Recent Additions to the
SPI Games Web Site

Bookmarks  to new sections:

Tactics board for GBACW Active!

Free Downloads of cool GBACW v1.0 stuff!

Going to try to keep this page updated as I add things, so it is easy to locate those 'new' additions!

4/7/025
NEW Folio Covers added!James Eisert has gifted us all with some beautiful folio/capsule covers for some of the SPI and S&T games! His goal "so people can condense those games and store them easier if they wish." 32 of them! Check them out here! LINK

3/11/2025 - NEW!
Arnhem notes and play tips from UK SPI  Special thanks to Martin Spetz for this great find! Link

3/7/2025 - PRESTAGS Campaign Rules Andrew Cozzi has created a simple but exciting method to create a campaign game for PRESTAGS! - Link

[Bump] Added an interview with artist Timothy Truman (GrimJack, Scout, and a WHOLE lot more) talking about his first professional job - at SPI in 1980-81! You'll recognize the art from Ares magazine - some of their BEST covers - and you will get to see the people we know at SPI, too! LINK

2/28/2025 - PRESTAGS Mix and Match Brian Heddington provides a great article to smooth the way to create clashes between any of the armies in PRESTAGS! - Link

1/4/2025 - The Return of the Moves Footnotes! Dave Tofsted offers a tactical rules change variant for PGG! - Link

9/24/24 - SPI Games that were out of print by 6/30/1980 Link

SPI GameList with SPI IDs
A work in progress - have a few more to go but a listing of SPI games with their SPI ID- both the letter ID, and the later Number ID. (Number ID came in when the company changed from Flatpacks to Boxes.) Link

6/18/2024 - a 1.4 VASSAL version  of the original Terrible Swift Sword 1st edition. (Original missing the 17th Maine from III Corps.) All credit remains with Al Hay, who willed so many of these SPI Vassal modules, and Allen Dickenson, who added to this one and is keeping it alive.  LINK 

6/11/24 - Since I did not find a VASSAL module for Dreadnought online, I have added one here. It is a work in progress.  Link

6/4/24 - Added - scan of SimPubs version of the  Creature that Ate Sheboygan Rulebook Link

5/30/2024 JFD and RAS illuminate their approach to Game Design looking back on their 1972 games. Game Design: Where Do We Go From Here? by James Dunnigan. Link
Physical System Design in Conflict Simulations by Redmond Simonsen Link

5/16/24 - Draft of a profile of Operation Grenade by Nathan Mueller- including my 'important rules to play the game' on pages 2 and 8! Link

5/12/24 - Added - scan of Original Dawn of the Dead Rulebook Link

(Guys - if I am missing something in the Extras files - ASK! I might not have it - but it is more likely I have not bothered to add it. Just alert me and I'll see what I can do!)
 

4/2/2024 Added the original scenarios for Armageddon - so they are separated and easier to use.  Link
Also have 26 additional scenarios for Armageddon, provided by Steven B. Guy and Kim Meints. Link

2/16/24 - Andrew Cozzi contributes a great After Action Report on a Musket & Pike scenario from the first round of the M&P VASSAL tournament! LINK

2/13/24 - See the excitement you are missing - read my latest weekly update for the Musket & Pike VASSAL tourney - and see my hair raising finish to my first round battle! LINK

1/22/24 -- Take a trip back to 1973 and visit the offices of SPI with John Positano in "Tales of the Old Guard!" -- LINK
 

4/14/23 A list of publications by hobby mainstay Martin Campion - scholar, researcher, writer, and long-time chronicler of the simulation games hobby! I have also linked all the articles of his that are already on the website so you can read them. Special thanks to the late John Kula for this, and to Brian   Link Link to unpublished Campion article here!

