Battle of Torgau

The Seven Years War System Volume II

by

Adhoc-Edition

  The Battle of Torgau was tactically pretty much of a draw. The Austrians did lose the heights, that were their main line of defense, after dark by an attack by Ziethen. However, both armies had been mauled by the vicious fighting and were in no shape to continue or for the Prussians to follow up this hollow victory. So, tactically you could call it a small Prussian victory. Strategically, the Austrians were becoming weaker because of the money spent on the war. After Torgau Austria was never again able to field as large an army as fought here. Prussia itself was getting worn out and soon Frederick was forced to just try and block the different armies attacking Prussia. With the death of Catherine the Great, Russia left the war in 1762. Really, all of the combatants were quickly running out of resources, except England, to continue the war. Peace was signed in 1763, and Frederick was left in control of Silesia. His land grab during the War of the Austrian Succession and Austria wanting to revenge its loss and take it back was the real cause of both wars.

 

 This is what Adhoc-Edition has to say about the game:

"Torgau 1760, the second game in the "SYWBS" series, will simulate the battle fought on the 3rd of November 1760 in northwestern Saxony during the Seven Years War. King of Prussia Frederick II the Great commanded the Prussian Army: 48,500 men (62 bns, 102 sqns) and 246 guns. F.M. Graf Leopold Daun commanded the Austian Army: 55,500 men (67 bns, 116 sqns) and 275 guns.

The games from the "SYW Battle System" (SYWBS) are highly playable grand-tactical portrayals of battles of the Seven Years War. The series’intent is to show how command operates on the battlefields, using the weapons and tactics of the period. The system emphasizes command & control and high playability.

The games all share the following characteristics: Scale = 200-220 m/hex (219-240 yrd/hex) Time = 30 min/Turn (60 min/Hourly phase) Counter = 1 Brigade, 1 Battalion, 1 to 3 Squadrons, 1 Battery. 1 Strength point = 100 men approximately.

Game components: 1 x A1 (58x81cm - 23x32") - 5.5 x A4 Countersheets (720 x 15mm 5/8" square counters & marquers and 52 x rectangular counters) - 4 x Orders/organization Sheets - 2 x Rules books (Simple & Standard V4.0) + 2 x Playbooks - 5 x Player Aid cards - 1 x Printed carton box."

This is a picture of the map from the designer. 

 The map is very well done, almost beautiful. To me, it really invokes the time period that it represents. However, because of the paper it is made from you do get some deep creases in it. I would suggest using a plexiglass piece over it. I did have one "for just such an occasion (Foghorn Leghorn)", but it seems I lost it in the move. 

 The game comes with a plethora of player aids and two rulebooks. The rulebooks are titled 'Simple Rules' and "Rules'. They are both made up of glossy paper and are printed in two columns. Both have many examples of play and have a sequence of play on the back of each rulebook. All of the documents are in full vibrant color and evocative of the time period. The Simple Rules are 27 pages long while the Rules are 39 pages long. The game takes an interesting change of pace with its playbooks. There is a separate Austrian and Prussian playbook. The first eight pages of both have identical and excellent historical recap of the battle. The six-scenario information and setups are next. The first is a 'Free Setup' one at the beginning of the battle. Scenarios two through five have the setup instructions on a full page on the left with the right side being a map. The formations that are already placed on the map at the start of the scenario are shown on the maps. Scenario six is the entire battle with the historical setups instead of the free setup in scenario one. The Austrian playbook does have a map with the troops position. The Prussians are approaching the battlefield. The Austian playbook is one page longer than the Prussian one because of the map for scenario six. The end of both playbooks has the order of battle for their respective armies. These OOB's are an integral part of the game system. More on this below.

 Now we go the player aids. They are also glossy and are made of card stock. It is easier to list them:

Austrian Terrain Effects Table/Austrian Units Data

Prussian Terrain Effects Table/Prussian Units Data

Rules Reminders (two-sided)

Charge Opponents Ratio Table/Charge Results Table

Austrian Relative Firepower Tables/ Fire Combat Results Table

Prussian Relative Firepower Tables/Fire Combat Results Table

Order of Battle for the Austrians under G.F.Z. Lacy

Order of Battle for the Prussians under G.d.K. von Ziethen (the battle was fought in two separate actions)

Order of Battle for the Prussians under Frederick II

Order of Battle for the Austrians under F.M. Graf Daun (the last two are two foldable pages)

 We advance forward now to the counters. The counters are beautiful and really immerse the player into the 18th century. Most of the Brigade counters are two or three hex rectangles. As battle or movement affect the units, normal square counters are used. The counters can show line, column, and other formations. One thing you will not find on them are number values. This paragraph will explain how to use the OOB's in the different playbooks.

"All units on the OOB's have important values, under their name. Each value is for each status of the unit: 'B' if the unit is still within its Brigade and in the same formation (Brigade counter used. unit's square counter still not used). 'F' if the unit is Well Formed within or not within its Brigade (unit's square counter is used). 'S' if the unit is shaken and, finally, 'P' if the unit is Panicked."

 This means that you will need to cross reference your units with the OOB's in the playbooks to find out their combat values. You will probably also need to swap out the larger rectangular counters for the square ones during play. I will do a close up on the OOB's to illustrate this.

