Relic Wars

by

Flying Pig Games

Designed by

Denver Walker

 This is written by the designer of Relic Wars, Denver Walker, and yes, she is related to that Mark Walker of wargaming fame. I guess the game designing bug is in the blood. The game will show up on Kickstarter next month and links to it and the game will be below. Without further ado here is what she has to say:

"Flying Pig Games Unleashes Relic Wars: A Tactical Fantasy Skirmish and Exploration Game by Denver Walker

Flying Pig Games is set to release Relic Wars, a fast-paced skirmish battler and exploration game designed by Denver Walker. Known for publishing award-winning wargames, Flying Pig is venturing into new territory with Relic Wars a game that blends tactical combat, magical relics, and tense player interaction. This is not a wargame. It's a savage fantasy experience full of cinematic moments, emergent strategy, and brutal decisions.

Relic Wars is a tactical, low-complexity game with high replayability and evolving strategies, designed for 2Ð4 players with stretch goals in the upcoming Kickstarter campaign expanding that count to 5, with the potential for 6. Players take control of deadly champions each with unique stats and special abilities and enter a cursed battlefield made of modular terrain tiles that are revealed and explored throughout the game.

At the heart of the game is movement, positioning, and light inventory management. Each turn, players may explore new terrain, gather powerful items, or engage in direct combat. Characters can equip swords, bows, shields, and spells each with upgradeable effects and use terrain to their advantage for defense or line-of-sight. Chalices, the games ultimate objective, are scattered across the board, drawing players into inevitable clashes.

Combat is fast, intuitive, and driven by custom dice. Each weapon and shield brings its own tactical flavor, and players can stack upgrades to modify their attack and defense pools. Divine Intervention cards drawn at the end of each player s turn inject wild, unpredictable effects into the game from healing to destruction.

Victory in Relic Wars is achieved in one of two high-stakes ways: eliminate all other players, or collect three chalices and survive one final round. Every decision whether to attack, retreat, upgrade, or press your luck can swing the tide of battle.

All Souls Expansion: Death Is Not the End

Included in the Kickstarter is the All Souls expansion, which adds an entirely new layer of gameplay introducing ghost characters, ethereal terrain, and supernatural relics. In All Souls, when a character is KOÕd and doesn't return through Divine Intervention, they return to the board as a ghost, gaining new ways to influence the game and even win.

Ghost players move freely across the battlefield, unhindered by terrain or crowding, and use the unique Haunt Die to perform powerful spectral actions like possession, invisibility, or echo life a ghostly attack. They can also win the game by collecting three chalices and surviving a final round, creating a new path to victory even after death.

The expansion includes:

* 4 ghost miniatures and character sheets

* New map tiles including The Graveyard and The Castle

* A powerful set of new Relic War Tokens like the Shroud of Turin, Crown of Thorns, Longinus the Centurion s Lance, and more

* The purple Haunt Die, used exclusively by ghost players

* New rules for haunting, manipulating the battlefield, and even banishing ghosts entirely

With All Souls, no one is ever truly eliminated. Every player remains active in the game, and ghosts become wild cards disrupting plans, hunting relics, and tilting the balance of power in unpredictable ways.

The game launches on Kickstarter on May 6th, and has already been selected as a Kickstarter Project We Love. Fans can follow the campaign now via the Kickstarter pre-launch page to be notified the moment it goes live. As a special reward for early supporters, the first three backers will be able to pledge for the full game at just $1 + shipping.

Relic Wars will also be featured on major tabletop media platforms, including Zilla Blitz's YouTube channel and Becca Scott's Good Time Society, giving players a front-row seat to gameplay previews, strategy tips, and behind-the-scenes content.

Designer Denver Walker, in her first published release, expresses deep pride and gratitude for the years of development and support that shaped Relic Wars. She worked closely with artist Riccardo DAriano, whose stunning artwork brings the world of Relic Wars vividly to life from the brooding characters to the haunting landscapes and every relic in between.