4/6-8/23 George Nap is at it again! This time it is the SPI great, Chickamauga! See it here! Link

And now,  Fredericksburg! Link

A highly detailed replay of Balaclava from The Crimean War Quad has been delivered to me from Leo Zappa. This is a very enjoyable effort! Link

My newest effort - a look at The Crimean War and a detailed rules overview designed to get you playing fast is also online now. Link

Also one for Blue & Gray. (I know, but what the heck.) Link

3/31/23 Wade Wilson has recently provided us with a beautifully cleaned version of the Musket & Pike map! Link And Rob Hickman has a colorized version of the Grenadier map as well. Link .

3/25/23 Bannockburn scenario cards for ROI Link and Yeoman Link. Honoring the day Robert the Bruce became King of the Scots - and the battle that marks the beginning of the end of the Feudal system. Need the ROI VASSAL module? Link 

New 3/22/23
Two intriguing replays that also teach you the rules of play. See the Agincourt scenario in Yeoman (played by  Andrew Hobley, and to explore the differences, I did the same scenario from the grandfather of all the tactical games, Renaissance of Infantry. I  contributed additional info to teach the rules to both these great games!
Link - ROI  Link - Yeoman
And this link will allow you to hear Dr. Nofi talk about the design and development of ROI! Link

Gary N. Mengle pulled together a Zoom call with 5 SPI greats (Davis, Herman, Butterfield, Parker, and Eric Lee Smith) to discuss the SPI days! WONDERFUL!See the video on YouTube HERE!

New 3/18/23

PRESTAGS Scenarios!!

Mod 1 2 3 4 5
Five modules of PRESTAGS scenarios by the best in the business! Look under Scenarios and then PRESTAGS to find them all! From Joe Miranda, Steven B. Guy, and Kim Meints!

Musket & Pike Scenarios!!  

Musket & Pike The Gold Rush of scenarios for this old favorite, by "the usual suspects?" MANY THANKS to Steven B. Guy, Kim Meints, Arthur Hendrick, Lawrence P. Duffield, John Lee, and Rob Gibson.

There are 23 scenarios here. Enjoy!

New 3/16/23

New Replays!
Mike Dyer and a short sharp battle introducing you to Rifle & Saber! Link A rules recount that could have you playing ASAP!
And don't miss the replay of Naseby in Musket & Pike by Joseph Bruce Redenour! Link 
And Andrew Hobley contributed this Yeoman replay! Link

New 3/12/23

New Replays!
Clayton Martin provided a short replay of a Viking scenario featuring - no Vikings! It is the Byzantines vs those pesky Bulgars at Balthusta, 1014. Keep an eye out for this one. (Oh, did I go there? 'Eye' guess 'eye' did.)

PRESTAGS Quick Ref Chart
A handy quick rules reference Chart for PRESTAGS - and should help anyone play the earlier versions of the game using the new rules, too.

New 3/8/23

Adjourned Game Sheets
Lee Enderlin sent these Excel worksheets to record unit positions for the eight GBACW Games!

New 3/7/23

New Replays!
I have added  six new replays in the past few days. The list: Battle of the Wilderness, and Hooker & Lee out of the Blue & Gray Quad; Bloody Ridge, from the Island War Quad, Sedan, from the Battles for the Ardennes Quad,  and Outreach, the SF Classic!

New 3/2/23

Have you noticed the new menu item, Tactics? I have recently added some nice articles, including a look at reinforcement choices in Arnhem, and other articles to follow!

New 12/18/22

Cedar Mountain Tactics If Tactics is all about how you move the units, this 11 page booklet looks at making your maneuvers on the board 'all about menace' that forces your opponent to prevent disaster! The booklet focuses on the power and proper use of Artillery and Cavalry. Don't overlook the little realized points of a cavalry charge. Quizzes review your understanding of elevation and line of sight, and the later review of calculations for fire and melee combat!

New 12/13/22

King Arthur Replay!
Jeff Parker serves up a short, sharp replay of the final battle between Arthur and Mordred from the Great Medieval Battles Quad! 

