You came back! What – you have a couple of simple questions? No worries, make yourself comfortable and ask away. “What does a turn look like in WtC?” No, that’s not a simple question but I’ll tackle it. This may take a few minutes – grab yourself a snack and a drink from the kitchen […]
A Turn in a Nutshell: A Closer Look at “Welcome to Centerville” Read Post »
Designer Blogs, Examples of PlayThe depth of the history around the American Revolution is captured in the Liberty or Death Event Cards. Below is a sample of the Patriot Faction first Event cards with a brief discussion of the history. Card Number 4. The Penobscot Expedition The largest American naval expedition of the war, a flotilla of 19 warships
Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection and the Event Cards (Part 1) Read Post »
Designer BlogsHere’s a link to Part 1 of this article. 1758 7YW:FG Turn Two: Beginning 1758, the strategic initiative still lay with the Prussians and their superb hard marching professional infantry. With the victory at Rossbach, the appreciative for Prussian support British felt that continuing the fight in Hanover was now feasible. Imagine how a British
The Seven Years War: Frederick’s Gamble – “The First World War”, 1756-1762 – Part 2 Read Post »
Designer BlogsAs a historical boardgamer, my greatest hope in trying out a new game is that it will reveal to me something about some other time or place that I did not already understand. Harold Buchanan’s Liberty or Death does that for me, even on the should-be familiar topic of the American Revolution. Let me tell
Liberty or Death – Addressing Open Questions Read Post »
Designer BlogsHere are links to my first two strategy primers for InsideGMT: Churchill Strategy and Tactics Tips Churchill Strategy Primer #2: Defeating the Axis My topic for this strategy discussion is to focus on the asymmetric staff abilities of each side and highlight strategy themes that I have not seen yet in the general discussions on BGG. First
Churchill Strategy Primer #3: Asymmetric Staff Abilities Read Post »
Designer BlogsReaders interested in learning more detail about the play of 7YW:FG should read the our earlier article, The 7 Years War: Frederick’s Gamble – Playtest Report. Theaters of Operation and General Introductory Overview The fighting depicted in The Seven Years War: Frederick’s Gamble game (7YW: FG) can in historical terms be divided into distinct theaters of
The Seven Years War: Frederick’s Gamble – “The First World War”, 1756-1762 – Part 1 Read Post »
Designer Blogs, Inside the Game as HistoryHi everyone! We are now under a month away from shipping the Twilight Struggle Collector’s Edition to our Kickstarter backers. I had an advance copy of the CE sent to me so I could take some pictures to give you guys a peek at it in advance. My daughter Rachel and I spent this morning
Sneak Peeks at the Twilight Struggle Collector’s Edition Read Post »
Designer BlogsWell, Churchill has finally hit the market and I am very pleased with the production values and the initial reception. Only time will tell if this one becomes a cross-over design, but I could not be happier with how it came out. I was at the World Boardgaming Championships (WBC) in its farewell to Lancaster
Post-Publication Musings on Churchill Read Post »
Designer BlogsNow that the game has begun to get into people’s hands and is getting some initial plays, Â I thought I would continue my series of Churchill strategy primers. My goal is to accelerate our collective understanding of the art of the possible in Churchill, although I continue to discover new tactics as I continue to
Churchill Strategy Primer #2: Defeating the Axis Read Post »
Designer Blogs, Strategy ArticlesGenesis of a First-Time Game Designer: My interest in wargame design began when I was a playtester at SPI’s legendary “Skonkworks” in Manhattan. Perhaps I’m dating myself, but I recall those days with great nostalgia. I was bitten by the designer bug there, and wanted to create my own game. Career, marriage, and raising a
Illusions of Glory: A Play Balance Challenge Read Post »
Designer Blogs