The game has been rigorously playtested by respected figures in the wargaming world, including Mark H. Walker ('65, '85, The Long Road, 2022 CSR Winner), Hermann Luttmann (A Most Fearful Sacrifice, The Rock of Chickamauga), Fred Manzo (developer), Greg Porter (Armageddon War), and many others.

With accessible mechanics, rich tactical depth, and a mix of exploration, combat, and clever maneuvering, Relic Wars marks an exciting evolution for Flying Pig Games and a thrilling debut from a rising designer."

 Normally I am much more excited about pushing Panzers and regiments, etc. around a board. However, this game has really caught my eye.

 This is a link to the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzxamH15Shc

Pre-launch page;

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markhwalker/relic-wars

 For the Empire: Canada & New Zealand in Italy

by

Flying Pig Games

This is an expansion for Old School Tactical Volume 4

 This is an expansion for the game Old School Tactical Volume IV: Italian Theater 1943-45. The parent game has been as greatly acclaimed as the other in the series. I am really pleased to say that you now get to fight in the environs of Monte Cassino. This means that you now get to fight with the British Empire's troops and also the German Fallschirmjäger (roughly hunters from the sky). They were also called the Green Devils in comparison to the British Red Devils of Arnhem fame. The campaign in Italy was an infantryman's war from first to last. It was a slow slog up the Italian Peninsula. For the Allies, it seemed that there was always another mountain to climb and fight over or an entire mountain chain. 'Smiling' Al Kesselring made the Allies pay for every inch of Italian soil they captured. 

 As is the norm with Flying Pig Games, the game comes with a very large map with 1" hexes. This means that the counters are also large and extremely easy to maneuver whatever your scale of dexterity is. Of course, this also means that the counters' information is large enough to almost read across the room. The counters have the obligatory picture of the units and weapons you will be playing with. It almost seems like Flying Pig Games has been developing games for us senior citizens in the Old Grognards Home at Shady Acres. With new elite units on both sides, the tactical battles are tense and portray the battles of the campaign to a "T". There are five scenarios about the fighting for Monte Cassion, one of my favorite battles to read about, and three for the savage battle for Ortona. Thank you, Flying Pig Games, for allowing me to review this excellent expansion to an excellent game and series. The only problem with this series of games is that at some point it has to end.

 This is what Flying Pig Games has to say about it:

 "When Great Britain once again found herself in war, she sent out a call to her Commonwealth allies.  They stepped forward and answered the call, as they always had done.

New Zealand was in the thick of the action from the beginning.  The Kiwis fought bravely in the Balkans and Greece in the battle for Crete and were a key force in the North African campaign.

The New Zealanders came to Italy with the same amount of fight.  Among the many battles they faced, they were tasked with a difficult struggle to take the fortress at Monte Cassino.

The Canadian Navy fought vigorously in the battle for the North Atlantic, but the army was static, stationed in the British Isles.  But they were itching to get into the scrap.

They got what they wanted when their soldiers and tankers were added to Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.  They were bloodied and they learned.

They carried on to the Italian boot and fought their way North through difficult terrain against a determined enemy that always had the advantage. Many battle honors were earned, one being the terrible Christmas in Ortona."

 This is what comes with the game:

A large map (30" x 41") game map (hexes are 1") that depicts urban ruins and Italian countryside for units to fight on

Two sheets of counters which add Canadian and New Zealand units, including the M5 Ram, the Fox Armored Car, AT74 Sticky Bomb, 6-Pounder ATG, Sherman V, 2" Mortar, Sapper squads, and much more

Also added are the German Fallschirmjäger

A full-color playbook with 14 scenarios involving these units

Robert Peterson

Flying Pig Games

For the Empire

Old School Tactical Volume 4: Italian Theater 1943-45

A Mark H. Walker Game

Designed by Shayne Logan

by

Flying Pig Games

 Churchill's 'Soft Underbelly of Europe' did not seem so soft or easy as Churchill had in mind. The Allies had knocked Italy out of the war with the invasion of the Italian mainland at Salerno. Unfortunately, they forgot to tell the Germans to take their ball and go home. 'Smiling Al' Kesselring was going to make the Allies pay for every inch of Italian soil that they took. The mountains and rivers of Italy were the perfect natural barriers for the Germans to use to make the Allied offensive a slow grinding process. Even after Rome had fallen, Germans did not give up and were still a thorn in the Allied side until the end of the war.

