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Here's the latest news from Decision Games, as of 28 Jul, 2010:
26 Jul 10
Decision Games Update
The DG folio series will begin shipping to pledge/pre-orders this week. Please note that new orders placed this week may not ship until the week of 09 Aug as we will have half our crew at WBC next week and the next magazine game has collation and shipping priority before we return to working on folio orders. Previews and special offers can be found here. The entire folio series is available direct from DG and one or two individual titles will be released to retail distribution each month (Aachen and Stone's River will be the first released to stores
the weeks of 16 Aug and 30 Aug respectively).
Hurtgen and the updated Wacht game are continuing in development. Joe Youst reports he has had a breakthrough in developing a set of Quick Play rules that cut the complexity significantly and the play time in half. He is also dividing the rules into a set of Standard rules to apply to the game series (which will continue into Atlantic Wall and beyond) and Exclusive rules for each individual game. Because of the need for further play testing with these new rules, we are now looking at early 2011 release dates with Atlantic Wall to follow late next year.
Ted Raicer's First World War book, Crowns in the Gutter, is now shipping to pledge customers. Pledge customers should confirm their orders immediately to insure prompt shipment. Other customers may order the book on the S&T Press site.
Unfortunately, the Excalibre game group continues to move forward at a painfully
slow pace towards pre-press and printing with everything held up for printing at the moment by a mere eight font corrections needed on one map. We are hoping for artwork to be turned in by the end of August meaning pledge copies would ship
in November with retail release of one game per month in December through March.
19 Jul 10
World at War Update
World at War #13 features the game Guards Tank at Kursk. Feature articles include a lead
article on the Soviet Army at Kursk, Super Ships: Bigger Isn't Always Better, a campaign analysis of the Battle for Hurtgen Forest, and Manchuria, 1945. Other articles and columns include I Remember: William Scott, Strategic Backwaters:
Midget Sub Action at Diego Suarez, On the Seas: Pre-Dreadnoughts in the WW2 USN, Mysteries Revealed: The Battle of Cape Lookout, On the Battle Line: Nomonhan, 1939, plus the Mega-Feedback results, Design Corner and a Game Preview.
19 Jul 10
Play Testers Wanted
We have play testers for all of the S&T games at this point. The next magazine group will be World at War #18-23 but these will not be ready until
January 2011. Check the Mega Feedback results in World at War #13 for game descriptions. Play testers are expected to be subscribers of S&T/World at War games or regular buyers who are familiar with the rules style and issue game
format and must have a regular partner or group to play test. Play testers are expected to complete six plays of the game over a 90 day period. To volunteer for play testing, contact Doc at < doccummins@strategyandtacticspress.com >.
Hurtgen Forest play testers are being sought. One OTH ("over the horizon") group of 4-6 players are being sought to test
the new Quick Play rules. There will be an in-house play test in Bakersfield on 27-29 Aug. Updated rules for Wacht are also available that players with the first edition can test drive. For more information about play testing and to sign
up for the August Bakersfield play test, contact Eric at < erharvey@aol.com >.
The Drive on Stalingrad series of computer games is moving forward. Drive on
Moscow is ready for playtest and Stalingrad is expected in a few weeks. Also just arriving in-house to begin alpha testing is Nine Navies War. Play testers need to have a copy of the board version of the games they will be testing. To
volunteer for play testing, contact Doc at < doccummins@strategyandtacticspress.com >.
09 Jul 10
Decision Games Update
The DG folio series is nearly finished. Maps, counters, and folios are in the warehouse, and the rules are printing and expected in two weeks. Previews and special offers can be found here. The entire folio series will be available direct from DG and one or two individual titles will be released to retail distribution each month (see schedule at bottom for projected releases).
Hurtgen and the updated Wacht game are continuing in development. Joe Youst reports he has had a breakthrough in developing a set of Quick Play rules that cut the complexity significantly and the play time in half. He is also dividing the rules into a set of Standard rules to apply to the game series (which will continue into Atlantic Wall and beyond) and Exclusive rules for each individual game. Because of the need for further play testing with these new rules, we are now looking at early 2011 release dates with Atlantic Wall to follow late next year.
Ted Raicer's First World War book, Crowns in the Gutter, is now shipping to pledge customers. Pledge customers should confirm their orders immediately to insure prompt shipment. Other customers may order the book on
the S&T Press site.
