This was a good week of wargaming arrivals.
Bastogne (Banzai Magazine #24). Per BGG: “Bastogne is an operational-level Solitaire board-wargame covering the German siege of the town of Bastogne during the “Battle of the Bulge”, specifically the period 18-26 December when the town was surrounded. Bastogne is based on Dien Bien Phu (Modern War #17), but there are some significant differences.”
Maritime Police vs. Coast Guard (Jibsail Games): A “serious game” where guarding the Senkaku’s—without resorting to full conflict—is the challenge. As the publisher’s blurb reads (translated by GrokAI):
“Maritime Police vs. Coast Guard” is a tabletop exercise themed around maritime law enforcement agencies. Participants aim to establish sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands as either members of the Japan Coast Guard’s 11th Regional Headquarters or the China Coast Guard’s East China Sea Sub-Bureau Command.
The map used for the exercise extends from Kagoshima and Shanghai along the Chinese coast, through the Ryukyu Islands, down to Ishigaki Island, Xiamen, and even Jinmen Island. The Senkaku Islands, situated “in the middle,” along with observation buoys and oil rigs on the Japan-China median line, serve as the stage for the confrontation.
Units include ships from the Japan Coast Guard’s 11th and 10th Regional Headquarters and from the China Coast Guard’s 1st and 2nd Direct Units and the East China Sea Sub-Bureau, each represented by one ship per unit. Additionally, “warships” that might intervene due to political developments are included.
The task for the exercise officers is to gain international support and have sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands recognized without losing support from their own government. However, focusing too much on international support might lead to increased domestic discontent, pushing the government towards a more aggressive stance – potentially leading to military dominance, which could precipitate unforeseen events.
Can you, as a maritime law enforcement officer, make balanced decisions?
The game materials are all in Japanese; working translations now…
Red Dragon Green Crescent Deluxe (Decision Games, 2024). Publisher’s blurb:
Red Dragon Green Crescent Deluxe Edition is a strategic-level simulation of hypothetical future conflicts in and around East Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Middle East. The time frame is the not-too-distant future, roughly between 2024 and 2035. The game system is based on the proven CSR Award Winning design, Red Dragon Rising (from S&T Magazine #250) and its sequel, Red Dragon Green Crescent (from Modern War #1), as well as variants which were published along the way. Red Dragon Green Crescent Deluxe Edition is a two-player game, adaptable to multi-player and solitaire play, with three primary scenarios allowing for play on either map or a combined game across both.
This deluxe edition accounts for developments in the strategic situation since the original games were published. The People’s Republic of China has in recent years established bases (or at least basing rights) throughout the Indian Ocean. Russia is engaged in a war in Ukraine. The 2021 Taliban victory in Afghanistan shifted the perception of the power of the United States and its Coalition partners. All around, the powers are bringing online advanced weapons systems and new tactics. This is modeled with two general time frames for the scenarios, one set in the 2020s and the other in the 2030s.
Other gaming “acquisition” events this past week included:
- PledgeManager for Emergency Operations Center board game opened.
- [RPG News] Modiphius Entertainment announced the physical copies of their Space: 1999 RPG are delayed until March.
- PledgeManager for Model’s Counterattack opened.
- GMT Games charged for the 2024 Replacement Countersheet.
- PledgeManager for Root: The Homeland Expansion opened.
- Updated production timeline for Halls of Montezuma announced.
- PledgeManager for Hunt for Blackbeard opened.
- [RPG News] Free League Publishing released The Sinking Tower Quickstart for Dragonbane RPG.
- My copy of World at War 85 – Blood and Fury shipped from Lock ‘n Load Publishing.
Feature image courtesy RMN
The opinions and views expressed in this blog are those of the author alone and are presented in a personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Navy or any other U.S. government Department, Agency, Office, or employer.
RockyMountainNavy.com © 2007-2025 by Ian B is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 