The Players’ Aid

An Axis victory in Europe at War 1940 Solitaire from Worthington Publishing. This is a pretty tough one and I was playing on easy. Great little travel sized solo game.

Interview with Yves Roig Designer of Brandywine 1777 – A Time for Heroes from Les 3 Zouaves Currently on Gamefound As you may know, I love a good game about the American Revolution and over the past month I noticed a new game coming to Gamefound on the Battle of Brandywine Creek on September 11, 1777. The game …

Our interview with Yves Roig designer of Brandywine 1777 – A Time for Heroes from Les 3 Zouaves coming to Gamefound October 7th. theplayersaid.com/2025/10/06/i...

From Cover to Cover: The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War II’s Most Decorated Platoon – Alex Kershaw We have an ongoing video series on our YouTube Channel called From Cover to Cover where we read a book on a subject and then pair that with a discussion of the book while covering a few games also …

From Cover to Cover: The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War II’s Most Decorated Platoon – Alex Kershaw. theplayersaid.com/2025/10/05/f...

This just showed up! Brief Border Wars II from Compass Games designed by Brian Train.

Unboxing Video: Freezing Inferno: USSR vs. Finland 1939-1940 from Princeps Games Freezing Inferno is an Operational level 1 or 2 players board-wargame set in World War II covering the 1939-1940 conflict between the USSR and Finland. It is a hex & counter wargame with unique…

Our unboxing video for Freezing Inferno: USSR vs. Finland 1939-1940 from Princeps Games. theplayersaid.com/2025/10/04/u...

Got this all printed out and ready to go! Crusade: Road to Jerusalem from Solo Wargame. Love these little print ‘n play wargames.

August 2025 Monthly Debrief Video – Modern Classics The August 2025 Monthly Debrief Video, which is the 8th episode in Season 5 of this series, saw us discussing Modern Classics. These are games that we have truly enjoyed, many of which were our fir…

It is that time again and the August 2025 Debrief Video sponsored by @nobleknightgames.bsky.social is up and sees us discussing Modern Classics. theplayersaid.com/2025/10/03/a...

Chicago ’68 from The Dietz Foundation – Event Card Spoilers with Designer Yoni Goldstein – Card #10: Psychedelics Early last year, I caught wind that The Dietz Foundation was working with a new designer named Yoni Goldstein on his first game called Chicago ’68 and I was immediately interested. C…

In a continuing series of Event Card spoilers covering the recently released Chicago ‘68 from The Dietz Foundation in this 10th post we look at Psychedelics. theplayersaid.com/2025/10/02/c...

YouTube video by The Players Aid Modern Classics | Monthly Debrief S5E8 - Aug 2025 | The Players' Aid

Modern Classics? That's what this Monthly Debrief from our friends
@playersaidblog.bsky.social
is going to become! Check out the video --> www.youtube.com/watch?v=irQY...

September was a fantastic month for the blog with 57,382 views, 37,139 visitors, 180 likes and 33 comments. This was down 21% over views in August (72,868) but still very good!

Yesterday, we uploaded our 1,500th video on the YouTube Channel! Kind of crazy when I think about it. Thanks for all the support!

Wargame Watch – What’s New & Upcoming – October 2025 For October, I was able to find 26 games to highlight in the Wargame Watch! Of that total, 4 games were offered on Crowdfunding (3 on Kickstarter and 1 on Backerkit). If you missed the September Wa…

The October Wargame Watch sponsored by Sound of Drums is up and included 26 games from publishers like VUCA Simulations, GMT Games, Compass Games, Princeps Games, Worthington Publishing, Wharf Rat Games, Neva Wargames and more! theplayersaid.com/2025/10/01/w...

My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #49: Legions Demand Donative from The Wars of Marcus Aurelius: Rome 170-180CE from Hollandspiele With this My Favorite Wargame Cards Series (I used to call this “new” but now after doing it for well over a year and now coming to the 49th post in the series, I have removed the new), I hope to t…

My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #49: Legions Demand Donative from The Wars of Marcus Aurelius: Rome 170-180CE from Hollandspiele. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/30/m...

Interview with Ben Rawlings Designer of Violent Skies Season 4 – 1942/43 – The First Team to the Solomons Print and Play from Pocket Warfare Publishing In the category of new and small publisher I knew nothing about, over the past few years I found a new game series called Violent Skies from Pocket Warfare Publishing. These games ar…

Our interview with Ben Rawlings designer of Violent Skies Season 4 – 1942/43 – The First Team to the Solomons Print and Play from Pocket Warfare Publishing. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/29/i...

Unboxing Video: Fire in the Blue: Mediterranean Theatre from ACIES Edizioni Fire in the Blue transports you to the strategic crucible of the Mediterranean, where iconic battles raged between the Axis and Allied forces. Witness the critical role of aircraft and submarines i…

Our unboxing video for Fire in the Blue: Mediterranean Theatre from ACIES Edizioni. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/28/u...