 The only other thing to mention is the game is sent in a flat pack that also contains the game box to be assembled by you. The box is surprisingly strong once put together. I have had other normal sized and weight games placed on it and it had no issues.

 How do the components of Torgau measure up? In my book they get an A- for their beauty and ease of reading etc. The only thing I am not a fan of is the deep map creases. 

This is a picture of the multi-hex brigade counters from the designer

 Now we get to the crux of the matter, gameplay. I have seen a good number of beautiful games ruined by bad game mechanics. The next question to be asked is do the rules give a historical representation of 18th century warfare?

 The first thing I want to say about gameplay is this. The game does come with both Simple and regular Rules. However, like most good wargames, they adhere to the GIGO principle (garbage in, garbage out), meaning that you will have to put some effort into learning the game. If you are a seasoned wargamer of even the Napoleonic era, this game and its rules will come as no surprise. If, however, you are only used to pushing cardboard panzers it will take some time to get used to. The biggest difference between the Simple and regular Rules is the inclusion of orders into the mix. This also includes the time it takes to send an ADC off on his horse to the troops in question. Some wargamers are not a fan of orders in game rules. However, I like their addition in games that simulate warfare before radios were commonplace. It is true that the designer has given us the Simple rules to do away with more tracking and forget about the time lag. 

 When you are first presented with the game, the number of counters seems large for a smaller battle such as this. This is in comparison to other battles that have about 100K troops all totaled. The reason the counter number is so large is because of the way the game handles some mechanics. Each unit will have multiple counters depending upon its status at that moment. So, counter clutter is cut down, and you also do not have stacks of informational counters teetering on top of the unit counters.

 I believe that it most definitely helps a player to be immersed in the subject matter of the games they are playing. In fact, most of my gaming is totally dependent on what military history I am reading at the moment and not the other way round.

This is actually double-sided

 The crash of brigades and squadrons in the game seem to me to really give plausible 18th century results. The Battle of Torgau was a close and highly contested one. This was not an easy win for Frederick, as with Rossbach. In actuality the battle came down to the wire. The Prussians became the winners almost in a double overtime situation. This was not the Austrian army of the War of the Pragmatic Sanction, and the rules and the designer's ideas show that. 

 Victory is decided by points. Each side in the different scenarios have their own special conditions. Units that are panicked or removed from the board are either added to your total (enemy units) or added to your opponent's score if they were your units. Some of the scenarios also have points given for control of certain hexes. So, pretty standard fare in wargames.

 To me, the game does make a good representation of the pageantry and linear form of warfare used in the Seven Years War. The different rule sets allow the players to decide how immersed into it they can get. Even with the Simple rules you will feel like you are commanding Prussian or Austrian brigades across a battlefield from over 200 years ago. The rules are not the cookie cutter kind. They are not designed to, nor do they feel like, replicate other eras of warfare with just prettier counters. This game sucks you in and makes you not so much care about the cardboard counter, but you do get a rush when a brigade that is faltering is able to make one more push to crack the enemies line.

OOBs for both Ziethen and Lacy scenario

 Thank you Adhoc-Edition for allowing me to review this game. I am much more versed in the earlier battles in the Seven Years War like Kolin. So, this was also a chance to increase my knowledge of the era. I am also a big fan of Field marshal Daun so that also adds into the equation. Adhoc-Edition has added a few battles to their Seven Years War System in the interim. Please check out the entire line below.

Robert Peterson

Adhoc-Edition

Battle of Torgau

 Mark H. Walker's '65

Squad-Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam

by

Flying Pig Games

 This is the war a lot of us grew up with. It was there every night on the news. With only 3-13 TV channels it was hard to escape as a kid. This is just a look at what is inside the box. 

 This is what Flying Pig Games has to say about the game:

"Download the living rules PDF for 2e here.

Fast, furious, and fun. Mark H. Walker’s Squad Battles series of games are known for their beautiful components and ease of play. A card driven game that stresses accessibility over mind-numbing complexity, ’65 Squad-Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam uses its cards to increase uncertainty and decrease the number of rules gamers need to remember. '65 covers skirmishes from Ia Drang to Operation Starlight, and the players control U.S. Army Rifle squads, M48 tanks, M113 armored personnel, Hueys, North Vietnamese Sappers, RPD machine guns, and VC rifle squads as they attempt to outwit their opponents.

This second edition of ’65 Squad-Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam adds the lasting effects of artillery barrages, Desperation Fire, more immersive helicopter gaming and much more. Additionally '65 2e updates the rules and player aid cards and incorporates errata. This is a game created by gamers for gamers. We hope you enjoy it. 

Each Game Includes:

3 richly illustrated, 11” x 17” geomorphic game boards

Over 175 HUGE 1” and 1.375” counters. Bigger is better!

1 deck of 54 action cards

Full color rules and scenario booklet

Age: 14+

Players: 2-3

Playing Time: 1 hour and14 minutes to as long as you want to take.

Retail: $100.00"

The dice that come with the game are also oversized. So, that should give you an idea of how massive these counters are.

The NVA along with the VC are represented in the game.

 

The cards are well done and easy to read. There is nothing fancy about them. However, they serve their purpose admirably.

