A Shot from the Guntower - March 2026

Well Peeps, it’s been a busy month. 

I’m gonna work backwards, partly so that upcoming news doesn’t get lost in the mix, but also because I think our Carta Imperia fans have been somewhat sidelined while we’ve been (quite rightly) focussed on the Pirates & Salvage campaign for Pandora Celeste.

Though if you haven’t backed it yet: now’s a great time to jump in.

Only 3 more days left to get your copy at the special crowdfunding price.

So don’t miss out – back now on Gamefound!

But more on that later.  Let’s start with Airecon. 

We will be at Airecon!

12-15^th March at Harrogate Convention Centre.

We are part of the Arcadia Stand at E4, right behind the Airecon lights when you come through the main entrance into the Exhibitor Hall – so we’re pretty hard to miss!  Even harder to miss because we’ll be trying out some of Gover’s bad jokes on you as you pass, but more on that later.

But .. back to .. CARTA IMPERIA

One of the games we’ll be demoing at Airecon is the new prototype of Carta Imperia: Rise of Rome. 

No pics of this yet, as it’s due for delivery this Tuesday – and I can’t wait to show it to you, with its acrylic Governor standees and banners, and the lovely new tokens designed by the talented Kris. 😁

CI: Rome is an empire-builder, forged in backroom deals and razor‑edged ambition. Every move is a sly handshake or a dagger wrapped in the words: “Trust me — this is absolutely in your best interests.”  Out-think rivals, make alliances, and climb the ranks of the Republic through charm, cunning, and the occasional well‑timed betrayal. Rise fast, fall faster — and conquer an empire on the way.

At Airecon, you can experience The Early Republic. Battle for influence as Rome rises into a dominant force in the Western Mediterranean, then fight to survive Hannibal’s devastating assault. Come find us at Stand E4 in the Exhibition Hall.

This month’s we’ve been full throttle with our Gamefound campaign for Pirates & Salvage, the new Pandora Celeste expansion. You smashed our funding target on Day 1 - huge thanks, Peeps! Now we’re heading into the home stretch, so time is running out.

Returning backers, this is your heads-up!  You’ve got until Weds 3^rd March to claim your exclusive discount on Gamefound. Back Pirates & Salvage using the same email as you did for  Pandora Celeste and you’ll automatically score an 8% discount at the Pledge Manager stage of the current campaign. It’s that quick and simple. And so worth it!

GOVER’S JOKE DRIVE

As part of the campaign, we’ve unleashed a Bad Joke drive for our newest Crewmember, Gover the Whinger. Honestly, it’s less a comedy marathon and more a psychological endurance test. ‘Going well’ might be overstating it, unless you count toe-curling cringe. That’s precisely the way Gover likes his humour - if it makes people question their life choices, it’s a winner!

Now’s your chance to join the madness! Head over to Gover’s Joke Page on BGG and let your wit (or lack thereof) shine. Not feeling brave enough to submit your own groan-worthy pun? No problem. You can still  help by giving a Like to the one(s) you think could properly test our Groanometer.

The top-liked jokes will be unleashed upon unsuspecting Airecon attendees - and if your joke earns the loudest groans, you’ll be rewarded with a free Gover (or Add-On of your choosing), plus eternal infamy as a pain-bringer that even the Big Nasties would fear!

A BRIEF NOTE ABOUT PANIC STATIONS

On a slightly more serious note, Mike recently filmed a playthrough of Panic Stations! the Pandora Celeste Card Game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8js9qYszw4

This has prompted some American backers to wonder why the game isn’t available in the USA. 

First of all, thank you. It means a lot that you like the look of the game enough to want a copy.

The honest answer is simple: right now, we can only afford to produce and safety‑test the card game for the UK and EU.

Guntower Games is a small, family‑run passion project. It began as a fiftieth‑birthday dream to get a game published, survived a publisher going under during the Pandemic, and finally came to life through crowdfunding and a lot of hard work (and more than a little help from my lovely wife Lynn). From the start, we set one firm rule for ourselves: never risk our financial stability. We’ve made mistakes, taken a few knocks - the minis being our biggest gamble - but we’ve always kept the company, and our home, safe.

So when we set out to make a card game of Pandora Celeste, we discovered that we could afford the safety testing for European and the UK, but the additional testing for the US and the rest of the world, plus the tariffs involved in exporting to the USA would make the game unfeasible at a reasonable price.  So, we chose to limit the card game to Europe and the UK so that we could get it made with the funds we had available.

We know that’s disappointing for some of you, and we’re genuinely grateful for your enthusiasm. If things grow in the future, we’d love to expand our reach, but for now, this is the sustainable path that will keep Guntower Games alive and creating.

That’s it for now.

If you haven’t backed Pirates & Salvage yet, you only have 3 days left before it disappears back into those dark corners…

And hopefully see you at Airecon! 😁