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Spotlight Articles

Outstanding articles that are not necessarily linked to one particular game, but may have broad appeal to gamers.

Interview with Robert Phaneuf Designer of Secession 1861: The American Civil War and The Armada from Fortress Games Currently on Kickstarter

Spotlight Article Graphic

"...there are few more fertile areas for educational, simulation-ai gaming." Grant Kleinhenz, in The Players' Aid, interviews designer Bob Phaneuf about his two upcoming games. See why he thinks that "...Secession 1861 will mature as a classic solitaire nail-biter."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 6/18/2025


Battles of Heraclea Lyncestis, 219 BC and Emporiae, 218 BC (Med Campaign 9)

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"Reports are in of a battle in northern Macedon between the invading Illyrians and a force scrambled together to meet them...". Prufrock continues with two more nicely photographed AARs in the ongoing Med Campaign! "...in Nearer Spain, Proconsul Aaronius Dubius Scipio Calvus, having landed a force near Emporiae, was engaged by an alliance of indomitable Iberian tribes...".

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 6/9/2025


My pre-orders analysis – what is new and coming!

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Michal, in The Boardgames Chronicle, covers his current game preorders, and why he is anxiously awaiting them. See which game has him commenting that "...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!"

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 6/6/2025


My Top Solitaire Wargames: New Designs and All-Time Classics

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Michal, in The Boardgames Chronicle, reveals his favorite recent and all time solitaire classics. Check out the game he describes as "...probably the best small units combat simulation ever created, which has fantastic planning phase and unfolds completely differently each time.", and the one that challenges you to "...harness a brilliant mind, titanic energies, and a sometimes terrifying charisma to leave your mark on history?"

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 6/4/2025


Soviet 12mm WWII Pocket Army

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"My second WWII Pocket Army is now complete..."! Norm Smith, in Battlefields & Warriors, brings us a Pocket Army update pictorial.

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 5/26/2025


The Battle of the Sacred Grove (Med Campaign 5)

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"Upon sighting the lead elements of Roman forces, being the swift-moving Equites and Velites, this mass of warriors descended from the heights to fall upon Regulus’s army." Prufrock brings us a nicely photographed Roman/Barbarian minatures clash set in 225 BC. How do the Romans fare, while already engaged, when "...a large body of the Boii tribe arrived to the north, moving southwestward towards the ridge, aiming to bolster their colleagues..."?

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 5/21/2025


Grant’s Top 10 Solitaire Wargames of 2024!

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Grant Kleinhenz, in The Players' Aid, offers an intriguing list of solitaire games from last year. See which one had him commenting "...I was very much intrigued by the concept but more importantly about how this game planned to do just that."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 5/7/2025


More Spotlight articles...


Gaming Conventions

Gaming Conventions

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Grognard News

Grognard Challenge - Expanded Room for Comments! (6/25/2023)

The Comments entry area has been resized to 512 characters.

Grognard Originals

In addition to our links to great content all around the internet, expect to see more Grognard.com "originals" in the future.

Malaya (v2.5) War Game Review

Pat La Pella reviews this post-card sized game and its computer editions. Can the UK Commonwealth prevent the Japanese from occupying Singapore in 1941?

Malaya Player Aid (pdf)

Pat La Pella created this player aid to clarify special movement rules for the Japanese player for Amphibious Movement and Reinforcement beach landing hexes. Computer versions of the game show eligible hexes automatically when the Japanese player selects a unit for movement.

PE TANG 1900 Q&A with Marco Campari

Some Q & A between myself and Marco Campari, designer of Pe Tang 1900 from Lumaca Games.

PE TANG 1900 Strategy Tips

This is the strategy I developed after playing Pe Tang 1900 from Lumaca Games.

More Grognard Originals...


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Grognards Lost


A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z '-9

Game: Orange Swan: Pacific 1941-1945



(o10031)
 
 




Publisher: VentoNuovo Games
Game Type: Board
Designer(s): Emanuele Santandrea
Search for this game with VentoNuovo Games


Description:


Orange Swan is a historical game that covers WWII in the Pacific from 1941 to 1945. Its name refers both to its predecessor, Black Swan, that covered WWII in Europe, as well as the plan drawn up by the United States in anticipation of a possible future conflict with Japan – War Plan Orange. Like other block games, “Fog of War” is a key element in the treatment. Players will not know the strength or identity of forces opposing them until after there has been a commitment to battle. As Japan, you must move swiftly to win the war outright before the full power of American industry kicks in. As the Allies, you must weather the Japanese onslaught and then devise your best island-hopping strategy to reach the very threshold of the Japanese homeland.


