I can honestly admit to be a true fan of the The Players’ Aid Wargame Watch articles. Those give me a lot of insights and a great overview of the new titles, future releases and what is coming and hot in the wargaming space. It takes a lot of effort to search through various publisher pages, Kickstarter, Gamefound, and other materials. And their results are great.

Reading those articles mobilizes me also to do a periodic (let us say, once in a year) inventory of all my preorders in one place and allows to finally have some understanding how many of them I got! Once I do an inventory, I immediately have a cool material for article!

And thus here it comes – my list of pre-orders / supported campaigns / new editions for which I am anxiously waiting. Some of them are already in the shipping process (my wish, I know!), for some I will have to wait couple of years still (if at all – due to the tariffs situation). The list is not full, as if I would add each and every title you would have to ready it for much longer 🙂 Enjoy!

Kickstarter / Gamefound / Other:

1) Hunt for Blackbeard from Fort Circle

Hunt for Blackbeard pits two players against one another as hunter and hunted in a fast-moving game of detection, deception, and confrontation.

Hunt for Blackbeard is a two-player boardgame that portrays the effort in 1718 by the colony of Virginia and the Royal Navy to track down the notorious pirate Blackbeard (Edward Thatch) as he sought refuge in colonial North Carolina. It features the historical events, places, and personages involved in Blackbeard’s demise 300 years ago, and the real-world challenges of “golden-age” piracy and pirate hunting.

One player takes the role of Blackbeard and the other the pirate hunters. Blackbeard seeks to commit acts of piracy or to enjoy a pirate’s life while remaining free. The hunters try to discern Blackbeard’s plans to thwart his piracy. The game may end in a battle in which either the hunters capture Blackbeard or the pirate wins by seizing a hunters’ ship as his prize!

PUBLISHER PAGE

A game about pirates? Of course, I am sold! From one of my favorite designers? Now, you have my full attention! That small, neat, asymmetric title is exactly what I was looking for – a chase after famous pirate, the hidden information, possibility for epic battles as well as looking for a hidden treasure. I am really glad that after some turbulences this gets published by Fort Circle. Soon to arrive I hope!

More on the title:

2) Battle Commander: Volume I from Sound of Drums

Battle Commander is a new wargame system whose intent is to replay historical 18th-19th century battles. It features a fresh framework focused on providing two key play aspects: command decisions and playability. Eventually, the system is planned to expand into other similar eras, such as the American Civil War.

It uses a granular cube-pull activation system for all game phases (player movement, combat, rally, card draws, etc.) and in interactive Combat system using Event cards. No Dice! There will be six Battles per volume, more or less in chronological order, that’ll cover the Napoleonic wars from start to finish. A series about the American Civil War is also in the works.

Campaign Page

That game intrigued me from the start – an esteemed designer – Carl Paradis, a Napoleonic theme, a completely new system and gorgeous components from Sound of Drums. Could not wish for more! And when I learned more about mechanics – you can too from the interview with the designer – I was sure I would like to give it a try. If successful and well-received, that could be a first installment in what seems to be a very promising series!

More about game:

3) One Hour World War II from Worthington Publishing

This is a quick-playing strategic level game covering World War Two from 1940 to 1945 for 2-5 players. Players command Nations, divided into Allied and Axis sides. Each turn represents a year, during which every Nation will conduct Actions and Responses based on the options on the various Nation Sheets – including those of the enemy.

At the end of each turn, either side may lose Political Will (PW) based on the difference in controlled Victory Spaces between the two sides. Either side may win by forcing the enemy to reach 0 PW, or by having the highest PW total at the end of the game. Alternatively, either side may win by taking two enemy Capitals.

PUBLISHER PAGE

This is another game which is fresh from the Crowdfunding campaign. We worked with Clint a lot on his previous design – Werwolf – and since then I am closely following his projects. The One Hour World War II really draw my attention – especially once I learned all the details of it from the great interview with the designer. Possibility to play a quick, up to 5 players, strategic level game immediately got my attention. And as campaign proved to be successful within few initial hours – I believe many more wargamers felt this too!