Cedar Mountain Strategy Russ Gifford walks through the first two turns of Cedar Mountain, and discusses the development of a winning strategy for the Union!

New - 6/20/22

JFD interview by Pat Flory
With Pat Flory's recent passing, I thought we should remember him with this look back at his interview of Jim Dunnigan. RIP, Patrick.

New - 1/23/22

Looking for Opponents?
New information on using the SPI Opponent's Finder to reach players!

SPI Napoleon Quad Tournament / Fest!
Details and Downloads!
Great way to find new opponents!

Quick Start VASSAL Guide!
See how to jump start using VASSAL as a way to exchange moves!

New - 1/8/22

TAC GAME #3 !!!Stephen Oliver has gifted us all with a beautifully restored copy of TAC Game #3!! Many, many  thanks for the game and the effort to restore it! Enjoy!!

Event-Year Cards  Added the cards for Empire of the Middle Ages - thank you John Edwards. Much nicer than my originals!

Foxbat Phantom Map Not perfect, but you should be able to see the setups and speeds info now!

Creature Video
Added Centurion Gamers Video play through of Creature that Ate Sheboygan. Watch this short video, and you can start playing the game!

Replay: Golan  George Nap finishes his replay / analysis of the original Modern Battles Quad with this replay of Golan! Can the Syrians change the outcome? Can the IDF repeat their stunning vistory? Special thanks, George!

Replay: Yugoslavia Breaking into the Mod Battles II quad, George Nap adds this Yugo/NATO effort to eject the invading Soviets from Zagreb!

Replay: Mukden Mr. Nap provides yet another great replay from The Modern Battles Quad. This time it is Mukden, a hypothetical battle that occurs when the Soviets invade China!

Replay: Wurzburg
An EXCELLENT new play by play AAR from George Nap! This time it is Modern Battles, and the name of the place is the Wurzburg.

Campaign for North Africa

In Progress notes for the game that changed how we look at wargames - Campaign for North Africa. There is some amazing insights here, and well worth the read. Especially for those who don't think it was playtested.

RAS on Large Games
Redmond Simonsen discusses "The Large Game Syndrome."

RAS on Game Graphics
Redmond Simonsen considers "What Have I Been Doing??" when Tom Oleson questions his graphics qualities!

New - 12/31/21

The Next War Intro
A couple of turns of The Next War in a play by play. Enjoy!

Operation Typhoon
TC Bradley takes you through the first 6 turns of Operation Typhoon!

New - 12/23/21

Normandy Rules
With special thanks to David Barkey, the rules for the TSG game Normandy are now on the site. Special Note - these are not complete. But I am happy to have this much!

New - 12/21/21

Leipzig Rules
With special thanks to David Barkey, the rules for the TSG game Leipzig are now on the site!! 

Wreck of the Pandora
Excellent Review / Overview of the game by Jeffery Bass!

New - 12/12/21

Special Issues 
In 1977, 1979, and 1981, SPI created a special "Introduction to Wargaming" magazine. See them under 'Special Issues' on the menu for Advertisements

S&T Books
I - IV Link
 

New - 12/8/21

Barbarossa Rules
With special thanks to David Barkey, the rules for the TSG game Barbarossa are now on the site!! 

Tannenberg Rules
With special thanks to David Barkey, the rules for the TSG game Tannenberg are now on the site!! 

New - 12/4/21

Some Universe stuff added - like errata, other things.
Hey... check it out where it wasn't at last time you looked.

New - 11/30/21

Deployment Rules!
With special thanks to David Barkey, the rules for the TSG game Deployment are now on the site!! 

New - 11/26/21

Game Design Newsletter #5
The Last issue of the Game Design Newsletters!!   Lots of great articles including the upcoming 'Dark Ages (TAC 16) addition to the Renaissance of Infantry and Centurion series of TAC games!

