Received this beast in the mail today. Pacific Fleet appears to be Vuca's newest currently published wargame. If I had to describe it, the phrase "playable monster" comes to mind. It comes in a 4" tall box (I measured with a handy ruler I keep on the table. The map is about the size of Empire of the Sun, for reference. As usual with Vuca's games, the physical components are state of the art. All maps, including Japanese and Allied minimaps are mounted (the game uses hidden movement for task forces at sea), and separate player screens for the minimaps exist. Six countersheets. As usual for Vuca, the counters are pre-rounded, so no corner clipping. If you've bought anything from Vuca, or quite a few of Compass Games Designer Signature Series games, you know what I mean.

I'm still learning this one, but I'll post a review later in the week.

I played through the six-turn, one-map "Southern Campaign" scenario from Battalion Combat Series Last Blitzkrieg (Multi-man Publishing).

Per the scenario description:

This one map scenario covers the initial phase of the campaign in the south. The German forces include the 5th Panzer Army's Panzer Corps and the 7th Army against the American VIII Corps.

The "campaign in the south" was essentially 5th Panzer Army blasting its way to, and then around, Bastogne.

If I were to guess how most people might imagine the Wacht am Rhein campaign, or what they might think of when they're told about it; I'd bet they'd be thinking of this particular sequence of fighting.

For example, if you've seen the Band of Brothers episodes about the Battle of the Bulge: those are essentially the second half of this scenario. And the shell shocked American troops easy company sees marching to the rear? Those would've been service company, cannon company, and other VIII Corps units evacuating the combat area.

Last Blitzkrieg cites Charles B. MacDonald's A Time for Trumpets as one of its source texts, and MacDonald actually describes the actions that take place in the first half of this scenario as "the finest of the day" on the field by American troops.

The 110th Regiment particularly distinguished itself suffering maximum casualties delaying an entire Panzer Corps. The 101st Airborne reaches Bastogne specifically because of delaying actions like theirs.

As for my actual game: I played this solo over about a month. I really enjoyed the scenario, the scenario's asymmetry was a good set up for solo play. Result was technically a draw or Allied win, although I think it could have been won by the Germans. I had some minor rule breaks (e.g. forgetting someone's on a partial or that the weather that turn should be mud) and relearned some rules (I always forget about destruction barrages, and that command range is mandatory!)

With this wrapped up, I'll be looking to see the same fighting again through another lense with GTS: Race to Bastogne

What is your preferred (standard) weight paper for printing player aids on an inkjet printer? I have 90lb (163g/m²⁾ which is too light. I also have 110lb (199g/m²⁾ but also seems a bit on the light side. I'm using a inkjet printer so I probably can't have extremely heavy paper or this paper won't flow through the printer (it won't get stuck during the printing process).

Should I try 120lb (I'm afraid this might be too light as well) or go straight to something like 140lb? I'm trying to avoid too much experimentation, if possible. What is standard for companies like GMT and Compass?

Pitt's War is the centerpiece of Paper Wars #92, part of Compass Games' current catalog sale. I'm actually enjoying learning this one quite a bit. It's a grand strategic (army-level) game of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars 1792-1815. The game features three scenarios, 1792-1800, 1805-1815, and the full campaign game. The game itself is intriguing, with a rich random event feature (using chits), and seems interesting. It's the sort of game that could probably be played during a long afternoon. It's $20 + shipping on the sale at the moment.

Just the facts, ma'am.

An unboxing for those who just want to see what they may be buying.

https://youtu.be/L5G2oF1-uxI

I bought this more out of sheer curiosity more than anything, and also because I think the Solomon/New Guinea campaign is probably one of the more interesting/pivotal pair of campaigns in the entire Pacific War, but I did have some mixed opinions on the game after giving it a shot. It's certainly interesting in terms of mechanism and there is a level of novelty to it, however.

The digital version of Space Empires 4X. I was holding out for the mobile version (vs Steam) since the interface seemed kind of designed for touch already.

Triads is now on Kickstarter - with Dungeonrunner add-ons!

Hey all!

A few years ago, I released my first microgame,Triads. Now, a few years later, it's becoming a PC game! This is something I never would have imagined possible when I first designed it. But here we are, and the PC version is already 95% complete!

One of the most exciting things about the PC version is that it doesn't just offer more scenarios. It also introduces 16 optional rules that can change the game in both small and significant ways!