Articles


Article ID
Pub Date
Article Description
Source
11
Date: 6/18/2025
Guest Poster:

Seek Out and Play


Dai To A Senso Expansion: Orange Swan

A short video that explains the new rules added by the expansion to Orange Swan. The video covers the new components and the six variants that may be added for play. It also covers bidding to determine how many variants the Japanese player may add to their side.
Web Link
10
Date: 8/24/2024
Poster: Pat L.
Designer of Orange Swan! Deep Dive #14 (video)

On his YouTube blog, Big Board Gaming sometimes takes deep dives into war game topics. Number 14 is an interview with Dr. Emanuele Santandrea, designer of Orange Swan and many other outstanding war games. Also on hand is Andrew Carlstrom, aka Cleitus the Black on Boardgamegeek.com. The interview occurred during the Kickstarter Phase for the game.
Web Link
9
Date: 8/6/2023
Poster: Pat L.
Orange Swan: Special Rules (video)

Seek Out and Play lists the special rules that separate Orange Swan from the earlier Black Swan game produced by VentoNuovo Games.
Web Link
8
Date: 7/23/2023
Poster: Pat L.
Orange Swan: Rules Differences with Black Swan (video)

Seek Out and Play reviews the rules differences between Orange Swan and the earlier Black Swan from VentoNuovo Games.
Web Link
7
Date: 7/16/2023
Poster: Pat L.
Orange Swan: Global Campaigns (video)

In this video, blogger Seek Out and Play reviews the Global Campaign rules required if you want to combine Black Swan and Orange Swan into one game. The video also discusses Optional Global rules.
Web Link
6
Date: 6/11/2023
Poster: Pat L.
Game Example Videos from VentoNuovo Games (4 videos)

These 4 videos, produced by VentoNuovo Games, include the following: Kickstarter Video; Fall 1941, Allied Turn; Fall 1941, Japanese Surprise Attack; and Fall 1941, Japanese Oceanic Blitz Phase.
Web Link
5
Date: 6/4/2023
Poster: Pat L.
Orange Swan - Preview Video

Stuka Joe presents this comprehensive preview that he created during the Kickstarter phase of production. The video includes a step-by-step depiction of the sequence of play.
Web Link
4
Date: 5/27/2023
Poster: Pat L.
Unboxing: Orange Swan from Vento Nuovo Games - The Players' Aid (video)

Grant Kleinhenz from The Players Aid unboxes Ventonuovo’s latest game in the Swan series.
Web Link
3
Date: 7/15/2022
Poster: Doug Holt
Orange Swan – WWII in the Pacific

"...Orange Swan uses many of the same game mechanics as Black Swan (WWII in Europe), but with greater focus on the innovative—and mechanically simple—naval system...". Noble Knight Games spotlights Vento Nuovo Games' Orange Swan, a block game which covers WWII in the Pacific from 1941 to 1945. Check out a game where "...the outcome is completely unpredictable, and despite the historical result, Japan can defeat the Allies ..."!
Web Link
2
Date: 6/1/2022
Poster: Harvey M.
Orange Swan: Pacific 1941 - 1945 by VentoNuovo Games

Orange Swan: Pacific 1941 - 1945 by VentoNuovo Games. is reviewed by A Wargamers Needful Things. The game is similar to VentoNuovo's World War II block game in the European theater, Black Swan. The moniker 'Orange Swan' relates to the above, and Plan Orange, the United States' name for the war plan against Japan. As the US, you have to try and blunt Japan's sword in the early, so that you do not have to win the entire Pacific back from them. You need to hang on and wait until the US starts flooding the Pacific Ocean with material, men, and ships. So, you have to choose your early fights with Japan with care. As the Allied player you cannot afford to lose China and or India. Japan is not only able to attack you on the seas but also in Asia proper. The Japanese player will never be as strong as he is at the start (unless by some miracle he never loses a battle up to 1943). The player has to decide how much is too much and will he also suffer from 'Victory Disease'? Does he try to conquer China, India, or concentrate on the Pacific? The one thing that the Japanese player has on his side is that at the beginning the Allied player has to dance to his tune. He always has to keep at the back of his mind that the Allied player can also Island, or in this case Area, hop. This would leave the Japanese forces hanging on the vine.
Web Link
1
Date: 6/26/2021
Poster: Mark D.
Intro to Orange Swan: Interview with Emanuele Santandrea

Interview with Emanuele Santandrea Designer of "Orange Swan: Pacific 1941-1945" from VentoNuovo Games on Kickstarter as of June 24th...
Web Link