Chicago Express Module

Harry Wu's Chicago Express is an innovative new boardgame with no luck factor. Chicago Express was originally released in a limited format by Winsome Games as Wabash Cannonball and it was the first game in Winsome's Historic Railroads System.

In the game the B&O, C&O, Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads drive from the East Coast across the growing eastern US to Chicago. Smaller, more aggressive railroads like the Wabash spring up to further expand America's extensive railroads. The sharpest railroad executives vie for the maximum return on their investment in this business game lasting about one hour. This game can be played by 2-6 players, but it is best with 3 or 4 players. Ages 14 and up.

Chicago Express at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: Chicago_Express.vmod (v1.0 beta 2012-02-16) – by glocko

Downloads - Rules
Rules: Chicago Express - Rules.pdf (2012-02-16)

Screenshots

Illuminati Deluxe Module

Illuminati is a classic Steve Jackson game of world domination. Each player takes on the role of a secret society attempting to spread its tendrils into special interest groups throughout the world.

The game consists of three different cards (illuminati cards, group cards, and special event cards) and money. During a player's turn, a new card is drawn from a deck containing both group cards and special event cards. If it is a special event, the player in turn keeps the card and plays it when desired. If it is a group card, it is turned up along with any other face-up cards. The player in turn may then attempt to take over any group. This can be either a group on the table or a group already controlled by another player. If another player already controls the group it is more difficult to take it over, but not impossible.
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How difficult it is to take over a group depends on the strength of the controlling group, the resistance of the group being taken over, the proximity of the group being taken over to the controlling player's illuminati card (if someone already controls it), and other factors. Once this is determined, both the attacking and defending player can modify the odds further by spending "megabucks". Once a group is taken over, it has to be attached to the card structure the player already controls. How cards can be attached to each other is limited by in- and outbound arrows on the cards, and maintaining a well-structured tree of groups can be vital to success.

The winning condition for each player is different and depends on what illuminati card that player has.

Illuminati at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: Illuminati-Deluxe.zip (v2.1 - 2012-02-16) – by Mycenae

Includes:

• Illuminati Deluxe
• Bavarian Fire Drills
• Y2K
• Mutual Assured Distraction
• Unconstitutional! Promo Card

Downloads - Rules
Rules: Illuminati-Rules.zip (2012-02-16)

Includes:

• Rules - Illuminati.pdf
• Rules - Exp Bavarian Fire Drill.pdf
• Rules - Exp MAD.pdf
• Rules - Exp Y2K.pdf

Screenshots

No Peace Without Spain! Module

No Peace Without Spain is a two player game depicting the War of the Spanish Succession. The war was fought primarily to determine the fate of the Spanish throne and its dominions but also represented a continuing struggle for political, religious and economic dominance. One player represents the interests of the French claimant, Philip V (the Bourbons), while the other player represents the interests of the Austrian claimant, Charles III (the Alliance").

In November 1700, King Carlos II of Spain died without an heir. The long-standing feud between the Bourbons and Habsburgs erupted once again as both sides pressed their claim to the throne. No Peace Without Spain is a two-player game that elegantly recreates this epic struggle using a point-to-point map and a single deck of 55 cards. Action cards are used to activate armies for movement and siege, while event cards bring historical and special events into play that can swing the tide of fortune when least expected. Each turn represents one year, each corps represents 10,000 men of all arms and each leader represents a major commander and his staff.
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The game features an easy and intuitive battle system that highlights a unique aspect of this war: team-based battle command, perhaps the most famous example being the extraordinary success achieved by the partnership of two of the war’s most prominent commanders, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Bourbon cause has talented leaders as well, notably Marshals Villars, Vendome and Berwick. These and other leaders are rated for Tactical and Command capabilities and they significantly influence the course of events.

The map stresses the importance of fortresses in a war that was probably the high-point of formal siege warfare. Fortresses in this era rarely held out against a besieger that had the necessary time and manpower to conduct a proper siege, and the game neatly recreates this with a simple siege table that leaves room for unusually stout defenses or quick collapses.

Victory points are gained or lost by the Alliance player and game victory comes either through automatic victory or based on final VPs after the 1713 turn.

Each turn is one year. Each unit represents approximately 10,000 men of all arms. Leader counters represent the named personality and his staff.

24 pages of rulebook including extended example of play and designer's notes.

NPWS at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: NPwS_(v1.01).vmod (2012-02-24) – by Joel Toppen
2012-02-24: Updated v1 -> v1.01

Downloads - Rules
Rules: NPWS-Rules.zip (2012-02-16)

Includes:

• NPWS-rulebook-final-May31-2011.pdf
• NPWS-Errata-Clarifictions-101011-v1.1.pdf
• NPWS-PlayerAid.jpg

Screenshots

Rommel in the Desert Module

Rommel in the Desert is a pre-"Front" game touching on the conflict between the British and Germans in North Africa during WWII. A game of maneuver, each side has to move with precision and know when to strike, since a cut in supply spells disaster for either side. The supply system is card driven. The game comes with a well painted map of North Africa and 100 wooden blocks to represent the British and Germans.
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This title uses Columbia Games Block system. While there are variations in the rule sets for each of their games none the less all of their games are based on block system. Basically this means that rather than the traditional use of counters to represent units on the map the game instead uses wooden blocks that stand upright and with unit details only shown on one side of the blocks. This does two things: First it provides an easy way of producing a "fog of war" because your opponent can not tell, save through good memory, what type of unit a specific piece is and its current strength. Second, by having the blocks stand on end it provides a way to keep track of a units strength by rotating the block so the current strength is the top number. Most war games have some type of mechanism that lets units take steps in their overall strength. Counters normally have at most two steps because of they only have two sides, however blocks have four and so now you can easily keep track of twice the amount of detail that many other war games provide. With the use of blocks Columbia has provided a way of adding a good deal of depth to their war games without adding further complex layers of bookkeeping and thus allow for interesting and relatively short sessions of play.

