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 Military historian and tac-sim designer extraordinaire IAN DAGLISH has launched his own website and Blog. Billing himself as "military historian and battlefield mythbuster" Ian is off in his latest ground-breaking direction, taking his love of tactical-level military history to the reader...and the wargamer ...in detail while retaining his incredible passion and refreshing lack of pretension. You can click on the image above (Note: That's Ian in the inset, juxtaposed over the book cover of his latest title). You can click here to reach Ian's blog. As many of you know, CH's first historical modules were designed by Ian Daglish and include Kellam's Bridge, Timmes' Orchard, Shanley's Hill, Scotland the Brave I and Scotland the Brave II. His work is and has always been impeccable.  Remember when every military book and magazine seemed to feature an ad for 'Original Rommel's Goggles'? That was back in the 1970s and '80s by our recall. Here at CH we'd love to strap a set on your forehead, perfect for those long tac-gaming sessions (and not half bad for sanding or weed-whacking, as eye protection!) Sadly, Rommel and his goggles are no longer available to order here or anywhere that we know of. What we can and do provide you, free of charge, is a 100% authentic Rommel's Goggles flyer, yours for the download by clicking here or on the cover image directly above. Another blast from the past IS still available and it's the seminal documentary series "World At War" somberly narrated by Laurence Olivier. Below are five desert episodes worth another viewing of, commercial free. Critical Hit is proud to have been the publisher of the first edition of Bob Murphy's NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE, the story of the Battle of La Fiere. Ray saw the photocopied manuscript during a visit to Bob Murphy's home, interviewing the documented "first man into Normandy on D-Day" for the game that became AGAINST ALL ODDS and volunteered to put the story into print. The contest for the crucial Merderet River crossing following the 82nd Airborne's D-Day paradrop is now a movie project by Dale Dye and the people at Warriors, Inc. Click here to learn more about their project. Here we've provided the full interview conducted with Bob during the making of AGAINST ALL ODDS: MURPHY INTERVIEW.
Without Bob there would have been no AGAINST ALL ODDS. Click on the cover image above to get your copy of the latest edition of the only game ever published to depict the fight for the La Fiere bridge.
Support for the ATS hobbyist continues in the form of ATS COLOR PLAY AIDS licensed to owners of any complete ATS title. The link will allow you to contact customer service and obtain a set. Come and get the first issue of the free ATS BRIEFING NEWSLETTER that spells out the birth of what is now the fastest growing tactical-level game system on the market. The fine folks at the ATS On The Table website have created a handy compilation of all known errata and clarifications for your use. Click here to get your mitts on a copy now! ASLComp Arnhem the Third Bridge is alive and well in a new edition and you can get color copies of the play aids by clicking here.
We are constantly adding new items to our catalog. You can always find the latest additions at the What's New page by clicking here. Just in case you missed the CONTACT link above, you can drop Maureen a line in customer service by clicking here. You can also reach her during 9-5 E.S.T., M-F office hours at 845-278-9125. We've had the same phone listing and office hours since August of 1994!  In 2006 the popular Japanese wargame magazine COMMAND published ATS Basic Game II, a system best-seller, in a Japanese language edition. It's popularity paved the way for a fully licensed edition of ADVANCED TOBRUK in that country.  In early March 1943 General Paul Hausser threw caution to the wind and ordered his soldiers into the heart of Kharkov, instigating a city-fight that pushed on to Dzerzhinsky Square, re-named "Platz der Leibstandarte" while fighting still raged within nearby buildings. The outcome of the battle led Hitler to sign off on Operation Zitadelle, and seal the fate of German fortunes in the east. CH's new treatment of the battle is slated for release in mid 2010 and takes tactical-level gamers into the heart of the embattled city. The included scenarios pit some of World War II's elite soldiers against NKVD and militia troops in a fight for every room, cellar and perch. Check back here for the latest news about this impending project.  Here at CH we are heavily invested in YOU and the publication of tactical-level battlefields is our passion. Another chunk of Stalingrad is about to head out to your place, and will hopefully take its place in your Ostfront historian's heart. The place is the Krasny Oktyabr (Red October) steel plant. The unit is the 24th Panzer Division, the 'Leaping Horsemen' that were moved into this sector after its workshops and buildings had already been reduced to wreckage. Check back here for the latest news about this impending project and another portion of the Stalingrad battlefield about to join it on the CH printing presses. |
 Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, or at least play in the sand… THE RAT STRIKES BACK! That means we have a second round of ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS releases right around the corner! The approach is the same as the 'first round', a CORE PACK 2 with more new counters, maps, and overlays ranging from small hills to a giant escarpment sans road…and a road/escarpment overlay to simulate Halfaya Pass (aka "Hellfire Pass"). As an added benefit, any cards from AK1-6 that contained errata needed for game play will be included in AK #7. We're calling it the MONSTER CORE PACK 2 and these cards will be included at no additional charge! We are not perfect, but our aim IS perfection and we want your massive North Africa collection to get out of their baggies and on to your gaming table with the least amount of dust beating the rims of your Rommel's Goggles. The new offensive in the Western Desert starts big… and stays big. We're talking about the seventh set, AK #7-CORE PACK 2 BATTLE OF GAZALA. It's bigger, meatier and contains the kind of filling desert fans love: tank action! The scenarios are nine adaptations of the original classics from TOBRUK. No, not the reduced "Programmed Instruction" versions….these are the full-blown battles for the Gazala Line that broke new ground in board wargaming in 1975 and led to an era of tactical-level gaming that brought us many a great game and system since Hal Hock broke new ground straight out of his experiences as an ordnance expert. TOBRUK scenario adaptations bring the War in North Africa to the ASLer in a heretofore untouched scale and scope. And that means blowing the playing area wide open with TWO map scenarios. But do not fear… for you the convoy ALWAYS gets through with supplies and AK #7-MONSTER CORE PACK TOBRUK CLASSIC includes not one but TWO full-size copies of the desert 22" x 34" linking mapsheets that will provide battlefields with ranges beyond your previous experience east, west north or south of Alamein. The set also includes new overlays. Very useful ones that will get a good run and continue to create fascinating battlefields unlike any tactical-level desert presentation before. The new overlays include hills, shellhole fields, a new village, wadi/hill terrain, minefields, and a massive ESCARPMENT presentation that has no pass or road going across it … unless you use the also-provided escarpment pass overlay. Okay, that sounds like a lot of gear! And it is. But not enough, not for the true Western Desert afficionado intent on building the ultimate collection of actions and on board with those that aim to make that happen. You also receive two more sheets of counters, 88 counters on each sheet. That's '88' times two … and we know you appreciate an '88' when you see one! These are two separate sheets, not a double supply of the same sheet. Okay, twist our Palm-patched arm. Go ahead! Uncle, and not as in 'uncle Adolph' .. but instead as in … we'll DOUBLE YOUR COUNTER SUPPLY absolutely FREE. That means you get '88' x 2 … x 2 for a total of 352 color die cut counters!
NOTE: Ownership of AK #1 EL ALAMEIN CORE PACK is required to play AK Packs #7-11. *See below for addtional BONUS GIFTS for purchasers of AK 7-12. The eighth portion of the set-piece is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Frontier War and depicts the British push forward during the blazing hot summer of 1940. Italy had the meatballs to declare war on Great Britain as Mussolini decided to join his fellow dictators and gorge on Europe's spoils. Il Duce failed to take into account the fighting spirit of Tommy Atkins and his commanders. The result was anything but a massive offensive by numerically superior Italian soldiers in the Western Desert. Instead, British probes became attacks. Attacks became offensives. And the entire affair became a major problem for Mussolini's Italy and dreams of more easy conquests on the African Continent. This batch of 8 scenarios takes things from the frontier raid of 12 June 1940 through Graziani's offensive and the "first haul of booty of the desert war" along the coastal road west of Alam el Dab, Egypt some months later. The ninth portion of the set-piece is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Reluctant Offensive and takes the action into early 1941 and the first offensive to capture a city that would become a watchword later in the war: "Tobruk". The action culminates with the Battle of Beda Fomm on a map that recreates the battlefield as well as the long out of print historical map, using the overlay set. This set of 8 scenarios also bring the FORT OVERLAY, depicting Fort Mechili into play. Can you get the Italian garrison in the fort to surrender? We'll leave that to you, your dice and your tactics. The tenth portion of the set-piece is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Along the Via Balbia is a mixed date set of scenarios meant to depict the back-and-forth of the campaign with actions ranging from Fort Pilastrino to Fuka, with some additional Bir Hacheim and Bedja Pass in between. This set of 8 scenarios brings fort and village overlays into play, providing some interesting positional warfare to your wide-open desert gaming. The eleventh portion of the set-piece is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Hellfire Pass and Beyond and brings the giant Escarpment overlay into play and then some. Yes, you get Halfaya Pass, Pastor Bach and his '88' guns. You also get to see the new "Diana" counters in play for the first time, as well as other actions using the escarpment overlay in all its glory. This set of 8 scenarios includes more El Alamein actions and also uses the escarpment overlay to depict Longstop Hill. The twelfth and final portion of the North Africa collection is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: El Guettar Stakes and it brings those pretty green American bonus counters into play with actions that all take place in Tunisia. Almost all of the scenarios depict American troops in action (a couple depict British