 This is what comes with the game:

3 sheets of unit, weapon, vehicle, and condition counters

A large (We are talking HUGE!) 30" x 41" mounted game map, hexes are 1"

27 luck cards, such as Tank Killer, No More, and Veteran Skills

40+ unit data cards

Full-color Playbook with 14 scenarios, including SAS Raiders- British SAS commandos search for the Italian howitzers to protect the landings in Sicily and Fallen Allies- with the capitulation of the Italian state, the Germans moved quickly to seize power.  Some Italian units did not go peacefully.

2 x player aid cards

Color rule book

Dice

Massive box  

 The Soaring Swine have, and rightly so, a reputation for beautiful and huge, not just large, wargames. The components that come inside this extremely large box are completely up to that reputation.

 The very well-done map shows both the pastoral and rugged terrain that the Allies and Axis soldiers fought over. It does not show the really rugged terrain of the Battle of Monte Cassino. This is shown in the OST Volume 4 expansion 'For the Empire' (that also includes the Commonwealth forces that fought in Italy). As usual, the hexes are large and show exactly what terrain is in each one. You get a Rulebook that is magazine type in style and is 25 pages long and also has an index. You also get an 18-page Playbook in the same style as the Rulebook. Both are in full color and the Rulebook is studded with examples of play etc. The players each get their own aid card with all of the terrain, CRTs, and pretty much everything else you need to play. The counters, along with everything else, are made to the same high standard that we have come to expect from Flying Pig Games. Next up, we have three countersheets. Two are for the units and one for gameplay. The infantry counters are 3/4" large and the armor etc. are 7/8". Then we have a deck of unit data cards, and another deck marked 'luck'. 

 The scenarios included run the gamut from the fighting in Sicily to the landing at Anzio near Rome. I was very happy to see that they included one of the more successful Italian pieces of armor: the Semovente. This was roughly the Italian equivalent of an assault gun/tank destroyer. It was probably smaller than the Hetzer, but it gave a good account of itself in battle.

 Thank You, Flying Pig Games, for allowing me to review another of your games in the Old School Tactical Series. The original game was about the fighting in Western Europe. They followed it up with Volume 2 taking place on the Eastern Front and Volume 3 in the Pacific. They also have an equally wonderful series called 'Black Swan' that was designed by the master Hermann Luttmann. This includes his magnum opus A Most Fearful Sacrifice. This has been joined by a game on the almost historical Pipe Creek campaign. The next massive beauty in the series is coming up and is called The Rock of Chickamauga. 

 I will have at least one more follow up piece on the actual gameplay of OST Volume 4.

Robert Peterson

Old School Tactical Volume 4: Italian Theater 1943-45

Flying Pig Games

My Review of Old School Tactical Volume I

My Review of Old School Tactical Volume II

 Alone in the Mountains

Solitaire Expansion for Afghanistan Graveyard of Empires '85

by

Flying Pig Games

 This is the third component of a scheduled 3 reviews/looks at the game '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires and this solitaire expansion for it. The year is 1985 and the Soviet Union is dealing with the morass that they encountered when they invaded and staged a coup in Afghanistan. It has now been six years and counting with the Soviet Union seeing no end in sight of the war.

 The main point of attraction of Flying Pig Games for us older grognards is the sheer size of the components in their games. We can actually see and manipulate the counters. This is besides the absolute wonderful gameplay, which is not at the cost of historical accuracy. These Vietnam and other Cold War wargames are of the tactical flavor. Here are the other games that belong to the Squad Battles Series:

'65 Squad-Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam

'95: The Years of Sorrow

 Flying Pig Games also has these tactical games about Modern War and slightly beyond:

The Long Road: World War III... With a Twist (This has some Sci-Fi and horror elements that you can add to the gameplay.)