Unboxing Video: A Most Resolute Action: The Battle of Fort Meigs, May 5, 1813 from High Flying Dice Games The War of 1812 brought conflict once again to the state of Ohio and the Northwest Territory. The War of 1812 began badly for the US. In August, a two-thousand-man US army in Detroit was surrendere…

Our unboxing video for A Most Resolute Action: The Battle of Fort Meigs, May 5, 1813 from High Flying Dice Games. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/27/u...

Solitaire Playthrough Video: Manila: The Savage Streets, 1945 from Revolution Games / Take Aim Designs Manila: The Savage Streets, 1945 is a solitaire area activation wargame that sees the player handling the attacking American forces against the system that handles the defending and static Jap…

Our solitaire playthrough video for Manila: The Savage Streets, 1945 from Revolution Games / Take Aim Designs. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/26/s...

The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland 1964-1998 from Compass Games – Multifaction Treatment of the Northern Ireland Conflict – Event Card Spoilers – #11 1966 Malvern Street Catholics Shot In late 2019, we hosted a 3-part series on an upcoming game called The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland 1964-1998. Through that process I came to appreciate the designer Hugh O’Donnell…

In a continuing series of Event Card spoilers for the upcoming The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland from Compass Games in today’s entry we take a look at #11 1966 Malvern Street Catholics Shot. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/25/t...

My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #48: George Rogers Clark Leads a Western Offensive from Washington’s War from GMT Games With this My Favorite Wargame Cards Series (I used to call this “new” but now after doing it for well over a year and now coming to the 48th post in the series, I have removed the new),…

My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #48: George Rogers Clark Leads a Western Offensive from Washington’s War from @gmtgames.bsky.social theplayersaid.com/2025/09/24/m...

Printed off some alternative counters and board for Bloody Lane: A Solitaire Wargame designed by Vincent Cooper. Looking forward to some arts and crafts time and getting this played!

September 2025 Monthly Update from GMT Games – A New Hermann Luttmann Solitaire Game and Much More! This month, there was just 1 new P500 game offered called A Hell So Terrible: Verdun 1916 designed by Hermann Luttmann. I have been awaiting the announcement of this game from Hermann and am very e…

Grant shares his thoughts about the September 2025 Monthly Update from @gmtgames.bsky.social – A New Hermann Luttmann Solitaire Game and Much More! theplayersaid.com/2025/09/23/s...

Interview with Dana Lombardy Designer of NORAD 3 from Lombardy Studios Not often does a game get a 3rd Edition printing! But, sometimes the classics are given this treatment and the games are well received and even much anticipated. Well, the classic NORAD designed by…

Our interview with Dana Lombardy designer of NORAD 3 from Lombardy Studios. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/22/i...

Video Review: War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67 from Surprised Stare Games In War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67, the fourth game in the Pocket Campaigns Series, you are one of three King Sanchos, fighting for control of castles and towers across Castilla, Navarra, and Aragón. …

Our video review for War of the 3 Sanchos 1065-67 from Surprised Stare Games. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/21/v...

Unboxing Video: Franklin 1864 from Worthington Publishing Franklin 1864 allows gamers to refight the historic battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, Tennessee in 1864, using the popular Civil War Brigade Battle Series of rules. Franklin 1864 is Volume V, fo…

Our unboxing video for Franklin 1864 from Worthington Publishing. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/20/u...

The speeders are very powerful and have massive movement (3 spaces), and rolls 4 dice adjacent but they only have 3 units and die pretty easily.

A little Battle of Hoth from Days of Wonder. Think Memoir ‘44 Star Wars. Fast playing. Simple. And lots of fun! Plus a huge toy factor with the minis. Look at those AT-AT’s!

I own this one but have not been able to get played. Maybe soon.

Video Review: HISPANIA from Draco Ideas HISPANIA from Draco Ideas is a slick little small box game with a big punch that sees the player controlling the Roman Empire and attempting to subjugate and put down resistance in the provinces of…

Our video review for HISPANIA from Draco Ideas. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/19/r...

Chicago ’68 from The Dietz Foundation – Event Card Spoilers with Designer Yoni Goldstein – Card #9: Antiwar Sympathy Early last year, I caught wind that The Dietz Foundation was working with a new designer named Yoni Goldstein on his first game called Chicago ’68 and I was immediately interested. C…

In a continuing series of Event Card spoilers covering the recently released Chicago ‘68 from The Dietz Foundation with designer Yoni Goldstein in this 9th post we look at Antiwar Sympathy. theplayersaid.com/2025/09/18/c...

My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #47: Fidel from Twilight Struggle: The Cold War, 1945-1989 from GMT Games With this new My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and…

My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #47: Fidel from Twilight Struggle: The Cold War, 1945-1989 from @gmtgames.bsky.social theplayersaid.com/2025/09/17/m...