Rommel in the Desert at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: Rommel-Desert-v7.vmod (2012-02-16) – by Stan Hilinski, wag

Downloads - Rules
Rules: RITD-Rules.pdf (2012-02-16)

Screenshots

Shenandoah: Jackson's Valley Campaign Module

Shenandoah covers the remarkable Valley Campaign of May/June 1862. Led by Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson, a smaller Confederate army with audacious marching and fighting, paralyzed and defeated three enveloping Union armies. Military students worldwide study Jackson's strategy and tactics to this day.

The CSA player has the advantage of central position, but must use it aggressively to prevent the Union armies from combining against him. The USA player has a clear advantage in numbers, but must cope with a command system that penalizes the wide separation of his three forces.

Shenandoah at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: Shenandoah_v2.vmod (2012-02-16) – by Stan Hilinski

Downloads - Rules
Rules: Rules.pdf (2012-02-16)
OBs: OBs.pdf (2012-02-16)

Screenshots

First Team: Vietnam Module

A solitaire game of the 1st Air Cavalry's campaign in the Ia Drang Valley in October 1965. The NVA forces had been building up all year for the first major strike intended to cut South Vietnam in half, and on October 19th the plan went into effect.
The player controls the American forces and the game system controls the NVA.

Scale: the game map covers 400 square miles (point to point distances vary), two day turns, each combat strength equals from one to three hundred men.

First Team at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: First_Team_11a.vmod (v1.1 - 2012-02-10) – by theaney

Downloads - Rules
Rules: First_Team_Rules.pdf (2012-02-10)

Screenshots

Hellenes: Campaigns of the Peloponnesian War Module

Hellenes: Campaigns of the Peloponnesian War (GMT Games) is 2 player game on the Peloponnesian War of the Greek classical age designed by Craig Besinque (EuroFront series). Based on a variant of the Hammer of the Scots/Liberty system, Hellenes features good historical flavor, fast play, and lots of options for both players.

One player plays Sparta, the dominant land power of the era; the other plays Athens, the dominant sea power. Each side also seeks the allegiance of minor Greek city-states and barbarian tribes: some that persevere and others that come and go. Revolts, sieges, leaders, wintering, and civic discord all play important roles.
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The object of the game is to erode enemy morale to the point of Surrender by capturing cities, winning battles, and devastating enemy territory with raids. Walled cities are very strong in defense, leaving Siege as a common method of reduction. But if a Siege is broken by a relieving force, the lost battle reduces the besieger's morale!

The map depicts Ancient Greece in the Aegean area, including the Peloponnese, continental Greece, Macedonia, Thrace and Ionia. A separate area on the map contains Sicily. Units include fleets, cavalry, archers, infantry and hoplites. Cards drive military actions and special events. Each card has both an Action value and an Event, and can be played for either purpose but not both. Actions include unit buildup, adding new units and group movement. Events include leader change, plague, barbarian uprisings, revolts, civil unrest, etc.

Hellenes includes 4 scenarios: The 431 BC Campaign (10 turns), The Sicily Campaign (5 turns), The 415 BC Campaign (12 turns), and The 413 BC Campaign (10 turns). Each one plays in about 3-6 hours.

In order to legally use these files to play a game online via VASSAL, at least one of the players must own a copy of the boardgame upon which that VASSAL set is based. All rights, copyrights, and trademarks of these sets and their original boardgames remain vested in GMT Games, LLC and the original game artists. Any use of these materials except for the express non-commercial use of playing a GMT boardgame via VASSAL over the internet is prohibited without express permission from GMT Games, LLC.

Hellenes at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Module: Hellenes_v.1.vmod (2012-02-10) – by Alexander331bc

Downloads - Rules
Rules: Hellenes-Docs.zip (2012-02-10)

Includes:

• Hellenes_Extended_Summary_V1.1.pdf
• Hellenes_Card_Listing.pdf
• Hellenes_Quick_Start.doc
• Hellenes_Rule_Summary_v2.pdf
• Hellenes_Errata_and_Clarifications_.pdf
• Hellenes-Rules-v3.pdf
• Hellenes-EOP-v3.pdf

Links
Hellenes FAQ: common confusions from the Rules forum and the official errata

Screenshots

Update: Rallyman Dirt

Rallyman module updated to v4.0. Overhaul of the module contents, included the Dirt expansion and driver dashboards, Ace and Sisu cards.

Find it here:
http://bggames01.blogspot.com/2010/11/rallyman-module.html