units vs. Germans) and once again the overlay collection is used to create one interesting battlefield after another in ways that just cannot be done with geomrphic boards. This set of 8 scenarios includes the namesake Battle of El Guettar, as well as action along the Gafsa-Gabes road and one of the final encounters of the War in North Africa, outside the gates of Tunis. AN ADDITIONAL BONUS: Order all SIX of the new AK packs (#7-#12) at www.Criticalhit.com and receive ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Tiger Tanks Plus Mini Pack (an $7.95 value) completely free. This pack brings the early Tiger as well as the Italian SMV 90/53 into action using your ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS map/counter/overlay set and includes five addtional scenarios. What's more, you'll also receive the first toe in the water ... pointing to the future EASTERN FRONT map/overlay counter products to come in the form of an Ostfront action using the AK collection of maps and overlays! ANOTHER ADDITIONAL BONUS: Order all SIX of the new AK packs www.Criticalhit.com and ALSO receive ASLComp Aussie Tournament Mini Pack a fresh new printing of the Aussie ASLer scenarios first published in OOP CH 4/2—all tournament-sized and fast-playing...not to mention just plan fun (an $8.95 value). That's a collection of 6 scenarios on their own cards using the new AK style art and layout and incorporating all updates and errata plus a little tweak here and there for balance. Just to be clearaly clear, order all SIX new AK packs (#7-12) here at www.Criticalhit.com and you receive the updated cards from the first six AK packs, the TIGER TANKS PLUS MINI PACK, as well as the AUSSIE TOURNAMENT MINI PACK absolutely FREE as our gift. Dare we also mention the SPECIAL PRICES for each pack? They represent a savings of $20.00 for the CORE 2, another $20.00 for AK 8-12, and a value of $16.90 for the FREE packs, or a total of a $56.90 in value. And when you add that savings to the AK1-6 savings of another $40.00 in price-chopping, customer-love discounts, your savings and value comes to a whopping $96.90, every cent of it back in YOUR pocket and used for more wargames....whoa Mohammed! You are eligible for one complete set of the free items PER AK packs 7-12 your order, not just 'one per customer' but please note this incentive is available for our direct customers only.  The ATS war has been quiet. Too quiet. But that's about to change as exciting new fighting machines, scenarios and overlays are about to hit the street to keep you focused before the release of ATS PELELIU. Can you say "Diana"? Big honking Italian gun on a big Fiat truck? How about massive ESCARPMENT OVERLAY that measures almost two feet long? We knew you could! Are you ready for some new die-cut counters to go along with that new overlay? We think you are and thank you for continuing to build your ATS collections while new product has been in development. The brand new TOBRUK EXPANSION PACK 6: KILLING FIELDS includes more action from the Battle of El Alamein, with a starring role played by Matidla Scorpion mine-clearing AFVs (new counters provided). The Battle of Sidi Rezegh is featured, and brings the new ESCARPMENT OVERLAY into play for the first time (new overlay provided). And we know you feel the urge to wield an Italian 102mm naval gun mounted on a truck bed at Bir el Gubi so a counter for that vehicle is also provided on the new sheet! TOBRUK EXPANSION PACK 6: KILLING FIELDS includes a massive new 22" long Escarpment overlay, an escarpment road overlay, a sheet of new color die-cut overlay counters, plus 12 scenarios for owners of ADVANCED TOBRUK that are sure to use the new toys! NOTE: ADVANCED TOBRUK IS BACK IN STOCK IN A BOXED EDITION. ASLComp AUSSIE 98 PACKTM has been sitting out of print for some time, with stock left of eight of the earlier scenarios, and no overlay. We just couldn't let that stand any longer because these Aussies deserve better and their tournament-sized actions not only will be sure to stand the test of time...they demand to be played. And played now. Not to mention we need to keep something coming your way while we finish the Peleliu project... All of the old Aussie 98 stock was discarded, replaced with newly printed cards using the popular AFRIKAKORPS art and layout AND the overlay has been re-printined in full color...and we cobbled together a new cover...and input all errata. Order now, ships immediately and all we ask is that you roll low and have fun!  ASLComp AFRIKAKORPSTM breaths new life into the war in North Africa for denizens of the popular gaming system...and then some. And it does so with a combinaton of overlays, large desert mapsheet, colorful game pieces and historical scenarios. You also receive printed rules and notes to get things rolling at high speed across the dusty expanses of Alam Halfa, Derna...and beyond. Now for the brass tacks. The presentation comes in SIX parts. That's right, six! A selection of individually-themed packs allows you to build your desert warfare collection around EXACTLY the battles that most interest you. Part I is the 'core pack' you will need to play all of the others and includes the mapsheet, overlay collection and a bunch of color die-cut counters. It is entitled ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: El Alamein. With it you'll get two sheets x 2 of colorful die cut counters in the same sized sheets as our recent TYRANT'S LAIR. You also receive a large set of FOUR DOZEN overlays, all blunt-cut so you don't need to trim them out along hexsides. The overlay set allows you to create photo-realistic desert battlefields