 So, what do we have inside the box? First, a word of caution. The counters are prerounded and desperately want to eject themselves from the surrounding sprues. Almost like paratroopers during a drop. The counters are not only large but are very thick. I didn't try it, but I think you could play tiddlywinks with them. My apologies for the pics not being spot on. I have just decided to join the 21st century as far as taking them for the games I look at. Please bear with me as I learn a new task. Many times, in the past I was using the companies' pictures.  However, I would have mentioned it if the pictures on their websites were not the same as what you received. In actuality, this was never the case.

 The player aids, along with the other components, are exactly what we have come to expect from Flying Pig Games.

 As the box proudly states, this is the 2nd edition of the game. Many people were clamoring for a reprint and Flying Pig Games has done you one better. I was a huge fan of the 1st edition. So, I cannot wait to see the differences stated in gameplay in this edition compared to it.

 In keeping with the move to the 21st century. I decided to try to use an AI program to write some things about this game. This is what I received:

"Shuffling Sheep has released a new war gam(nice leg???). It is called ^56. The gam is about the Vitamin War(Vietnam??). Only Crippled Cockroach could develop a gam this goodness(What about Betty Grable??). Ornithopters fill the sky of Venice above the frozen fields of Veracruz(???)."

 So, I decided not to try and decipher the rest. It resembled a drunken translation of cuneiform. I was going to use an AI picture of Mr. Walker. However, the number of extra digits and eyes made it look like a portrait done by Picasso. In all seriousness, the original '65 was an excellent tactical wargame. I hope and assume that the changes in the 2nd edition will only make playing it even more enjoyable.

Robert Peterson

Flying Pig Games

Mark H. Walker's '65

 Pontiac's War: Frontier Rebellion, 1763 - 1766

by

Compass Games

 I was an avid reader of Allan Eckert and Francis Parkman books in my youth. They both wrote about the early frontier days of the thirteen British Colonies in North America. I had always read about the indigenous people since I was old enough to hold a book. I am not sure if it was in an Eckert book or somewhere else that I first read about Pontiac (Obwaandi'eyaag) the Odawa (Ottawa) War Chief, and his rebellion against the British. This was just after the end of the French & Indian War. British hubris, especially commanding General Jeffery Amherst's, was in full swing and their treatment of the natives was part of this. The British believed that they had beaten the French and that now most of North America belonged to them. This was without any thought of the natives who actually lived there. The Indians were no part of the peace treaty between France and England. The frontier turned into a powder keg after the French troops left and the English took over their forts. This game is about what happened after the fuse was lit.

 This is what Compass Games has to say about the game:

“I mean to destroy the English and leave not one upon our lands.”  Pontiac

“It is not in the Indian’s power to affect anything of consequence.” Major Gladwin.”

"Pontiac’s War: Frontier Rebellion, 1763-1766 followed on the heels of the French and Indian War which ended in 1763. Thanks to Indian resentment over the French surrender of their lands and the harsh policies of General Jeffery Amherst, governor-general of British North America, 20+ Indian nations rose up under the charismatic leadership of the Ottawa sachem, Pontiac and the Lenape Holy Man, Neolin. When the powder-smoke cleared, 450 British soldiers and countless Indians had lost their lives. Two thousand settlers were either killed or captured and 4000 more had been displaced. Moreover, Britain’s foreign conflicts had put the Crown 140 million £ in debt. These expenses led directly to a series of unpopular taxes in North America which in turn led directly to another uprising, our colonial revolution.

Pontiac’s War attempts to recreate the reaction of Indian leaders to British mishandling of frontier politics and the impending colonial crisis it presaged. Building on the point-to-point system and loose Indian alliances used in King Philip’s War and Blood on the Ohio, this design expands frontier conflict using Battle cards to introduce combat chaos, British expenditure on troops, Uncertain Indian Arms supply, siege rules, the capture of prisoners, French interference and trader influence.

The game offers five short introductory scenarios (15-30 minutes), three one-year campaign scenarios (2 hours), and one three-year grand campaign (5-6 hours). Although not a solitaire design, it is solitaire friendly. Players will appreciate the high-production quality of the components which includes a MOUNTED game map and large, 5/8″ size punch-out counters."

Product Information:

Complexity: 4 out of 10

Solitaire Suitability: 5 out of 10

Time Scale: Seasonal turns (approx. 3 months per turn)

Map Scale: Point-to-Point map (approx. 60-75 miles between points)

Unit Scale: 30-50 men, 4-6 artillery guns, individual officers and sea vessels

Players: 1 or 2 (best with 2)

Playing Time: from 15 minutes (intro scenarios) to 6 hours (grand campaign)

Components:

One 22 x 34″ MOUNTED game map

Four Counter Sheets of deluxe, 5/8″ punch-out counters

106 Game Cards

16 Wooden Cubes

11 Player Aid Cards

Rules Booklet

Eight 6-sided dice

Box and Lid

This is the center part of the map. I am still trying to figure out the best placement for the Indians in the first turn.

