Army of the Potomac: Fair Oaks/ Seven Pines’ the McClellan Gambit 

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Introduction  Scenario design is often an assumed or lesser recognized element of game design. I often use the opening scenario set up to cause players to behave more historically without any special rules. This usually results in someone telling me that they found a trick that was not seen during playtesting. Back when we used […]

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Designer Blogs, Scenarios/Variants

Chalice of Poison: Introduction to a New Game System

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What is this new system? Until recently, most traditional wargames have focused on external conflict. The players represent unitary actors—typically national governments, militaries, or non-state bodies—that attempt to defeat each other in combat, typically by seizing territory or attriting enemy forces. Player actions are limited primarily by their own military capabilities. However, as Carl Von

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Designer Blogs

Into the Woods AAR: The Sherman-McClernand Counterattack, Scenario 6 — A Playthrough with Simple Rules (SV)

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Introduction: Around noon on April 7, after a beating taken at the hands of the Confederacy all morning, William T. Sherman and John McClernand initiated the first significant Union counteroffensive of the day.  The battle line was irregular and the units were badly mixed, but 13 regiments of 3 divisions advanced and caught the Confederates

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After Action Report

Meet Korea: A Civilization of GMT’s Ancient Civilizations of East Asia

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According to the mythic account recounted by the Samguk yusa, written in 1281, the Gojosen Kingdom was founded in northern Korea and southern Manchuria in 2333BC. The Jin State was formed in southern Korea by the 3rd century BC. In the late 2nd century BC, Gojoseon, after a protracted war, fell to the mighty Han Dynasty of

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Designer Blogs

It’s all about the Cards: Exploring the Card deck of Ancient Civilizations of East Asia Part III: Six for Sieges and “Sudden Strike” Competition Cards

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As with its predecessors (Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea, GMT Games – Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea and Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East, GMT Games – Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East, or ASIS and ACME, respectively), the cards of Ancient Civilizations of East Asia, known as “Karma Cards”, quite literally “rule”

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Designer Blogs

Iron Triangle #1: General Overview

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Historical Background The Vietnam War was a long and complex conflict—far too sprawling to model in full within a lane battler board game. Iron Triangle therefore narrows its focus to the struggle between U.S. and Viet Cong (VC) forces during the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) driven search and destroy campaigns in III Corps Tactical

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Designer Blogs

RevCon 2026: After Action Report

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As most of you know, this year’s RevCon was a special one.  We simultaneously celebrated our 20th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of America’s Independence by not only enjoying a week of competitive Rev War gaming, but also an agenda complete with special events to mark the occasion. This year there were 22 unique BoAR

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After Action Report, Designer Blogs

Meet The Han: A Civilization of GMT’s Ancient Civilizations of East Asia 

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By Mark McLaughlin & Fred Schachter The Han Dynasty ruled during what is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of Ancient China.  Building upon a base set by the relatively short-lived Qin*, the Han created a Confucian bureaucratic edifice based on merit which gave China its first truly effective centralized government. Han emperors are

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Designer Blogs

Great Battles of Alexander: The Battle of Issus – Part IV

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This article continues the case study of the Battle of Issus started in the InsideGMT article Great Battles of Alexander: The Battle of Issus picking up the action with Game Turn 4. The Macedonians begin the turn with 41 RP lost and units worth 10 RP routed, well under their Withdrawal level of 135 RP.

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After Action Report

 ARC – The Underworld Playtest Report #1 

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Open playtesting kicked off in mid-February for ARC – The Underworld. Prior to that, the game underwent extensive limited playtesting. That early playtesting greatly helped construct the game and its mechanics.  Some impressions and comments: Some thoughts on ARC from a playtester: First off, the game is fun. It can be a challenge from both

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Designer Blogs, Playtest Reports
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