Greetings!

We have two new games and a new card set released this month, as well as several new titles that are under development. If you would like to help play test please contact me.

Read on and let the dice fly high!

New Games!

Operation Praying Mantis, April 18, 1988

Following the destruction of Iran Air Flight 655 by the US, fully loaded with pilgrims on their way to Mecca for the Haj, the Iranian military vowed revenge against the “Great Satan”. With Grand Ayatollah Khomeni gravely ill, there was no one in charge within the Iranian government or military who could or would thwart this dangerous escalation of force. On April 14 the FFG (guided missile frigate) USS Samuel Roberts struck a mine at the edge of the international maritime channel near the Gulf of Bahrain while escorting a fleet of oil tankers. While no one aboard the stricken vessel was killed or seriously injured, the mine blew a gaping twenty-foot wide hole in the ship. Only the quick and skilled action by its crew kept USS Samuel Roberts from sinking. It was quickly determined by investigators that the Iranians had deployed the mines, and National Security Advisor, General Colin Powell advised President Reagan that a massive demonstration of force was required to demonstrate once and for all that Iranian armed interference with the flow of ship traffic in the Persian Gulf would not be tolerated.

 

Operation Praying Mantis was the largest US fleet action since the Second World War. While the US had a preponderance of force, any error or serious loss could possibly embolden the Iranians, especially the hard liners who resisted any end to the war with Iraq or compromise with the US-led coalition that opposed them. Operation Praying Mantis is a solitaire play game with the active player taking on the role of the commander of the US naval force charged with implementing the operation. The game’s rules govern the Iranian response. Can you do as well or better?

 

Each copy of Operation Praying Mantis is composed of the following:

• One 11 by 17 inch map with game tables and tracks
• One sheet of 112 un-mounted, double-sided units
• 1 player aid sheet
• 6 pages of rules

The player will also need a partial deck of playing cards, a six-sided die and an opaque container (mug, envelope or anything similar) to play the game. Operation Praying Mantis is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Bruce Yearian. The game sells for $17.95 plus shipping. Mounted counters can be had for an additional $6.00.

A custom card set for the game is also available. The card set replaces the standard deck of playing cards called for in the rules, features graphics by Bruce Yearian, and has rules reminders on pertinent cards. The Operation Praying Mantis card set is $10.00 or can be had for free with any order of 4 games. To access the game’s web page and order form visit our web site here: https://www.hfdgames.com/mantis.html

Battle’s Shadow: The Battle for Fort Donelson
February 15, 1862

Battle’s Shadow is an historical simulation of the battle fought on February 15, 1862 at Fort Donelson. The fort was a Confederate stronghold on the Cumberland River, and key to the rebels retaining control of Kentucky and Tennessee. General Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee and Admiral Andrew H. Foote’s ironclad gunboats had laid siege to the Confederate fort, trapping the Confederate Army of Central Kentucky. On the morning of February 15^th the rebels launched a desperate attack in attempt to breakout. Can you do as well or better?

Each copy of Battle’s Shadow is composed of the following:

• Two 11 by 17 inch hex map sheets.
• 162 single-sided, un-mounted counters.
• One Players’ Aid Sheet.
• This set of rules.

Players will also need an opaque container (mug, envelope or anything similar), a six-sided die (D6) and ten-sided (D10) dice to play the game (although two D6, one for each player, will help speed combat resolution). Battle’s Shadow is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Tim Allen. Battle’s Shadow sells for $20.95 plus shipping. Mounted counters can be had for an additional $6.00. To access the game’s web page and order form visit our web site here: https://www.hfdgames.com/donelson.html

 

Succeed or Die! The Battles of El Arish and Rafah, June 5-6, 1967. Succeed or die! is a low complexity level wargame simulation of the battles of Rafah and El Arish, fought in the Sinai between the Egyptian Palestinian forces and elements of General Israel Tal’s and Avraham Yoffi’s armored Ugdahs (divisions) during the Six Day War.  General Tal’s Ugdah was tasked with attacking the dug in Palestinian 7^th Infantry Division in and around Rafah to secure the crucial road intersection near the Sinai/Israel border. Once secured, General Yoffi’s Ugdah would become the breakthrough force that would then drive deep into the Sinai to either take the Mitla Pass if General Sharon’s Ugdah was unable to defeat the Egyptians at Abu Ageila, or El Arish. General Tal would support General Yoffi by preventing any enemy attacks out of Gaza as well as taking El Arish if General Yoffi’s goal became the Mitla Pass. The Egyptian’s had powerful forces in the area, including their 4^th Armored Division and a combined arms formation that combined outnumbered the attacking Israeli formations. The Israeli’s enjoyed total air supremacy, but numbers were against them, and it would take all of the skill, daring and luck they could muster if the Israeli’s were to succeed.

