|
Here's the latest news from Decision Games, as of 22 Jun 09:
22 Jun 09 Magazine Game Play Testers Wanted The next group of play test games is World at War #10-17 (Coral Sea Solitaire, AfrikaKorps: Decision in the Desert,
1940 What-If, Guards Tank, Leningrad, and three other games to be announced shortly). These will be pre-production i.e. the maps and counters have yet to be printed so there will be time to correct them as well as provide feedback to
improve game play and rules clarity. We will provide a high quality map print-out and mounted counters ready for cut-out. Expectations for play testers are to play the game at least six times to completion over a 2-3 month period with
reports at least once every two weeks. Play testers must have at least one regular opponent, even for solitaire games. Preference will be given to clubs and groups that meet regularly. Play testers are expected to be subscribers or regular
buyers/players of S&T and/or World at War games. We expect to bring most of these games with us to conventions so stop in our booth to play test. For more information or to sign on, contact Doc at ccummins@bak.rr.com
We are also looking for groups of four or more play testers to test Hurtgen Forest. Players must have played Wacht am Rhein. We will provide high quality map print-outs and mounted counters ready for cut-out. Play
testing will continue until we begin printing next spring.
22 Jun 09 Decision Games Update All confirmed pledge orders for RAF and D-Day and our first book, The Quest for Annihilation, have shipped.
If customer service contacts you regarding your pledge order, they are trying to resolve a problem with your order - please respond immediately to avoid delays. These three projects will continue collating and shrink-wrapping until all
copies are collated and packaged (just before World at War #7 arrives for collation and shipping).
We will have copies of RAF and D-Day at Omaha for sale at ORIGINS. Demos will be set up at the exhibitor booth for RAF
and D-Day at Omaha. Struggle for the Galactic Empire and several of the upcoming S&T games (maps and counters are finished) will also be available for play test. Play testers are still being sought for some of these games - contact Doc
at ccummins@bak.rr.com or talk to him at the convention if you'd like to be a play tester.
Retail store release schedule. The Quest for Annihilation book will be shipping to stores along with S&T#257 (Chosin) in early June. RAF will be shipping to stores along with World at War #7 (Greek Tragedy) in early July. Omaha will be shipping along with S&T #258 (Santiago Campaign) in early August.
Web site pledge ordering for Advanced PTO and AOI/AETO will continue through 4 Jul however complete payment information must be on-file or provided to confirm these pledge orders. Confirmation emails for these two
games will begin going out the week of 22 Jun – please respond quickly to confirm your shipping and billing information.
Currently, we anticipate receiving the game boxes, rules, and chart cards for Advanced PTO and the rules and charts for AOI/AETO the week of 6 Jul. Payment processing for APTO and AOI will begin as soon as the last component is in the warehouse. Shipping should begin 20 Jul.
Struggle for the Galactic Empire, SPW's Mid-East Campaigns and our second book, Crowns in the Gutter, are expected to release in August through October. The most likely order of release at this time is Mid-East
in August, Struggle in September, and Crowns in October. The Excalibre game group is on hold waiting for artwork to be proofed so it can be finished and prepped for printing. Printing will take about 60 days so we continue
to anticipate beginning to release these games later this year.
08 Jun 09 Strategy & Tactics Update Strategy & Tactics #257 is in the mail. This issue features the game Chosin: X Corps Escapes the Trap. Feature articles include:
Fire & Ice: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Manfred von Richtofen: Red Baron of the Great War's Skies, Air Raid at Taranto: Operaton Judgement, and The American Revolution that Failed: Patriots & Loyalists in Lower Canada. Other
articles include Chanukah Blitzkrieg: Operation Cast Lead, America's Merrimac-class Frigates, VMI & the Execution of John Brown, plus our regular columns: Miranda on Design, the Long Tradition, and Media Reviews.
11 May 09 World at War Update World at War #6 is in the mail. The issue game is Greater East Asia War, covering all of the China-Burma-India theater from 1941-1945. Feature
articles include Great East Asia War: A Strategic Analysis, Joachim von Ribbentrop: Imbeclie or Foreign Policy Colossus?, Naval Strategy in the Mediterranean Theater 1939-1945, and Shorzeny Strikes: Coup in Budapest, 1944. Other articles
and columns include Bari, Axis Blockade Runners, Draper Laurence Kauffman: Father of the UDTs, the Westland Whirlwind, plus Media Reviews and a Mega Feedback. World at War issues #1-4 are sold out. There are a few copies of #5 left.