 The game comes with a colorful mounted map. It shows the territory from Wisconsin to New York and Pennsylvania, along with all of the area in between. The English forts are displayed on the map. The many and varied Indian Nations villages are also on display. The map has all of the pertinent information on it. The turn track, razed forts, and Indians arms, among others, are all right there for the player. The writing on the map is nice and large. The map has point-to-point movement. The game comes with two Off-Map Forces sheets. These are made of card stock and are a half page in size. Next up are two full sized Player Aids. These have the Charts and Tables on one side, and the Combat Sequence on the other. These are both full sized pages and are both made of card stock. The last Player Aid has the 'Indian Nation Activation' rules on it. It is also full sized and made of card stock. It is only single-sided. The Rulebook is 36 pages in length. However, the rules themselves only take up the first 18 1/2 pages. Then comes the information to play the three shorter scenarios and the campaign game. This is followed by a description of some historic sites and then the Designer's Notes. This is followed by a first turn playthrough from page 25 until page 36. This is a very nice addition to be able to see the game being played and the rules you need to use. The game comes with four counter sheets. The counters are nice and large and very easy to read. Both sides have their own deck of cards. Each side has a deck of 50 cards. They are of normal game size, but they do seem to be sturdier than most. The game actually comes with 16 six-sided die, eight per side, and small plastic cubes (these are for use on the Indian Nation Activation Player Aid).

This is the same area of the map (I am still debating my first turn placement) with the addition of a card form both decks. Atrocities on both sides were the name of the game in this conflict. 

 The game rules show us the actual realities of the conflict. The Indian Nations are disjointed and have their own agendas. The British forces are, of course, under their officer's control but are hamstrung in different ways. The Indians' pressing concern is to keep their Arms Track, guns and ammunition, as high as possible. To do this they must take forts and win battles. One of the major reasons that the war took place was because the British were starving the Indians of powder and ammunition that they now used for hunting. By taking forts and winning battles, they can replenish their limited supply of guns and ammunition. Great Britain nearly bankrupted itself during the Seven Years War. This was a global conflict that taxed even the British treasury. So, the number of troops in North America was pared down to keep costs low. As the British player you can add to your forces, but the amount of these forces and their shipping etc. comes with a cost in victory points. So, the Indian player needs to attack, and spend Arms points to do so, but they have to weigh out the loss in arms compared to their possible gain. 

 The game is played in seasonal turns. British Officers and Indian Sachems are prime targets for their enemies. The Indians will be hard pressed if they lose the five victory points for the loss of both Pontiac and Neolin. Neolin was the Lenape/Delaware Prophet. As in some other Indian Wars a native prophet (Neolin) was preaching a return to a lifestyle before the Colonials appeared. There are no stacking limitations, except in forts and during winter (the Off-Map Player Aids come in handy). The game has rules about captives, ambushes, and the destruction of both settlements and native villages. The Indians have to raze as many British forts as possible, and the British can knock the different Nations out of the war by destroying all of their villages. The Indians can move ten points per turn, and the British can move eight. Captives play a large part in the game. The game also gives both players a deck of Combat Cards to be used with, you'll never guess, Combat. Some of the cards also affect the game in other ways in the bigger picture. In the Campaign Scenario the British player has a historical setup to adhere to. In that same scenario there are some rules to adhere to setting up the Indians, but the player is given a lot of leeway. The big question for the Indian player is whether to try and take Detroit on the first turn or not. You can have enough different Nations warriors at Detroit to try it. The other strategy is to spread out your forces and sweep up the numerous smaller English forts first. Historically the latter idea was tried with Detroit trying to be taken by a coup de main. The additions of the cards to play along with luck of the die makes either one a viable option for the Indian player. The victory conditions are based upon the realities of that moment in time. Obviously, the British and Colonials, given their power and population and time, would eventually steamroll over the different tribes. At best, historically, the Indians could have kept the status quo for a decade or more. 

 The game comes with these scenarios:

The Rising - Spring, Summer & Fall 1763

The British Response - Spring, Summer & Fall 1764

The Inconclusive Conclusion - Spring, Summer & Fall 1765

Pontiac's War - The Full Campaign 1763 - 1765

There are also five Introductory Scenarios. Four of them are of two turns each and the fifth has four turns.

The designer has also added six optional rules to help give the players even more replayability and ways to use their gray matter.

This is the Sequence of Play:

Indian Reinforcement

 1. Optional Annual Activation

 2. Key Leaders

 3. War Belts

British Reinforcements

 1. Militia Volunteers

 2. (Spring) Guinea Loans

Indian Movement/Combat/ Both sides replenish cards

British Movement/ Combat/ Both sides replenish cards

Supply/ Siege Attrition

Rebuild Forts & Rally

Lift Sieges/ Wintering

Determine Victory Points

Advance the Turn Marker

 There is a sheet of errata that can be downloaded here:

Pontiac's War Official Clarifications Sheet

You can also download the Rulebook.

 Thank you, Compass Games for allowing me to review this very well-done game on Pontiac's Uprising. I also want to thank the designer John Poniske for developing a game on this important historical period.

Robert Peterson

Pontiac's War: Frontier Rebellion, 1763 - 1766

Compass Games

 Sicilia 1943 - Operation Husky

by

Dissimula Edizioni

 This is some information about a new game from Disimula Edizioni.

Here is what they have to say:

"Even before the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia, the Allied governments had reached the controversial decision to invade Sicily as the next phase, to take the first step on the continent.

The amphibious invasion of Sicily, code-named “Operation Husky,” with a force of 3,000 ships, more than 3,000 aircraft, and 100,000 men landing on the first day was the largest amphibious operation of World War II. After 38 days of hard fighting, the Allied forces, composed of the 7th US Army and the 8th British Army, entered Messina, completing the conquest of the island.

