WELCOME WARGAMERS!
Thanks for visiting my gaming design site. In addition to publishing my designs through several first-rate game companies such as GMT Games and Legion Wargames, I've begun publishing a few of my designs directly, with printing and fulfillment completed by Blue Panther. Use the arrow buttons to the left and right of the gallery above to review my publications.
Within this site you’ll still find means to review and purchase my designs, but the main focus is to provide support materials to keep my designs fresh and (hopefully) on your table.
My Published Games: This menu includes access to content on my games that either have been published and available for purchase (although some may be out of print) as well as those that are available for pre-order or are otherwise ready for production. These latter titles are indicated by an asterisk (*) next to their names. If a game is currently in print, a "buy now" button is provided on the game's page to purchase a copy from the publisher. If a publisher is offering a preorder, a button is provided for that option, too.
On the Design Table: This menu includes a listing of games that I'm currently (although not necessarily actively) working on. Hopefully they'll be moving over the the published list soon!
Other Game Support: These are games from other designers that I particularly enjoy and for which I've created supplemental materials to enhance that enjoyment. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy what you find here and that it furthers your enjoyment of my designs.
Thanks for visiting!
Mike Nagel
What is Relative Range?
The term "Relative Range" is derived from Up Front - the Squad Leader Card Game, published by The Avalon Hill Game Company back in the early 80's. Up Front is arguably one of the most accurate simulations of WWII infantry combat ever released, owing to its innovative use of a card deck to provide battlefield chaos and "fog-of-war." Like the actual combatants, players have to make the best of limited intelligence and resources, and hopefully survive the situation at hand.
After playing the game several dozen times (and having since played several hundred times) I was so taken with its flexibility and intensity, that I started to design my own scenarios and variants. These additions eventually led to the publication of a quarterly newsletter: Relative Range. The newsletter managed to survive through ten issues before fading for lack of material.
Over the years since its passing, I've kept the experience close and have hoped for an opportunity to resurrect my efforts. This web site is the result of decades of rolling ideas around my fevered brain, and eventually focusing them into a concerted effort to organize my personal game design and support projects.
Links of Interest
RANGE-250 "Pre-Order" System
As many wargamers are aware, many game publishers use a pre-order system to ensure that they can publish a game that can require significant financial outlay without going out of business in the process. Some use in-house pre-order systems while others rely on crowd-funding systems. For those games that I intend to be part of a series, I'll be doing something a little different.
Rather than rely upon expected sales of a game, I'll use the sales of an existing game (like this one) to provide feedback toward the creation of the next game in the series. This is the "Range-250" system. If I sell 250 copies of this game via direct sales, I'll start working on the next volume in the series. I'll endeavor to indicate monthly how far along we are towards my starting work on that next game. Is this a guarantee that I'll start working on that next volume? Mostly, as it all comes down to time and other projects. Still, at least you'll have a game in your hands rather than waiting on something that may never come.
If you see the RANGE-250 Enabled! icon on a game's
page, the current number of orders the game has
advanced toward a commitment to work on the next
game in the series (and what that game is expected to
to be. Thanks for your support!
