The news here is that I'm learning. Learning what you might ask? The answer is that the production and business side of this little enterprise take time away from designing.

Therefore, previous print dates have turned out to be too ambitious. Instead of once again giving you dates that may or may not be met, I will list the upcoming games in the order which they tentatively will be produced. Here goes:

1. Vimiero (the first of the Wellington In Iberia series)

2. Salamis (the first monster game for MD)

3. Hue

4. Cedar Mountain/Kernstown

5. Cry of Liberty (strategic American War of Independence)

6. War of Austrian Succession

7. Third Ypres

8. Grant at Vicksburg (Operational level)

9. Second installment of This Sceptered Isle

10. 19th century battle using updated Blood & Iron system

11. Strateoic World War One game

Now, the order for these is not firm, but in each case it will come down to which game is finished first and has been the most fun to play. The two at the head of the list have been played a few times through and have proved to be a lot of fun. The rest are not as close to completion because the top two have drawn the most attention. Now for the individual updates.

Vimiero

This will be the first game in the Wellington in the Peninsula series. My goal to produce one game a year until all of the Iron Duke's battles have been done. It also looks like Wagram and Jena/Auerstadt will join this list. Originally intended for Spearhead Games, their financial problems have led me to consider publishing them down the road. When the system finally appears in public, it will be at battalion level and is much lower complexity than current systems available, but I think it better models command than any system currently available. Final playtesting will begin in September.

Salamis

For those of you I met at Origins, the game set tip was indeed Salamis. It is a one ship per counter scale game of one of the largest battles of the ancient world.

Originally I had no intention of doing the game, but then I started to read about the battle, found it very interesting, and finally was told by Dick Berg that it shouldn't be done. The rest is history. Right now, I can modestly say that it will be one of my very best designs. I can gauge my reaction from the playtests I've had so far which have been intense and enjoyable. It is a clean, lean system that nonetheless reflects the tactics of the time very well. With over a 1,000 counters, the game still plays in 6 to 8 hours. It is also very playable solitaire.

Right now, I'm thinking about one map scenarios that will allow for 1 to 3 hours playing and will be challenging nonetheless. Blind playtesting kits will be sent out by mid-August.

Hue

Still working on the system for this battle. The OB work is done and once the dust from Vimiero and Salamis settle, I'll begin in earnest on this one. I have high hopes for this game with the intense house to house battles. Joe Youst kindly supplied me with a source map that will be the basis for my game. One of the things I have to determine is the physical size of the game. This in turn will dictate some of the game mechanics I use. Right now, the game is a gleam in my eye but it will be a reality by late fall, I hope.

Cedar Mountain/Kernstown

First two of the Stonewall series. They will introduce a new battalion level series that will focus on the great general's battles. Cedar Mountain is done, and Kernstown is nearing completion. I'm excited about covering both since their previous incarnation at this scale (two Great Battles series games) were done a long time ago and in the case of Cedar Mountain had little relation to the actual battlefield. [A side plug is for Hampton Newsome's fine Cedar Mountain done at a different scale from mine. A fine game that is extremely playable.

Cry of Liberty

Right now, I'm experimenting with a new combat system that may be used instead of the battle board. I want to create something a little more intense than a one die roll resolution but I don't want it to be mind-numbing either. I want this game to be as playable as the design it will replace. When finished, I want this to be the ultimate AWI game (so modestly put).

War of Austrian Succession

Using the Campaigns of Frederick the Great system that I designed for 3W, the only thing left to be done is some serious playtesting. I'm hoping that this comes out next year in the summer but time will tell. Before I go back to this game, I intend to read Browning's book on the period to get myself juiced up again about the game. On nice thing about game designing is that it gives you a damn good reason to ask for a quiet place in the house and time to read.

Third Ypres

To be called "We Died In Hell" this game will be the second installment in the Ypres series and will be a big enterprise. It is multi-maps with well over 1,000 counters. Right now, I'm looking at single map scenarios for smaller sections of the map. It looks like there will be 20+ scenarios as well as campaign sceranos that cover from one week to the entire campaign. It is a big undertaking and will only be released when it is done to my satisfaction.

Strategic World War One

This replaces the 1866 game and right now is a glimmer in my eye. I have been ruminating on this design for 10 years, ever since I played Guns of August, a complete failure. Since then, I've played all the other one map strategic World War One games and found each to be wanting in some area. My purpose is to design a great one map game of the war that is playable in a long afternoon.

Well, that is the design front right now.