{"title":"New Releases - week commencing 21 September","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"brandywine-1777-a-time-for-heroes","title":"Brandywine, 1777: A Time for Heroes","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter capturing New York in 1776, Crown forces led by General Howe set their sights on Philadelphia, the heart of the rebellion. After a long and grueling journey, his army landed in August 1777. George Washington positioned his troops between Philadelphia and the British forces, leading to a clash at Brandywine on September 11, 1777.\u003cbr\u003eThe game puts both players in the roles of Washington and Howe. The British general’s mission is to seize Philadelphia, the political stronghold of the rebels. And if, in the process, he can destroy the rebel army, the revolution itself could be crushed!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, General Washington seeks to use the Brandywine River as a natural defense. His goal is either to destroy Howe’s army or at least inflict enough damage to cripple its operational capabilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrandywine: A Time for Heroes puts you in the shoes of Howe or Washington.\u003cbr\u003eThe decisions are yours to make…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe game is based on the activation of British and American player Formations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach side has Formation Activation Cards, and each Formation has a limited number of activations among these cards. During each Activation Phase, players choose between movement\/combat, building a redoubt, or doing nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach Formation has a limited amount of Cohesion. With every activation for movement or combat, Cohesion decreases.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eActivating Formations generates momentum, represented by Momentum Cubes. These can be used to purchase Tactical Cards, which simulate various campaign and battle variables.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVictory is achieved by destroying enemy Formations or occupying strategic locations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, nothing went as planned! But… where are the Redcoats?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Les 3 Zouaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58671451832701,"sku":"SODL3Z202501","price":56.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1380\/9101\/files\/brandywine-1777.webp?v=1789208058"},{"product_id":"quatre-bras-1815-companion-book","title":"Quatre Bras 1815 Companion Book","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSound of History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the latest initiative from the board game developer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSound of Drums\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, renowned for creating high-quality board games focusing on military historical periods, with satisfied customers worldwide. This new project aims to publish introductory books catering to both readers and board gamers who wish to delve into selected battles, military campaigns, and significant events in world history. We are proud to have \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames R. Arnold\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as the author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVolume 1: The Battle of Quatre Bras\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sound of Drums","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58671558132093,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1380\/9101\/files\/quatre-bras-companion.jpg?v=1789210779"},{"product_id":"battles-of-napoleon-volume-ii-quatre-bras-1815-including-wartenburg-1813","title":"Battles of Napoleon: Volume II - Quatre Bras 1815, including Wartenburg 1813","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBattles of Napoleon\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an epic wargame series that simulates the most famous battles of Napoleon on a Tactical level sharing the same basic rules.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe series portrays the most important aspects of battles of the Napoleonic era with easy to learn and remember rules, intuitive mechanics and procedures. Players may focus on taking decisions and playing rather than consulting rules.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe system focusses on the “cat-and-mouse game” of coordination and timing of the various formations of the different arms without too much crunchy chrome.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInfantry was the predominant and most important element in every European army of the period. It usually formed between 60 and 90 per cent of an army in battle, and was both the cheapest and the most versatile type of troops. The foot soldiers had to endure most of the fighting and casualties. Depending on their task, they were either deployed in line (fire power), column (maneuver and assault) or square formation (protection against enemy cavalry).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCavalry were screening the own army and provided the shock element on a Napoleonic battlefield. Due to their shock power they fixed enemy infantry and forced them to take shelter in square formation. If infantry failed to form square they were overrun. If infantry was fixed in semi-static squares they were very vulnerable to artillery fire.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtillery, the queen of the battlefield, was on the one hand having devastating effects on square and closely packed formations, on the other hand artillery alone was extremely vulnerable when getting charged by enemy units.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGenerals are tasked with taking advantage of favorable terrain like the famous Duke of Wellington who mastered the reverse slope tactic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy a simple game mechanic, players will never know the exact strength and power of an enemy unit. Units have a number of strength points that will gradually decrease while engaged with enemy units.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn innovative chit-based Command system, where players randomly draw activation chits determines which army may activate a formation, leads to highly interactive game play. Reaction follows action. We bring the chit-based Command system to a new level: In this games series, players decide which formation is activated when a chit is drawn. A formation may be activated several times per turn. But by each new activation it performs less effective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring a game turn the players are under constant pressure to decide which formation to activate. By efficient timing of activation players are in the “driver’s seat” to dictate the pace of a battle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormations are given orders at the beginning of a game turn and are therefore limited by the actions they can perform on the battlefield. The more “aggressive” orders formations will receive, the more likely is the army will collapse due to fatigue. On the other hand, an army is more likely to gain the initiative on the battlefield by “aggressive” orders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scale of the series is appr. 150 meters per hex, infantry units are battalions, artillery is batteries and cavalry is represented as regiments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuatre Bras 1815\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, depicting the encounter at the Quatre Bras crossroads, is the second volume in this series. Special rules like the possibility to activate the French light cavalry brigade, the defense of special structures, the possible arrival of d'Erlon's I Corps add distinctive flavor of the battle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sound of Drums","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58671648473469,"sku":"SOD202505","price":84.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1380\/9101\/files\/quatre-bras-1815.webp?v=1789212710"},{"product_id":"kalypso","title":"Kalypso (Pre-order, expected for release mid November 2026)","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor 1-4 players, ages 14+, playing time is around 45-60 minutes.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKalypso\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a tile-laying survival game where players build floating settlements in a world swallowed by the sea. With Earth’s surface lost beneath rising waters, survivors must salvage what they can to endure storms, overcome scarcity, and adapt to a shifting oceanic landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach round, players draft tiles and expand their settlement, managing resources, placing structures, and guiding survivors across platforms of rusted metal and driftwood. Strategic placement unlocks new opportunities, while weather events and shared objectives push players to cooperate, or compete, for precious supplies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlay solo, cooperatively, or competitively. 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