More on the title:

4) Guadalcanal: The Battle for Henderson Field, Oct 23-26 1942 from Dan Verssen Games (DVG)

Guadalcanal: The Battle for Henderson Field is Game #5 in the Valliant Defense Series! It is based heavily on the popular Pavlov’s House model. The game puts the player in command of the 1st Marine Division and the Cactus Air Force in the decisive land battle in the Pacific War that ended the Imperial Japanese expansion.

Kickstarter page

I could not pass on another installment in Valiant Defense system. Especially one which for the first time takes us to the Pacific! Vincent Cooper did a tremendous job of using the great David Thompson system mechanics into completely new theater of operations. He explained the details and changes in the interview I had a pleasure to run with him. And when you combine this with astonishing graphics of Nils Johansson, you are getting and incredibly looking, engrossing and brutal solitaire experience. I am really looking forward to play this game!

More about game:

5) Root: The Homeland Expansion from Leder Games

Rediscover the Woodland with three brand-new factions and two new maps for Root! Expand Root with the Frogs, Bats, and Skunks, along with the Marsh and Gorge maps.

Lilypad Diaspora
Scattered long ago and suppressed ever since, the Lilypad Diaspora now hopes to call the Woodland home. While they work to integrate peacefully, peace is rare in the midst of civil war. As they train their warriors, they must ensure that their desire for safety does not tip into outright aggression.

Twilight Council
Sickened by the enduring conflict, the Twilight Council hosts assemblies to end the war, bringing together all the Woodland from the lowliest mouse-in-a-sack to the mightiest hawk with a royal claim. The assemblies emphasize political connections over pure numbers of warriors, pushing the factions away from bloody battle and toward heated debate.

Knaves of the Deepwood
Nobody really knows how the Knaves of the Deepwood got together, but the myths are many. From the treeline these miscreants and ne’er-do-wells sally forth, raiding barracks and baggage trains and making off with warriors in tow as hostages. Why? For ransom, that’s why!

Crowdfunding page

I could not pass on another expansion for the great game which ROOT is. Recently I started to rediscover this fantastic title – or rather whole system, as aside from the base game, it has multitude of expansions. In The Homeland Expansion we shall get 3 factions (wow!) and two new maps (wow again!). They – as always – should be fully backward compatible with already existing 10 factions and the reach factor will tell us best combinations of them depending on the number of players. To be released in 2026.

More about game:

6) Habemus Papam from Salt & Pepper Games

Step into the heart of the Conclave, where tradition, intrigue, and ambition collide. In Habemus Papam, players take on the roles of Cardinal factions, each representing distinct interests within the Catholic Church. Your mission? To influence the election of the next Pope by supporting a candidate whose traits align with your faction’s public profile — covering their stance on the church, age, personality, and origin — while secretly pursuing a hidden agenda that might conflict with your stated goals.

Kickstarter page

I appreciate and love the games from Paco Gradaile – you can see all my prizes for his Plantagenet Levy & Campaign title. On the other hand, the games from Salt & Pepper were always light, beautiful and engrossing. And when you combine those two aspects plus very, very intriguing theme like the election of the Pope – you will get a tremendous product. Honestly, can’t wait to see this game and hope to get it soon!

More about game:

7) POLAND’39 from Trafalgar Editions

The Polish Campaign of 1939 begins when the German Army attacks Polish territory in September 1939. Also known as Operation Fall Weiss, it triggered World War II in Europe and ended the Second Polish Republic.

Poland’39 is a game for two or three players, one of them leads the Polish Army and the rest leads the German and/or Russian Armies, depending on whether they are two or three players.

Kickstarter page

This is of course game close to my heart – German & Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939. On the other hand I am always interested in discovering how this invasion is being perceived and portrayed by designers without personal attachment to the conflict – in this case, the game will come form the Spanish publisher. That allows for a de-mythologized approach and usually is pretty cool and innovative.