The Excalibre game group is inching forward towards pre-press and printing with everything except one map in proof corrections. We are hoping for artwork to be turned in by the
end of July meaning pledge copies would ship in October with retail release of one game per month from November to February.
14 Jun 10
Strategy & Tactics Update
Strategy &
Tactics #263 is in the mail. It features Cold War Battles 2, a pair of battle games on Kabul 1979 and a hypothetical battle in the Wurzburg area in the 1950's. Feature articles include: Kabul 1979, The Pentomic Army, Caesar at Munda,
German plans for Operation Sealion, and Brawner's Farm. Other articles include Naval Gunnery in the War of 1812, Revolt of the Admirals, The Jefferson Davis Newspaper War, Foreign Royalty in the Royal Navy, plus our regular columns:
Miranda on Design, Work in Progress, the Long Tradition, and Media Reviews.
03 Jun 10
Miranda Special Presentation
Joseph Miranda was given a surprise reception at CSW Expo for his first 20 years with Strategy & Tactics Press. Joseph was honored with a plaque and several banners listing and showing the covers of the 80+ games he designed for S&T and DG (and his total is over 100 with designs published by other companies). Doc gave a speech reviewing some of the highlights of Joseph's designs and the milestones Joseph participated in at Decision Games. A complimentary "wide-mouth opaque container" (a huge coffee mug) was provided to attendees at the reception. Joseph had often called for this item in his designs for use in drawing his trademark random chits. Once again, thanks to Joseph for all the great designs, creative direction, and camaraderie!
12 Apr 10
New Personnel and Company Organization
We have added several positions and done some internal reorganization in order to lay the groundwork for further expansion. The key changes
include the promotion of Ty Bomba to the new Senior Editor position. Ty will be focused on magazine editing and managing the work flow of articles. Joseph Miranda is continuing to spearhead magazine game design and feature articles. This
also means Ty is in the process of handing off the magazine game development duties to our new Senior Game Developer, Eric Harvey.
Eric is most recently known for his development of Advanced ETO, AOI, and Advanced PTO.
Eric joined us in September and is completing the development of the new folio game line to be launched this summer. He is mastering the magazine game development tasks this year in addition to overseeing the development of future DG
games. We anticipate having a full-time game developer overseeing all tasks from start to finish in all future games will provide better quality and consistency for the DG game lines.
Callie is also getting a promotion.
She will be our new Assistant Publisher. She will be focusing on production management, making sure everything and everyone is running smoothly. Chris Doherty has joined the team as our new Art Designer. We are looking forward to seeing
the impact of his creative efforts beginning in S&T issue #263 (July) and WW issue #13 (August).
Richard Sherman also joined the team in January as our Advertising Director. He will be coordinating print and web site
advertising as well as working with Callie and Doc on magazine marketing. With Richard, Chris, and Eric on board and the shifts in duties for Ty and Callie, we have our new team in place and are working on improvements that will become
visible over the next several issues of the magazines, the new DG folio line and other boxed games.
So now that personnel are in place and we've moved into our new location, we'll be focused on upgrading our technology and
infrastructure over the next couple of months to further improve customer service, shipping, and order tracking. A make-over of this web site is the first step and should take place shortly.
05 Apr 10
Sales Office and Warehouse Moved Successfully!
The Strategy & Tactics Press/Decision Games fulfillment office and warehouse have been moved entirely into our new building. We are force marching this week to catch up with orders
and contacts and expect to be fully caught up by 16 Apr. We are looking forward to significant upgrades in infrastructure and technology in the next two months that will make order processing and customer service even faster and better.
Thanks for your support and patience!
29 Mar 10
Storm of Steel Expansion Kit Update
The Storm of Steel updated rules and scenario booklet were posted to the E-rules page for review in early January. As only minor
corrections have been reported, we are ready to roll on printing however there is still time for questions and corrections to be emailed to Doc. Bob is finally back in communication but struggling with some health concerns. We'll move
forward on production as soon as we can finalize the additional chart cards to be included in the kit.