Players are cast in the roles of the local commanders on this battlefield.  Both will be challenged to do as well, or better than their historical counterparts.

 

Each copy of Succeed or Die includes the following:

• 120 single-sided units
• Two 11 by 17 inch map sheets
• This set of rules

Players will also need an opaque container (mug, envelope or anything similar) and one six-sided die to play the game. Succeed or Die! is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Tim Allen. Succeed or Die! sells for $17.95 plus shipping. Mounted counters can be had for an additional $6.00. To access the game’s web page and order form visit our web site here: https://www.hfdgames.com/elarish.html

 

Sangre y Acero: The Second Battle of Nanawa, July 1933. The war between Bolivia and Paraguay for the Chaco region broke out over who would have control of the oil fields discovered a decade earlier. The small town of Nanawa was marked by a key crossroads as well as water springs that were highly prized in this arid region. The Paraguayans captured the town and fortified surrounding area soon after war broke out the year before. In July a massive offensive organized by General Hans Kundt by the Bolivians was launched to retake the area which they hoped would lead to the fall of Concepcion. Can you do as well or better?

A complete game of Sangre y Acero is composed of the following:

• Seven pages of rules.
• Two 11″ by 17″ map sections (east and west).
• 240 single-sided, un-mounted counters.

Sangre y Acero is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Ilya Kudriashov. Sangre y Acero sells for $20.95 plus shipping. Mounted counters can be had for an additional $6.00. To access the game’s web page and the order form visit our web site here: https://www.hfdgames.com/acero.html

 

Bad News on the Doorstep: The Battle of Kontum, May 1972. In April 1972 the North Vietnamese and their Communist allies in the South, the National Liberation Front (NLF), launched a broad offensive, code named Nguyen Hue (name of the Vietnamese leader who defeated Chinese invaders in 1789) against the ARVN in South Vietnam from their strongholds in the Central Highlands as well as from Laos and across the DMZ (de-militarized zone) that bordered North and South Vietnam. Dubbed the “Easter Offensive” by the US press, the Communist attack was the largest since those during Tet in 1968, and like that earlier offensive, the Communists hoped that the offensive would initiate insurrections throughout South Vietnam and the collapse of its government. One of the most violent battles of the Easter Offensive was fought over the town of Kontum. The central highlands town had been subject to many attacks over the years, but this was the most prolonged and unlike the earlier fights which were waged by the NLF, this was a large-scale conventional battle that included tanks and massive numbers of artillery and rocket support. Can you do as well or better than your historical counterparts?

 

Each copy of Bad News on the Doorstep is composed of the following:

• Two 11 by 17 inch map sheets
• Two sheets of 90 (total) double-sided, un-mounted counters
• One set of rules.

Bad News on the Doorstep is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Tim Allen. Bad News on the Doorstep sells for $17.95 plus shipping. Mounted counters can be had for an additional $6.00.

A custom card set for the Bad News on the Doorstep game is also available. The card set replaces the standard deck of playing cards, feature graphics by Tim Allen that complement the game’s and has rules reminders on pertinent cards. The Bad News on the Doorstep card set is $10.00 or can be had for free with any order of 4 games. To access the game’s web page and the order form visit our web site here: https://www.hfdgames.com/kontum.html

 

Two New Game Series in the works!

Veteran game designer, Roberto Chiavini, has several of his games published with High Flying Dice Games. He has recently sent us to revise and publish his entire line of games set in the English Civil War. Titles in this series include the battles of Edgehill, Naseby, Marston Moor, First Newbury, Aberdeen, Tippermuir, Kilsyth, Lansdown, Roundway Down, Cheriton, Dunbar, Hopton, Langport, Adwalton Moor, Alford, Auldearn, Stratton, and Cropedy Bridge. These games are very easy to learn/teach, highly interactive, fun to play. true to the history and will feature graphics by Dariusz Buracweski.

Roberto has also given permission for his game series set in the Thirty Years War, that use a similar design to his English Civil War titles, to be published by High Flying Dice Games. The Thirty Years War Series comprises games on the battles of Fleurus, Hochst, Lutter, White Mountain, Wimpfen, and Wittstock, and will feature graphics by Bruce Yearian. These two series’ games are among my favorite games by Roberto, and I am VERY excited that he’s elected to make them part of the High Flying Dice Games catalog. Stay tuned and let the dice fly high!