Game Design Newsletter #4
The fourth issue of the Game Design Newsletters!! Designer's Notes discusses the new big game, War in the East (1st Ed). And the Reviews include a detailed look at TSG Deployment, and why it is re-imagined into Grenadier !

Tactical Tips
Many articles on tactical play of these great games. Some are general, using the standard sticky ZOC games, and a number are specific to GBACW.

New - 11/17/21

The Never Quads
Brian Train looks deep into the Feedback questions and brings us a DETAILED look at all the Quads that never were - AND what happened going forward!

Game Design Newsletter #3
The third issue of the Game Design Newsletters!!  A new format made the scanning far nicer! Lots of great articles!

Game Design Newsletter #2
The second of the Game Design Newsletters!!  This one needs more work - but wanted to make what I had available.

New - 11/14/21

Against Four Worlds
In Progress notes for the game that never was - what would have been the last of the Quads!

Game Design Newsletter #1
The first of the Game Design Newsletters!!   Great articles reviewing the Test Series Games with lots of behind the scenes info; a nice article from Dr. Al Nofi on designing TAC 14 (Renaissance of Infantry.) And much more!

S&T Supplement 8
The final missing copy of S&T Supplement newsletters! (All links here.)

New - Sometime in November

Added map for Battle For Stalingrad, improved items for Descent on Crete, (maps, charts, and added breakouts rather than complete only download.) Changed the Sinai download to rules PAGES, which should improve download and usage. (Format is still not good for printing, but 12 x12 works well on the screen.)

New - 11/1/21

Numerous items for Universe -- Look under the Profiles menu

Also see updated maps for Red Star White Star and Atlantic Wall

New - 10/26/21

Tannenberg TSG
An actual strategic article for the original TSG Tannenberg!

Bastogne S&T 20
A variant for SPI's original Bastogne game, published in  S&T 20!

Centurion
A run down of the many scenarios in the game of Centurion!
 

Week of 10/6/21

Napoleon's Last Battles Addenda!
The long overlooked addenda for this great game!

Compiled Development Notes

Hastings 1066
What was to be the first or second game in an ambitious "Great Battle of History" project! Read about this forgotten gem here! 

The Central Front Series!
Must see - "Winning with the Warsaw Pact"  by Allen Dickerson!! Lots of detailed analysis for this great system!

SPI by the Numbers
(New Chapter in SPI History)

Freedom in the Galaxy

After the Holocaust

Bulge,

Leningrad

John Carter

The Thirty Years War

Campaign for North Africa

Bloody April

Commando

Army Group South Quad

Fulda Gap

Objective Moscow

Red Sun Rising

Sword and Sorcery

 Vector 3

Kharkov

Siege of Constantinople

CityFight
A great look at a great game, including a play by play of a scenario!

DeathMaze
Nice review of an intriguing little game that works.

Good Game Design
Including  capsule discussions of Armada, Musket & Pike, Eylau, Vera Cruz, The Crimean War Quad, Red Sun Rising, Arnhem, Oil War, and Fulda Gap

War in the Pacific
None other than Nicky Palmer provides a detailed look at the play and components of the game!

Berlin 85
Diving into an excellent Operational Analysis of the opposing forces and the terrain they will be fighting over!

Blue & Gray I / II
OK Capsule reviews of each game and a grade by Steve List

TSS / GBACW
Pretty good capsule reviews of each game and a grade by Steve List

DragonQuest
Great review with detail!

Atlantic Wall 
An in depth look at the system!

A Soldiers Mini Campaign Game! 

Arnhem
Suggesting some improvements for Arnhem?

War of the Ring
Proposing a hidden movement system for the Character game!

Bulge
Great review of Bulge 1980 using Bastogne 1970 as the contrast!

Empires of the Middle Ages
Quick first look at the mechanics and counters of this game.

Tito
A deep look into this game by Nicky Palmer - includes play by play!

Kursk (II)
A look at the 1981 version of Kursk.

MechWar 2
A detailed review of the mechanics and components.