with multiple villages, hills, deirs, hillocks, wadis ... and some new terrain for the ASLComp gamer including a Beau Geste style fort, tracks (and different crossroads for tracks, allowing for the creation of realistic road and track nets). You also receive minefields and anti-tank ditches, not to mention the "Whtie Mosque" and more! Also included in the set is one 22" x 34" standard desert map for use in all the 10 scenarios provided. When combined with the overlays a compelling desert battlefield is created. The new counters also include Italian Folgore paratroopers. The second part of the presentation is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Benghazi Handicap and it takes you along at breakneck speed on the "Tobruk Derby" ... right to the first attack on Tobruk at the gap at Post R33, staunchly manned by Aussie soldiers. The set provides another 8 scenarios bring you from Mersa el Brega to the gates of Tobruk with a sweep across Cyrenaica in between. The third portion of the set-piece is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Bitter Enders and it takes you back across the desert into Tunisia and features American troops versus Rommel, von Arnim and company. Hitler poured a stunning quantity of men and materiel into Tunisia so you don't have to. All you need to do is pick up this batch of 8 scenarios and bring your interest in the theater (plus a few hours and the penchant to roll low) and you're good to go! The fourth theme-based pack is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Second Time Around and it brings on heavy action between the British and Germans in Tunisia. These bitter enemies saved the best of the see-saw desert war for last and this pack of 8 scenarios contains some especially viscious combined-arms actions. The fifth set is ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Operation Torch and it brings forces of the United States into conflict with those of France and the fireworks erupt at Cap de Fedala, carry on to Faid Pass, and eventually drag German and Italian troops into the quagmire that was the war in Tunisia. You get another 8 scenarios that pit some of the most out-dated weaponry with some of the most modern for its time ... along with stop-gap AFVs like the M3 GMC. The sixth set is entitled ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS: Combined Arms for a good reason! It consists of 8 scenarios that cover all different aspects of the war in North Africa! From the frontier of Egypt in 1940 to the bitter end in 1943 the sweep of war's pendelum is inexorable...and varied with this final set that rounds out the action. NOTE: ASLComp AFRIKAKORPS scenarios feature tons of new soldier art throughout.  WHITE BEACH ONE: Peleliu 1944TM is just for you if you are ready to smash your way ashore at the infamous island, as one of the soldiers of the 1st Marine Regiment under Marine nonpariel Chesty Puller. It's for you if you are ready for a colorful map, new die-cut counters depicting weapons like the T20 shoulder-fired mortar. If you want historical leader counters, a battlfield unlike any other in the annals of historical modules. Taut scenarios, easily digest special rules in two column format. "Ten hut!" It's time to get in the boats... then back out of the boats and ashore. You'll be wading in all the way as the water is shallow and inside the reef at Peleliu's White Beach One. And once you go ashore we're planning one way for you to come back out, and that' with a captured enemy battle flag clutched in your fist, the job done and done well. Now for the real deal. WHITE BEACH ONE: Peleliu 1944TM is a new historical module that provides 8 scenarios, all playable on the new map and ranging from fast-play to monster. It includes a sheet of new color die-cut counters and special rules pages in two column format. If you've been following the HBO miniseries 'The Pacific" or perhaps read "With the Old Breed" a few times (we know you have) then you're already equipped with the intel that these here are Chesty Puller's Marines and you are ready for this experience NOW! We'll be releasing both ASLComp and ATS editions of WHITE BEACH ONE: Peleliu 1944TM together and right around the corner as production has begun. Both editions come with a pile of colorful new die-cut counters, a big colorful map, special rules and Battlefield Walkaround, new weapons and AFVs not seen in play yet such as the T20 shoulder-fired mortar and flame-throwing LVT4. You'll want to delve right into this detailed battlefield with all its nuances, so many folds in the terrain, blind spots to analyze...you'll have hours of fun just getting your head wrapped around the terrain. And when you cardboard Marines hit the beach all hell will literally break loose so our advice is get some rest, eat well...cuz WHITE BEACH ONE: Peleliu 1944TM will test your mettle like no Pacific Theater battlefield tactical-level recreation before. UPDATE: You, our loyal customers have been patient. And your patience has been noted and appreciated and will be returned in kind and then some. A lot of color, die-cut counter 'then some' as only CH is wont to do.  