Only a couple of days after returning (and barely recovering) from my Germany journey for SPIEL ’22, I hopped in my automotive and drove about 200 miles (3.5 hours) to attend the GMT Games October Warehouse Weekend occasion in Hanford, California. Even although I’m nonetheless enjoying catch-up from conference season and back-to-back journeys, I’ve no regrets and would do all of it once more in a heartbeat!

Twice a 12 months GMT opens its warehouse to the general public for a enjoyable, lengthy weekend of open gaming. Attendees primarily deliver their very own video games, however you can too buy video games on the warehouse. I actually get pleasure from it as a result of it is a low-key, welcoming atmosphere the place pleasant players collect to play a wide range of completely different video games, and I particularly admire that everybody all the time appears pleased to show video games to others.

• I’ve been on a mission to be taught and play all the video games within the Carl Paradis‘ No Retreat! sequence. Justin Fassino was form sufficient to stroll me by a couple of turns of No Retreat!: Polish & French Fronts so I might get a really feel for it. It was very useful to run the sequence of play a couple of occasions with somebody who has expertise enjoying the sport.

P500 covers

The No Retreat! video games are card-assisted, low counter density, hex-and-counter wargames which cowl completely different World War II fronts. Even although I’ve barely scratched the floor and have a lot to be taught and discover with the prevailing No Retreat! video games on my shelf, GMT has two new ones accessible for P500 pre-order which I’m enthusiastic about: No Retreat! 5: The Western Front, 1944-45 and No Retreat! Battles: 1942, which is a brand new spinoff sequence of No Retreat! video games which every cowl one 12 months of the World War II battle, beginning with 1942.

• After burning my mind studying No Retreat!: Polish & French Fronts, Justin confirmed me the newest prototype for his upcoming Levy & Campaign sport SELJUQ: Byzantium Besieged 1068-1071, which will likely be a future GMT P500 sport. It was superior to see Justin’s ardour and enthusiasm for Byzantium historical past and his eagerness to share it. It additionally appears like SELJUQ will likely be one of many extra accessible video games within the Levy & Campaign sequence, as one of many many various Nevsky and Almoravid follow-ups on deck.

SELJUQ: Byzantium Besieged 1068-1071 prototype

• I had the pleasure of studying and enjoying Flashpoint: South China Sea with designer Harold Buchanan (Liberty or Death). Flashpoint: South China Sea is new GMT Lunchtime sequence sport for 1-2 gamers which could be very accessible, easy-to-learn, and could be performed in an hour. It was my first time enjoying it, and I thought Harold was a fantastic trainer…up till he whooped me. Jokes apart, it was superior to satisfy Harold for the primary time after many video chats for SDHistCon and our occasional interactions on Twitter.

Harold Buchanan & I earlier than he whooped me…

What was I to do with all these 1s?!

• I scored a replica of Richard Borg‘s Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles a couple of months in the past at a neighborhood conference and introduced it with me to the GMT warehouse. It was good to be taught the C&C system and play a state of affairs, as soon as once more because of pleasant players being pleased to show. This was my first time enjoying a Commands & Colors sport and I loved that it had attention-grabbing strategic choices whereas being simple, enjoyable, and quick-playing. It seems like a one thing I might play with nearly anybody, plus, Samurai Battles has a ton of various situations you’ll be able to play, which is nice.

• Cole Wehrle‘s John Company: Second Edition from Wehrlegig Games was extremely popular on the Warehouse Weekend. It appeared like there have been all the time folks enjoying it, and I cherished seeing that magnificence on the desk, regardless that I did not handle to leap in a sport.

Heavy negotiations in progress…

• Space Empires 4X has been on my “shelf of alternative” since November 2020 and I used to be decided to play it. Thankfully, Red Dust Rebellion developer Adam Blinkinsop and GMT Staff Developer Ken Kuhn are large followers of Space Empires, in order that they have been stoked to introduce it to me through the co-op mode, which was tremendous enjoyable. I cherished exploring the map, searching for ship upgrades, researching applied sciences, and dealing collectively to take down doomsday machines. I’ve quite a lot of organizing and chit-clipping to do with this one, however I’m actually trying ahead to enjoying it once more quickly and making an attempt out the solo and aggressive modes.

• I acquired the chance to play the tutorial state of affairs for Non-Breaking Space‘s Cross Bronx Expressway with John Butterfield and Jason Carr. Cross Bronx Expressway is an upcoming socio-economic metropolis constructing sport for 1-3 gamers in GMT’s Irregular Conflicts Series. Not solely was the sport very intriguing and distinctive, but it surely was an superior expertise to satisfy and play with John and Jason.

Cross Bronx Expressway prototype

• The of us at Revolution Games launched me to Hermann Luttmann‘s Blind Swords chit-pull system, which has been featured in lots of video games since Hermann’s Position Magnifique: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour, 1870, together with Steve Carey‘s new 2-player American Civil War launch, A Greater Victory: South Mountain, 1862. It was nice assembly and chatting with Richard and Roger from Revolution Games, and Steve Carey.

Grand Havoc: Perryville 1862 prototype map

• I had a blast enjoying an 8-player (4v4) sport of Tank Duel with designer Mike Bertucelli and others. It’s virtually a practice at this level.

Mike additionally gave me a fast rundown of Wolfpack: The North Atlantic Convoy Struggles October 1941 – March 1943, which is his upcoming solitaire/workforce sport the place 1-4 gamers tackle the roles of German World War II submarine commanders and work collectively to sink allied convoys. It sounds very difficult and enjoyable.

Wolfpack prototype

Wolfpack prototype

…and when it was time to unwind after a protracted day on the warehouse, we performed late-night Great Western Trail: Argentina.