Strategy and Wargaming

Valour is superior to numbers. – Vegetius

When there is something greater than your own life to fight for, then there is no time for turning back. You must take your sword, your shield, say goodbye to your natural family, for you are joining men who will become your brothers in battle.

With them, you will fight until final victory or total defeat, sharing the destiny of your nation. Will you follow your brethren wherever the path of duty could lead?

Field of Glory II: Legions Triumphant, the new DLC in the series that is reviving highly historically accurate wargaming, is now available!

From the first Emperor, Augustus, until the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, this new DLC features five centuries of constant war.

Take part in expanding the Pax Romana or fight it tooth and nail!

Witness the final disintegration of Western Roman power under pressure from the Germans and Goths (themselves attempting to outdistance the rising power of the Huns), and the desperate attempts of 5th-century leaders to hold at bay the barbarian tide, using armies at least partly consisting of barbarian troops.

This DLC greatly expands the base game content adding 10 new factions 19 new units, 24 new army lists, 10 new Epic Battles and 36 new Quick Battles!

With Legions Triumphant, the Custom Battles and the Sandbox Campaigns modules now include all 132 army lists.

4 new historically-based campaigns:

• Third Century Crisis
• King of Kings (Sassanid Persia)
• Stilicho
• Empire of the Huns

 Grab Field of Glory II: Legions Triumphant now!

Don’t forget to check out the changelog for the free patch accompanying the release! Version 1.2.5 brings many improvements to the campaign system with tons of new features, including the ability to name your units! Click here to check the full change list.

1941. Erwin Rommel is appointed commander of the newly created Deutsches Afrika Korps, with the goal of supporting Italy in their campaign against the Allied forces in North Africa.

It is the beginning of a great military campaign which will show the world the military genius of Rommel, a series of great accomplishments which will earn him the immortal nickname of the Desert Fox.

Order of Battle: Sandstorm, the new DLC in the Order of Battle series, will let you relive those years.

You will need exceptional strategical ability to succeed in the brand new campaign – one of the longest ever in Order of Battle, 14 scenarios! Beware, you will be outnumbered and time is against you. Deceive your enemy, then outmaneuver and vanquish them before you run out of supplies.

Sandstorm greatly expands the roster of Italy, adding many unique units as well as specializations. It also introduces a brand new terrain type to Order of Battle, Arid, as well as new terrain rules to represent the hazards of fighting in a desert environment (has anyone mentioned sandstorms?).

Sandstorm is currently in development and it’s about to enter Beta. If you would like to follow its development and give us a hand in testing it, please apply for the beta here.

We will show you more of the DLC soon, so stay tuned!

The Shipping News: Rule Britannia Weighs Anchor March 20

Paradox Development Studio will release the newest add-on to the historical grand strategy classic Europa Universalis IV on March 20. Rule Britannia is an immersion pack that adds greater depth to the British Isles while adding new content for every nation including new approaches to technology and the early industrial revolution.

In Rule Britannia, players will have the chance to push their late game economy to even higher levels through the discovery of coal. Highly developed provinces in some regions will discover this precious resource, allowing rulers to build furnaces that improve goods production across the country.

Other features of Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia include:

• New British Missions: Exclusive Mission Trees for England, Scotland, Ireland and Great Britain, embedded in the new Europa Universalis IV mission system (coming with the 1.25 update).
• Innovativeness: Earn rewards for being the first nation to unlock new knowledge, including lower power costs.
• Naval Doctrine: Adopt a general strategy for your fleets, giving you bonuses to ship maintenance, trade power or battle performance.
• Anglicanism: A new Protestant faith can appear in England with new bonuses and religious choices.
• Knowledge Sharing: Help your lagging allies or subjects by promoting the spread of institutions in their realms.
• Trade Steering: Force your defeated enemies to have their merchants fill your coffers.

New Unit and Music Packs: Our artists and composers have new treats for Rule Britannia players, including new army designs for British and Irish nations (including Northumberland and Cornwall) as well as new music to set the mood.

Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia will be available in the Paradox store and on Steam on March 20 for the suggested retail price of $9.99.

Pre-orders available HERE.

Submarine innovation continues in the post-Cold War security environment…with substantially greater roles in land attack and special operations forces delivery. — Admiral Henry Chiles, U.S. Navy, 2000

Today, you’ll have the chance to experience the lethality of modern submarine warfare, as Command: The Silent Service has been released!

The Silent Service is the latest installment in the award-winning CMANO franchise, this time featuring 18 intense standalone scenarios featuring a vast array of missions involving submarines of different type, nation and decade.

“In this new thrilling expansion, we turn our attention from the air- and surface/ground-centric conflicts of Shifting Sands to the depths of the high seas, as you’ll explore the progression of submarine operations from the Korean War right up to today’s headlines. Witness first-hand how technological advances like the snorkel, nuclear power, cruise and ballistic missiles, silencing measures and advanced sensors, computers and weapons have radically expanded both the remit and capabilities of the submarine platform – and how its hunters above and below the waves improved their own gear and tactics to keep up in the race.”

