* All American: The 82nd Airborne in Normandy: All American is the much anticipated sequel to Tim Brooks' 101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy, one of the best selling wargames of all time with over 150,000 units sold worldwide (and still selling!). Like its predecessor All American thrusts the player into the jump boots of a stick of airborne dropped into Festung Europa on that fateful June day in '44. All American is tactical gaming at its best, with thirty five realistically modeled weapons, damage effects based on real life casualty reports, and soldiers that won't simply be a collection of pixels to move around. You'll cheer with each objective met and feel the pang of loss when one of your boys takes the long dirt nap. Everything that gamers loved in 101 is present, and everything that received groans (not a lot mind you, but it did happen) has been revised. Prepare to hit the silk sometime in the summer of 2003.
* Combat Command 2: Danger Forward Gold Edition: Are you tired of settling for the same ol' battles that you find in your typical wargame? Just how many times have you seen the battle of Hurtgen Forest fought in a computer game? How about Gela? Celles? And when was the last time a game included such variables as radio contact? Combat Command 2 Gold includes all that and more! With new battles and graphics the Gold Edition is much more than a handful of patches slapped onto a disc. Possessing seven more battles than the original game, and once again including the highly intuitive editor, desktop generals will find plenty of replay value in this package. Look for the Gold Edition this spring.
* Mark H. Walker's Lock 'N Load Forgotten Heroes Vietnam: Our first boardgame! Lock 'N Load is a fast paced squad level tactical game set during the Vietnam War with an emphasis on playability. At the same time realism isn't sacrificed, it's just that we're not going to bore you with pages upon pages of arcane formulas when a simple die roll will yield the same result. And Lock 'N Load is more than just a game about Vietnam, it's a complete squad level system that is capable of gaming any modern conflict--from fifty years ago to fifty days ago--on the tactical level! Future modules will examine everything from the bloody beaches of the Pacific to Russia's own Vietnam, Chechyna. Additionally, the game will ship with VASSAL, a computer aid that allows players to game Lock 'N Load online, without needing to buy any additional software. It's a boardgame! It's a computer game! Lock 'N Load is both, offering more game and less gruff! Mark H. Walker's Lock 'N Load will be available spring of 2003.
* A Quarter Century of War and Tarawa--A Bloody Toehold: The first two expansion sets for Lock 'N Load, A Quarter Century of War covers twenty five years of warfare in Southeast Asia whilst Tarawa details the amphibious assault on Tarawa during WWII. A Quarter Century of War expands the original Forgotten Heroes counter mix to include French, Chinese, ANZAC, Laotian, and other troops. Battles range from the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia to the Chinese attack on Vietnam in 1979. Tarawa--A Bloody Toehold will of course provide players with Marine and Japanese counters but moreso it will provide plenty of specialized rules for island fighting in the Pacific, such as Banzai charges. Both expansions will include new counters, new maps, new skill cards, and new scenarios. In short, the expansions are practically games unto themselves! Look for the expansions later this year.
* Space Empires: Starfury and Space Empires V: Aaron Hall's Space Empire series is one of the most popular 4X games available, and with good reason. With endless customization options, engrossing gameplay, killer AI, and a designer who listens to his customers, the Space Empires series has always improved with age. While it may seem hard to top Space Empires IV Malfador Machinations is planning to do just that when Space Empires V is released later this year. Space Empires V builds on top of IV, providing a rich play experience in a 3D universe. Already salivating at the thought of controlling your favorite star empire once more? Well, to help satisfy that Space Empires craving Malfador will also be releasing Space Empires: Starfury this summer. Focusing on the micro instead of the macro, players take the role of a single starship captain, adventuring around the universe, traveling to strange places and annihilating even stranger aliens. Like its big brother, Starfury supports user modifications for limitless gameplay potential.
* Coliseum (Working title): Have you ever played a sports management simulation and thought that what the game really needed was some good ol' fashioned maiming and killing? If you responded yes, then do we have the game for you! Coliseum, Stormcloud Creations' sixth title, is a gladiatorial management simulation set in a fantasy world. Players will start with three gladiators who they will watch grow over time (or perhaps die in a bloody mess). Coliseum will take into account everything from the effects of aging to wounds that never quite heal. Team management includes training your gladiators between bouts, drafting new members, and even giving a poorly performing gladiator his walking papers... to the auction block! Combat unfolds in real time text, in pure description to immerse players into the world. Are you not entertained? You will be come fall of 2003.
* Air Assault Task Force (Working title): From ProSim comes the next in their line of modern day wargaming. Air assault Task Force will use a retailored user interface that will get commanders up and running in no time flat. Players will command task forces from the 82nd, 101st, and the Rangers in trouble spots around the world like Iraq, Afghanistan, and the always threatening Fort Polk, Louisiana. Obviously with a name like Air Assault Task Force expect plenty of heliborne assaults, something new to the series. Development is in the infancy stages, with a release date of fall of 2004.
* Runesword 3: Planned for a distant release date (about two years from now, so it will still come out before Duke Nukem Forever does) the role playing game Runesword 3 will mark a departure from the usual realm of fantasy, taking gamers to the far reaches of outer space instead. Although the genre may be changing you can expect the same level of flexibility that Crosscut is famous for, with an editor to create your own modules, plenty of graphic options, and a helpful randomizer feature that creates both maps and modules. As Runesword 3 is so far off you can expect to hear many more details over the next two years