Last month, I talked about how players can win Chalice of Poison, by winning the Iran-Iraq War. I described the victory conditions as “two ticking clocks,” which start off maximalist (read: difficult to achieve) early in the game and get easier as the game (and conflict) progresses. The article talked about the first “ticking clock”: […]
Chalice of Poison: Political Power and Regime Collapse Read Post »
Designer Blogs
Volko gives us a quick report on a learning game. All images are playtest not production art. For my second tour into Combat Commander: Vietnam, designer Stephen Rangazas generated us the following scenario. I would command an NLF main force detachment defending a friendly hamlet in the highlands in 1966 against his elite US detachment,
Combat Commander Vietnam Session Report — Highlands Contact! Read Post »
Designer Blogs
A New Scenario for GMT’s Congress of Vienna to be Published by C3i Magazine! Part One of Two – DESIGNING A SCENARIO Introduction by Fred Schachter, CoV Assistant Designer & Editor: Frank and I are thrilled to share the news, and as much of the story that we can, regarding the upcoming publication of a
The Congress of Vienna & Napoleon’s 100 Days (1814–1815) — Part 1 Read Post »
Designer Blogs
Inside GMT Article on Foxes and Lions, Part 6 This is the sixth of many articles to come on Foxes and Lions: Renaissance City-States in the Age of Machiavelli, now on P500. This game is in the same series as Here I Stand, Virgin Queen, and Tanto Monta. See part 1 for a thematic overview
The Primal Struggle? Sandbox and Simulation in Foxes and Lions Read Post »
Designer Blogs
In this week’s “Faction Spotlight,” we’ll cover the National Liberation Front (NLF), commonly known as the Viet Cong. The NLF represents one of the two Communist Factions opposing the Free World Forces in Combat Commander: Vietnam. Although directed and eventually eclipsed by the North Vietnamese military, the NLF’s distinct operational style and major contribution to
CCV Faction Spotlight: National Liberation Front Read Post »
Designer Blogs
As 1867 Big Wyoming continues to work its way through the P500 queue, I’ve been hard at work tinkering with and playtesting parts of the design with the intent to bring players the smoothest and most dynamic gameplay experience possible. I’ve been fortunate in the last few months to put these experiments through a gauntlet
1867 Big Wyoming — Development Update Read Post »
Designer Blogs, Development Updates
This tutorial will guide players through the operation of the Non-Player (NP) factions for The Weimar Republic, using an illustrated example of play. It is presumed that the player is generally comfortable with the rules and flow of the game, so the focus of the tutorial will be on operating the NP factions. The NP
The Weimar Republic: Four Bot Tutorial Read Post »
Designer Blogs, Solitaire Systems
Finished: So, Mark and myself finished Defiance on July 4th – meaning, it is now in the GMT production shop to produce the game and ship it this fall. Champagne popped. To celebrate, we met to play a game without having edit/design/haggle. We selected the Quick Start Scenario. The scenario begins later on FEB 24,
Defiance AAR: North Jersey, July 2026 — Chili Dogs and Chit Pulls Read Post »
After Action Report, Designer Blogs
This is part 2 of a series of articles about my upcoming Combat Commander: Adversary game module—a solitaire system that lets one player duke it out with an automated opponent on the storied battlefields of GMT’s classic wargame. I explained in part 1 of this design diary that I started working on Adversary quite a
Combat Commander: Adversary, Part 2 — New Horizons Read Post »
Designer Blogs
Edith knocked on the door of Weller’s windowless office, which was nothing more than a furnished storage closet in the cellar of SIS Berlin Station. “Come in.” She opened the steel door and moved to the single chair on the near side of Weller’s desk, the only guest chair that could fit into that cramped
The Mole Trap: A Checkpoint Charlie Story Read Post »
Narrative Fiction