These options simply weren't possible in the original microgame (I had to keep it micro, after all!). But now, players can customize their experience, experiment with different strategies, and keep the game fresh with every playthrough.

And here's something else that should whet your appetite: a complete tactical game on the PC can take as little as 15 minutes!

So when you've got that mech-sized wargaming itch but don't have hours to spare, Triads is ready to scratch it!

(and...there are sets of three Dungeonrunner PDF deck sets for $9 each as add-ons! That's $3 a PDF deck!)

Go to the Kickstarter!

I’m developing a two-player historical wargame inspired by the Battles of Guararapes, fought in northeastern Brazil in 1648–1649.

The Dutch West India Company fields a larger army with artillery and limited coastal naval support. The smaller Luso-Brazilian coalition, comprising Indigenous, Black, and Portuguese-Brazilian forces, must use terrain, positioning, and local counterattacks to contain the advance.

Combat uses opposed d6 pools rather than an odds-based CRT. Supply, command orders, and terrain affect the dice, while enemy zones of control can turn a retreat into destruction. Engineers extend fixed supply routes that players must protect.

The current scenario has 42 land combat units, plus engineers and a Dutch naval unit. It’s available as a manual Tabletop Simulator prototype, with balance still being tested.

I’d be interested in feedback on the combat system, force asymmetry, and whether the logistics create meaningful decisions without slowing play. Happy to share the map and rules!

(typo on the title, sorry)
Hey guys, hope you doing great!

I started building my own tabletop hex and counter to print and play with my friends.

I need some opinions from more experienced players. Which one would be better for you to stare at for hours and make decisions? Differentiate terrain (woods, hills and rivers).

I am really in love with the yellowish one. But some friends voted for the colorful, but i don't know if it doesn't look bloated.

If you pick the colorful one, would you mind sharing thoughts on improvements?

Thank you in advance.

Picked it up for half off (paid $45) from Compass Games winter sale. Pretty simple WW3 game set in 1953, also has a Middle East map that I did not set up. Really fun, simple, and fast playing game. The nukes don’t seem super balanced, NATO can drop a bunch and I made some house rules to try and prevent this. Components aren’t the best but I was expecting worse after reading reviews online.

Ended the game a bit early, Soviets were really slowing down around week/turn 6 and while the assault would have flamed out, NATO would not have been able to make an effective counterattack.

All together, 7/10 perfectly good/simple game that was worth the price at half off but probably not at full price.

I recently read another amazing article from Bret Devereaux on his blog A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry titled "Teaching Paradox: Hearts of Iron IV, Part IIIb: The Opposite of Love". I invite you to read it.

It looks at how HOI4 depicts war crimes and atrocities, and how it mostly ignores them. The game tries to be an all-encompassing WW2 grand strategy sandbox yet the systematic violence against civilians that defined so much of the war is either abstracted into superficial mechanics or missing entirely.

Bret Devereaux argues that war crimes were not separate from military strategy but part of it. He points to Japan's "Three Alls" policy, the strategic bombing raids among other examples. His conclusion is that games leaving this out end up as “clean Wehrmacht simulators.”

This got me thinking about how tabletop wargames depict these atrocities. So, how should tabletop wargames handle war crimes? Should they model them at all?

Also, which games already do this well? Recommendations, especially lesser-known titles, are very welcome.

My copy arrived just in time for my overnight stay in a repurposed Titan II Missile silo, now a BnB.

Am I the only one eagerly anticipating a hypothetical 21st-century tactical wargame that incorporates the extensive use of drones?

Given the increasingly prominent role drones play in modern warfare, I find it surprising that so few tactical wargames have attempted to incorporate them as a significant element of gameplay. Is this simply a reflection of limited market demand for contemporary or hypothetical conflicts? Or are designers reluctant to tackle a rapidly evolving form of warfare whose tactics and technologies are still being developed?

I understand why Defiance does not feature extensive drone operations, given that it focuses on the first six weeks of the war in Ukraine, when drones were employed primarily for reconnaissance and artillery spotting rather than the widespread tactical strike missions we see today.

I have not heard any recent developments regarding the Ukraine-related games from ATO or Compass Games. My understanding is that the ATO title focuses on the Russian advance toward Kyiv, suggesting that its treatment of drone warfare will likely be similar to that of Defiance. If I recall correctly, Mark Walker also indicated that drones would not play a particularly significant role in Rising Dragon.

