As the dog days of summer arrive and it becomes too hot for outdoor activities, I took the opportunity to look over my expected game arrivals. While it is easy to say that many of the delays below are due to the Tariff Wars the reality is that many of these publishers are delayed by other—often self-inflicted—issues.
C3i Magazine
The double whammy of the California wildfires and the passing of Rodger B. MacGowan set the schedule for this game behind. I cannot (and will not) complain; even if never delivered I will not ask for any sort of a refund out of my deepest respect for RBM.
Compass Games
Way back in 2021 I pressed the wrong button and pre-paid for Eastern Front Operational Battles Quad by designer John Theissen from Compass Games. The last I saw this game might print in 2025 but it appears to me to be slipping into 2026. For a game originally scheduled for publication in 2023 that three-year delay is…very sad.
The Dietz Foundation
If there is one publisher out there I unhesitatingly believe in it is Jim at The Dietz Foundation. I am pledged for three titles and have no reason to beleive these will not publish on or near schedule.
- #Maneuver Warfare by designer Ian Brown.
- Sweeping Satellites by Fight Club International.
- Littoral Commander: Australia designed by Robert Engen and Scott Jenkinson is an expansion to Sebastian Bae’s Littoral Commander: Indo-Pacific.
Flea Market
There is a rather decent local flea market found through BoardGameGeek that I keep an eye on to see what pops up. I have offers pending pickup in the coming days on three titles—all at VERY fair prices.
Gamecrafter
The wargame practitioner in me took over on my birthday and I ordered the Air Force Wargame: Indo-Pacific by the Air Force Wargaming Institute. This is a print-to-order product and should arrive this week.
Gamefound
FormulaGP by Duck’s Games funded through Gamefound in October 2023. The original schedule was for delivery in December 2024. Six months past the game is yet to be printed. The most annoying part is that there is a steady stream of Tabletop Simulator (TTS) updates. It is as if the publisher decided to switch to a digital game over a printed tabletop version. I looked at Gamefound and cannot see an easy way to cancel my pledge; something I wished to do more than a few months back.
GMT Games P500
Ah, here is where my joy for wargaming becomes challenged. GMT Games is transparent on the impact of tariffs on their business. An underlying challenge they mention is their use of printers in China and how certain games are delayed. The Tariff Wars also disrupted their cash flow and game print schedule. I am always annoyed at the GMT Games print schedule as it seemingly chases after certain fanboy titles while others get pushed into the background. Going back to the time before the Tariff Wars I tried to reduce my P500 exposure by pledging less and waiting for a game to reach the printers before jumping in. Even so I have four titles in various stages of the P500 production process.
- Next War: Taiwan 2nd Edition by Mitchell Land (backed Feb 2021; “At the (U.S.) Printer”).
- Next War: Supplement #4 (backed Jan 2023; “Q2 2026 and Beyond (Tentative)”).
- Defiance: 2nd Russo-Ukrainian War 2022-? by D.B. Dockter and Mark Herman; (backed Dec 2023; “In Final Art/Proofing August/September (Tentative)”).
- Red Storm: Southern Flank by Douglas Bush (backed Feb 2025; “Not there yet with 496 orders”).
Kickstarter
My single largest group of outstanding game pledges is through Kickstarter. While some of these projects are still on schedule too many are way off schedule.
- The Halls of Montezuma from Fort Circle Games (funded Jul 2023; projected delivery November 2023 – VERY LATE).
- Hunt for Blackbeard from Fort Circle Games (funded Jun 2024; projected delivery December 2024 – LATE).
- Root: The Homeland Expansion from Leder Games (funded Nov 2024; projected delivery Nov 2025…but slipping?).
- Emergency Operations Center Board Game – Wildfire Mayhem by Arthur Simental (funded Dec 2024; projected delivery Dec 2024 – LATE). Delivery should be this month but fulfillment is a hot mess making me doubtful I will ever see my copy.
- La Bataille de Kulm from Against the Odds (funded Dec 2024; projected delivery Jul 2025).
- Model’s counterattack by Sergio Schiavi (funded Dec 2024; projected delivery Jun 2025). No update since March so…?
- Song for War: Mediterranean Operations from Invicta Rex Games (funded May 2025; projected delivery Jun 2026).
- CHERNOBYL: Avoid the Nuclear Disaster from PrintandGame (will fund in Jul 2025; projected delivery Sep 2025).
Multi-Man Publishing
I was reviewing my account at MMP and discovered that I have two outstanding pledges. One of these, Inflection Point, is supposed to ship this coming week. That is very good for a company that had founder Dean Essig pass in 2024.
So there it is: 24 games in various stages of production. Of the games I feel that maybe 10 wil delivery on or nearly on schedule. Of the remaining 14 I expect a handful to deliver in 2026 but some likely will not appear until 2027. Most disappointingly, there are two titles that I have little-to-no-confidence will ever arrive.
Long delays. Such is the life of a modern-day wargame consumer.
Feature image courtesy Pexel Free Photos
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, Service, Agency, Office, or employer.
RockyMountainNavy.com © 2007-2025 by Ian B is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 
Thanks for this blitz-type update!