Strategy and Wargaming

Source: Blue’s News

Creative Assembly announces Total War: SHOGUN II – Fall of the Samurai is now part of their Total War Saga series under the new title of A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI. This is now available on Steam, and all existing owners are receiving all of the game’s faction pack DLCs except the Blood Pack for free. For everyone else, the Windows, macOS, and Linux game is now available for 75% off. There are more details on the change on the Total War Blog, and here’s an overview:

FALL OF THE SAMURAI has always encapsulated what Creative Assembly believe a Saga title should aspire to in terms of their size and scope. These titles take the grand strategy and real-time battles of a core Total War game and channel them into an intense flashpoint of history, letting you experience and ultimately determine the outcome of pivotal moments in history when the future of entire nations hung in the balance.

FALL OF THE SAMURAI depicts the dramatic clash of traditional Samurai culture with the explosive power of modern weaponry, and now includes all DLC faction packs. Set 400 years after the events of Total War: SHOGUN 2, you must guide ancient Japan into the modern age as the arrival of America, Britain and France incites a ferocious civil war which will decide the future of a nation.

The legendary RTS series reaches the cold war era

Today, 1C Entertainment and developer Digitalmindsoft are excited to announce the latest iteration in its long-running Men of War RTS series: Men of War: Assault Squad 2 – Cold War. Available as a standalone expansion, the game launches on Steam on September 12. This marks the series’ first foray into this iconic era, bringing with it all the tense, military tactics players have come to expect from the series, told against the backdrop of the heated conflict between the United States and Soviet Union.

Watch the Men of War: Assault Squad 2 – Cold War Announcement Trailer HERE.

Building upon the framework of Men of War: Assault Squad 2, Cold War introduces a brand-new feature to the series: dynamic campaign creation. Mirroring the ever-present feeling of dread that permeated the era, dynamic campaign creation ensures no two campaign experiences play out the same in single player and co-op. From randomized skirmishes to custom army compositions, players will be forced to think on their feet in the heat of battle.

Men of War: Assault Squad 2 – Cold War also marks the return of the series’ genre-defining RTS combat. Players take control of vast armies of U.S. or Soviet soldiers, tanks, helicopters and more as they take this historic struggle to series-first locales. From sleepy winter villages to fortified border zones, Direct Control mode returns, giving players unprecedented control over their forces, allowing them to control single units in a bid to out-maneuver their enemies. Couple this with online multiplayer to match the game’s dynamic single player and co-op campaigns, and Men of War fans have a lot to be excited about!

Key Features:

• Pick your side: The United States of America versus the Soviet Union
• Dynamic campaign creation makes singleplayer and cooperative campaign play extremely replayable with randomized skirmish battles and custom army compositions
• Competitive online multiplayer modes
• Combined arms game mode: Capture and hold flag points using all military means possible
• Annihilation game mode: Dominate the enemy or capture their base, as valuable resources can be secured on the battlefield
• Command large armies or control single units with the series-defining direct control mode

Men of War: Assault Squad 2 – Cold War launches on Steam this September. For more information, make sure to Wishlist the game on Steam and follow Digitalmindsoft and 1C Entertainment on Twitter.

Matrix Games today announced that Order of Battle: Red Star, the first expansion of a planned trilogy covering the full extent of WWII from the Soviet point of view, has just been released! Get it now and join the Soviet corps!

Watch the Order of Battle: Red Star Gameplay Trailer HERE.

There’s more! Thanks to a special sale starting today and ending on August 15th, you have the opportunity to get all the previous DLCs of Order Of Battle discounted for 50% off! Get them while you can!

Watch the Order of Battle: Red Star Preview Trailer HERE.

Set in a new theater of war, the new expansion for Order of Battle: World War II puts the player in charge of the Soviet army. Starting with the fight against the Imperial Japan, players will get transferred to Europe in 1939. Red Star covers the battles of the Red Army in the years 1938-41.

The game starts with the Battle of Lake Khasan (July 29, 1938 – August 11, 1938), the attempted military incursion by the Japanese from Manchukuo, into territory claimed by the Soviet Union. It continues with the conflict of Khalkhin Gol, the decisive battle of the undeclared Soviet-Japanese Border War. Repel the Japanese and expel them from Mongolia!

Then, get transferred to Europe and participate in the Soviet invasion of Poland (as result of the so-called non-aggression pact with Germany). and win the Finnish forces moving your steps in the gelid Winter War!

The last stage of the DLC from summer 1941 deals with the German invasion of the USSR and ends with the battle of Moscow in Dec. 1941.

You can purchase Order of Battle: Red Star from the Matrix Games store or via Steam.

The Soviet Army is approaching

Matrix Games has announced that Order of Battle: Red Star, the first expansion of a planned trilogy covering the full extent of WWII from the Soviet point of view, will be released on August 8th.

Be ready to command the Soviet Army through a new exciting theater of war! Red Star covers the battles of the Red Army in the years 1938-41.

Mark the date into your calendar and get more information on its official product page.

Command three legendary heroes against an endless horde!

Dynasty mode brings a brand-new free game mode to Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, designed in collaboration with Intel®. This new horde-style mode allows players to test their survival prowess against waves of enemies with ever-increasing difficulty levels using an army comprised solely of three hero units.

Characters in Dynasty mode are legendarily powerful and have access to a plethora of unique abilities, from healing buffs to area-based attacks which can floor droves of soldiers at a stroke. As your enemies fall to the might of your heroes, they grow in strength and size over time with generals taking to the field of battle every third wave in an attempt to halt your dominance. Defeating them earns your heroes extra points to spend on new skills between waves.

Players can also increase the challenge using the new unit size slider which enables players to drastically increase the unit size of the enemies they face from the standard 80 men up to a gargantuan 960 men per unit. This will test both their heroes’ skills – and their PCs’ performance – to the max!

