Practitioner Wargaming Resource Goes Dark, Origins Awards Noms, and More ~ #TuesdayNewsday

Get ready for the latest in wargaming news! #TuesdayNewsday is here to bring you the best from the worlds of tabletop, computer, and professional defense wargaming. Let’s see what’s driving the wargaming community this week.

We really do try to keep to a fairly politically neutral stance around here, but someone is going to interpret this as a political statement no matter how we try to hedge it, so here goes:

All of the Master of Military Art & Science (MMAS) theses from the Combined Arms Research Library at Ft Leavenworth have been pulled down from public distribution, most probably due to the current US government jihad against things it thinks are “DEI”¹.
So as of right now, you have no access to the wargame designs from master’s degree students that were submitted as a part of their curriculum at the US Army Command & General Staff College and which were previously available to be studied, played, adapted, and modified for use within your own organizations as needed.

There probably wasn’t a lot of crossover use for Carpathian Eagles (about airmobile ops in Romania’s mountainous terrain), but Death Can Wait had been picked up by several organizations to be adapted for training on how to set up and operate a mobile field hospital, especially with regards to triage/critical care operations, which seems like something of broad utility beyond just military training.
And right now it’s been memory-holed for absolutely no good reason.  There’s a lot of that’s affected by these current policies, of course, but this is one of direct, immediate, and consequential impact to the wargaming practitioner community, which is part of what we cover here.

 

Per Paul Rohrbaugh, wargame artist Bruce Yearian’s daughter passed away rather suddenly last weekend.  There is a GoFundMe campaign set up to help with funeral expenses and family costs.  Please help if you can.

 

Origins Awards nominees are out for 2025.  No historical H&C wargaming anywhere to be found, but there are some wargame-adjacent games in here outside of the usual minis categories.

Board Games
Co-op/Solo Bomb Busters The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game Slay the Spire: The Board Game Ultimatch Wolves A Gentle Rain Wilmot’s Warehouse The Gang Marvel United: Multiverse Daybreak	Heavy Strategy Arcs: Conflict and Collapse in the Reach Dune: War for Arrakis Endeavor: Deep Sea SETI: Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Andromeda’s Edge Rock Hard 1977 Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition Prime Minister Unconscious Mind Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth	Light Strategy boop the Halls! Confusing Lands Creature Caravan Faraway Fromage Lure Lynx Zoomies Star Realms Academy Wonderous Creatures
Gateway Captain Flip Castle Combo River Valley Glassworks Seaside YRO Gnome Hollow Explorers of Navoria Trio MLEM River of Gold Party Caution Signs Change My Mind Flip 7 Hurt Party: A Game of Bad Apologies Ito This Game is Killer Tiger Banana Pancake Cloud Nine: A Game of Wonderful Things Ghosts Can’t Draw Things in Rings	Constructible – Randomized Neopets Battledome Trading Card Game: Defenders of Neopia Booster Box Round Table Trading Card Game Starter Decks Star Wars: Unlimited – Spark of Rebellion Booster Box Altered – Beyond the Gate Booster Display Sorcery: Contested Realm – Arthurian Legends Booster Box Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet-Surging Sparks Booster Box Disney Lorcana – Into the Inklands Booster Pack Display Magic: The Gathering – Bloomburrow Collector Booster Box Konami Yu-Gi-Oh Collectible Card Game: 25th Anniversary: Rarity Collection 2 Booster Box Flesh & Blood – Rosetta Booster Box	Constructible – Fixed Compile: Main 1 Magic: The Gathering Foundations Starter Collection Pagan: Fate of Roanoke Star Wars Unlimited – Spark of Rebellion Two-Player Starter Set Magic: The Gathering – Fallout Commander Deck Bundle Disney Lorcana Gateway – Shimmering Skies Altered: Beyond the Gates Starter Deck Set of Six Flesh & Blood – Part the Mistveil Blitz Deck Collection Marvel Heroclix: Starter Set 2025 Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Anniversary Collection Set 2024
Minis Games
Miniature Core Product Car Wars Sixth Edition: Two-Player Starter Set: Orange/Purple Field of Screams with Seven Sleeping Kings Halo: Flashpoint Spartan Edition Heroscape: Age of Annihilation Master Set Mutant Year Zero: Zone Wars Mythic Earth Core Rule Book 2.0 Warhammer Underworld: Embergard Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Tomb Kings of Khemri Edition Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat 40th Anniversary Star Trek: Into the Unknown – Federation vs. Dominion Core Set	Miniatures Game Workshop’s Abraxia, Spear of the Everchosen Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Electro & Sandman & Shocker & Vulture Cyber Pet Quest Diorama (75 mm) Fool’s Gold: Tarrasque (Gray) Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Apocalypse Star Wars: Shatterpoint This Is Some Rescue! Squad Pack The Stormlight Archive Premium Miniatures Conquest – Sorcerer Kings: Efreet Flamecasters/Sword Dancers (Dual Kit) Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team – Night Lords Nemesis Claw GodTear: Durthax, Branchlord of the Weald & Treekin	Miniature Paint/Hobby Accessory One Page Rules Brush Set Paint Weaver Full Airbrush Kit Pro Acryl Signature Series Set 6 – Rogue Hobbies Turbo Dork Thinning Medium Two Thin Coats: Omega Blue AK Interactive Real Colors Markers Set Vallejo Model Colour – Light Violet Gamers Grass Alien Grass Tuft Starter Set Artis Opus Series D Medium Drybrush AK Interactive Rubble Dust – Enamel Liquid Pigment
Role-Playing Games
RPG Core Arzium Roleplaying Game Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game – Corebook PARA: The Role-playing Game Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game – Core Rulebook Mothership Deluxe Set Pathfinder Player Core 2 Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook (2024) Eat the Reich Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition Core Rulebook	RPG Supplement The One Ring: Moria – Through the Doors of Durin The Making of Original Dungeons and Dragons: 1970-1977 Call of Cthulhu: No Time to Scream Heroes of Mythic Americas Through the Hedgerow: A Roleplaying Game of Rustic Fantasy The Wildsea: Storm and Root Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game – Starter Kit (2nd Edition) Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts Mothership: Warden’s Operations Manual Star Crossed: Love Letters	(that’s it!)