“Sicily 1943 – Operation Husky” reconstructs this important campaign, on a large map (… to maintain the right amount of simplicity and effectiveness. Game turns represent one day.

IN THE BOX

4 standard maps (3 km-hex)

2 small maps (scenarios)

4 counters set, 13 mm side 

Set up charts

Rules aid, tables

Orders display - Air display

Rules booklet

2 dice

English, Italian

THE GAME

The system involves a very intense interaction between players, and is based on the uncertain moment of activation of their Formations, and on the type of operations they will be able to carry out following the directives received at the beginning of the turn.

The rugged terrain of much of Sicily affects operations throughout the game, from the logistical importance of the road network to the possibility of using armored vehicles, lethal in open terrain, but vulnerable on narrow mountain roads.

Air forces (of both sides) and naval forces (Allied only) can be very important... if activated at the right time.

The game includes two challenging campaign games, one historical and one hypothetical, and numerous minor scenarios that concern some individual phases of the campaign, such as landings and counterattacks, the battles of Primosole and Troina, and others."

 You can still get the preorder price here:

Dissimula Edizioni

While you are there, please check out their other games.

Also check out this review from Polydor:

GIVE US VICTORIES - A Wargamers Needful Things

 Gustavus V Wallenstein

Military Revolution, Rivalry & Tragedy in The Thirty Years War

by

John Pike

 Gustavas Adolphus King of Sweden and Albrecht von Wallenstein Duke of Friedland, minus their other nomenclature and titles, were the two giants of the middle years of the Thirty Years War. Their titanic clash sent shockwaves throughout Europe. The author, Mr. Pike, has written an extremely detailed work on these two protagonists and the history and times that made them. In doing so, he has brought Wallenstein out of Gustavus's shadow. Far too many books only give us a small glimpse of Wallenstein compared to the Swedish King. 

 The book gives a detailed account of the early years of the war and its whys and wheres. Then it takes us on a biographical trip of both men before the war even started. With great precision we are shown how Sweden went from an underdeveloped backwater to a major player in European politics. Likewise, the author shows us how Wallenstein, using his own financial genius, was able to turn the tide of the war toward the Hapsburg cause. Wallenstein was able to make the war pay for itself. This was without the excesses that had accompanied the early part of the war.  

 The book is a large one coming in at over 500 pages. It also has a good number of pictures of the main characters and lithographs from the time. I congratulate the author for also interspersing a good number of excellent maps. I cannot state strongly enough that in military histories these are invaluable to the reader and make it so much easier to follow along with the action. It also gives the reader so much more insight into why things happened the way they did.

 The author finishes up his history of the two men and their clash by delving into the military revolution that occurred then. He shows that Gustavus took Maurice of Nassau's ideas and improved on them. Wallenstein is also shown as an incredible organizer and logistical wizard. The reader is also shown how much all the armies in the Thirty Years War relied on field entrenchments. We sometimes think that armies entrenching themselves started in the 19th century. The book shows us that even at this time the armies entrenched themselves as much as or more than the Romans.

 Their titanic struggle, after Wallenstein's reinstatement, is gone into great detail by the author. The ultimate clash at the Battle of Lutzen between the two is shown to us in minute detail.

 This is an excellent history of the two warriors, and I can easily recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the time period. Thank you, Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this fine book.

Robert Peterson

Book: Gustavus V Wallenstein

Author: John Pike

Publisher: Pen & Sword Military

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

 Fiat Aeritalia Fighters

by

Luigino Caliaro

 The Italian aircraft industry was hobbled during World War II due to Italy not having enough manufacturing infrastructure. This was exceedingly lucky for the Allied powers. While Italy started the war with outdated airplanes, they soon developed some excellent designs that were as good or better than their allies or enemies. With this book, the second in a trilogy about Italian fighters, the author shows us those that were designed by the Fiat company.

 The book starts with a preamble about the history of Fiat's contribution to aviation going back to 1908. It then goes into a synopsis of the company's involvement with aircraft until the present day. The meat of the book starts in the Interwar years with the design and manufacture of the CR.20. This then developed into the CR.32, a very formidable aircraft at its inception. This airplane was blooded in the Spanish Civil War and gave a good report of itself against the Russian aircraft that the Republicans flew.

 Next, we have the design and history of the last Fiat biplane, the CR.42 Falco. This plane was one of the ultimate designs of the biplane era. The CR.42 frame was of an all-metal construction. It started to come off the assembly line in 1939. In the short campaign against France, it did well against the opposition. The plane was also useful in the very early period of the war in North Africa. However, it was still in use by the time Britain was able to manufacture enough Hurricanes and Spitfires to be used against it.

The FIAT G.50 Freccia was of the next generation of Italian fighters. These were among the first group of monoplane fighters that were considered for the Royal Italian Air Force. These types of Italian fighters had the 'chunkier' shape of many of the prewar designs from other countries. They did not resemble the shark like fighter aircraft being developed by Germany and Great Britian. Although a reasonably good aircraft for 1940, it soon was delegated to a second line one due to a lack of speed and armament. 

