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Spotlight Articles

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

Epic Revolution (AWI)

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"Another instalment in Warlord Games’ Epic series has just been released..."! Norm Smith, in Battlefields & Warriors, checks out the latest figures/ruleset package in this series. "... a lot of work has gone into this rule set to make it AWI specific - well done that team."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 6/30/2025


War reaches northern Italy, 215 BC

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"Hannibal has come over the Alps..."! Prufrock and his friend Ian P bring us an intense Punic War clash that doesn't look too promising for the Romans, when they "...win the first move and mostly freeze."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 6/26/2025


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

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"...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


More Spotlight articles...


Gaming Conventions

Gaming Conventions

Another new feature for Grognard.com, the Gaming Convention calendar will make it a snap to keep up with all the latest gaming conventions in your area. But we need your gaming convention information, so please contribute.



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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

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PE TANG 1900 Strategy Tips

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

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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: Solitaire TacOps: Ortona



(s10135)
 
 




Publisher: GMT Games
Series: Solitaire TacOps Campaign System
Game Type: Board
Designer(s): Non-Breaking Space
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Description:


Italy, December 1943. Five months earlier, the Allies began the Italian Campaign with Operation Husky to take Sicily. In September, the Allies signed an armistice with the Italian government, but over 20 German Divisions still occupied the country. The signing coincided with the Allied arrival on the mainland. Their mission? To make their way up the boot, wearing down German effectiveness ahead of the forthcoming Operation Overlord. The Germans, recognizing Rome would represent a significant hit to morale if captured, built up successive lines of defenses to delay this advance. To the west, things would slow for the Allies against enemy positions on the Gustav Line, but by November they were able to make progress in the east, pushing past the Sangro River—at a cost. In December, the Canadian 1st Division relieved the British 78th Division, which had suffered heavy losses in the fighting for the Sangro River. The Canadians are now tasked with continuing the push up the Adriatic coast towards Pescara, hoping to use it to build up a flanking approach to Rome from the northeast. To do that, however, they will first have to take the port town of Ortona. In Solitaire TacOps: Ortona, you command this campaign over twelve scenarios, from south of the Moro River to the city of Ortona, which ultimately became the proving ground for modern urban warfare tactics. Operationally, you will have to manage your units to maintain the fighting effectiveness needed to take the town—not an easy task as the Germans are determined to stop you at any cost, fighting over every inch of ground.


Articles


Article ID
Pub Date
Article Description
Source
1
Date: 1/15/2025
Poster: Doug Holt
Solitaire TacOps: Ortona — Edge of Town Part 1

"...suddenly the Canadians are under heavy gunfire from multiple directions. It is not a good start, as the Canadians have lost the element of surprise and taken early casualties." Inside GMT Games begins a map play through to illustrate the Solitaire TacOps System. Do things get better for the Canadians when they twice "...have to use their activations to pull back casualties before they are finally able to take the initiative and move their machine guns forward to cover where they can lay down the firepower needed to challenge the German defenders."?
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