Survey Results: Deluxe Magazine Game Updates, Boxed Game Updates, and New Games

Decision Games conducted three surveys over the past few months.

The first survey was a full review of all out-of-print magazine games. This included dozens of newly acquired S&T titles from the SPI and TSR periods as well as most of the Wargamer magazine titles. After a preliminary round to select the top 25, a second round selected the top 10.

Deluxe Edition games focus on updating graphics. Maps are moved to game boards. With some games, this allows for an enlargement of the map and counters by moving charts and tables from the map sheet to player aid cards. It usually does not involve new design work other than to update the rules to incorporate errata and clarifications and add optional rules and variants. If a magazine game reprint requires more than two map sheets to play any scenarios, the game will be transferred to the Boxed Game reprint group (this means Seven Days to the Rhine with its five maps has been transferred; it is in the pipeline for 2025.) Rules are upgraded to full color booklets. Deluxe Edition games will be published in boxed format, generally two-inch boxes (larger when needed). Previous games in this game line include Midway Solitaire, World War I, Battle for Germany, and Sealion.

The Deluxe Edition games for 2024-2027 are:

Coral Sea Solitaire (World at War #10) – printing

Red Dragon/Green Crescent (Modern War #1) – print prep

Carrier Battlegroup Solitaire (Modern War #14) – development

Campaigns of 1777 (S&T #316)

Fall of Rome Solitaire (S&T #181)

Sixth Fleet (Modern War #41)

American Civil War (S&T #310)

CA (S&T#38)

Siege of Constantinople (S&T#66)

Year of the Rat (S&T#35)

The first three are already in the Pledge Program. As the other games enter development, they will be added to the Pledge Program.

The second survey reviewed out-of-print boxed games. This included all our SPI catalog as well as newly acquired titles from 3W and other companies. After a preliminary round to select the top 25, a second round selected the top 5.

Out-of-print boxed game reprints will get the same graphics update as Deluxe games but will only include game boards for games with one or two map sheets (Seven Days to the Rhine with its five maps will be published with map sheets). Boxed game reprints will be published in two- or three-inch boxes. Some larger games will come in our double-wide boxes.

Previous games in this series include RAF, Al Nofi’s Imperium Romanum, Battles in the East, Across Suez, Bulge, Napoleon at Waterloo, Wellington’s Victory, War Between the States, Empires of the Middle Ages, Blue and Gray I, and The Alamo. Note that some of the games received updates by the original designers, and one (Army Group South/Battles in the East) received a significant update with a name change to differentiate it from the original.

The Box Game updates for 2024-2027 are:

Drive on Stalingrad (second printing with enlarged map and counters) – printing

Battles for the Ardennes (enlarged map and counters) – print prep

Operation Typhoon (enlarged map and counters)

Blue and Gray I & II Quads

Seven Days to the Rhine

1812: The Campaign of Napoleon in Russia 

Napoleon at War Quad

Dreadnought: Surface Combat in The Battleship Era, 1906-45 

Modern Battles I and II Quad

Thirty Years War Quad

The first two are already in the Pledge Program. As the other games enter development, they will be added to the Pledge Program.

The third survey was for new games. There were 20 new game proposals in the preliminary round, and seven in the final round. The new games selections are listed below. They will be added to the Pledge Program when design work is finished, and they are in development and play test.

Renaissance of Infantry series. Joseph Miranda. Design work will begin in Q4 2024. We expect development and play tests to begin in Q4 2025.

Hardest Days Solitaire Deluxe (World at War #19). John Butterfield. Design and development will begin in 2025.

Last Raiders Solitaire Deluxe. Yves Laumonnier. Design is complete. Development is starting now. Play testing should begin in Q4 2024.

East India Company. Christopher Perello. Design is in progress. Development and play testing should begin in Q4 2024.

StarForce Alpha Centauri. Redmond Simonsen/Joseph Miranda. The design update is complete. Development to begin in Q4 2024.

Project Z. Petros Sorilios. Design is in progress. Development to begin in 2025.

Other Game Updates.

Battles in the East #3: Drive to the Sea & Battle for Pomerania. Antony Birkett/Doc Cummins. Print prep is wrapping up.

Battles in the East #4: Mius River & Vitebsk. Antony Birkett/Doc Cummins. Play testing is resuming in May.

Battles in the East: Stalingrad Relief. Antony Birkett/Steve Levan. Play testing is resuming in July. To be published in World at War #107.

Battles in the East #5: Two scenarios from 1942 will be determined summer 2024. Antony Birkett/Doc Cummins.

Over the Rhine (GOSS). Joe Youst/Doug Johnson. Doug is wrapping up print prep for the Campaigns in Europe expansion kit, then he will be finishing play test prep for Over the Rhine.

GOSS will go to North Africa next with three games: Tobruk, Alamein, and Tunisia, then Sicily.

War in Europe will be the next monster game after OTR. Discussions about the WIE next edition will begin summer 2025.

We will be discussing the updates for these games on their respective topics on the ConSimWorld forums. You can also email Doc directly with comments and suggestions for these games.

Thanks,

Doc