They basically get designs and materials, and then print. Playtesting left to designers with little if any back and forth or discussion. Quality Control or Development seem like pretty big words to describe their process.
I love the Air & Armor idea, but I had to draw the line somewhere. As @Navaronegun notes, Compass is a risk, and I am far less fond of spending money these days than I used to be. The Third World War was tempting, but way to large and, again, gotta make some choices.
I was really tempted by some of the solitaire offerings, like the Combat! reprint and the tank game, as well as other of the hypothetical games. I looked carefully at the Fulda Gap operational game by I think Adam Starkweather? The bright colors really threw me off though.
Yeah, I’d specifically stay away there. I was joking with a friend on livestream that as the first two titles in that “system” Are still irreparably broken, that title is the first title ever that can be said to be broken while in pre-order. Quite an accomplishment.
Panzeh
7338
I’ve gone through the rules of Rumor of War(the Starkweather Vietnam game) and yeah, it’s broken just from reading it, but even if I fixed it, there’s really not much there to work with. I do like the prospect of a shorter, less counter-dense Vietnam game but this one certainly wasn’t it.
The CSS games are better but they’re not exactly my jam.
CSS’s Tinian:The Forgotten Battle was released in early 2019. It had major issues that were supposedly rectified. I played it via live stream. A co-designer attended in the YT chat. He made us aware, as we were befuddled by the victory conditions in the scenarios, that the rectified versions were still wrong. We were given the advice to join the CSS Facebook group so we could keep up-to-date with the changes. I think that speaks for itself…
vyshka
7340
Yeah I know I’m taking a gamble on these (childhood nostalgia is in overdrive though), but my hope is that since the original designs were good they won’t screw things up badly. In the case of NATO and Air & Armor the original designer Bruce Maxwell is leading the effort. Worst case I join end up joining @Navaronegun in boycotting Compass and possibly offload the games. I feel much better about my 2 GMT preorders :).
As I am almost certainly never going to actually play these games, I’m less concerned about rules issues than about physical quality. As long as that is nice, I’m good.
vyshka
7342
@TheWombat can you link the Fulda game you ordered?
Er, not Fulda, it’s VG’s NATO. My bad.
vyshka
7344
Ah, okay. There was an interesting podcast that John Kranz had with Bruce Maxwell. Trying to remember if he discussed both games or just Air & Armor. It looks like the research he did will make its way into NATO though as the new option for a 1988 OOB.
CF_Kane
7345
So @Ex-SWoo and I started our game of Empire of the Sun tonight, and I’m failing to live up to the suggestion that I am not worse than the AI in most wargames. It is 1943, and I am the Allies. After a disasterous attempt to invade New Georgia from Guadalcanal, there is one United States ship on the map. Which is a battleship, hiding in Oahu from Ex-SWoo’s menacing Japanese fleet. Meanwhile, the Japanese Army is gutting the British in Northern India. It is about time for me to call in the generic wargame AI for some pointers.
Ex-SWoo
7346
Thanks for your patience in running through (most of) the rules! Fun game - and despite how well that opening battle went it the Japanese position doesn’t feel strong enough for me be too aggressive in the pacific. Hoping a major push into India & China is possible while the Americans are incapacitated
vyshka
7347
Bad timing, but it looks like they announced last night they have doing a sale where you get 35% off on already published games. Looks like it is in effect now. Just add something to the cart to see the discount.
vyshka
7348
For folks who’ve purchased gmt games in recent years, are the mount maps like mounted like the old AH game mounted maps, or is it like printed some kind of cardstock?
My GMT deluxe Dark Valley came with proper mounted maps, ie boards with hard folds in them
Scroll to 10:33 for the map unboxing
It depends. Definitely with deluxe editions. If mounted, they will stipulate in the description.
My Empire of the Sun mapboard was mounted the same way as well
My deluxe Silver Bayonet was a little different with seperated board sections at times rather than hard folds…but it depends on map sizes. It was still quite excellent.
Well, there’s nothing that is already published there that I want, I think, but I will take a peek.