Let us see how the tariffs situation will impact fulfillment – let us hope, without significant hiccups. Fingers crossed!

More about game:

P500 / GMT Games:

You know guys that I am huge fan of the GMT Games designs. Thus, it is not surprising, that many of the titles on my pre-order list comes from their P500 program. Let us see what I have chosen! (PS. as mentioned earlier, this is only selection of most anticipated titles).

1) Seljuk: Byzantium Besieged, 1068-1071

Anatolia, 1068. Romanos Diogenes has assumed the imperial throne of the Eastern Roman Empire. Ferocious armies of Seljuk Turks are on the doorstep, ravaging the border cities of the East and sending yearly raids and campaigns into Roman lands. Beset by political intrigue in Constantinople and assuming command of a fragile military, Romanos has only a short time to assemble the largest Roman army in over a century to drive off the forces of the Sultan Alp Arslan before the Empire collapses.

Seljuk—Volume VI in Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign series—brings players into the challenges of medieval logistics and maneuver across Asia Minor during the clash between Orthodox Christian and Muslim power in the lead-up to the climactic Battle of Manzikert. Players will assume the role of either the Eastern Romans or Seljuk Turks as they seek to make their mark on this historic land. Asymmetric victory objectives and new and unique additions to the Levy & Campaign system mean a dynamic game of cat and mouse between these two great powers.

GMT page

Yes, yes 🙂 – I am a big fan of Volko Ruhnke creations and in this case – Levy & Campaign system. With each installment – thanks to cooperation of series author with young, enthusiastic designers – we are always getting a very fresh and innovative title, which while keeping to the system general rules, brings a lot of novelty. Can’t wait to see first position which will feature Byzantium!

PS. Base don latest GMT Update we might see some delay, as this game will not go to the printer immediately (again, tariffs situation).

More about game:

2) Away Team

AWAY TEAM: The Voyages of the Pandora is a game of exploring alien worlds in distant star systems. You command the Pandora, an interstellar survey ship on its voyages of discovery. Each voyage sends Pandora to a different star system where you assemble away teams from the ship’s crew and equipment to explore planets, moons, and other sites of interest, with the following directives:

  • Locate exo-life forms and document their physiology and behavior
  • Collect exo-DNA, vital to genetic science and human adaptation to life in the stars 
  • Identify and survey environments suitable for human settlement and development
  • Search for intelligent life and alien cultures; and if found, establish contact with goodwill
  • Don’t get killed.

AWAY TEAM has three modes of play:

  • The solitaire campaign game provides an epic, interconnected, narrative experience for one player across seven star systems, providing over 80 hours of play time, exploration, and plot-twists.
  • The solitaire star system game provides one player with a repeatable play experience commanding one Pandora voyage to a single star system. You set the experience level of your crew and the danger level of each voyage.
  • The 2-player game puts players in command of competing away teams from Pandora in a voyage to a single star system—also a repeatable play experience.
GMT page

Well, I am so excited about that game (not using that strong world too often) as I have a particularly good example what John Butterfield can do with the space theme – see Spacecorp! Here we would have another creation from that author – not only theme & mechanics makes me very curious; like Enemy Action series, the title presents both 2-player and solo system (the latter pretty advanced). And as that author prefers card-driven solitaire experience, I am sure this will play greatly! Can’t wait to get my copy – although, as per GMT Update, it will be at the earliest in 2026…

More about the game:

3) Twilight Struggle: 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition from GMT Games

We cannot think of a better way to commemorate the Cold War, this vital piece of world history, than with our freshest and richest version of Twilight Struggle to date. We invite you to relive an era with the words uttered by one of its most iconic statesmen: “Now the trumpet summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are – but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle” – John F. Kennedy

Twilight Struggle 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition adds even more beauty and play options to the original game. Here are some of the additions you’ll see in this new Edition: A brand new game box by the incomparable Terry Leeds; A double sided map with a new Terry Leeds map on the front and the familiar Deluxe Edition Mark Simonitch map on the back; The Turn Zero and Alternative Space Race variants included; A new alt-history scenario, “Red Sun Rising” with new cards; A collection of promotional cards including the Kickstarter Promo Packs #1 and #2 and a selection of promo cards from foreign editions of Twilight Struggle; A background booklet including retrospective essays from the designers.

