Red Devils Midnight Sale...

The New Expansion Pack for Platoon Leader will go on sale at midnight tonight central standard time via EBAY.

I hope you guys have as much fun playing it as i did designing it!

The expansion is available as a single, or as a twin pack with Platoon Leader.  A hat trick is also available which includes, Platoon Leader and Cold Combat.

You must own Platoon Leader to play Red Devils.

Start your Monday the ASL way!!!

Waking up to go to work on Monday morning = a drag.  

Getting to work and finding a parcel from MMP on your desk = priceless

The tradition continues with Winter Offensive Bonus Pack #6!  

3 new scenarios: Liberation Day, Wildcat Strike and Poteau Party (or as i have begun calling it "porta potty") and a couple "new" boards to wet my appetite...

YAY!

Final Playtesting of RED DEVILS!

Can't take the heat?  Then get out of the kitchen! Some pics of final playtesting for the next expansion in the Platoon Leader game system.

Note: the two Germans in the above and below pic are placed upside down to denote an under the bridge position.

Some true stove top cooking here as a simple board on the oven serves as the proverbial drawing board while the next "iron in the fire" is currently set up on the real gaming table.  What you see here will be available next week from H&S GAMES!!!

(Wooden scrabble pieces and dice not included)

The 2nd Edition of Platoon Leader is Go!!!

Just a quick note to announce that the 2nd edition of Platoon Leader is now available!!!

Platoon Leader:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Platoon-Leader-/321649269522?pt=Games_US&hash=item4ae3ca5b12

Platoon Leader/Cold Combat Bundle:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Platoon-Leader-and-Cold-Combat-Bundle-/321649171998?pt=Games_US&hash=item4ae3c8de1e

The 2nd and final definitive edition of Platoon Leader is currently at the printers.  Why another edition?  In all honesty because the last one sold out.  What was wrong with the last edition?  Nothing.  So what's new with this one?  Among other things, a new cover, a tweaked double fire action mechanic, optional leader generated command rolls and leader specific command range as well as an added opportunity fire option.  Oh and a fold out, card stock color poster of the game cover! But most importantly, all the "stuff" that was in the original Platoon Leader is in the 2015 version.  

So check EBAY and BoardGameGeek as this becomes available within the next 24-48 hours.  

Red Devils, the new expansion for Platoon Leader, will receive some last minute tweaks this weekend (from a design perspective this thing has proven as tough to bang out as both the base game and Cold Combat combined) and then hit the printers next week, as such you can expect to scoop it up not this weekend but the next so clear a spot on the ol' game table!

Most importantly, thanks to all of you who have rolled the dice on Platoon Leader, your interest has been a blessing.

For those of you who have the first/second printings of Platoon Leader and are interested in the new options which are included in the 2015 version, just shoot an email to hexesandsoldiers@gmx.com  and I will gladly shoot you an attachment back.

Thanks,

JMK

The last platoon leader/cold combat bundle

The last Platoon Leader/Cold Combat bundle from H&S GAMES is up for grabs via EBAY and BoardGameGeek.  After this there wont be any more in stock until the next printing which will most likely occur when Red Devils goes to print so don't delay!

$15.00 trip down nostalgia ave.

My how time flies and this is perhaps never so evident as stepping directly into a pair of old wargaming shoes.  I was 13 years old when the movie Platoon came out.  My interest in all things Vietnam was peaking, just ask a neighboring farmer of ours.  The poor guy thought some military brat  had gone awol and was hiding out in the woods.  So he did what any concerned citizen would do, call the cops.  When they came to investigate they came to the same conclusion.  I knew better but no matter, all my ammo boxes and gear had been confiscated.  I suppose the barbed wire, bunker and trenches added a little too much authenticity as well.  Oh well, those were certainly the days, running through the woods, battling with my friends.  Now days i do my battling alone on cardboard but hey, its harder to catch ticks and poison ivy this way.  So as i watched and re-watched Oliver Stone's idea of what "the impossibility of reason" looked like, i was even more thrilled to learn that Avalon Hill had released a game based more or less on the film.  I'll never know exactly how many hours i spent on the dining room table with this thing, the living room somehow all too easily transformed into the prerequisite environment of foliage and heat within the battlefield of my mind. But it was awesome. Why the fascination?  Looking back on it, i can't honestly put my finger on it but it sure struck a timely chord with me.

So recently i was overcome with a wave of "remember when" and paid 15.00 for my time travel ticket.  The feeling was still there when the box showed up, all until half the already punched pieces were missing. ARGH!!!  So i put my fond reflection on pause, shipped the thing back for a full refund and found an unpunched copy for the same price!  