MechWar 2
Some ideas on the British troops and added rules.

Cobra
A far reaching variant for this classic.

Panzergruppe Guderian
Learning the tactics!

NATO Division Commander
Systems review

The Kaiser's Battle
Detailed Analysis

Week of 9/25/21

Learning Highway to the Reich!
Nice easy start overview from Mauro Faina!

Victory In the West Vol 1 and 2
Great analysis of the system and the specifics of Patton's 3rd and Op Grenade.

Spies!
A look and the pieces and the play of this game!

Central Front
Hof Gap and others detailed!

AirWar
Thoughts on play and some suggestions!

Operation Star
Defending - while abandoning - Kharkov!

Oops - late addition - just found it on my site. Didn't recall writing it.

Why Wargames?

9/18/2021 -

I might have gone insane today. Added over 20 links, some with multiple pages. But most are development articles for SF/Fantasy Roleplaying, so it likely has limited interest. However, for those who like this, ... enjoy. 

Conan
Notes for the Game that Never Happened

Universe
Designer Notes by John Butterfield Part 1

Universe
Designer Notes by John Butterfield Part 2

Universe
A 'behind the scenes' look at the development of Universe by Gerry Klug!

Universe Development Notes
Ares 9-12

Universe Launch Advertisement

Universe Commlink Notes
Ares 12

Universe Commlink Notes
Ares 13

Roleplaying In the Land of Farie
David Richie crossover link for Albion and DragonQuest!

DragonQuest Development Notes for DQ Ares 12

DragonNotes
David Richie discussing DragonQuest, including some Q&A! 

DragonNotes
DR's second column.

DragonNotes
DR's third column, and addenda!

DragonNotes
Gerry Klug takes the helm!

DragonNotes
Non player character generation.

DragonNotes
Renamed Questing.

DragonNotes
Summoning Secrets

SPI Variations additions:

DQuest
An alternative Combat system for DragonQuest by Justin Lietes

SPI Scenario Additions

DQ
The House of Kurin

DQ
The Camp of Alla-Akabar

DQ
The Treasure of Socantri

9/12/2021 -

Tips on Better Play

Basic Tactics

Tactics of the Advance

Formation Tactics

Broad Front Strategy

Defense / Offense Strategy

Four by Frederick Georgian, using B&G and NAW  examples!

Conservative Tactics

Joe Angiolillo, a master gamer, explains how you can play effectively and still conserve your forces!

Military Tactics P1

Military Tactics P2

Military Tactics P3

Three Tactical Articles using real life examples for Simulation Games by Thomas Pratuch, using Mech War 2!

Match Play Guide
(By RAS)

Ode to RAS
Special thanks to Eric Lee Smith for sharing this.

Writers Submissions (old Moves guidelines!)

R&D Job Response! (DJR Response!)

SPI QuantitiesTSR? (DJR notes!)

The two items above are from David James Ritchie's family, Special thanks to Eric Schliffka.

9/10/2021 - A revamped look to the page. Still not where I want it to be. But you go to the net with the web site you have, not the web site you wish you had.

Below: I'm excited about these Designer / Developer Notes compilations. It was a goal when I started this web site to do ALL of these. Well, I did all the GBACW development ones as web pages, and did NOT like the results all those years ago, so I stopped. I LIKE the results of these MUCH better!

Compiled Development Notes for SPI Games:

Battle of Monmouth

Berlin 85

Central Front Series

Rapid Deployment Force

If you want the original versions I did for the GBACW Development Notes, here is the link to the first page of them. Follow the links on that first page for the rest. (GBACW Link)

Replays and Videos

A focus of this site is to improve play. Here are some recent adds to the
SPI Replays. Here are some links:

BAOR (Central Front Series)

Terrible Swift Sword

Cedar Mountain (GBACW)

Drive On Washington
(GBACW)

Chariot
(PRESTAGS)

Ligny
(NLB)

I recently added links to new videos - there are over EIGHTY videos at SPI Videos!