 The FIAT G.55 Centauro is considered by many to the be ultimate Italian fighter in World War II. Compared to most Italian fighters of this time it was equipped with a very strong arsenal of cannons and machine guns. It was more than a match for any fighter in the skies above Europe during the middle of the war years. The author includes a conversation of the leaders of the German Luftwaffe praising the G.55 when it was flown against the Germans' latest types in 1943. Luckily for the Allies the Germans did not begin manufacturing the G.55. Also luckily, the Italian infrastructure was incapable of building more than a few of them.

 The book is very large, a real coffee table tome. It is absolutely filled on every page with photographs. The author not only goes through each plane's development, but also its use by the Italian Royal Air Force and other nations. The last part of the book shows surviving examples of the planes. For the person interested in aviation, this is a must read. It is also invariable for the modeler and really anyone interested in Italian aviation. Thank you, Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this encyclopedic reference book on Fiat fighters, both before and during World War II.

Robert Peterson

Book: Fiat Aeritalia Fighters

Author: Luigino Caliaro

Publisher: Crecy Classic

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

 

Kraken Studios talks about their upcoming game Total Victory

Kraken Studios was created out of necessity rather than ambition. I’ve always loved strategy games, but I never imagined they could become a source of income. When my son was about six years old, we discovered on the autism spectrum. It became clear that both parents working fulltime wasn’t possible. He needed one of us home consistently, and no employer was willing to accommodate the frequency of time off required. 

Working part-time wasn’t sustainable, especially since my income fell under my wife’s much higher tax bracket which transformed my income to an almost insignificant amount. That’s when I made a decision that changed everything: I would become a game developer. My first real test was designing the final two expansion packs for Strategic Command 2. Their success proved I had the capability. In 2013, Kraken Studios was born.

 

I started by dreaming far too big. I had loved World War II strategy games since I was a teenager, so I set out to tackle the entire European Theater in a way no one had before. I had to relearn coding and teach myself Unity Engine from scratch. The early months were grueling, and I nearly quit more than once. Gradually, things started to click. I took the best ideas from every grand-strategy title I had ever played and merged them into one massive project. 

Six years later, after countless lessons, mistakes, and breakthroughs, the game released in October 2019. Matrix Games took a chance on me, guiding me through the process and helping refine my work. The code was messy but functional, and although the game launched with bugs, I attacked them relentlessly. I absorbed player feedback and applied everything I learned from my work on Strategic Command. My first game, WarPlan, became a success. 

With breathing room for the first time, I researched the industry more deeply. The data was sobering: most new developers struggle for years, many never earn a living, and beginners are urged to start small. Had I read that before diving into a massive project, I might never have begun. But by then I had discovered something important, I could perform nearly every function of a game development team. I could design, code, create art, build sound effects, handle support, and eventually, market my games. That versatility became my greatest advantage. 

In 2021, my next title was released: WarPlan Pacific. It is an evolution of WarPlan with new systems for the Pacific theater. I expected it to perform at about 40% of the original. The European theater historically draws far more players, a fact confirmed by market research. The game met my expectations. 

In 2024, I released Kingdom, Dungeon, and Hero. I had been studying the fantasy strategy landscape for years and saw a gap. No one had released a true fantasy wargame in a long time, and the last attempt had mixed reception. AAA titles were also missing something crucial, adventuring. With improved skills and experience, I rewrote my entire codebase using better structure and cleaner architecture. The resulting game blended wargame mechanics, light 4X, and hero adventuring. It launched with far fewer bugs than WarPlan and met all performance expectations. I am hoping to release a DLC in 2026.

 

My current project, Total Victory, is my most ambitious yet. Built on the refined code foundation of Kingdom, Dungeon, and Hero, it is a grand strategy WWII game covering both Europe and the Pacific. What differentiates it is the level of detail delivered without overwhelming the player. Like other grand-strategy titles, it is a corps-level game. It has the same stacking rules as WarPlan with a land, air, and fleet counter stacking in a single hex. Each counter contains underlying divisions, wings, and ships. The game includes 1,452 division types and 3,466 division names across land, sea, and air. It’s immense in scale while still focused on minimizing micromanagement. My goal is simple: to create the ultimate WWII grand strategy experience. The game is currently in Alpha. 

Kraken Studios succeeded because circumstances forced me to generate income due to my family needs. This change in my life uncovered a skill set I didn’t know I had. If my situation had been different, I might never have gone down this path. I feel fortunate today that my games provide a stable income for my family while allowing me the flexibility to meet their needs. My son is now thriving, attending university on scholarship and studying computer science. He hopes to follow in my footsteps and become a game developer. 

I am grateful to Hubert Cater for opening the door, to Matrix Games for giving me a chance, and to my wife for teaching me the foundations of application design. Their support made everything possible. I still have many games I want to build. I am always aiming to fill unmet niches, challenge players intellectually, and reduce needless complexity. Thank you to everyone who has supported my games over the years. 

Alvaro DeSousa, owner of Kraken Studios.

Warplan

Warplan Pacific

Total Victory

 

Interrogation of Marshall Barrington of Command Post Games

 Interrogation Files: Marshall Barrington of Command Post Games

**Q: Marshall, thanks for taking the time. Let’s start simple - who are you and what’s Command Post Games all about?**

**A:** I’m Marshall Barrington, founder and lead designer at Command Post Games. We’re the rebels of the wargaming industry - think of us as the Apple Computer of historical gaming. While everyone else is stuck making the same hex-and-counter complexity festivals, we’re reimagining what wargaming can be. Our flagship product is Pub Battles, and honestly, it’s causing quite a stir among the grognards.