EASTERN FRONT METAL GODSTM is ready for you to come and secure your place in BATTLE OF KURSK tactical-level gaming history by nailing down your copy before they are all gone. And they will be all gone as we are expecting the initial print run to sell out quickly based on the topic and components...not to mention past history with our Berlin, Kursk and other Eastern Front titles. The ASLComp variant edition comes with two sheets (x2 of each, for a total of 4) of color die-cut counters, two linking 24" x 36" maps, 16 scenarios + 1 monster scenario that uses the entire playing area, VARIANT rules, plus a play aid or two we couldn't squeeze on to the product shot below but are included to make keeping track of your defense-belt easier as the Russian player. If you are ready for tanks suddenly tumbling into hidden AT Ditches, fougasse flame-throwers emitting fire, giant Panzerjäger VI Elefant tank-destroyers lumbering forward ... not tom mention the toughest manned front since our TIGERS TO THE FRONT/PANTHER LINE, faithfully recreated ... you are ready for EASTERN FRONT METAL GODSTM. And before you rout off to the nearest trench screaming in fear, consider the fact that the pile of 16 scenarios includes lots of fast-playing tournament-sized actions that will get you down on the map quickly after you punch out your counters. And yes, the SSRs are written with brevity (and we don't mean Operation Brevity but that's a hint about an upcoming ASLComp title...) in mind and in fact so you won't get bogged down ... nor mentally immobilized, assuming you are 10 years of age or older and know a Panzer II from a King Tiger. So here's the deal. EASTERN FRONT METAL GODSTM is heading right into production and that means you pay for a copy that is then lovingly manufactured specifically to fill your order. Once you nail a copy you are GUARANTEED delivery, worldwide, even if the postman in your native Uzbekistan bungles the mission (assuming you live in Uzbekistan, feel free to pencil in "Italy", "France", etc. ... noting you are 100% covered worldwide and we get you your cardboard warriors come hell or high water just like Chantel says! ATSers be sure to note your version of EASTERN FRONT METAL GODSTM is also included in the action and you receive a sheet of new AFV and aircraft counters along with the same big pile of scenarios, a brand new BATTLEFIELD WALKAROUND booklet, play aids, AFV Cards, and enough rolling steel monsters (i.e., Elefants) to bring fear into the hearts of the enemy (and joy into the hearts of wargamers!)  PONYRI STATION, RUSSIA, 0645 hours 7 July 1943: The 18th Pz Division had hit the west side of Ponyri Station and breached the wire and mines, but at a high cost in men and materials. A company was pushed forward using the terrain as cover, a gully which ran up to the hill with the cemetery on the north side of Ponyri Station. The battalion commander led his men forward, accompanying his second company. Looking through his binoculars the Major determined the ground had been untouched by the massive artillery and bombardments; quietly he motioned to his officers the hand signal to advance. The Soviet entrenchments were elaborate, the Major thought, but not insurmountable. He could see his soldiers weaving through the gully and brush. There were miles and miles of trenches, and wire and the mines. "Damn mines" he muttered to himself. "Yes, Herr Major" his radio operator asked. "The mines had taken over two of every three tanks lost" the major went on as he turned to talk to his operator. As the Major turned he rose slightly from behind his cover, he felt a bullet blast past his ear and hit his radio operator causing the left side of his head to explode. The bullet was meant for me he thought. The radio operator slumped back. The major crouched down, instinctively and turned to see the source of the sniper's bullet. As he turned the gully area erupted in small arms, and machine gun fire on his men. He could see tracers coming from well concealed positions, then explosions; mines! "Damn Mines!" The Major yelled, "Sergeant, get me another radio operator, right now!" EASTERN FRONT METAL GODSTM is a detailed new module by Larry Winslow that tells the story of the Battle of Kursk by providing a unique new battlefield created with two large linking maps. The product comes in two versions, one for ATS and the other for our ASLComp VARIANT line. The ASLComp edition provides ALL the counters you need to play the scenarios included while the ATS edition provides an expansion sheet of counters including new aircraft types, OP tanks, and of course...the Panzerjäger VI 'Elephant' in quantities heretofore never seen on an ATS battlefield. Above are some sample counters from METAL GODS ASLComp VARIANT edition. We think you'll agree that the data is intuitive and easy to read, using large, bold type and red outlines, instead of red ink for letters and numbers (as this color is known to run and blur in the offset printing process), as well as color overhead views, unit names for aircraft and other weapons that do not normally receive a moniker on their counters, and a nice, large "CH" so you know what 'factory' they rolled out of before hitting the battlefield of your gaming table. A note on Stalingrad Battle Pack I: We'll be coming at you with some STALINGRAD-nik news that will be sure to thrill all true Eastern Front combat history buffs so stay tuned. It's going to excite you...  