 

 

Hitting the shelves (and webstores) near you now!

• Frontline: Assault Corps WW2 just launched on Steam and is 10% off thru 22 March
• Looks like Legion Wargames are now shipping All Are Brothers, The Battle of Solferino 1859
• Slitherine released Panzer Corps 2: Frontlines – Cyrenaica, which lets you play both sides of the battle in North Africa
• OSG released the newest issue of their Wargame Design magazine (PDF download)
• Big restock of battlefield terrain over at Battlefront minis
• Worthington’s got 2 of their recent Kickstarters out there for sale now
  • Operation Dragoon Solitaire Travel Game
  • Drop Zone: Southern France
• Oppidium – an ancient skirmish version of the classic Cry Havoc! system – is now shipping
• Warlord Games has a new Battle Of The Bulge Gaming Mat Bundle
• Microprose released Battlefall: State of Conflict on Steam on early access, but it seems to be more complete than most other games in that state; launch sale of 20% off thru 25 March
• Steve Jackson Games released Munchkin Shadowrun: Hack The Future

 

 

Time to get those orders in now and then either (a) complain that it’s 2 years late, and/or (b) be surprised when it gets here sooner than you thought

• Worthington Games launched their new Hold The Line: Hannibal on Gamefound, and there’s a neoprene map option, too
• Columbia just launched another HarnQuest Kickstarter; this one’s for specific locations / occupations
• Tabletop Tycoon launched a Gamefound campaign for their “Resistance” expansion to Black Orchestra as well as the Valkyrie stand-alone game
• Imperium 33AD is a Roman-era 3-1/2x game that’s not close to funding but has a lot of time left
• We rarely call out STL file-based projects, but we’re making an exception for Mafia Cats and you’ll know why when you take a look
• Rome: Fate of an Empire is a solo game currently on Gamefound

 

Looking for a deal? Getting more bang for your buck?

• WDS “Game of the week” is Modern Campaigns: Fulda Gap ’85 for $29.95
• The latest sale flyer from the On Military Matters bookstore guys includes a bunch of By Fire And Sword II² figures, starter sets, and upgrade kits, plus a bunch of great books on sale
• Dice Envy has a new volcanic ash set of dice and you can get 10% off with coupon code REVENGE at checkout
• Turgalium games has a 15% sale on all their products³ for their first anniversary; congrats!
• GOG has Men of War: Condemned Heroes under $2
• Noble Knight has Bitter Woods – The Battle of the Bulge (DSE) on sale for $70 right now
• Monte Cook Games is having an “anti-tariff sale” with everything 25% off right now
• Wizkids are selling RPG booster bricks at 50% off right now

 

It’s been a busy week for the regiment; here’s what you might’ve missed!