Armageddon War: Platoon Level Combat in the End War

 They also have an incredible line-up of Civil War games and their large award-winning World War II Old School Tactical wargames.

 However, let us get to the task at hand and look at this solitaire expansion.

The full counter sheet

 This is what comes with the game:

1 -11" x 17" geomorphic map, that is compatible with the Graveyard of Empires maps

1 - Sheet of additional 1" counters

1 - Full color Rules and Scenarios booklet

27 - Solitaire Action Cards

2 - Full color Player Aid Cards

Close-up of a card and the counters

Bot rules

  I would like to say that there is something stupendously new about Alone in the Mountains. Unfortunately, I cannot. Possibly, not for the reasons you are thinking. The solo bot in this game is just a slightly refined solo experience from other Flying Pigs Games. This means that you get a full-fledged solo experience instead of just a tacked on one in the end. Their solo bot experience is like you are playing another player, albeit not a player who has his mind elsewhere and not on the game. 

 The game comes with six scenarios. However, it is extremely easy to develop your own for the main game as well, if you are so inclined. 

 The game itself, along with the expansion, is a treat for someone who would like to play a tactical game from the Cold War era. 

A close-up of some of the counters from the expansion

The news from Flying Pig Games is that more spectacular gaming goodness is heading our way. It may seem over the top, but try it, you'll like it Mikey. 

The first is another volume in the Old School Tactical library: Old School Tactical V4: Italian Theater 1943-45 and its expansion For the Empire.

Next up, is their treatment of the Battle of Chickamauga by Hermann Luttmann Rock of Chickamauga. This is a follow-up to their blockbuster A Most Fearful Sacrifice game about the Battle of Gettysburg.  This is a link to the Kickstarter:

The Rock of Chickamauga by Mark H. Walker — Kickstarter

 I will have a review forthcoming on Old School Tactical V4: The Italian Theater 1943-45.

Robert

These are the other two parts to my review of Graveyard of Empires '85

Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires by Flying Pig Games - A Wargamers Needful Things

Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires by Flying Pig Games part Deux - A Wargamers Needful Things

Flying Pig Games

Best Strategic War Games | Flying Pig Games

Alone in the Mountains Solitaire Expansion for Afghanistan Graveyard of Empires '85

Flying Pig Games

'85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires

Flying Pig Games

 Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires

by

Flying Pig Games

Part Deux

 So, we left off with a bit of history about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The repercussions of that event are still being felt around the world. It directly led to the later US involvement in the 'Graveyard of Empires'. It is pretty hard to imagine that the timeline for all of these events up until now is only 45 years. However, this game deals specifically with the Soviet Union against the Afghanistan Mujahideen, a name the western countries have had to learn all about in the ensuing years.

 I can never play a game without a tie-in to a movie or a book that I am perusing at the time. In this case, I was presented with the game and had to find something to get me into the mood to play it. The movie 'The Beast', fit the bill nicely. The movie is about a T-55 and its crew in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupancy during the 1980s. It is an excellent movie about people fighting for their homeland. It also shows the savagery of the women against the invaders. Many times, during the centuries, invaders would be much better off being captured by the men they were fighting instead of their womenfolk. Well, that is enough of that, onto part deux. 

 For those of you not living under some strata of compressed earth Mark H. Walker's name should be well known. This is what his website has to say:

"Mark has been designing board and computer games for over a decade. In that time, he has designed over a dozen games and developed, produced, and published over 100 more. In November of 2014 Mark founded Flying Pig Games, a game company dedicated to publishing high-quality strategy games. In September off 2015, Mark opened the doors to a second game imprint, Tiny Battle Publishing. (I think you have to tack on just a few more years than a decade by now)"

 This game is the second in the series of 'Squad Level Battle Games' the first was '65 Squad-Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam'. Unfortunately, '65 is out of print but do yourself a favor and look for it in the resale market. One of Mr. Walker's axioms is 'the playing is the thing', meaning that the rules will be as condensed and easy to understand as possible, among other things. He wants the player to be playing and not reading a 100-page rulebook. This is shown in all of his designs that I have played, and '85 is no different. One other thing that his games are known for its size. I am not talking about table space. I am talking about the size of the counters, hexes, and the writing in the rulebooks etc. I am assuming because he is an old grognard he feels pity on the rest of us grumblers and our fading eyesight. 