7/14/2021 - I added a few things, much of it from the fantastic help of others! Ned Kam has provided the following items:

Napoleon at Waterloo - the 1979 Free version, Rules, map, and counters.

The Intro to Wargaming from the same 1979 publication

SPI catalogs from 1972, 1973, and 1974!

Stephen Oliver provided an updated VASSAL module for Blue and Gray's Shiloh

6/1/2021 - I added a few things since the last update, much more than listed below:

Errata: Added a complied Errata for Search & Destroy. Some other clean up items.

Rules and Maps: Lots of new things here: Maps added for Empire of the Middle Ages, Chariot, Legion, Viking, A Mighty Fortress, Red Star White Star, Air War. Also counters for Legion, Chariot, and Centurion. Also pics of ALL the items in the every so rare Moments in Conflict boxed set for teachers!!!

SPI Scenarios: Added a new scenario for CA, and one for StarForce. (oops - 404 error now fixed! Thanks for the heads up!)

SPI Replays:  Terrible Swift Sword - the entire first day!!! PanzerGruppe Guderian, Chariot, Cedar Mountain, Drive on Washington, Road To Richmond, Seelowe, Chinese Farm, Desert Fox! replay. Many thanks to the folks offering these. To me, THESE are perhaps the best news in recent years. If you are familiar with the game, these are exciting to watch. You can also see games you know well take entirely unexplored directions because YOU never thought to try it! Which means you LEARNED something!

And if you have NEVER played the game, you get some ideas how it works, and some tips for first time set ups, which to me is a REAL boon! Thanks to EVERYONE for their contributions to this - and remember, if you are doing solo games, TAKE pictures and make a few notes on each turn. Send those to me and I can put it together for you!

SPI Videos: Also added many new SPI Videos! As you know, I am very picky on videos - I don;t need someone that has never read the rules playing the game wrong, and I rarely take an 'unbox' video. But there are links to more than EIGHTY videos now! That's some serious efforts by a lot of people to help you see and understand over FIFTY DIFFERENT games! Wow!

SPI Advertisements: I am adding at least 10 to 15 new advertisements.

And lots of other things tucked in here and there. Enjoy!

4/1/2020 - I added a few things since the last update:

SPI Replays: Crete (ST18), Punic Wars (2), and the start of a Desert Fox replay! Coming - a short, sharp PanzerGruppe Guderian replay. Many thanks to the folks offering these. We now have over 25 of them! Remember - if you are playing by VASSAL, of soloing games, and want to take pictures and make notes, you can send them to me and I will make the PDF for the Replay!

Errata: A few cleanups, and small additions, including for Great Medieval Battles, and Modern Battles.

SPI Variants: Added a variant for King Arthur that removes the Leader to Leader combat and gives them leadership ratings and abilities instead!

Rules and Maps: Working through additions of better maps and rules for Panzer '44, and others in that series.

SPI Videos: Also added a couple of new SPI Videos, one long one for BattleFleet Mars and a few others.

SPI Advertisements: I am adding at least 10 to 15 new advertisements.

Let me know if there is something you are looking for and can't find on the site. Drop me a note at the feedback page. Link

1/1/2020 - Today, I have added the following to www.SPIGames.net: 

SPI Scenarios: for FireFight, Air War, Raid, and a solo scenario for StarForce.

SPI Profiles: Longer articles on Art of Siege, Armada, The Crimean War, Highway the Reich, BattleFleet Mars, Operation Typhoon, Fulda Gap, War of the Rings, and Sauron.

And some proposed variants or house rules articles for Napoleon's Last Battles, To the Green Fields Beyond, and two planes for Air War.

No matter what - if you are LOOKING for something, drop me a note at the feedback page. Link

Recently, I added new chapters to my ongoing history of SPI:  Chapter 1 to the ongoing History of SPI via the formats offered: Link