Amabel Holland

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Halls of Hegra by Petter Schanke Olsen and Lanzerath Ridge by David Thompson and Nils Johansson

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Halls of Hegra by Petter Schanke Olsen and Lanzerath Ridge by David Thompson and Nils Johansson

I play a lot of games solo, but I don’t play very many solitaire games. I’m not exactly sure why that is. I’ve had some of my best gaming experiences multi-handing a hex and counter game, but I’ve yet to find a dedicated solitaire game that has gripped me in the same way. As a result, I don’t play that many dedicated solitaire games, but I am also not beyond hope that I have simply not played the right one(s). With that in mind, I couldn’t help but notice the praise that has been heaped on both Petter Schanke Olsen’s Halls of Hegra (published by Tompet Games) and David Thompson’s Valiant Defense series (published by Dan Verssen Games) - in particular Lanzerath Ridge, a collaboration between Thompson and Nils Johansson. Both focus on lesser known actions in World War II where beleaguered defenders withstood ferocious Nazi onslaughts before eventually succumbing. While World War II is far from my favorite topic, I do enjoy killing the odd Nazi and I have something of a penchant for both niche topics and siege games. Since both games have a shared theme, I figured it might be interesting to review them together.

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Podcast: Seven Pines; or, Fair Oaks by Amabel Holland

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Podcast: Seven Pines; or, Fair Oaks by Amabel Holland

For episode four of ongoing podcast series We Intend to Move on Your Works, I am once again joined by Alexandre and Pierre as we discuss Amabel Holland’s interesting hex and counter take on the battle alternatively known as Seven Pines or Fair Oaks Station. This was a great discussion and well worth your time!

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Review - Seven Pines or Fair Oaks by Amabel Holland

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Review - Seven Pines or Fair Oaks by Amabel Holland

My ongoing exploration of American Civil War games brought me back to hex and counter after a run of operational games and I was pretty excited to be here. I love operational games, but there is something just so satisfying about a tactical hex and counter game even as someone who generally doesn’t find battles to be the most interesting lens through which to view military history. I was also excited to be playing another Amabel Holland game. She is always an interesting designer even as I’ve not always loved her games. However, I adored Great Heathen Army, so more hex and counter from her was clearly something to look forward to.

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Review: Great Heathen Army and the Kingdom of Dyflin by Amabel Holland

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Review: Great Heathen Army and the Kingdom of Dyflin by Amabel Holland

Great Heathen Army made my honourable mentions list of favourite games of 2022 and was my fifth most played game last year, so you can probably assume that it’s a game I enjoy. Now that I’ve played through a full campaign of the scenarios in its expansion, Kingdom of Dyflin, I feel like I’m in a better position to share my more mature thoughts in the form of an actual review of the game. For pure playability, in terms of complexity, fun, and speed of play, I think this might be one of my favourite games on medieval warfare and I fully intend to revisit it multiple times in the years to come. I still have a handful of scenarios in the base game I’ve yet to try and there are a good few I’d love to revisit as well. That said, I do have some reservations about Great Heathen Army - it is not a perfect game and some of its problems are what held it back from making my list of favourite games last year.

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First Impressions: Supply Lines of the American Revolution: The Northern Theater, 1775-1777

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First Impressions: Supply Lines of the American Revolution: The Northern Theater, 1775-1777

It definitely says something about me that I got very excited the first time I heard the title “Supply Lines of the American Revolution”. Growing up in Central Virginia, within spitting distance of the houses of many Founding Fathers and ex-Presidents, the history of the American Revolution played a central role in my early education and as someone interested in history it was impossible not to absorb some of the mythmaking that went with that education. Separately, as a military historian I’m always interested in the logistical challenges of warfare and the lengths commanders (and the institutions that backed them) went to wage effective war. A game that combines both of these interests was bound to be get me excited. It actually genuinely didn’t occur to me that the title might come across as painfully dorky until I showed it to my partner. Let’s be honest, though, if you’re reading this then you are probably of a similar persuasion to myself and the idea of pushing cubes of supplies around a map of the American Colonies fills you with excitement! So, what did I think of my first experience playing Supply Lines of the American Revolution: The Northern Theater, 1775-1777?