 If you have played '65 you really only need to glance at the new rulebook to get up and running. As mentioned, the rulebook is extremely large in print and thin on length. It has both a Contents and an Index. If you cannot find your way around it, then I suggest that wargaming may not be your best choice for a hobby. To put it into perspective, this is a rulebook that deals with squad-level war in the almost modern battlefield. We are talking missiles and all the new-fangled weaponry that they had in the 1980s. To be able to make a rulebook for a game in the modern era that is also easy to read and understand, and also be terse, is pretty much unheard of. 

 These are some of the units you will be sing or fighting against:

T-55

T-62

BTR-70

BMP-1

Mi-24

RPG equipped infantry

Spetsnaz

DHSK

Numerous rifle equipped units

Commanders

 At first, it seems that fighting the bear that went over the mountain is pointless. However, if there ever was a country that guerilla war could thrive in it is Afghanistan. True, there are no jungles, but the terrain is tailor made for the defender. Without the 21st century's drones the battles devolve into small knife fights. The Russian player at times will feel like he is trying to kill a wasp with a 20lb sledgehammer. The trick for the Afghan player is not to have the sledgehammer land. The gameplay is fairly reminiscent of the US against the North Vietnamese in the game '65. In both the under armed side had best use Ali's axiom and 'Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee". The Soviet ability to use helicopters really puts you to the test when defending against them.

 

 This is a game on the squad-level. Each one of your units/counters means a lot. You cannot go crashing in guns blazing and not expect to not take horrific casualties. The eight scenarios are spread out among a varied amount of different type actions. The fact that you can receive any variation of the Action Cards means that each time you play a scenario it is different. You have no idea of what your enemy is holding in his hand, or you in yours. It will also be easy to make your own scenarios. If you are into historically accurate games where the game play is paramount, then look no further. This game has a huge amount of game play in it along with some of the largest counters I have ever seen. Thank you again Soaring Porcine Amusements for allowing me to review '85.

 The next part of the trilogy will deal with the solitaire expansion '85 Alone in the Mountains'.

Robert

Flying Pig Games:

Best Strategic War Games | Flying Pig Games

Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires:

Flying Pig Games

 Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires

by

Flying Pig Games

 We are going to do things a little differently this time around. I am going to make this a three part look at this game. I am also going to start off with something that I have never done, which is an unboxing for the first part. The second part will be a look at the actual game play and the third will be a look at Alone in the Mountains: '85 Solitaire Expansion.

 The year is 1979 and the Cold War is in full swing. Some people in the Kremlin decided that it was a good idea to invade Afghanistan and put their own puppet government in place. Afghanistan had been a country that had been a tough nut to crack for many armies and governments for thousands of years. It was the map board used in the 'Great Game' by Russia and England in their attempt to conquer more of Asia in the 19th century. Afghans have a well-deserved reputation for being hard fighters and implacable foes. They also invented Polo and enjoyed using the heads of their enemies as the ball. This should clearly clue you in as to the mettle of the Afghans. 

 The back of the box says:

"'85: Graveyard of Empires is the second game in the Squad Battles series. Building on the mechanics introduced in '65 Squad Battles in the Jungles of Vietnam, Graveyard of Empires features tense squad-level battles between the Afghan Mujahideen and the Soviet Red Army in an exciting card-driven, hex-and-counter game."

 As an aside, if you haven't heard of or played '65 Squad Battles in the Jungles of Vietnam, do yourself a favor and look into that excellent game.

This shows some of the counters and a piece of a map from the game

  This is what comes with the game:

5 richly illustrated, 11” x 17” geomorphic game boards. 

