The calendar says it is almost Labor Day here in United States which means for many Americans the official end of summer is near. I don’t know about all of you, but in Casa de RockyMountainNavy summer basically ended this past week with our college student returning to campus and the local schools ready to go back in session. The start of school and the pending change of season also signals a change of gaming coming to the RockyMountainNavy home.
Fall In
The end of summer vacation and the rapidly shortening days means weekly Game Night is returning. Alas, with only two gamers in the house that means lots of head-to-head games. September and October usually see RockyMountainNavy T and myself “learning” new games. We usually explore several new titles (and revisit some old ones) to decide which ones our Winter Challenge Classic Game Series will include.
This fall also includes my planned attendance at the Armchair Dragoons Fall Assembly in Cary, NC from 20-22 October. For all the time I have written for Brant and “appeared” on the Mentioned in Dispatches podcast, I have never met the Regimental Commander in person. I look to rectify that condition over a weekend of friendly gaming!
Winter Challenge Classic
Our Winter Challenge Classic Game Series is “classic” only in the sense we try to play it every year. The games we play can range from older titles to latest acquisitions. This year RockyMountainNavy T and myself agree that last year’s favorite wargame, War Chest (Trevor Benjamin & David Thompson, AEG, 2018) will be in the rotation, as well as at least two Undaunted titles—Undaunted: Normandy (2019) and Undaunted: Battle of Britain (2023)—both by (again) Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson. We will also have some non-wargames to play, like Expeditions (Jamie Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games, 2023) and Shake That City (Mads Floe, AEG, 2023). It is also very likely that General Orders: World War II by (yet again) Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson (Osprey Games, forthcoming in 2023) will enter the rotation once it is released in late October.
[Before anyone says it; NO, we are NOT renaming the Winter Challenge Class Game Series to the “Trevor and David Gaming Challenge.” Unless, of course, if they want to pay a nice sponsorship fee. Then we might consider it…]
Fall Shipments
Speaking of General Orders, what about my other pre-orders? Compared to many years before I don’t actually see that many games arriving before Christmas. Of the 19 games I am tracking in pre-order/ordered status right now three will almost certainly deliver this fall, while another 5 might—or might not—make it by New Year.
- Conquering the Valley: Cross Keys/Port Republic; Tiny Battles Publishing; publisher direct order; ARRIVED.
- General Orders; Osprey Games; publisher direct pre-order; expected release Oct 24, 2023.
- The Halls of Montezuma; Fort Circle Games; Kickstarter; projected Nov 2023 but second playtest kit (without formatted rules) sent out for comment late August; end of 2023 might be challenging.
- Linebacker II; Cadet Games; Gamefound; projected Oct 2023 but publisher not selected until Aug 2023; UNLIKELY by end of 2023?
- Panzer: North Africa; GMT Games; “at the printer” Aug 2023; possible by end of 2023?
- Puffin Rush; Foul Play Games; Kickstarter; projected Sep 2023 but no update since “now in full production” in June.
- Sharks; Dietz Foundation; Kickstarter; projected Dec 2023; expected Sep 2023 (3 months early).
- The Soft Underbelly, 1943-1945; Sergio Schiavi; Kickstarter; projected Nov 2023 but no update since “focus on producing it” in June.
Winter Solo-ist
As always, I will try to play many games solo this fall and winter. With the exit of RMN Jr. to college, Mrs. RMN took over his old room and converted it into her “nest” for the winter. For me that means I now have space for a 3’x4′ gaming table (or a 3’x6′ when absolutely needed) that I can leave set up with a game. Becuase I can leave a game set up I can now return to my “Game of the Week” features (Monday rules review, Tuesday set up, Wednesday/Thursday/Friday play, Saturday clean up and blogging thoughts).
For the record, the Game of the Week need not be a wargame or boardgame. This is a great opportunity to get a solo session of a roleplaying game in too. More than a few RPG’s now have solo modules or rules that are worthy of exploration. Strider Mode: Rules for Solo Roleplaying for The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of The Lord of the Rings (Free League Publishing, 2022) and Extended Solo: Additional Solo Material for Twilight: 2000 for use in Twilight: 2000 4th Edition (Free League Publishing, 2022) are ready for play.
History to Wargame
Alternatively to the Game of the Week, I can always do a deep dive “History to Wargame” article for Armchair Dragoons. I have an entry in draft using Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night, 1904-1944, edited by Vincent P. O’Hara and Trent Hone, Naval Institute Press, 2023, that looks at night combat in naval wargames.
Wargame Practitioner
After being wait-listed for most of the year I finally got word that I will be attending a class on wargaming, modeling, and simulation through my employer. I can’t tell you how much I have been waiting for this class!
Modest Modeler
I also need to put some time and effort into working off my stash of 1/144th scale and science fiction models.
Real Worlding
Of course, one can’t support a gaming hobby if they don’t have a job. I am already looking at several weeks of official travel (on top of a week for class) this fall which will cut into my hobby gaming time.
Suffice it to say I will have plenty of hobby choices this winter! Maybe too many…but is that ever a bad thing?
Feature image courtesy Pinterest
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