This time around however, i had a live opponent, a self professed hater of wargames and all things war.  Perhaps the cinematic tie in sold her, or perhaps she was just in a particularly unselfish mood.  Nonetheless, i proceeded to explain to her what the purpose of doing this or that was, and then further what the overall point was and lo and behold her competitive spirit simply could be contained no more but in the end it would prove inadequate.  She became more concerned with the row of dead that was lined up beside the board then the living NVA that still littered the board.  Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.  I doubt she understands any more than she did why I waste my time with this stuff and perhaps even less so since playing Platoon.  Nevertheless, "I think now looking back, we did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves..."  and i think she would agree.

On the shelf goes the game, but i know it will always be there, as will Elias, fighting for what Rhah called, possession of my soul...ok ill stop.

thanks for reading
JMK

Final Red Devils Expansion Update Before Release

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1302502/final-red-devils-update-release

Whew, what a frantic few weeks its been. The second expansion pack for Platoon Leader, Red Devils is nearly ready to hit the printers but not before some last minute editing, additions, subtractions, etc. So what can you expect from this thing? Well for starters you can expect a stage dressed with all the trappings of Arnhem circa '44 minus the beer. To be more specific, you can expect some armored fighting vehicles, PIATS, mortars, ammo shortages, fires, a Keep Calm Chit, and of course the actors themselves: the British Red Devils and Waffen SS. Oh and it wouldn't be an H&S GAME without a Werewolf variant and a few pages of historical notes. 

That said, there have been a few changes since the last round of updates/pics. The map has changed but an enlarged deluxe version will still be included as will the deluxe counter sheets. Where tanks had been slated to make their debut, it seems they will have to wait a bit longer. Though AFV's are present, the inclusion of tanks would necessitate the inclusion of Anti-tank guns which would necessitate the inclusion of Bren carriers and all of this simply proved too rule heavy for a small expansion pack. I was able to factor in AFV's fairly smoothly with little rules overhead and without overshadowing the infantry which is where the spotlight of this system will always shine. 

Overall, your looking at 3 scenarios plus the standard bonus scenario plus the werewolf variant (and counters!)or about 17 pages of stuff. 

So as this puppy nears the printers you can expect it no later than Jan. 31. Remember, you will need Platoon Leader to play Red Devils but you will not need Cold Combat. What is more, the additional rules included in Cold Combat have been added to Red Devils. A Platoon Leader, Cold Combat, Red Devils bundle is also a possibility, otherwise this newest offer will have an introductory price of no more than $9.99 plus free shipping. 

So that's it. You'll know as soon as i do when this goes live on EBAY and the GEEK!

Thanks for reading
JMK

Father of Squad Leader, John Hill has passed...

Game designer extraordinaire and father of Squad Leader, John Hill has passed on.  Just some of his games include:



John was also heavily involved in the Johnny Reb III miniatures rules system and was inducted into the wargaming hall of fame in 1978.

The Two Half Squads is a long running Squad Leader podcast and the gentlemen that host this show were able to land an interview with John on episode 38.

Rest peacefully John and thanks again for a fabulous game. Your legacy will live on as future generations continue to roll low.

Better late than never...

So Mr. Clawse swung back by on his way north and dropped off a few things that were in the bottom of his sled:

I actually picked this up at the arena the night the Blues played Dallas (and lost), a gift from me dear 'ol ma. (That's Tarasenko btw, only the third leading scorer in the NHL.)

Picked this up for ten bucks.  The map is intriguing and i believe it presages Bonaparte at Marengo/Napoleon's Triumph which uses a vaguely similar idea. In both designs the pieces are configured in relation to the polygonal spaces in which they reside.

Have played Commands And Colors quite a bit and enjoyed every minute. Definitely a fast play introductory Napoleonics engine but tons of fun.  Have all the other expansions minus the Spanish and now i can head to Jena, Auerstadt, and Waterloo among others.  

I waited six months before pulling the trigger on this one.  More fast play, introductory style Napoleonics but definitely thicker than C&C.  Miniatures rules book.  Think Flames of War meets Napoleon/truck loads of dice.

And finally,

For years i have kept tabs on this and waited for a U.S. release to no avail.  My interest actually peaked to the extent that i hand made a rough, playable copy.  Today i find a copy on EBAY and that was that.  This obviously appeals to the Chess player in me.  Modeled after WWI, Its a mix between chess and checkers with the board configured in a diagonal manner and a trench drawn across the middle. 

The reverse side of each piece has its own particular movement illustrated and corresponds to the rank of a particular piece.

 Learn more here:

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/102881/trench

All in all a darn good last minute haul.