4 lavish sheets of thick 1” and 1.375” counters. 

1 deck of 54 action cards, 4 Event Cards, 5 Bonus Victory Condition Cards. 

Full color rules and scenario booklet.

Player Aid Cards, 

Terrain Effect Charts.

A die.

A box to keep it safe and warm.

 I thought one-inch counters were big. These 1.375" ones, for aircraft, tanks, and other vehicles are massive. Yes, the hexes are quite large enough to not be dwarfed by those counters.

 Because of the size of the counters, there are only so many counters that come with the game. However, just like its older brother '65, this game is about Squad Battles and not large military actions. So, you have more than enough counters, and a good variety of them, to keep you playing for a good long time. 

 The game boards all fold out to give you their 11" x 17" full size. The landscape that the game represents is seen in in wonderful detail, if a little muted in color. They represent the different battlefields extremely well. 

 The Player Aids are 8.5" x 11" in size, and they are made of card stock. One gives you the Sequence of Play and a turn record track. The other is two-sided and has the Terrain Effects Chart on one side and the Range Modifiers etc. on the other.

 The Rule Book is 35 pages in length. It is in full color and is in nice, large, type for us aging grognards. It comes with plenty of example of the rules. The Rule Book also has all nine of the game's scenarios included in it; the ninth scenario was a Kickstarter exclusive. This does not seem like many. However, the game is card-driven so you have endless possibilities for a hand of different cards each time you play a scenario. Because of their small size, it does not look like it would be any trouble to make your own scenarios to add to the mix.

 The deck has 54 Action Cards in it. These have actions for both sides in the game on them. The cards are also used to determine hits on vehicles. There are also four event cards. The above says it comes with five Bonus Victory Condition Cards, although my game came with 11.

Action Card

 If you have bought or played any of the different games from Flying Pig Games, you will be excited about the care and attention that is given to the manufacturing of them. If for nothing else, you should look at the Flying Ham Steaks rendition of Hermann Luttman's 'A Most Fearful Sacrifice'. Yes, once again it is out of stock. I do believe that it will be reissued again and again as that magnum opus deserves. I had the pleasant experience of playing '65 more than a few times and by looking at '85's rules it looks like playing this game will be just as enjoyable. 

 Thank you, Flying Pig Games, for letting me take a look at and review '85 Graveyard of Empires. Stayed tuned on this same bat channel for the other two perusals of the game.

Robert

Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires:

Flying Pig Games

 Old School Tactical VOL IV on Kickstarter NEXT WEEK! First pledgers get a game for $1 USD

by

Flying Pig Games

 The portable porcines are at it again! OST Volume IV begins selling on KS on September 21st 12 EDT.

 This is straight from the old boar's mouth:

"Old School Tactical, the acclaimed tabletop wargame series, is gearing up for its next exciting installment as it transports gamers to the battlefields of the Italian Theater during World War II. The much-anticipated Old School Tactical Volume IV, along with its expansion "For the Empire," is set to launch on Kickstarter on September 21st at 12 Noon EDT.

This Kickstarter campaign promises an opportunity for history buffs and strategy enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the intense battles that defined the Italian campaign from 1943 to 1945.

Sign up to be notified the second we go live: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markhwalker/old-school-tactical-vol-iv-italian-theater-1943-45.

After the success of the Allied forces in North Africa, strategists turned their attention to what was deemed the 'soft underbelly' of Europe — Italy. The campaign was devised to eliminate Italy from the Axis alliance and divert Axis troops from other fronts. Commencing with the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, the Allies embarked on a relentless push against formidable resistance. The drive through Sicily, the landing at Salerno, the harrowing Anzio beachhead, and the continuous push towards Rome were marked by numerous river valleys and fortified defensive lines that posed immense challenges for both sides. Names like the Volturno River, the Rapid River, the Liri Valley, the Gustav Line, and the Caesar Line became synonymous with the grueling battles that unfolded. The campaign exacted a heavy toll on both Allied and Axis forces and concluded on May 2, 1945, with the formal surrender of all Axis troops in Italy.