01 May 09 Computer Game Play Testers Wanted The first two of our new line of computer games has arrived to begin beta testing: Napoleon's Last Battles (two-player only) and Operation: Olympic (primarily
solitaire). We have enough playtesters for these first two, but additional beta testers will be needed for future games. We are seeking individuals to test the games and provide feedback about user interface, game play, and artificial
intelligence. Beta testers must have a PC with Vista or XP OS 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
20 Apr 09 Excalibre Games back on Track Excalibre Games (Robert Mosimann): Counters are in artwork (Mighty Fortress and Battle for Stalingrad are complete), maps are close
to final stage, and the rules and charts are being proofed. We anticipate release beginning in October 2009: The Conquerors, Battle of Stalingrad, Ancient Conquest, and A Mighty Fortress.
Game Q&A for Kaiserschlacht 1918 and To
the Green Fields Beyond can be sent directly to Excalibre Games at newton999000@yahoo.ca
Schroeder Publishing/Wargames (SPW - Dave Schroeder). Mid-East Campaigns counters are printed, box
has gone to printer, maps are ready to go to print, rules and charts are in artwork. Continuing to anticipate a September release. Gorlice-Tarnow and the Brusilov Offensive are back in print. Middle East Campaigns will include four full
maps (one for each of the four Ottoman fronts (Caucasus, Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Gallipoli) along with three counter sheets. Duration: the Grand Campaign will be the next volume and will include everything needed to play a full Der
Weltkrieg campaign game. Both may be pledged on the pledge page and through the latest Dispatch.
10 Apr 09 War in Europe Windows Edition Shipping War in Europe Windows Edition is shipping! Customer, game, and technical support topics have been set up on the
StrategyAndTacticsPress.com site. Click here for a description of the new edition and the final demo of the game. A Youtube video introduction has been added here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlrZp9M11xE
06 Apr 09 Hurtgen Play Testers Wanted Hurtgen, the Wacht am Rhein sequel/addition, will be ready for play test at ConSimWorld Expo and afterwards. Interested individuals
should contact Doc at ccummins@bak.rr.com to sign-up for slots at the Expo. We will also sponsor three groups of four or more players who would like to involved in regular play testing between June and December – interested groups, please contact Doc. Play testing will focus on the main Hurtgen Forest campaign scenario and also on additional scenarios for both Hurtgen and Wacht. This will be a 'beta' test focusing on verifying the map and counters before art work is finished, improving rules clarity, and improving game play and play balance.
23 Mar 09
Dispatch #17 is in the mail!
Dispatch #17 is in the mail to all U.S. addresses. All of the 2009 boxed games have begun printing so this is the last chance
to preview the sample artwork and pledge for them. Dispatch #17 also includes a great Double Discount and Bargain Basement sale. Click here to download the entire Dispatch #17.
20 Mar 09 Last Call for Strategy & Tactics Magazine Game Design Proposals! Only a few days left to submit game design proposals for upcoming Strategy & Tactics issues. Proposals should be
100-125 words with a proposed title, a 1-2 sentence description of the battle or campaign to be simulated with the remainder devoted to a description of the game design focus (all games must use large hex West End style mapsheets or be
area movement with 176 large counters or 228 medium counters, rules max of 12,000 words, and all charts and tables must fit on the map or back page of the rules). Proposals will run in issue #258. Proposals should be sent via e-mail to the
publisher at ccummins@bak.rr.com
06 Feb 09 Lost Battles Update The Lost Battles proposal did not receive sufficient pledges to go forward as a
2009 project. All pledges for the combined game and book project are being converted to game only for now. The proposal will move forward as a standard proposal and we'll review whether we can include a copy of the book when the game
proposal has sufficient pledges to move forward. For now, we recommend that customers who do not yet have the book purchase it when the paperback edition is released. We have received word that the book will be released in the UK in March
and in the USA in May. Special Note as 09 Mar 09: according to author Philip Sabin, the Lost Battles paperback edition has just been published and is available through Amazon UK . For further details, including a sample sub-chapter, visit:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/sspp/ws/staff/ps-lostbattles.html
15 Oct 08 Strategy & Tactics Update Strategy & Tactics #253 (Kursk) has shipped to all subscribers and stores.
10 Oct 08 Dispatch #16 in the mail! Dispatch #16 is in the mail with a
substantial update to our pledge program including a preview of the games (and books!) for 2009 as well as the future computer games. Those outside the U.S. can click here to go to the download version of the entire Dispatch. Those that
want to see the pledge update and new list click here to go to the pledge page.