• Saturday Night Fights ~ The Battle of Talavera (4) for “Lasalle 2”
• Mentioned In Dispatches S14 E6 ~ Special Guests at GAMA Expo
• CMO: Fail Safe – First Impressions
• Fields of Fire Deluxe AAR
• Wednesday War Stories ~ B-25…hit! You sunk my DIVISION! The Battle of the Bismarck Sea – 3 March 1943
• AARs
  • Let’s Roll – Part 2
  • The Life & Times of I, Napoleon – Part 10
• Gameplay this week
  • The Battle of Gravelotte (3) for “Bloody Big Battles”
  • Attack on Epron II (2) on “I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum”
  • The “Longstreet” Stumblethrough

 

The Best Thing We Saw On Another Site This Week Was

This thread on BlueSky about iterating on game design

The goal isn’t to make the game “good” immediately. Instead, I explore different facets of the design. What moments feel great? What mechanics feel weak? I’m not chasing perfection—I’m probing the design space to find where the game truly shines.

 

This week’s best written coverage from the wargaming world Rocky goes deep on his current Traveller acquisitions, plus Cepheus Engine and more Brian Train talks Canadian Civil Defence Corps, and when do we get to see the wargame? Wargaming Esoterica is playing the ASL Valor of the Guards scenarios Space Biff Avalanche Press has an article about the Austro-Hungarian naval presence in China in WW1 Wargame Design Studio has an AAR from their Poland ’39 game

The best videos this week from our wargaming friends Amabel’s been stealing the show with her video on Mechanisms as Metaphors: How Board Games Create Meaning Justegarde is playing Baptism by Fire (Battalion Combat Series) Beyond Solitaire Podcast 187: Thomas Malaby on Anthropology and Gaming Zilla Blitz has New Cold War First Look & Overview Bill Molyneux shows off Yorktown games by THGDC being delivered to museums Meandering Mike is Unboxing Star Wars Assault On Hoth from West End Games

Ardwulf’s counter clipping stream talked about “what is your next wargame?”

 

Various news & notes from the business end of the gaming world

• Decision Games has an update from 4 March that lays out their upcoming reprint, deluxe edition, and new game plans for the next couple of years, some of which was based on recent customer surveys
• ICv2 reports that Stonemaier’s sales were up for last year, over 40%
• BoardGameWire wraps up GAMA Expo
• Rascal talks about TTRPG companies and the maybe/kinda/sorta/imminent(?) impact of tariffs
• Is it just us, or does the MMP site’s new color scheme look a lot like Curt Schilling’s old Houston Astros uniforms?
• Leder Games has a Summer internship that’s posted on their site, but you gotta go to Minneapolis

 

Don’t forget to check our consolidated event & convention calendar for more!
You can also submit your own events for our calendar here.

• Wargame Days at The Gamer’s Armory in Cary, NC ~ 6 April and 4 May
• Next confirmed live event is BuckeyeGameFest, 1-4 May 2025
• Next confirmed virtual event is Connections Online, 7-12 April, 2025

Other Conventions & Events

• 12-17 Mar Escape Winter Con (Orlando FL) <– THIS WEEKEND!
• 20-24 Mar GaryCon (Lake Geneva WI)
• 21-24 Mar Hotlead (Stratford ON)
• 28-30 Mar CircleDC (Washington DC)
• 26-31 Mar Adepticon (Milwakuee WI)
• 3-7 Apr Game mORe (Albany OR)
• 4-7 Apr Game On Expo (Phoenix AZ)
• 7-13 Apr Connections Online 2025 (Armchair Dragoons HQ Online)
• 10-13 April ChaosiumCon (Ann Arbor MI)
• 26 April GUWS Kriegsspiel Game Day (Washington DC)

 

You’ve seen the list of Origins events we’ve got for this Summer.  Starting next week, we’ll have other updates for you about the Wargame HQ at Origins, and at the end of April we’ll start our usual countdowns to the convention with event listings, vendor locations in the exhibit hall, and more.

 

Focusing on the practitioner world ~ don’t forget about our dedicated area in our forums for the wargame professionals!

• The TRADOC G2 MadSciLab played out a Taiwan scenario and it was . . .   challenging
• Welp, guess we can stop worrying about the weather effects in our wargames, right?
• Update those ORBATs again!  French-Made Mirage 2000 Jets Could Become Ukraine’s Most Important Aerial Radar Jammers
• What’s the defense rating on that Turtle Tank Ambulance
• This week, Mick Ryan talks about the effects that ending US military cooperation will have on the Ukrainians
• The next GUWS webinar is Tactical Wargame Design on 18 March and then Spyships, Satellites, and SAMs on 8 April
• PaxSims has an article about Qualitative research and analytical wargaming

 

 

Something neat from outside the wargaming world we thought was worth sharing

 

That’s all for this week!
Be sure to drop by our forums and join the fun, and next Tuesday we’ll drop some more news on you.

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1. and good luck getting them to actually define what that really means
2. the minis wargame
3. so, 2?