The opening sequence of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver depicts a New York with enough grit that you can feel it on your teeth. It’s a feral hour of the night. DeNiro’s sedan is cruising down a street awash in the radiant soul of the city. There’s a shot of the vehicle’s quarter panel. Beads of…
Paolo Mori and Francesco Sirocchi’s Battalion: War of the Ancients caught my eye not because it’s a modern reworking of the duo’s 15-year-old Pocket Battles, but because it’s operating in a gray area that calls to my affinity for mass battle miniatures games while requiring none of the commitment of such an endeavor. This is…
Burning Banners is a bit of a darling. Published by Compass Games, it’s an asymmetric fantasy wargame built upon the foundation of traditional hex-and-counter conflict simulations. It doesn’t boast an innovative action system, there’s no Euro-style engine building, and it includes zero miniatures. It’s progression through reinterpretation, finding expansive creativity in the well-tread mud of…
Mark Herman is a fascinating wargame designer. He’s responsible for ironclad classics such as Fire in the Lake, Churchill, and Washington’s War. There are nearly a hundred titles to his name, all things considered. Rebel Fury is the first volume of publisher GMT’s Civil War Heritage Series. This is a new collection of games built…
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRPs) were a fixture of U.S. military doctrine during the Vietnam War. They consisted of small teams of well-trained soldiers with a versatile armament and skillset. These units traveled deep into enemy-held territory to perform a variety of tasks. They are also the titular subject matter of Mike Lambo’s 17th solitaire…
“The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and…
Eight men, spread far enough apart to minimize casualties in the case of an explosion, yet close enough together to keep their fears in check. They snuck through the French countryside in search of danger. Sgt. Gillick wasn’t green, but he also wasn’t grizzled. Unfortunate circumstances led to his squad performing reconnaissance on the sector.…
Cole Wehrle’s John Company knocked the wind out of me in 2017. It’s remained one of my favorite games since. I’ve never written about it. I have written about Wehrle’s other recent efforts, including Root, Pax Pamir, and the mighty Oath. His work is brilliant, all the way down. My challenges of writing about John…
I consider myself an informed and well-rounded board gamer. I have to be in order to fulfill my role as a critic. Here’s me coming clean: I’ve never played a David Thompson release. That’s more difficult than you may think. He’s become one of the most prolific designers in recent years. I never had interest…
303 squadron was the most effective unit in the Battle of Britain. Of note, it was made up entirely of Polish pilots displaced by the German war machine. Many books have been written about this famous unit and its exploits. Several movies have been released as well. I’d advise you stick to the literature and…
Player Elimination 