina, preparing for a mission {Source: Friends of the Hunley}

Good questions.

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Solitaire TacOps: Ortona — Contact Contests Control

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As discussed in the first part of this series, the framing for play in Solitaire TacOps: Ortona, both for standard scenarios and the open campaign, revolves around expanding allied control to clear the individual maps. In the last part of the series we saw this play out through an example using elements of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment to gain control of the first block on the Edge of Town map. While the playthrough visually showed and narratively told how this happened, some of the key mechanics involved were glossed over, specifically as it relates to the German opposition. In this article we will look at the game’s Contact markers, and how they dictate the behavior of the German forces to contest player control (see this article if you are interested in how the player actions work).

A quick note about the playtest art that I use for these articles. As designs move into the prototype and playtesting phase I tend to do the art myself with some level of detail that may seem complete. I do this to clarify the concepts that need to be captured by the art. This is so that I can visually communicate these concepts in a shorthand which is not reflective of what the final art will look like. Once we start moving toward final art we have lined up some wonderful historical consultants to ensure we get all of the details correct.

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Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) Part 12: “…Should you decide to accept it…!” – Missions and the Reason for Going

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by Ed Ostermeyer (Master Engineer – Grade 2)

Hello, my young friend, it is good to see you once again.

I note that you have a bandage on your left arm. Is something amiss at your machine shop?

 I see, so your associate purchased a lower grade of bituminous coal for your forge.

And some of it, what is the word, “popped” onto you?

The bitumen in that kind of coal will do that if you are not careful.

Your associate was looking to cut costs, was he?

You’ve taken the necessary action?

Good. We’ll not talk of it further.