Old School Tactical Volume IV introduces gamers to this demanding theater of World War II, featuring British forces engaging German and Italian units in treacherous terrain. Players will command Vickers machine guns, Commandos, Bren guns, PIATs, and sticky bombs as part of the British arsenal, alongside an array of vehicles such as Sherman and Churchill tanks. The German and Italian forces, on the other hand, deploy formidable panzers, including the Marder III and Elefant.

A visually stunning map depicting the picturesque Italian countryside has been meticulously designed to provide the backdrop for thrilling scenarios included in the playbook.

Old School Tactical is a two-player wargame that allows players to recreate these historic battles using counters representing soldiers, weapons, and vehicles. The gameplay revolves around the strategic use of Impulse Points to coordinate actions for each player's forces. At the end of each battle, casualties and victory points are tallied to determine the victor.

Infantry units target other soft units using their Firepower value against the target's Defense value, with the attack's effectiveness influenced by Leadership, support weapons, and terrain. Close Combat occurs during intense situations when infantry units move into enemy hexes. Assaults are resolved using the Infantry Combat Table, and the results are implemented. Attacking armored vehicles involves rolling to hit the target, and the attacker's Firepower is applied against the target's defense values. Dice rolls for vehicles are made using the Vehicle Combat Table.

Each game includes:

3 sheets of unit, weapon, vehicle, and condition counters.

A large 30" x 41" mounted game map with 1" hexes.

18 luck cards with unique effects.

36 unit data cards.

Scenarios such as "Find Those Guns," "Guards Brigade," and "Fallen Allies."

A player aid card.

A color rule book.

Dice.

A massive box to store all components.

Old School Tactical IV Italian Theater 1943-45 and "For the Empire" expansion offer an immersive and historically accurate gaming experience that will delight both veteran wargamers and newcomers alike. Don't miss your chance to be part of this Kickstarter campaign and secure exclusive rewards. Sign up at the provided link to be notified when the campaign goes live.

About Old School Tactical:

Old School Tactical is a renowned tabletop wargame series that brings historical battles to life through strategic gameplay. Developed by Mark H. Walker, the series has gained a dedicated following for its authenticity and immersive experience. Old School Tactical Volume IV takes players to the challenging Italian Theater of World War II, introducing British, German, and Italian forces in epic battles. The "For the Empire" expansion adds depth and excitement to the gameplay, offering players a chance to rewrite history through strategic decisions and tactical brilliance."

Mark H. Walker

Owner, Flying Pig Games

 Red Blitz

An Expansion for Old School Tactical Volume 1 Second Edition

by

Flying Pig Games

 Flying Pig Games should have really used hog instead of pig for its flying porcine. Their games are enormous with massive maps that come with 1" hexes. The counters come in two sizes. The armored vehicles are 7/8" and the soldier, etc. ones at 3/4".

 This is what Flying Pig Games has to say about Red Blitz:

"In the vein of Old School Tactical Vol 2's Phantom Division we present Red Blitz. This boxed expansion will add more scenarios that occur during the vicious fighting of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944.

Specifically, there are 6 challenging new scenarios, and an extended battle to be gamed on Vol I's Map 1. The extended battle is a multi-part legacy scenario, where the day's gains remain in your hands and reinforcements are fed into the battle. A running score is kept and the winning side is determined at the end of all the rounds.  

The "one-off" scenarios are fought on 4 new pocket maps, depicting summer and winter terrain. Additionally, Red Blitz presents new combatants, including the SU-76M, SU-85, OT-34, PT34, ISU-152, IS-2, StuH-42 and the Nashorn."

Red Blitz Includes:

4 new 11" x 17" game maps (4 x summer and 4 x winter).

A playbook with 6 new scenarios and a separate, new campaign.

A sheet of gorgeous counters, including--but not limited to-- the new units cited above.

A box to keep everything safe and warm.