Please remember we also have these promotions in effect throughout the year:

• Any purchase or 4 or more High Flying Dice Games (Professional or DTP) and you get one mini-game for free (your choice of any that sell regularly for $8.95).
• Alternative Bonus! Instead of a free mini-game, any purchase of 4 or more games and you can instead get a single-deck card set (any of those that sell regularly for $9.00).
• Note: Our newest postcard “Pocket Battle” game, A Rock and a Hard Place can be used for the above bonuses!

 

Upcoming Games!

• Several new games are now Under Development and are undergoing playtesting. Brand new titles that are now being play tested are Cockleshell Heroes: Operation Frankton, December 11, 1942, A Sanguine Fight: The Battle of Riachuelo, June 11, 1865, Villa’s Vengeance: The Columbus New Mexico Raid, March 1916, Muerte Desde Arriba: Air Battles of the Spanish Civil War, Heaven’s Will: The Raid on Ulithi Atoll, November 1944, Diggers’ Resolve: The Battle for Milne Bay, August-September 1942, A Resolute Action: The Battle of Fort Meigs, May 5, 1813, Operation Icarus: The Invasion of Iceland, June 1940, Falling Skies: Operation Rolling Thunder, March-April 1965, Operation Menace: The Attack on Dakar, September 23-25, 1940, A Lamentable and Calamitous Action: The Attack at Mers-el-Kebir, July 3, 1940, A Sharp and Fierce Fight: The Battle of Cook’s Mills, October 19, 1814, A Mad Endeavor: The Attack on Stony Point, July 16, 1779, Tempting Fate: The Battle of the Granicus River, May 334 BCE, Waters Unvexed: Three Battles of the Mississippi River, 1862 (Island Number 10, Plum Point Bend, Memphis), Tercio del Muerte: The Battle of the Ebro River, July-August 1938,  The Yanks are Here! The St. Mihiel Campaign, September 1918, Operation Musketeer: The Attack on Port Said, November 1956, A Gallant and Efficient Fight: The Battle of Hamel, July 4, 1918, Operation Menace: The Attack on Dakar, September 23-25, 1940, One Small Step: The US/USSR Space Race to the Moon, and Depths of Courage vol. 12: The Raid on Valletta, July 25/26, 1941, Dying is Easy: Naval Battles of the Boshin War, May 1869. Desantnik Disaster: The Battle for Antonov Airport, February 24-25, 2022, Heights of Frustration: The Battles for Longstop Hill, December 1942 and April 1943.

Heading into final development and graphics are Operation Iron Brain: The Siege of Beirut, June-August 1982, White Christmas? The Fall of Saigon, April 1975, Shadows of Hell: Operation Karbala 6, January 15-17, 1987, Galahad’s Ordeal: The Battle of Myitkyina, A Sea of Fog and Fire: The Battle of Heligoland Bight, A Brilliant Little Affair: The Battle of Chrysler’s Farm, November 11, 1813, Cross vs. Crescent: The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, July 16, 1212, Nothing Then is Done: The Battle of Najera, April 3, 1367, A Steadfast and Violent Affair: The Battle of Lundy’s Lane, July 25, 1814, Red Coats, Grey Jackets: The Battle Chippawa, July 5, 1814, A Wretched and Costly Fight: The Attack on Fort Erie, August 15, 1814,  Wheels of Change: The 1950s US Auto Industry, Souls to Waste: The Battle of An Bao, May 5, 1968, Depths of Courage, Volume 13: The Attack on the Tirpitz, September 1943, A Scourge of Stone and Spirit: The 1415 Siege of Harfluer, Kings of the Castle: The Battle of the Imjin River, April 1951, In Harm’s Way: Battles of the Dutch East Indies Campaign (Sunda Strait, Badung, Balikpapan, Java Sea) Paint it Black: The Attack on Lang Vei, February 6-7, 1968, A Cruel and Bitter Fight: The Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813 and A Dreadful Fight: The Battle of Horse Shoe Bend: March 27, 1814,

Look for upcoming release announcements as these games are finished up.

 

Online Retailer!

High Flying Dice Games are available from this fine online retailer:

• Noble Knight Games: http://www.nobleknight.com/ Note: All games carried by Noble Knight Games now have mounted counters!
• Agorajeux: https://www.agorajeux.com/en/

Be sure to visit the High Flying Dice Games website for the latest information, view the full range of games, as well as see what is being worked on. You can also place orders and ask questions about all of the games in our catalog and in development. Visit us at: http://www.hfdgames.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you very much for your interest and support. Let the Dice Fly High!

 

Paul Rohrbaugh

Founder, High Flying Dice Games

9753 Deltona Drive

New Middletown, OH 44442