Landing Zone X-Ray, CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, VIETNAM, 14 November 1965: After failing thus far to eliminate the American presence at the base of the Chu Pong Massif, the North Vietnamese commander, Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An, was upset. He ordered the 7th Battalion commander to personally lead an attack to encircle the 1/7 Cav. The 7th Battalion swung wide around A Company's flank, only to find the path to the landing zone blocked by C Company. The fifth airlift of the day, bringing in the remainder of C Company and the first elements of D Company was on the way in when the NVA soldiers at the creekbed turned their rifles and machine guns on the approaching Hueys. Major Bruce Crandall was the lead pilot on that run. He not only got the troops on the ground safely, he loitered for a few more precious minutes to evacuate some of the rapidly growing number of casualties from the landing zone... LZ-XRAY is a labor of love of designer Jason Brown and we know that YOU too will love the way the system seamlessly moves forward in time, from the French Indochina War to the latter part of the conflict, aka the "Vietnam War". The place is a remote swath of empty terrain in the Chu Pong Massif foothills. There's one problem...almost an entire NVA Battalion is streaming out of the foothills toward you and your men. It's November 1965 all over again and YOU are under fire on a 'Hot LZ' and there is only one way in and one way out...by air. New counters join the system in the form of multiple helicopter models, the 'Thumper Gunner', M60 machine-guns, and more. With ATS LZ-XRAY you'll be brought in....and hopefully back out again in a series of scenarios that depict the action from initial landing to Hot LZ and then some. Moore, Plumley, and all the valiant soldiers depicted in the book and movie "We Were Soldiers Once" are there and back in action again, facing a determined enemy with one goal: overrun the LZ and the men of the 7th Air Cav. You'll find all the termite mounds you can handle, NVA Regulars, historical leader counters, and Hueys...Hueys...Hueys...in various models. All with DETAILED COLOR MILITARY ART used for the die-cut counters.  GENESIS '48 2nd Edition is a new generation ASLComp module that literally re-starts everything with YOUR hand on the wheel. In charge, your voice heard loud and clear. You've made it known that you like those BFP/HoB watermark style counters so we're taking aim to make the best variant counter along those lines, ones we'll be proud to have the "CH" emblazoned on. And what that means is the best overhead vehicle and gun views, professionally drawn soldier art second to none. And a data presentation you can understand easily. The ground-breaking GENESIS '48 module sold out long ago, and has been awaiting a new edition for years. Additionally, the follow-on game, bringing in 1967 and 1973 actions has been waiting patiently for delivery to your gaming tables. Bringing together these two elements has resulted in an all new GENESIS '48 2nd Edition complete with counters and scenarios for 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 actions. The Israelis get a new nationality color and a plethora of new counters are provided for Arab and Israeli armies. What's more, the soldier art is also new, none of that which was used in the first edition is carried over. "G48 provides an incredible wealth of detail on AFVs and guns in the conflict, fully as interesting as anything in Chapter H..." The above quote is nice,and accurate. That said, GENESIS '48 2nd Edition aims to polish every rough edge of its predecessor, while adding value in the form of new counters and situations. Rules such as the "Molotov Tank Hunting Hero" and others have been streamlined or removed altogether. Squad types have been reduced appropriately and redundancy in rules addressing their use streamlined. Scenarios continue to use mostly non-desert, daytime situations and are moderate to small in size and play on geomorphic boards. An all new Kibbutz overlay is provided and a separate JERUSALEM '48 historical map-based module is coming with a fully remastered map that utilizes larger hexes than its predecessor. Thus, GENESIS '48 2nd Edition is a 100% geomorphic board product with 16 exciting scenarios and a bevy of new counters! In keeping with the CH approach used in the Berlin and Omaha releases successfully, all you'll need to own is your ASLRB and a collection of marker counters. EVERYTHING YOU NEED in terms of color, die-cut counters is provided in GENESIS '48 2nd Edition! Punch it out and play, no more hunting through tray after tray of old counters to get into the action.  Above is a sample of the color soldier art used in METAL GODS and other releases, blown up to over 1,000% of actual size ... to exhibit the detail that goes into the drawings before they are reduced to the size used for game counters.  GWASLTM is an entirely new way to delve into Great War action. And it brings together topical submissions by Ian Daglish, Pedro Ramis and Mark Porterfield, a veritable who's who of brainiacs that have stepped up and offered their ideas to...YOU...via the presses of CH. We know these variants are not for everyone...and have zero interest...in fact a negative number would be more accurate...in starting a discussion about whether 'World War II über alles', 'official vs. variant'... none of that. Your rigid adherence to one approach is cool with us and no doubt our customers feel the same way. Now for the rest of you, guys with an inventor's curiosity, dabblers, historical simulation fans, looking for an all new experience You know, the GENESIS '48 and DIEN BIEN PHUers out there! You are the ones we are creating this experience for. Picture in your mind...very simple straightforward SSRs and rules for use in Great War scenarios. A pile of new counters with colorful and detailed art and easy to read data. New geomorphic boards of the 'starter kit' type. Yes, we mean easy to digest rules, an approach crafted by Ian that does away with repetitive and tedious rules-writing and makes getting your cardboard soldiers and tanks down on the boards a breeze. You won't have to picture it for long as you'll be in a position to pull the trigger on some orders that will deliver the goods right to your gaming