Until early September.

For personal reasons.

Tariff Tribulations? August 2026

The past year has been a lot of "fun" regarding US tariffs, but overall I have not been affected - except for an added C$1.49 brokerage fee that is now part of my shipping fee calculations. The pending tariff regime is very specific about what is being targeted. I've checked the codes, and my products are not on "the list", and I'm continuing to ship to US customers.

New in the Store

 

Nobody asked for it, but I did it anyway.

Go Crazy!

 

The Store is now open.

Check out the new Berserker items.

Three half-sheets, available individually, or as a bundle.

Scrooge, or... Ebenezer?

It’s been 8 years (2017) since I started this adventure of providing alternate counters for ASL. I’ve also managed to branch out into scenarios, boards, and most recently HASL maps. It’s been fun, and challenging at times (which can be fun, too).

From the beginning, I’ve relied on St. Jacobs Printery Ltd for all my printing needs, and they found a company in Waterloo to do the mounting on cardboard and die-cutting the counters. Based on those earlier quotes, I calculated that I could cover hard costs (i.e. not my time and effort) and have some profit for future orders with a price point of U$11 per full sheet. And that was enough in the early years to carry me through the losses of the covid years and still have cash in the bank today! Hurra!

Coming out of covid, I began to notice quality control issues with the die-cutting. Unable to get a satisfactory resolution from the die-cutter, we dropped that company, and the Printery found another company down Scarborough way to do the mounting and die-cutting – and they are excellent! I’m very pleased that I can still call this a Made in/Fait au Canada operation. Only two products aren’t sourced from the Great White North: the MausMouse (China) and the MapPad (USA). Together with my febrile... er... fertile imagination, everything else is local stuff.

Last year I placed my first order (small-medium-ish) with the new die-cutter, and the pricing seemed a bit higher, but still reasonable given the times we be living in. Honestly, I’ve had other distractions this past year and a half, so I wasn’t really paying attention. Last month I placed my second order, which was a bit larger (new-ish stuff plus re-stocking depleted or damaged stuff). I hadn’t bothered to get a quote beforehand as I was in a hurry and was willing to live with the consequences.

At the beginning of the month the order came in and I’ve been sorting and collating since. Earlier this week the bill came in...

I ran the numbers. And checked them twice. And I’ve been letting the result sink in.

The most reasonable thing to do going forward is to...

LOWER. MY. PRICES.

To be clear, this only applies to countersheets. Pricing for other products remains the same.

This isn’t a sale or a promo. No coupons, passwords, codes, or secret handshakes required. If you choose to indulge in interpretive dance while placing an order, well... that’s on you. Far be it for me to criticize your predilections.

I’ll post again when I’ve got everything squared away with the Store.

The world continues to spin on its axis.

The Store is open again for US customers. Thank you for your patience.

Déjà vu, all over again.

Apologies to my American customers.

In light of today's announcement on trade talks, I'm temporarily halting sales to US addresses until things get sorted out.

Current orders to US addresses are being processed today so they can cross the border with minimal fuss or delay.

Stay tuned!

PS no political commentary, please.

Brick Works HASL now available for sale!

 

Store is Open again. New Product added!

 Family festivities were successfully festive!

And now the Store is open again, and a new product has been added.

A set of 6 standard size boards depicting Steppe (F13.2) graphics on one side and Broken Terrain (F13.1) graphics on the other side.

Store Closed

 The Store is closed until May 25th, due to family festivities.

 ATTENTION: US Customers

Due to uncertainties regarding next week's tariff event, I have disabled orders for US addresses.

The central issue for my store is the "Section 321 de minimis" provision which currently allows my type of shipments to enter the US without tariff considerations. There is the possibility that this provision will be phased out, which will complicate my shipping procedures, with greater levels of reporting (and possible charges). Until I can figure out if/how I will have to deal with this I will err on the side of caution so that American customers don't find their orders hanging in limbo.

Currently, I have 2 orders outstanding for US addresses. These will be processed and shipped this week, in time to avoid implications of what happens on April 2nd. 

My apologies for the inconvenience to my many American customers.

Alan

PS Please, no comments about politics/politicians. I don't care about your opinions on those matters, and I don't offer mine.

ATTENTION: US Customers

Now that the 'hammer' has dropped, the "Section 321 de minimis" provision remains in place*, so I've un-disabled orders for US addresses. Please resume ordering with enthusiasm and gusto!