This is an expansion. You must own Old School Tactical Vol I 2nd Edition to play.

 The expansions maps are up to Flying Pig Games usual beauty and usefulness. They are paper maps and not mounted. To me it is not big deal. I just break out the plexiglass. Some people may feel differently. The Maps are 'Pocket Maps' numbers four through seven. The Maps are identical on both sides except for one side is summer and one is winter. The counters are just as huge and little works of art like all of the Flying Pig Games I have seen. The vehicle/weapon cards are also up to the same high standards. There are four German cards and six Soviet ones. The Soviet player gets some monster tanks (IS 2, and ISU 152) along with a flamethrower T-34 and a mine sweeping one. The Playbook is fourteen pages long. It is in full color and has large type that is easy to read. All but one page is devoted to the new scenarios. The expansion's components are all comparable to the ones you get with the main games. 

 Once again, Flying Pig Games has given us a very nice expansion to one of their core games. To play the scenarios in Red Blitz you need to either have a copy of Old School Tactical Volume I 2nd Edition or the 2nd Edition Upgrade for the original Old School Tactical. The scenarios will also need some of the counters from the main game. The new maps and units, especially the units, bring a great amount of added value to the base game. Thank you, Flying Pig Games for allowing me to review this expansion. 

 If you have not looked at Hermann Luttmann's magnum opus 'A Most Fearful Sacrifice' game about the Battle of Gettysburg, you owe yourself to take a look. Here is my review of it:

A Most Fearful Sacrifice: The Three Days of Gettysburg a Hermann Luttmann Game by Flying Pig Games - A Wargamers Needful Things

Robert

Flying Pig Games:

Flying Pig Games

Flying Pig Games Red Blitz:

Old School Tactical Red Blitz | Flying Pig Games

 

'85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires 

by

Flying Pig Games

 The aeronautical porcine is at it once again. This time they take us to Afghanistan in the 1980s. This is when the USSR tried their hand at pacifying that country. For Russia to have control of Afghanistan had long been a part of their strategy. England and Russia played the 'Great Game' for it during the 19th century. Now the USSR tries to see if they can do better than the Tsars. This is the second game in their Squad Battle Series. The first was '65 Squad Level Combat in Vietnam, which has earned some very deserved kudos from the wargaming public.

  This game is on Kickstarter right now. It has already almost doubled the first pledge hurdle. Now it is working on its stretch goals.

 "’85 Graveyard of Empires is the second game in the Squad Battles series. Building on the mechanics introduced in ’65 Squad Battles in the Jungles of Vietnam, Graveyard of Empires (GoE) features squad-level battles between the Afghan Mujahideen and Soviet Red Army in a card-driven, hex and counter game."

  "GOE introduces card-activated events, immersive helicopter rules, more tactical decisions, new powers and abilities, and of course beautiful counter and game board art. The counters are 1” or larger (for the vehicles) and the game board hexes are huge. Included are counters for Mujahideen RPG and RPD teams, rifle squads and heroes, as well as captured T-55 and BMP armored fighting vehicles. The Soviets respond with Spetsnaz, line rifle squads, heroes, Hind-24 attack helicopters and several types of AFVs, such T-55, T-62 tanks, BMPs, BTRs, and more."

 To add to the game, you can also buy an add-on that allows you to play solitaire.

 "Alone in the Mountains is a solitaire expansion for '85 Graveyard of Empires. Utilizing an updated version of the same solitaire system used in Night of Man and '65 Squad Battles in the Jungle of Vietnam, Alone in the Mountains comes complete with a full sheet of counters, a new map, rules, solitaire action cards, and 6 solitaire scenarios for Graveyard of Empires. All that for only $45."

 The soaring swine have some of the largest and beautifully made games in the wargaming world. I urge you to take a look at this and all the others they have to offer.

Robert

'85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires -A Squad Battles Game by Mark H. Walker — Kickstarter

A Most Fearful Sacrifice 2nd Edition/Reprint | Flying Pig Games

Old School Tactical | Flying Pig Games