**Q: “Rebels” is a strong word. What exactly are you rebelling against?**

**A:** The tyranny of the 100-page rulebook! Look, I love this hobby, but somewhere along the way we convinced ourselves that complexity equals realism. That’s like saying a car is better now because we just added 100 new buttons that you have to push while you are driving. 

 

I was at a convention last year watching two guys spend 45 minutes resolving a single combat because they had to total up and divide dozens of combat factors and cross-reference and apply 3 different modifier charts.  When they were done, somebody noticed that they forgot a rule 14.8.2.3 about the fatigue modifiers vary depending on different types morale.  Yep, so they had to start all over again.   Meanwhile, at the next table, two kids were playing Pub Battles and making brilliant tactical decisions in real-time. Which table looked more like actual command? The answer was obvious.

The entire industry has become obsessed with simulating every rivet on every tank instead of simulating the experience of command. We’re the guys saying, “Hey, what if we focused on the command decisions instead of the calculations?”

Monmouth

**Q: Tell us about Pub Battles. What makes it different?**

**A:** Pub Battles strips away all the mathematical noise and gets to the heart of command - making decisions with incomplete information. We use wooden blocks instead of counters, so you literally can’t see what your opponent is doing until you’re in contact. No charts, no modifiers, no PhD required.  You don’t have to roll on a table to ‘simulate’ the fog of war.  You just really don’t know where they are at. 

 

Here’s a story that sums it up perfectly: A veteran GMT player tried our Brandywine game at Origins. He kept asking, “When are they going to arrive?  Where are they going to come from?” Twenty minutes later, he was completely absorbed, moving his blocks intuitively, reading the battlefield like Washington actually had to. After the game, he said, “This feels more like commanding an army than any game I’ve ever played.”  That’s why the military loves to use are games for training.

   

That’s our secret weapon - we simulate the fog of war by actually putting it in the game, not by adding more rules that try to simulate it.

Real commanders didn’t have perfect information. They didn’t know exactly how many enemy units were in that forest or precisely what their combat strength was. They made gut decisions based on limited intel and battlefield intuition.

Traditional wargames give you godlike omniscience - you can see every unit, friendly and enemy.  You know every combat factor for attack and defense, morale, supply level, organization level and can calculate every possible modifier that could influence the combat result. That’s not command, that’s accounting. At the Battle of Antietam, McClellan thought he was outnumbered 2:1 when he actually had the advantage. Our hidden blocks system recreates that uncertainty naturally.

A friend of mine, a military historian, played our Little Bighorn game and said afterward, “For the first time in a wargame, I felt like I understood why Custer made the decisions he did - because I was making them with the same limited information he had.”

Brandywine

**Q: Are your rules too simple?  Don’t you lose historical accuracy and realism with only 4 pages of rules?**

**A:** That’s the beautiful irony - we’re actually MORE historically accurate and realistic, not less.  I’m not sure I can explain it.  It’s a paradox.  Like it’s really simple to design a very complex game.  It is extremely complex and difficult to design a simple game with few rules.  Less is more.  Here’s the key:  Just because there isn’t a rule for it, doesn’t mean it isn’t in the game.  It’s very deceptive in a way. 

   

Here’s an example:  You look at the pieces and they are just blocks.  No individually rated combat factors, movement factors, morale, etc.  They all kind of look the same.  Generic.  Like playing checkers, right?   WRONG!

It is all in there.  You just don’t see it.  It’s baked into the system.  We do have individually rated units.  Instead of different combat factors, or morale ratings, they are denoted by color:  militia, veteran and elite.  We also have gold, Guards units with special abilities.  They each have a very different feel and character in combat.   

Militia are very fragile.  With a little luck, they can dish out a blistering volley as good as anybody, but they can’t take it.  Their 1st hit in combat counts as 2.  So they will often break and run after the first round of combat.  Elite units are the opposite.  They shrug off and ignore their 1st hit.  This gives them a lot of staying power.  They have the discipline to just keep coming round after round under fire.  Pub Battles has all the same “crunch” and “detail” that we are used to seeing in wargames.  You just don’t have to slog through pages of rules to tons of number crunching to play it.  The system handles most of it for you. 

Antietam

  

**Q: Your games use miniature-style movement instead of hexes. That’s pretty radical for board wargaming.**

**A:** Why should geography be imprisoned in hexagons?   This hex is half woods and half clear, so what do we call it?  This road is in 1 hex but it zig zags around so much it should really be 2 hexes.  There are tons of inaccuracies and distortions in hexes.  You just don’t see them because the designers hid them all.  Real armies don’t do the drunken stagger across a hex grid and face only in 60-degree increments.

People are just used to hexes.  We don’t have to have them.  It takes a little getting used to.  I remember it felt a little confusing to me at first.  Where exactly IS this unit?  Is he in the woods or in the clear?  With a little practice, it’s actually really and very precise.  Do you know who picks it up right away?  Non wargamers.  Kids.  Wives.  It’s very intuitive, simple and obvious to them.  It’s in the woods because I put it in the woods.  It’s right here.  See?  It’s not confusing.  As wargamers, we’re just not used to seeing it that way. 