table. A note on the geomorphic boards. The current collection of boards has some that are fine to depict Great War terrain. But the collection is lacking some crucial period battlefields and that's where the new boards come in. ATSers are not forgotten...also needless to say! An ATS edition of this product will also be available so WW I nuts can get their spiked pickelhaube on their thinking domes and weather a storm of lead and a wave of soldiers and some slow-moving tanks...using their favorite game engine. GWASL comes in the form of three releases that build a collection of counters, boards and scenarios sure to entertain you for years to come. And the great part is they'll all be available to order at the same time since they are, as they say in publishing circles, 'in the can'. GWASL I: TANKSCHRECKEN! brings core rules, play aid, plus German and British units...along with 3 new 8" x 22" geomorphic boards. With GWASL II: THE LOST BATTALION the Yanks aren't 'coming'...they are HERE and bring with them all the vim and vigor needed to put the Allies 'over the top', beyond 'no man's land' and into and clear through Belleau Wood...and beyond! In addition to more new counters and scenarios you get another geomorphic board to add to the Great War collection. You don't need us to tell you that GWASL III: THE FLOWER OF A GENERATION brings the French and their Attaque á Outrance and Élan to the fray (yes, there are rules to depict those very nationality characteristics, simple, not wordy!) Both editions of our BERLIN II products are STILL SHIPPING in limited quantities so don't wait to nail your copy now!  Both new editions of our BERLIN II products include a new color play aid depicting the Zoo Flak Tower, along with updated rules for ranging its guns to on-map targets. You will literally place your gun counters in their emplacements on an accurate rendition of the Flakturm IV.  A new RETRO edition of CH 97 is coming soon! Check back for news here and at the CH Message Board. |
"The Rat Strikes Back" is the next wave of Western Desert releases, deployed to build your desert warfare collection to a robust 100 scenarios. These as well as both editions of Peleliu will hit the streets withing the coming weeks and printing is well underway. The routine will be AK #7-12, followed by both PELELIU editions. THE LATEST NEWS: You will find seven imminent new products on this page (hint: peek to the left). Six of them continue our ASLComp Afrikakorps series forward, with a new Core Pack and lots of new overlays and counters. This will likely be the conclusion of the collection and we pushed it forward based on the response to AK #1-6. The new Core Pack 2 (aka Battle of Gazala) includes two more copies of the deser tmapsheet (so you can play two-map actions), many more 5/8" counters than Core Pack 1, and a large new Escarpment overlay. Our ATS hobbyists get a new reason to slap on their Rommel's Goggles too ... and also ge their mitts on the new Escarpment ... as well as some cool new AFV counters and scenarios to use them with (plus all needed AFV Cards). We expect our PELELIU customers will be happy in the end ... since we have upped the ante on ourselves once again ... and matched their investment by INCREASING the counter mix in BOTH versions EXPONENTIALLY. What that means is you will get all the counters you need to play the scenarios in the ATS version ... bring markers and ATS Rulebook from any edition. The ASLComp edition also has had its original counter mix just about TRIPLED ... also providing what you need to play just bring your own PTO markers and ASLRB. None of the massive PELELIU enhancements and component increases will cost you another red cent. No one else does that and WE do to thank you for your confidence over a 16+ year of ordering from our catalog. We are the creators, not a mail order house, so every bit of understanding you provide us (read: patience) is noted and appreciated ... and returned in kind. Usually in the form of hundreds of extra die-cut counters. All of the new products also receive special prices and the ASLComp Afrikakorps gamers should also peek left again and take note of some additional free gift items proposes for your collective Rommel's Goggles wearing selves.  Here at CH enthusiasts make it all happen and we are humbled and gratified to be in a position to bring their labors of love to printed form. Another new addition is in hand and heading to the desert sands of your gaming tables. It is the most up to date rulebook version of the original edition of TOBRUK in a new "Deprogrammed" format by Desert Rat extraordinaire Brian McCue. Yes, there is new material fully called-out in italics and yes, it it fully remastered as a complete rulebook. No more Programmed Instruction. A new Table of Contents and Index rounds out this useful new booklet. And what's more, if we see enough interest in the new TOB-DEP book, you can count on new counters and vehicle charts + updated play aids in the original format, providing new AFVs, AT-guns...and more (dare we mention overlays for the original TOBRUK boards...new scenarios in the original format...new nationalities...shhhh!)   The Geo-board contest is over and it was a BIG success that brought in dozens of high quality submissions. A huge THANK YOU to all of the talented cartologists and stand by for news naming the winners. Boards were
submitted electronically, via snail mail, and using our template
as well as various programs. The end result was some great battlefields
that will be part of the upcoming collection ... aiming straight
