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Influencing the Deccan Kings in Vijayanagara

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Introduction

So far in this series we have described the factions in Vijayanagara, their primary means of attaining their historical (or ahistorical) “victory,” and the combat system in the game. In this article we introduce another dimension relevant primarily to the upstart Deccan kingdoms, the Bahmanis and Vijayanagara, namely the respective influence that each faction has throughout the southern peninsula.

Deccan Influence measures the pliability of regional rulers and their populations to be swayed towards allegiance and service to either the Bahmani Kingdom or the Vijayanagara Empire. Influence can be changed through Events representing the flourishing and dissemination of empire origin stories and foundational myths, and through direct actions (“Commands”) by military and economic means. Stronger influence in the region has a number of immediate benefits, and the Influence level is also added to the final victory point total for these two southern factions.

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The Plum Island Horror: An Overview of Gameplay (or … How to Lose at The Plum Island Horror Without Even Trying)

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The Plum Island Horror is a cooperative game for one to four players who are … let’s be honest here … predominantly masochists who have nothing better to do with their free time but get pummeled by a boardgame. Just chalk it up as another wasted night of being embarrassed by some plastic dice and cardboard counters. But if you nonetheless insist on playing this game, you can take comfort in the knowledge that it is actually an accurate simulation of one of the most notorious and covered-up events in U.S. history.

Thanks to the intrepid work of the somewhat-famous journalist, private investigator and former Battle Bots contestant David “Sherlock” Spangler, this horrific story has finally been brought to light. David is most famously known (in some conspiracy and cryptozoology circles anyway) for his bestselling books “Squatching For Dummies” and “Ancient Aliens: Fact or … Fact?”. But it was his tell-all tome “Beware the Shade: Where Horrors Hide in the Daylight” that brought this event to my attention. The story was just too good to pass up and I assembled my team of developers, headed by Ken Kuhn and Fred Manzo, to begin collecting first-hand interviews from survivors of the disaster who were made known to us through accessing documents made available by Mr. Spangler and the Freedom of Information Act. Whatever stories and details we could not verify, well, we just filled in the blanks as best we could (using our highly intellectual and analytical talents). Therefore, I think I am quite justified in saying that this is the most historically accurate and well-researched simulation of a historical event that you will find anywhere in GMT’s game catalog. Obviously.

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“We’re Moving Through Kashmir”: Playing Next War India-Pakistan (Part 4)

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Ian M. Sullivan is the Special Advisor for Analysis and ISR at the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, US Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).

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Congress of Vienna Standard Game After-Action-Report: “The Clash of Armies” Scenario (Turn 1 of 4 – Aug. 1813)

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Introduction by Congress of Vienna Assistant Designer & Editor – Fred Schachter: This is the first STANDARD GAME Congress of Vienna Replay Article to grace the pages of InsideGMT. To date, each AAR used optional rules favored by CoV veteran grognard play testers… which encompasses all the “Wargame Flavor” rules the game offers. For those AAR’s and other related material to provide a rich background to best appreciate this article, see: GMT Games – Congress of Vienna .

These Wargame Flavor elements include those purple color-highlighted rule cross-references on CoV’s map (see above image) as well as other rules solely within the Playbook. While these are fun and add historiocity (such as including the Norway/Denmark Box)… the more things to consider does slow the pace of play down… not that our grognards mind! Designer Frank’s CoV play testers in Spain, however, consist of many a Eurogamer and they vastly prefer the smoother and less rule knowledge needed Standard Game. We now embark on the latest Congress of Vienna game replay adventure… enjoy! 

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The Chronicles of Ōnin #5: Ikki Leagues and Antinomianism

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Pure Land Buddhism venerates the Buddha Amitābha (Amida in Japanese) and originated in India, before spreading to China and eventually Japan. In Japan, Pure Land (Jodo Shū) and True Pure Land (Jōdo Shinshū) Buddhism were both founded in the 12th century, the former by the monk Hōnen and the latter by his disciple Shinran, but did not enjoy widespread popularity until the 15th century. Both traditions teach that humanity is in an age of spiritual decline, but that sincere faith in Amida Buddha can ensure that one is reborn into the Pure Land, where one will receive instruction in how to achieve enlightenment. However, Shinran also taught that due to the corrupt nature of humanity, there is nothing one can do to cultivate this faith, but rather it must be bestowed upon one by the grace of Amida Buddha. All that one can do is chant the Nembutsu (“Namu Amida Butsu”, or “Hail Amida Buddha”), an expression of gratitude to Amida Buddha, and hope for salvation. This teaching has occasionally been declared heretical by the orthodox Buddhist establishment in Japan, but today it is hugely popular, with Jōdo Shinshū being one of the most widely practiced branches of Buddhism in modern Japan.

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Session Report: A Gest of Robin Hood Demo at SDHistCon 2021

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Let me continue the series of articles where I am sharing my experiences from the San Diego Historical Games Convention (SDHistCon). In my first article – Demo of “Undaunted Reinforcements” by David Thompson during SDHistCon 2021 – I reported session with one of my most anticipated wargames expansions of the 2021. Today I am happy to bring to you the initial play-through of the Volume 2 in Irregular Conflicts Series – A Gest of Robin Hood. In below article I will tell a little more about the Convention, Game, its Rules and the Demo I was part of. Enjoy!

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Historic Characters in Banish the Snakes: Benignus of Armagh

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In previous installments, I have described the “main characters” in Banish the Snakes: the historic people that players represent in their attempts to convert Ireland. But now I’m moving on to the “supporting cast” of historic characters, people who were notable in the history of the time and show up in the game on Event cards. The previous articles in this “supporting cast” series can be found here.

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“We’re Moving Through Kashmir”: Playing Next War India-Pakistan (Part 3)

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Ian M. Sullivan is the Special Advisor for Analysis and ISR at the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, US Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).

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TITE’s Interesting Turn, Part IV: A Campaign Game Spring ’43 Turn for the History Books!

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Below you will find Part 4 in the “TITE’s Interesting Turn” series from Alan Emrich and Jeff Nyquist. If you would like to read Parts 1, 2, and 3 on InsideGMT, you can find those here, here, and here. The full article series is also available to read on the ETO Series Blog here. Enjoy!