Blog note: Big in Japan, redux

 

Yasushi Nakaguro was kind enough to forward me a copy of Bansai 28, the latest edition of BonSai Games house quarterly magazine, which arrived today. Mr Nakaguro's translation of my research article, The Value Proposition of Wargaming Awards - the Publishers' Perspective that appeared first here in A Fast Game, appears in this issue, along with news and game reviews, all in Japanese, of course. Each issue of Bansai also comes with a complete game; full-size map, counters, and a rules booklet (also in Japanese).

The game accompanying Bansai 28 is called Balkan Gamble, designed by Brian Train. It's a reworking of the original Strategy and Tactics release from 2015, The game is a counterfactual, exploring four separate operations in the Balkan Peninsula proposed by Churchill between 1943 and 1945: Operation Boardman (1943), a distraction from the real Operation Husky (Allied invasion of Sicily); Operation Zeppelin (1944), a notional plan to invade Greece and Yugoslavia (actually a cog in the broader Operation Bodyguard - the Allied deception operation shrouding Overlord); and Operation Gelignite (1945), an intended plan to insert Allied troops to to block the retreat of Army Group F (and to guard, against a Russian advance into the region) but was abandoned due to the shortage of available troops and matériel. A fourth scenario is also included in this edition; Operation SILVA (1950), a hypothetical (but all too believable) invasion plan to bring Yugoslavia into the Soviet fold.

This version has a new engine under the hood, making it a sister game to Summer Lightning (Lock 'n Load Publishing, 2011) and Winter Thunder (Tiny Battle Publishing, 2015; BonSai Games, 2025). I haven't played either — I had a second-hand copy of Summer Lightning bought out from under me when I wasn't quite quick enough — so I'm keen to try this one out. I contacted Mr Train via his blog, and he forwarded me the English-language rules and charts. So, the revised Balkan Gamble will join the (rapidly growing) queue.

In the meantime, I should have an unboxing post of my "most anticipated game for 2025" (when speaking of crowdfunded games, a single quarter drift is doing pretty well), Carl Paradis's Battle Commander, Volume 1 (Sound of Drums, 2025). That should be the next thing posted, with a couple of other unboxings to come. I feel like A Fast Game is becoming more like a showroom lately, but gaming has been scarce this year, and games worth writing about scarcer. That should change soon. In the meantime, thanks for checking in.