 

This is where our Apple DNA really shows. Steve Jobs famously said, “Think Different.” The wargaming industry has been so locked into hexes that they’ve forgotten movement can be organic and intuitive.  Especially when it comes to musket warfare.  It’s very linear.  The formed up in lines, fought to hold lines and moved in lines.  Trying to force all that into a awkward geometric hex grid just looks ridiculous.  It doesn’t fit.

  

With free movement, you can actually form your defensive line around the natural curve of Cemetery and Culp’s Hills.  Wellington can place his artillery just out of sight on the reverse side of the ridge line, not this weird hex sticking out here, that can’t be used because that’s where the grid hit out. Suddenly, terrain matters in ways that hex grids can never capture.

I remember watching a couple of grognards launching Pickett’s Charge in a regular hex game.  The line of contact is all jagged, right?  So they spent all this time, trying to analyze the hex grid.  Which attacks can they get 3 hexsides on vs just 2 or 1?  How many artillery factors do they need to add to each attack to maximize their odds ratio?

I mean to an outsider, it just looks silly.  Is that what Robert E. Lee spent his time doing to prepare for that attack?  Did Napoleon organize each regiment at Waterloo by calculating the best odds ratio for each exposed hexside?  In Pub Battles, it works like it does in real life.  Do you think now is a good time to send Pickett forward.  You move him up to attack or not.  Who exactly are they attacking?  We don’t know.  It might change before the end of the turn and we resolve the combat.  We shell the defender with artillery.  Did that flip them to spent?  They may rally.  They may fall back.  New units might move up to reinforce the defense.  The Federal artillery might open up and flip Pickett to spent status before contact.  There are many things at play but this is how war really works.  The game system encouraged historically accurate tactics organically.  It teaches you to think like a real general, not an accountant.  

Ligny

**Q: You face criticism from traditional wargamers. How do you respond?**

**A:** Same way Apple responded to IBM loyalists in the 80s - we stay focused on making better products for people who want something better.

Look, some grognards are never going to change. They’re invested in complexity the way IBM was invested in command lines and MS-DOS. They’ve spent decades mastering these systems and don’t want to admit there might be a better way. I get it.

But there’s a whole generation of potential wargamers who took one look at a traditional wargame rulebook and said, “Life’s too short.” We’re making games for them - and for the secret rebels inside the grognard community who are tired of being rules lawyers and accountants when they want to be generals.

One of our fans sent me a photo of him playing Pub Battles with his girlfriend.  “She hates my wargames but she does like Pub Battles.  She will play that.”  I’ve heard the same thing with kids too.  They grew up on computer games.  Their eyes glaze over when they see a 100 page, fine print wargame rulebook.  –but they will play Pub Battles.  “Dad, this is way cooler.”  If Wargaming is going to have a future, we need to start moving in new directions. 

 

In Development

**Q: What’s your vision for the future of wargaming?**

**A:** Yeah, exactly.  We want to be the gateway drug that brings a million new people into historical gaming. Right now, wargaming is this tiny, insular community because we’ve made it too intimidating for normal humans. That’s tragic, because history is fascinating and strategy is fun - when it’s not buried under mathematical complexity.

Hey, I’m a grognard too.  I love games like World in Flames or Advanced Squad Leader.  Pub Battles is too simple for you?  Fine, get it and play it anyways.  Here’s why:

Imagine walking into a restaurant and seeing a dad or grandpa playing Pub Battles with a kid.  Where regular families and people might actually see it.  Hey, what is that?  Looks like fun.  How does it work?   Imagine history teachers using games to show students why the South lost the Civil War and what command decisions really feel like. That’s our moonshot.

The traditional companies can keep making games for the 5,000 people who want to spend their weekend calculating combat ratios. We’re going after the 500,000 people who want to experience history without needing an engineering degree.

Coming Soon Austerlitz!

**Q: Any final thoughts for wargamers who might be curious about Command Post Games?**

**A:** Try thinking different about wargaming. Don’t take my word for it – go pick a Pub Battle at commandpostgames.com and try a game. We have a 100% money back, satisfaction guarantee.  Thirty minutes with Pub Battles will teach you more about command than thirty hours with a traditional monster game.

We’re not trying to destroy traditional wargaming - we’re trying to evolve it. The same way Apple didn’t destroy computers, they just made them human.

And to the grognards who are secretly tired of being spreadsheet warriors when they want to be Napoleon or Stonewall Jackson- welcome to the revolution. We saved you a seat at the pub.

-----

*Marshall Barrington is the founder and lead designer of Command Post Games. Their Pub Battles system covers conflicts from ancient Rome to World War II, all playable in under two hours with rules you can learn in ten minutes. Visit commandpostgames.com to join the simplicity revolution.*

 This is a rundown of games that are in development:

Pub Battles:  2nd Bull Run

Gruppenfuhrer:  Tactical WW2 Combat.

Supremacy SLBMs & Bombers

Fall of Berlin & Bulge:  Berlin is very close.  We are trying to rectify the system with Bulge and France 40.  If it works in all those places, it should be good for anything in WW2.

Pub Battles:  Borodino

Gettysburg Campaign:  Operational Scale.

Command Post Games