22 Feb 10
Computer Game Play Testers Wanted
Our next computer game play test group is the Drive series (Drive on
Stalingrad, Drive on Moscow, and Drive on Kursk). We are seeking individuals who have played at least two of the three board games to test the computer versions and provide feedback about user interface and game play. Beta testers must
have a PC with Vista or XP OS (Windows 7 also o.k.) and be willing to send and receive game files via email from other beta testers. Interested individuals should contact Doc at < ccummins@bak.rr.com > for additional information please indicate which of the games you have played.
Strategy & Tactics #261 features The Kaiser's War, a strategic game of World War One's last year. Feature articles include: The Kaiser's War: Grand Strategy, 1918-1919, Prisoners of War During the Korean Conflict,
Harald Hardrada: The Life & Times of the Vikings' Greatest King, and The Battle of Albemarle Sound. Other articles include the B-36, the Capture of Fao and the Battle of Saniyeh, Can China Trump US Carrier
Strategy, plus our regular columns: Miranda on Design, Work in Progress, the Long Tradition, and Media Reviews.
08 Feb 10
Job Openings
All of the DG HQ positions have been filled.
East Coast Sales Representative
Decision Games is seeking a part-time sales representative located in or near Philadelphia. This individual works as part of the DG sales team at ORIGINS, Historicon, WBC, and other East Coast
conventions. Compensation includes wage and potential bonuses. Apply now by sending a letter describing sales and convention experience to Doc at < ccummins@bak.rr.com >.
2010 Games, Magazines, and Books Now Available:
Strategy & Tactics #260 (Great Medieval Battles: Crecy and Navarette)
World at War #10 (Coral Sea Solitaire)
Strategy & Tactics #261 (Kaiser's War)
World at War #11 (Afrikakorps: Decision in the Desert)
Strategy & Tactics #262 (Frederick's War)
World at War #12 (1940: What-If)
Strategy & Tactics #263 (Cold War Battles: Kabul & Wurzburg Pentomic)
Crowns in the Gutter (WWI) book
World at War #13 (Red Tanks at Kursk)
Projected Release Schedule for 2010
Strategy & Tactics #264 (Shiloh) September, 2010
World at War #14 (Invasion: Pearl Harbor) October, 2010
Strategy & Tactics #265 (Jubilee/Dieppe Solitaire) November, 2010
World at War #15 (Soft Underbelly) December, 2010
(Dates and order of publication of the following projects are subject to change)
Storm of Steel Expansion Kit On hold
Napoleon's Last Battles (computer) In final testing
Operation Olympic (computer) Solitaire finished, 2-player beta testing
Custer at the Death (book) October, 2010
(Dates and order of publication of the following projects are subject to change)
DG Folio Series: all folios available for direct order now, shipping begins 26 Jul
DG Folio Series: Aachen will ship to retailers 16 Aug
DG Folio Series: Stone's River will ship to retailers 30 Aug
DG Folio Series: Arnhem will ship to retailers 13 Sep
DG Folio Series: Chalons will ship to retailers 27 Sep
(The following projects will be published when provided by the associate publisher estimates based on projects being turn-in for printing by the end of
August)
Excalibre: Pledge copies will ship 15 Nov 10
Excalibre: The Conquerors will ship to retailers 13 Dec 10
Excalibre: Battle for Stalingrad will ship to retailers 10 Jan 11
Excalibre: Ancient Conquest will ship to retailers 14 Feb 11
Excalibre: Mighty Fortress will ship to retailers 14 Mar 11
Projected Release Schedule for 2011
Devil's Due (Miranda's WWII book) March, 2011
Wacht am Rhein (2nd edition) April, 2011
Hurtgen: Hells' Forest May, 2011
Totaler Krieg June, 2011
Dai Senso July, 2011
Free Mars September, 2011
Atlantic Wall December, 2011
RULES DOWNLOAD SECTION
E-Rules for many of our games are now online. Now you can get the rules for our games, complete with up to date errata. Click here.
DESERT FOX GAMES
Desert Fox has an extensive back stock of in-print and out-of-print historical games as well as many current Euro and American strategy games. Click here to go to the Desert Fox Games pages. You can download the latest "Dispatches from Decision" flyer with the latest inventory and special offers. The next Dispatch will be sent in September.
CUSTOMER SERVICE SECTION
In an effort to answer common questions and provide better service we've created a new customer service section with some useful forms and FAQs. You'll find a service request form, Address Change Form, info and answers to the most common questions we receive.
We're adding something to our site every week, so keep checking back!
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