* the provision is no longer available to items sourced from China, which means the MausMouse shouldn't be ordered by Americans. (honestly, very, very few orders include this item, so not much of a loss there)

Alan

The Store is OPEN!

To usher in this new era of commerce, I've created a discount coupon, It's All Greek to Me, that will give you 24% off all products. This sale continues until Jan 7th, 2025, a.k.a. Greek Orthodox Christmas.

Use the coupon code GREEK at checkout to unlock the savings!

Wise Words

 

BOXING WEEK!

 (oops, forgot to post here...)

TURKEY DAY!

 Discount Code: GOBBLE (active through Cyber Monday, Eastern time)

SALE! SALE! SALE!

ONLY 15 DAYS 

(because... well... you know)

 

Sticky Overlays - New Product

Removable self-stick overlays are now a thing. These are printed on clear plastic and need to be cut out.

Instead of cutting the backing with the overlay, the recommended approach is to start peeling off the plastic and cutting each overlay and re-applying to the uncut backing sheet. 

Because of the clear plastic, there is no need to cut exactly along the overlay edges, so cutting is faster and easier.

The photo below (enhanced for viewing) shows how the cut overlays can be kept on the backing sheet.

These sticker overlays do not mar the surface of a mapboard, even after several days. Because the centers are clear, you can quickly align the overlays to the centers printed on the board.

And now a review!

Brand New Product: COVERED Scenario Pack

 Yes, a whole new venture beyond counters. A pack of scenarios that feature a new, original board - BG1. 

The board is designed to be overlay-friendly, and each of the 13 scenarios use BG1, plus overlays. You'll be fighting from the Warsaw Bridgeheand in 1920 to the Pusan Perimeter in 1950.

Click on The Store to order!

New Stuff! Re-stocked Stuff!

Finally, the re-stocking has begun, and will continue over the next few months. Plus, some new stuff to brighten up your gaming experience (if you're into that sort of thing, of course).

Air & Sea

Half-sheet of 5/8" counters.

Rafts, Smoke/WP, and Parachutes.

Extra 1 Potpourri

Half-sheet of 5/8" counters.

More British vehicles, including SAS/LRDG, Bridgelayers, and Australian variants

More Minor Allied AFV & Guns

More German vehicles

***** Also available in the Extra Bundle (with Extra 2 & 3) *****

Extra 2 Commies & Baddies

Half-sheet of 5/8" counters.

More German vehicles in SS Black.

More Soviet vehicles, including Aerosans, Bridgelayers, Odessa tanks, and Leningrad vehicles.

***** Also available as an Extra Bundle (with Extra 1 & 3) *****

Extra 3 Shanghai'd

Half-sheet of 5/8" counters.

More Japanese captured vehicles.

More Chinese captured vehicles (two-tone & KMT blue).

*****​ Also available in the Extra Bundle (with Extra 1 & 2) *****

German

GE: German (9 sheets)

Set of counters representing German forces. Full-colour uniforms. SW shown in profile. AFV & Ordnance are full-colour. Many Captured AFV/Ordnance/SW from all theatres/nationalities. A varied selection of rare and unique vehicles, TD/SPG variants, AC, even a Maus!

Includes counters for “?” (1/2” & 5/8”), CX, Acquisition, AL, Sidecar, and Snipers (SAN 2-7).

Named and Variant Leaders (Wounded/Fanatic/Heroic). AE and Fanatic MMC.

***** This set is also part of the Uber Alles Bundle (with Waffen SS & Optional/Heretical) *****

Terrain 1 Sand & Shellholes

Half-sheet of 5/8" counters.

Desert related counters, Shellholes, and some innovative Wire+Trailbreak counters.

***** Also available in the Terrain Bundle (with Terrain 2) *****

Terrain 2 Trailbreak

Half-sheet of 5/8" counters.

Innovative Trail Break w/terrain counters, plus No Move and Drift.

***** Also available in the Terrain Bundle (with Terrain 1) *****

Zombies!

Zombies (ZB1 Half-sheet of 1/2" counters; ZB2 Quarter-sheet of 5/8" counters)

Re-live classic Zombie flicks from the 50s and 60s with this set of counters compatible with ESG's Zombie Pack 1.

Zombies. National Guard. Police. Armed Civilians. Civilians. Plus vehicles & guns necessary to play the scenarios from Zombie Pack 1 (not sold here). For fun, additional vehicles (Pick-ups, Sedans, Police Cruisers) to enhance that 50's feel.

Done Traveling

 Open Again!