Will you and your dynasty survive the forthcoming tide?

Watch the Total War: THREE KINGDOMS – Dynasty Mode Trailer HERE.

More details on Dynasty Mode can be found on the Total War blog.

Source: Blue’s News

Beamdog announces a July 31st Early Access release date for Axis & Allies 1942 Online, the Avalon Hill board game adaptation they unveiled earlier this year. This is coming to Steam, where the listing has details on what to expect from the game:

German tanks mobilize in the west, blitzing into France and pushing back the Soviet Union in eastern Europe. The United States rises in response to Japanese aggression in the Pacific. The United Kingdom rallies allies as bombers menace the skies. The year is 1942, and the world is at war!

Axis & Allies 1942 Online is an official adaptation of the beloved strategic board game, Axis & Allies, and includes the 1942 Second Edition game board and rules.

Axis & Allies 1942 Online accommodates 1-5 players, each controlling one or more of the Axis or Allied powers in Online Multiplayer, Hot Seat, or Single Player mode against the computer AI. Players command both their country’s military forces and its war-time economy.

Victory goes to the side that conquers its opponents on the field of battle and occupies the greatest cities of the world. Will the Axis continue to spread across the globe unchecked, or will the Allies rally to push back against imperialistic tyranny? Challenge your friends and change the course of history!

Many ways to play!

• Hotseat play for 2 to 5 players
• Online multiplayer allows you play with allies and enemies across the world
• Challenge yourself against AI

Features

• The complete Axis & Allies 1942 Second Edition experience
• Play online with your friends
• Optional computer AI players
• Learn to play with introductory tutorials
• Asynchronous gameplay with custom defense profiles
• Selectable victory conditions
• Keep informed with the action log and war diary
• Over 20 minutes of all-new period appropriate music

Click here to visit the official Axis & Allies 1942 Online website.

Matrix Games has released a new set of screenshots from the turn-based, tactical/operational war game Campaign Series: Vietnam, currently being developed by Campaign Series Legion, the veteran studio behind Campaign Series: Middle East.

The series portrays battles spanning from 1948 to 1979. Each scenario is played on a unique, historical map with nine view modes. Scenario maps are based on topographic maps from the period created on a hex grid. Hexes are 250 meters across.

Each scenario is based on a painstakingly researched historical engagement and has a variable number of turns in which you and your opponent attempt to achieve the maximum number of victory points, usually by destroying your opponent’s forces or by capturing objective locations. A wide variety of battle situations are represented in the game, including firebase defense, helicopter air assaults, meeting engagements, trench defenses, armored breakthroughs, battles of attrition, mobile defenses, search and destroy, and more.

The development of the game is progressing very fast and we are happy to show you screenshots featuring the Battle of Rung Sat and the encirclement of A Shau Camp.

Get more information about Campaign Series: Vietnam from its official product page.

New Chapter Pack introduces eight new and unique playable faction leaders, infantry-crushing heavy cavalry and more.

The year is 291 CE, and the Jin Dynasty is divided. A generation has passed since the tumultuous events of the Three Kingdoms period began. Despite the brief unification of the kingdoms under the Jin dynasty, civil war was never more than a heartbeat away. Its many ruling princes are hungry for power, each with self-serving ambitions and views of their own. Will you stand by the emperor, or will you carve out a legacy that will echo through the ages?

Watch the Total War: THREE KINGDOMS – Eight Princes Reveal Trailer HERE.

Playable in both Records and Romance mode, the Eight Princes Chapter Pack is a new standalone campaign which takes place in the immediate aftermath of the THREE KINGDOMS storyline. This pack introduces eight legendary princes to Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, each with their own unique traits, playstyles, and units such as the revered heavy cataphract cavalry, mounted archers, and imperial guardsmen.

Eight Princes can be pre-ordered here via Steam.

The day has come! Today you’ll have the opportunity to get one of the most anticipated strategy games, set in the Ancient Era. Today is Field of Glory: Empires day!

Choose one from among 77 civilizations of that time and be prepared for the greatest challenge ever made: to preserve and to enrich the Culture of your Civilization, making your Legacy stand for centuries.

Field of Glory: Empires is a grand strategy game in which you will have to move in an intricate and living tapestry of nations and tribes, each one with their distinctive culture. Set in Europe and in the Mediterranean Area during the Classical Age, experience what truly means to manage an Empire.

Expand your dominion through wars of conquest and make your culture a beacon of light, but be careful though. The risk of Decadence is not trivial. Many civilizations have collapsed for not having seen in time the signs of impending crisis. The older your empire, the more challenges will lurk in the shadows. Just expanding your borders without carefully shaping your form of government and culture won’t be the wisest of strategies.

Have a look at the tutorial videos recently released!

For you willing to have direct control over specific battles, if you own Field of Glory 2, you can import tactical battles from Empires into FOG2 and vice versa. We have set up a Field of Glory Masters Edition. This edition is a bundle including FOG2 and FOG Empires 25% discounted. This means:

• If you already have FOG2 in your library, you can buy FOG Empires at 25% off, and vice versa
• If you want to buy both, the cumulated price for FOG2 and Fog Empires is 25% discounted

The Masters Edition is available only on Steam. The non-Masters Edition is also available on Steam and at the official Matrix Games Store.

By Bill Gray @ Wargamer

BLUF – Bottom Line Up Front: They nailed it. Slitherine-AGEOD’s new grand strategy game Field of Glory: Empires is here and I think it just set the standard on how challenging is was to be top dog in the days of Rome. I’m talking at least XII Ave’s for not only producing one of the best ancient grand strategy games on the market, but because the designers have also taken the genre one step beyond.

Read The Review Here