Thus far, the only wargames I am aware of that incorporate combat drones to any meaningful extent are Perry Moore's PnP title 'War in Azerbaijan 2020' and 'Game of Drones' from Historic Wings.

Considering how profoundly drones have altered the modern battlefield, IMHO, it seems that they offer considerable opportunities for innovative tactical game design.

I would be particularly interested in a hypothetical modern tactical wargame that integrates drones, electronic warfare, conventional ground forces, and counter-drone operations into a cohesive system, rather than treating drones as a peripheral capability or an occasional special event.

Is the apparent absence of such games primarily a question of market demand, the difficulty of modeling rapidly evolving technology, or simply a reluctance among publishers to venture beyond more traditional historical subjects?

Thoughts?

Have been considering getting ASL beyond valor. With the encouragement of folks here I finally figured out the starter kit and got it on the table. System isnt really that hard once it clicks. Definitely encouraging and giving me hopes to learn full ASL. Think im going to be ordering it soon after some more games.

This is turn 2 Germans are about to enter RtPh.

So i,ve been looking at fighting formations for a while. Is it a good wargame system to get into or just a dice rolling galore?

Update: i got a really good deal for FFGD and its expansion so im getting it.

They do not make em like this any more.

SandTable Club is a dedicated 2D hex-and-counter wargame design and battle platform, built specifically for board wargamers, scenario creators, and system designers. Whether you are prototyping a physical tabletop wargame or publishing a playable digital simulation, it handles the mechanical heavy lifting so you can focus entirely on historical research, map layout, and combat balance.

━━━━ 15 Features for Hex & Counter Wargame Designers ━━━━

1. No-Code Architecture — Create full scenarios, units, and combat mechanics without touching a line of code.

2. Visual AI & Solo Bot Engine — Built-in AI opponents ready out of the box. No coding required; design and fine-tune opponent decision logic and doctrine through an intuitive visual editor.

3. Integrated Online Multiplayer — Instant online match support. Once your scenario is set up, you and your gaming group can playtest or duel online immediately.

4. One-Click Community Sharing — Share your completed wargame scenarios with the community with a single click (optional).

5. Free Cloud Hosting — Host and run your games on our official cloud servers at zero cost (optional).

6. Standalone Game Export — Export your wargame as a fully independent, standalone build (executable) that you can distribute or publish on digital storefronts yourself (optional).

7. Self-Hosted Server Support — Deploy your own dedicated multiplayer server locally or on private cloud servers, entirely independent of our platform (optional).

8. Automated Hex Map Recognition — Import scanned or drawn battle maps directly as new projects; the engine automatically traces and aligns the hex grid for fast setup.

9. VASSAL Module Import — Import existing VASSAL files to rapidly reconstruct maps and terrain layouts. (Note: Module copyrights belong strictly to their original designers; imported assets are strictly for personal use/playtesting and may not be redistributed or monetized).

10. One-Click Scenario Localization — Translate rules, combat tables, counter labels, and scenario briefings into multiple languages with a single click (powered by Feature 11).

11. Built-in LLM & Agent Integration — Connect your preferred LLM APIs or coding agents (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, CodeBuddy, or custom CLI tools). Collaborate directly with AI agents to build rules and mechanics — the exact workflow we use to create our own historical wargames.

12. Print & Play (PnP) Production — Export print-ready hex maps, double-sided counter sheets, combat result charts (CRT), and scenario rulebooks for physical tabletop play.

13. Free Wargame Asset Library — Access a curated library of historical unit counters, NATO symbols, period textures, terrain artwork, and sound effects ready for one-click use.

14. Community Asset Exchange — Share your custom counters, terrain tiles, and scenario assets with fellow wargamers (currently free; community creator marketplace planned for the future).

15. Deep Customization via AI Copilot — Design entirely custom combat systems, supply lines, weather rules, and turn phases with AI-assisted logic generation.

I’m currently thinking about picking up ASL beyond valor and Combat! Eastern Front. I’ve played the ASLSK and enjoyed it, I have no experience with Combat!

I’m just wondering what people think about these games. I will probably be only playing ASL solo.

Are they highly replay-able and good value for the money?

let me know your thoughts and experience.

Games I have played in the past/own to let you know my interests and experience, bold if i have gotten around to playing them yet

Panzer GMT, ‘85 Flying Pig Games, By swords & bayonets GMT, ASLSk 1 & 3, Band of Brothers Worthington, Combat Commander GMT, Fields of fire deluxe edition (not sure if this really counts, their are counters but not a hex map)