for your collective gaming tables.  Vying for the title "Mr. ATS" Benoit Foucque has created something special for his fellow ADVANCED TOBRUK SYSTEM hobbyists. The result of untold hours is the Virtual ATS (VATS) edition of the game that started it all. Play "Aberdeen", "First Crisis at Knightsbridge" and "The Group Crüwell Feint" online, live and in real time or use the software to keep track of your own games...or use it as a Play by E-Mail tool...the choice is yours (and you know how we feel about open-minded creative people around these parts!) Benoit didn't stop with TOBRUK. The valiant Frenchman wiped the dust from his Rommel goggles and pushed on... right to the Battle of the Bulge and software for VIRTUAL DARKEST DECEMBER. What's more, the art department at CH equipped Benoit with the latest, re-mastered and yet to be published Hotton map for use in the software! Ownership of ADVANCED TOBRUK and DARKEST DECEMBER the boxed games are required for license purposes and you will also need to download the VATS software, available here. All 24 scenarios found in ADVANCED TOBRUK are playable with this software as are all 16 scenarios contained in DD.   ASLComp RETRO
PAK II is now shipping and includes 8 remastered classics
from the good old days. The emphasis is on tournament-sized,
fast playing actions and these babies have been tweaked, massaged,
and 'hero'd up' where needed. Plus, all known errata has been
input, creating a new play experience plus some snazzy new titles,
all new art, and an application of special 'pixie dust' sure
to help you ROLL LOW when playing RETRO PAK II scenarios. Okay,
that last one is really a reference to the powd-air powder used
in the offset printing process to help avoid sheets sticking
together when exiting the press! But you get the point, it's
all about classic, fast, bang-bang action on geo boards.  BERLIN—TYRANT'S LAIR is back in stock as of the week of May 24, 2010. BERLIN—TYRANT'S
LAIR is the second game in our series on the famous battle that
ended the 3rd Reich. A slew of additional color map play aids
has been added to the set and you will also receive a completely
updated edition of the rules for BERLIN—FALL OF THE 3rd
REICH. These are newly formatted in the three-hole binder format.
A sheet of color die cut counters, two new maps, and more rules
pages, bring it all together in what is the largest urban warfare
tactical-level simulation of all time.  The Battle
of Berlin rolls on as inexorably as Stalin's generals, rolling
toward the infamous bunker and its inhabitants...as April 1945
draws to a tumultuous close. Following the boxed game BERLIN—RED
VICTORY, the follow-on expansion that brings another 'baker's
dozen' collection of scenarios, ranging from small, fast-play,
to über monster that brings it all together with all four
Berlin map-sheets.  Another new CH designer is in the house in the form of Giancarlo Ceccoli. His new labor of love OPERATION OLIVE brings Gothic Line 1944 action to your gaming table with a new level of intensity...and immersion! Taking his cue from the founding father of onsite historical module research, the designer of CH's first modules (and now the author of the "Over the Battlefield" book series) Ian Daglish, Giancarlo studied the battlefield on site and in person and brings together playable historical scenario designs, battlefield photography....and three new historical maps to tell you a story using the tactical-level gaming metaphor. The result is being published in both ASLComp and ATS version to bring the widest possible audience to the work of Giancarlo.
 Designer Larry Winslow is at it again with HELL BEHIND THE EASTERN FRONT is the first-ever PARTISAN historical module for the ASLComp crowd! The map has been described as "incredible" and the small villages, wooded, stream-laced locale is just that...and quite unique as historical maps go. And yes, an ATS version is also in hand! HELL BEHIND
THE EASTERN FRONT has all those 'hides' partisan types like to
hide out in to waylay truck convoys and German headquarters.
Hitler's soldiers are tasked to DESTROY THE INSURGENCY and do
it with great haste lest the supply of arms and equipment be
affected...supplies so desperately needed by front-line units.
But the enemy won't give up easily, and more and more the vital
troops of the 3rd Reich are drawn into the conflict in an ever
escalating battle with a foe once taken so lightly...  The popular
ASLComp historical module FIRST WAVE AT OMAHA is NOW SHIPPING
but stock is running low. Grab your copy now before it is out
of print.  No one does fortified locales on the Eastern Front like designer Mark Porterfield and he's back at it again with MAXIM GORKI: THE BATTLE OF SEVASTOPOL. And if you liked his Panther Line/Tigers to the Front treatment of ostfront battlefields you are going to be bowled over by his newly crafted cartological creation. A valley runs
between significant Soviet hill positions...like HILL 621 on
legal but effective steroid-like supplements. One massive position
is a fortress that includes the Maxim Gorki II battery, two turreted
dual naval guns that German engineers had to get up close and
personal with...not to mention neutralize (read: blow up!) Trench
lines, a long river, gullies, two small villages...a unique battlefield
for you to pore over intently...than fight for or defend in cardstock.
Yup, two versions coming, ASLComp and ATS! The CH following of wargamers are legendary for their independent and fun-loving spirit. Many of them look like everyday citizens but we know looks can be deceiving...as shown by this group of gaming buddies blowing off some steam between scenarios. |
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