Category Archives: After Action Report

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Carmen Triumphale: To The Ancient World

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Along with my friends, Johan and Chris, I have been playing the scenarios in The Ancient World: Rise of the Roman Republic and The Ancient World: Carthage pretty much every Wednesday night since December 2023. At first, we just wanted to take the system for a spin as Johan spoke highly of it, but it has since turned into a grand adventure.

Our first play of the 1st Punic War scenario from Carthage ended with a Carthaginian victory. We had so much fun with that play, we immediately reset and went back to it again. This time the Romans prevailed. It was also around this time that, since we had been asking so many questions of the developer, Alan Ray, we formally signed on to the playtest team.

Since that time, we’ve played every scenario in both Rise of the Roman Republic and Carthage (except the Mercenary War – that’s coming) at least once and a few of them twice. It still hasn’t gotten old. Playtesting can sometimes be work; this doesn’t feel like it.

What is it that’s so engaging about this system that we keep returning to it?

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A Hannibal’s Revenge “After Action Report”: Sea Battles and the End of a Sexenium

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Introduction by Hannibal’s Revenge Co-Designer, Fred Schachter: While the GMT Team continues its efforts to make production-ready Hannibal’s Revenge, the next game of the Card Conquest System series, play testing progresses.

While this is underway, readers may find of interest this report of a Hannibal’s Revenge playtest game between Robert Baynosa and his buddy Marlon Ilagan. This is an “After Action Report” which focuses on particular aspects of the game.  It is Robert’s second InsideGMT Hannibal’s Revenge article.  For his first report see: A Play Session of Hannibal’s Revenge | Inside GMT blog.

To learn more about this currently P-500 listed game, see GMT Games – Hannibal’s Revenge.  With that, it’s time to let Robert once again take the narrative helm…

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Plantagenet – War of the Roses Replay by Christophe Correia, Part 3

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Below you will find Part 2 in a Plantagenet replay series from Cristophe Correia originally published on The Boardgames Chronicle blog. You can read Parts 1 and 2 here and here. Enjoy! -Rachel

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Plantagenet – War of the Roses Replay by Christophe Correia, Part 2

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Below you will find Part 2 in a Plantagenet replay series from Cristophe Correia originally published on The Boardgames Chronicle blog. You can read Part 1 here. Enjoy! -Rachel

After the defeat and the death of Henry VI and Somerset at the Battle of Ipswich, Richard York becomes King of England for the next 10 years. However, things go badly between him and Warwick – his old ally.

The sons of Richard York and Warwick fight for power – and when York chooses his sons Edward and Richard (of Gloucester) over Warwick, the latter decides to rebel against them by joining the Lancastrians.

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Plantagenet – War of the Roses Replay by Christophe Correia, Part 1

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Below you will find Part 1 in a Plantagenet replay series from Cristophe Correia originally published on The Boardgames Chronicle blog. Enjoy! -Rachel

Levy & Campaign Series developer Christophe Correia and his friend John O’Reilly face off in a run through the full-length scenario of Volume IV, Plantagenet. The scenario covers the full War of the Roses between 1459 and 1485. The scenario is composed of three smaller parts, that represent the 3 periods of activity of the War. Christophe played the Lancastrians and John the Yorkists. The Playtime for this epic scenario was around 15 hours. Christophe gives us the blow by blow, including all the many battles that will decide the conflict. Enjoy this trip to medieval England!

Protagonists will enter and leave the field, as they die and new pretenders arise! In the full-length scenario of Plantagenet, the Lancastrians and Yorkists fight across three different, shorter scenarios, representing the three main periods of fighting. The Lords of those scenarios are split between Heirs, who can end up being King, and lesser magnates, who are there to support the Heirs and help their side.

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Battle Command: The Bulge After Action Report Part 8 — U.S. Turn 4

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US Turn 4 – The last chance.

Moving to the US Turn, fewer cards are drawn by both sides now.

Not much to write home about in terms of cards drawn.

Moving to close a gap in the lines with a pre-planned move, the Germans use a Force March card to shift 2nd SS Panzer into the good defensive terrain at Elsenborn. Needing to maintain a strong line to protect now-exposed Verviers, the US shuffle their Elite Infantry and B/9 Armored north, abandoning the Garrison at Vielsalm to its fate.

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Battle Command: The Bulge After Action Report Part 7 — German Turn 4

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German Turn 4 – Don’t rest on your laurels.

The Germans draw a decent strong hand, but lack cards for their most important fights, which will be conducted by the 5th Panzer Army. The US draw a disappointing hand, geared entirely for defence at time when they need to be counterattacking.

Next, powerful German reinforcements arrive in the east, but the US doesn’t get anything this turn. These units can be redeployed to the front lines for the price of a Fuel card, so long as they don’t enter a contested area, but at this point the front line is still close enough for the Germans to use these for off-road movement and initiate combat, so that’s precisely what they will do.

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The Last Hundred Yards Vol. 4 AAR: Mission 43.0 — Green Devils’ Last Stand

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Below is an After Action Report for The Last Hundred Yards Volume 4: The Russion Front Mission 43.0, Green Devils’ Last Stand. Enjoy!

January 5-16, 1944. As battle was raging in the Uman Gap, Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front launched a major assault against Wohler’s 8th army’s right flank, driving on the important industrial city of Kirovograd. The plan was to encircle the German defenders with the 5th Guards Army passing south of the city and the 53rd Army to the north. The Russians made rapid progress in both sectors overruning the woefully thin German defenses. For the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division, already defending a 21 kilometer front with just 3,200 men, were also tasked with holding the vital road crossing, the Krivoi Rog – Kirovograd highway. For the Green Devils’ Pioneer Battalion stationed at Novgorodka the reckoning was at hand.

Major Sidorov looked at the map one more time while kneeling next to a log in the woods. Majors Sidorov and Semenov had been tasked with taking the village currently occupied by the Germans. The plan was a classic pincer attack. Sidorov with his 2nd and 3rd platoons would to attack from the north while Semenov attacked from the south with his 1st and 2nd platoons. Sidorov split his two platoons, sending the 3rd platoon across the road against the village on the east side of the road and the 2nd platoon directly through the woods.

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Battle Command: The Bulge After Action Report Part 6 — U.S. Turn 3

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US Turn 3 – The best form of defence.

The US draw a single card – an Engineer. The German draw is pictured below.


During the US Admin phase each player can cycle Event cards they don’t want. The Germans therefore choose to replace an event they can no longer use (KG Peiper) and draw a “Hasty Attack”.