GMT Page

I simply could not pass on this. My old, sturdy and used-up copy of Twilight Struggle – played umpteen times – definitely justifies purchase of this new edition. And we are getting so many new elements – from graphical representation, to add-ons and optional rules – that this it will be a great, refreshing comeback to fantastic classic!

More about game:

4) Coast Watchers: Allied Field Intelligence in the South Pacific, 1942-1943 from GMT Games

Coast Watchers takes you into the World War II South Pacific’s struggle between Allied intelligence teams and Japanese security forces. Standup blocks hide coastwatching stations, guerrillas, refugees, and stranded Allied crew. Facedown counters hide the buildup of Japanese forces, which the coastwatchers seek to observe and report to headquarters. Other counters show where Japanese patrols are searching for coastwatchers or go into and get drawn from cups to run Japanese searches and Allied delivery missions.

Each side has Mission cards. Allied Missions assign side tasks to the coastwatchers. Japanese Missions lay out secret military objectives for victory points, including air and sea operations against which the coastwatchers are to warn Allied forces. By hunting coastwatchers while building up military readiness and guiding operations, the Japanese player seeks to slip through the enemy intelligence net. Players also draw Asset cards: special abilities to augment actions and perhaps add victory points.

GMT Page

A moment ago I was discussing a refreshed version of a great classic. Now I am touching on something completely new, innovative and – knowing Volko – which can turn into another game series! Just look what happened with COunter INsurgency or Levy & Campaign systems and how they flourished.

It will be interesting to try this asymmetric game, which can be played as separate scenarios or mini-campaigns. I am also looking forward to solo mode. Of course, as any historical game, that would allow me to learn about events and period of history I had a minimal knowledge about. Can’t wait!

PS. Second title in the series was just announced by GMT, check out here.

More about game:

5) Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864 from GMT Games

Army of the Potomac: Campaigns of 1862 and 1864 is the second volume in the Civil War Heritage series and the follow-up game to the innovative and acclaimed Rebel Fury. Army of the Potomac uses the same core rules as Rebel Fury, so players familiar with Rebel Fury will be able to jump right into the action. Each battle in Army of the Potomac is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.

Army of the Potomac covers the battles of Spotsylvania II, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and the entire Seven Days battle (McClellan vs Lee), including the prelude Seven Pines (McClellan vs Johnston) when Johnston’s wounding brought Lee into the command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Each battle places you, the player, in the role of the Army Commander (Grant, McClellan, Lee, Johnston). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks, concentrate your forces for an attack, and determine where to commit your artillery assets.

GMT Page

I simply could not pass also on this title either. Having so much fun while playing Rebel Fury, it was a no-brainer. Even more interesting battles of American Civil War, some new mechanics and system rules, beautiful maps, separate set of counters for each and every scenario – that is exactly what I hope to get. And of course Mark Herman, one of my favorite wargames designers!

More about game:

Summary

Well, now when I am looking at above list I see this is HUGE. And as I said – this does not cover everything as I had to limit myself! It is obvious that not all of those titles will arrive simultaneously but still – it will require some time away from my current games to cover the new ones. I also hope that above selection will give Dear Readers some kind of inspiration and raise interest in several of presented games. The selection is thematically and mechanically wide enough for everybody to find appealing titles.

I am also aware that a lot of plans / hopes will have to be adjusted in the current geopolitical situation. The extreme issue with tariffs will hit the whole industry greatly and I would not be surprised to see that some of the titles above – unfortunately – will not live long enough to see the publication day. But let us put those dark thought away and keep fingers crossed for things to turn right in the long run.

PS. And what are your most anticipated preorders currently?