08 Oct 08 Boxed Game Update The last shipment of retail copies of Highway went out today. All 2008 games (Highway to the Reich, China: The
Middle Kingdom, War in the Pacific Extension Kit, Flying Circus Basic set and Flying Circus Deluxe Expansion set) have shipped to stores.
15 Sep 08 Boxed Game Update All pledge games have shipped and with the exception
of some overseas addresses (give it about two more weeks) should have received their games by now. Anyone who does not have their pledge games should contact the fulfillment office at dgservice@earthlink.net so we can check the status of your games and make sure they are getting to you.
Flying Circus pledge customers: please note that all pledge copies of Flying Circus have the basic deck (cards 1-110) included in the Deluxe/Expansion box.
26 Jul 08 New Special Feedback A new Special
Feedback has been added to the Strategy & Tactics Press site. This Feedback focuses on the Special Edition games for Strategy & Tactics and a future line of Strategy & Tactics computer games. As S&T customers will recall,
we did a survey two years ago and determined that the readership wanted to see us pursue computer games to go with S&T magazine. We are now ready to begin working on computer game conversions and want your input into what games to work
on. Development is ready to begin on Barbarossa (World at War #1), Bulge (World at War #3), Nine Navies War, and Red Dragon Rising (S&T#250) as starting points for our development teams and we want your input on what games they should
work on after this group. Go to this page to let us know your preferences: http://www.strategyandtacticspress.com/modules.php?name=MegaFeedback
23 Jun 08 Call for Magazine Game Design Proposals! The next Mega-Feedbacks will appear in S&T#256 and World at War #5. Submit your game proposals to the publisher at ccummins@bak.rr.com – proposals should
be 100-150 words briefly describing the proposed battle or campaign and the game system. Proposals should indicate the unit size/scale and the number and size of the counters. Proposals must be submitted by 31 Oct 08. Designers will be
notified of proposals selected for publication and will need to submit the finished designs by December 2009. Thanks to those who have submitted proposals and welcome to the first timers!
2009 Games and Magazines Now Available:
• Strategy & Tactics #254 (Hannibal's War) • World at War #4 (USAAF) • Strategy & Tactics #255 (First Battle over Britain) • World at War #5 (Finnish Front)
• Computer War in Europe • Strategy & Tactics #256 (Ramillies & Malplaquet)
Projected Release Schedule for 2009 (Dates and order of publication of boxed games subject to change)
• Quest for Annihilation (ACW) book – April, 2009 • RAF Deluxe – May, 2009 • D-Day at Omaha Beach – June, 2009 • Advanced PTO – July, 2009 • AOI/AETO – July, 2009
• Struggle for the Galactic Empire – August, 2009 • Crowns in the Gutter (WWI) book – September, 2009 • Storm of Steel Expansion Kit – December, 2009
• World at War #6 (Greater East Asia War) – June, 2009 • Strategy & Tactics #257 (Chosin) – July, 2009 • World at War #7 (Greek Tragedy) – August, 2009
• Strategy & Tactics #258 (Santiago Campaign) – September, 2009 • World at War #8 (Arriba Espana) – October, 2009 • Strategy & Tactics #259 (Battle for China) – November, 2009
• World at War #9 (Destruction of Army Group Center) – December, 2009
• Fire & Movement #149 – TBA • Fire & Movement #150 – TBA
• SPW Middle East Campaigns – September, 2009
• Excalibre: The Conquerors – October, 2009 • Excalibre: Battle for Stalingrad – November, 2009 • Excalibre: Ancient Conquest – December, 2009 • Excalibre: Mighty Fortress – January, 2009
PLEDGE PAGE FOR FUTURE GAMES We've added a pledge page where you can read about our possible future boxed games. Now you can pledge your interest in seeing these proposals
move forward. We'll track the pledges and the games getting the most support will move forward to publication. Using the pledge system to place an advance order will also garner 25% off the price of the game in exchange for payment being
made just before printing starts. Click here
A new feature has been added to the pledge page for those who want to check on their pledge list status. See the pledge page for more details.
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!
|