Zheng He was born in 1371 in Yunnan Province. His given name was “Ma He,” indicative of his family’s Hui Muslim origins since “Ma” is the Chinese version of “Mohammad.” His father was a hajji, a Muslim who had made the hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. Zheng He’s great-great-great-grandfather, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, was a […]
In 18 India, plenty of track gets built, creating routes all over the map. One of the most fun aspects of 18XX gaming is engineering your routes for maximum revenue and efficiency, and 18 India seeks to enhance that experience to its fullest!
Building Track in 18 India Read Post »
Designer BlogsPart Two: Down River from Port Hudson to Baton Rouge Beginning April 16, 1862, the US Navy’s West Gulf Blockading Squadron under Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut began a thunderous bombardment of the Confederate forts Jackson and St. Philip, guardians of the lower Mississippi River and the approaches to New Orleans, Louisiana. Seven nights later,
“Rocks & Shoals”: Navigating Infernal Machine’s New Orleans Action Board — Part 2 Read Post »
Designer BlogsThe Spanish player activates Madruzzo’s (Blue) wing. Spanish Note – I want to get the battle started so I’ll move my center wing closer. Ed. Note – For the first few moves we will show the units moving one at a time so we can show how the Missile fire works (BTW shouldn’t it really
Arquebus Replay: The Battle of Ceresole — Part 2 Read Post »
After Action ReportI have been designing games for 5 years. In that time, I have learned so much about the board game industry. One element of game design that instantly stood out to me and is thankfully being addressed by many publishers and designers is cultural appropriation in games. I remember how disappointed I was after my
Borikén: Why Did I Make This Game? Read Post »
Designer BlogsIn October 2020 Fred Serval (designer of GMT’s Red Flag Over Paris, and A Gest of Robin Hood) organized a ConSim Game Jam sponsored by GMT. Participants had 3 days to make a game. As participants, we had to use a pre-existing GMT COIN game at its core and make something new from it. We
The First Stirrings of Rebellion: Britannia Read Post »
Designer BlogsPart 1 – through the end of the 1400 turn Introduction. I compiled this after action report using designer Greg Laubach’s Cyberboard gamebox, as the gamebox features images of the final components rather than the playtest components. The “1300 Start” scenario begins with the two forces fully deployed, just before the Union launched its attack. It
All is lost, save Honor. Francis I Situation The Battle of Ceresole was an encounter between a French army and the combined forces of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire during the Italian War of 1542–46. The lengthy engagement took place on 11 April 1544, outside the village of Ceresole d’Alba in the Piedmont region
Arquebus Replay: The Battle of Ceresole — Part 1 Read Post »
After Action ReportShortly after finishing the third installment of this series about the tactility of the pieces, I took some time to capture a multihand playthrough of my physical prototype. Let me tell you a secret. I lost. In fact I lost in the first decade, three times in a row. Granted, this was the “Bronx is
Cross Bronx Expressway: Losing and Seeing The Bronx Read Post »
After Action Report, Designer BlogsThere are many important elements that contribute to the outcome of an Ancients battle. Skirmishing, cavalry manoeuvres, feint and ruse, move and countermove, all play their part in the integrated coordination of arms that leads to success on the battlefield and a good commander must be skilled in all of them. But as in real
Breaking The Line and Holding The Line in Commands & Colors: Ancients by BrentS — Part 1 Read Post »
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