Command: The Silent Service is a top-notch military simulation! Grab it now!

Command: The Silent Service is a stand-alone game that uses the latest version of the Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations (CMANO) engine. It also serves as a DLC for existing CMANO owners.

Command: Modern Air Naval Operations and The Silent Service are also available together in a bundle on Steam!

Along with this milestone release, we have released a new update for all the titles in the series. Click here to read what version 1.4.1 has in store for you.

New DLC pack joined by a free content update featuring fully playable female faction leaders

The harsh environments of Africa and Arabia’s deserts forged hardy warriors and cunning leaders who used the shifting sands to their advantage. These are the factions of the Desert Kingdoms, coming to Total War: Rome II on 8th March.

The Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack introduces four new playable factions: The Kingdoms of Kush, Saba and Nabatea of the African/Arabian subculture, and the Masaesyli of Numidia. Each faction boasts unique new rosters of differing military strength, new building chains, and new technology trees.

A closer look at these four factions can be seen in the Desert Kingdoms Announcement Trailer HERE.

As well as the Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack, a free update to the base Total War: Rome II game will provide players with new playable female leaders and generals such as Cleopatra and Teuta. As well as these leaders, important female characters have been added to all campaigns and factions.

Full details on both this free update and the Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack can be found in the patch notes blog, HERE.

Desert Kingdoms is available for 10% off until its release day on 8th of March on Steam.

Total War: Rome II can be purchased via Steam HERE.

Submariners! We have excellent news for you.

Command: The Silent Service, the upcoming expansion/standalone for Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations will emerge from the oceans to reach your shelves on March 1st!

Undersea warfare from post-WW2 to the present: Explore the progression of submarine operations from the Korean War right up to today’s headlines. Witness first-hand how technological advances like the snorkel, nuclear power, cruise and ballistic missiles, silencing measures and advanced sonars, computers and torpedoes have radically expanded both the remit and capabilities of the submarine platform – and how its hunters on the surface and in the air improved their own gear and tactics to keep up in the race.

Stars and workhorses: Take charge of some of the most famous boats and classes of the post-war period – and some that you may have never heard of. USS Nautilus, the first-ever nuclear-powered submarine – and her counterparts beyond the Iron Curtain, the November-class. HMS Swiftsure, nemesis of the Soviet Northern Fleet in ’77. USS Parche, the most highly decorated vessel in the US Navy. Sturgeon-, Los Angeles- and Seawolf-class, frontline of the US sub force from the 1960s to the late-00s. Soviet/Russian conventional and nuclear-powered attack subs, worthy adversaries of NATO during the Cold War and beyond. Giants of the deep like the carrier-killer Oscar-class and the ballistic missile-toting Delta-class. And much more…

The busiest platform at sea: If you thought subs are only good for sinking ships and other subs, prepare to be amazed. Lay minefields right on the enemy’s backyard with them being none the wiser. Launch carefully-plotted cruise missile attacks against defended land targets. Creep up to surface vessels close enough that you can take underwater hull and screw photos – and remain undetected. Detect and record sensitive electronic emissions, the ones that radar/comms operators dare activate only when they think nobody’s around to sniff. Provide unseen escort to merchant ships in the middle of a crisis. Shower distant land targets with ballistic missiles armed with multiple nuclear warheads. Tap undersea communications cables in the worst moment of the Cold War. Covertly deliver special-operations teams ashore, or deploy swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs) against capital ships to eliminate them out of the blue. And of course hunt down anything on the sea surface or underneath it, from miniscule patrol boats all the way to battleships, supercarriers and strategic missile submarines, using an array of torpedoes, missiles and other means. The depths are your domain – and your playground.

Watch the official Command: The Silent Service trailer HERE.

Cooperative Play, Historical Missions and Four New Divisions Debut

Paradox Interactive and Eugen Systems are making history today, with the release of Back to Hell for Steel Division: Normandy 44. Now available on Steam for Windows PC, the game’s second expansion features first-ever cooperative play, seven new historical missions, four new divisions, two new exclusive ace models and 58 new units. Don’t be a saint, get Back to Hell now for $14.99 MSRP.

In Back to Hell, players will lead 11 never-before-seen divisions into seven historically accurate battles (including five in co-op and multiplayer), based on real world operations. For each historical mission, divisions are set, and players have to choose the pre-made battlegroups they want to command. Battlegroups must fit into a greater plan to achieve common goals, which means players will have to fight and accomplish objectives with what they are given, not always what they would have chosen.

In addition to historical missions, Back to Hell features four new divisions: Allied (Demi-Brigade SAS and the 7th Armoured Division “Desert Rats”) and Axis (Festung Gross-Paris and 2. Panzerdivision), with 58 new units, like the Staghound, Wasp Mk.IIC, FFI Jagdpanzer IV, Jeep SAS, Maultier Mun and Panhard MG.

Back to Hell arrives alongside a free content update, Bulls on Parade, which adds a long-awaited random map option to the lobby, and features the free historical mission Operation Atlantic in solo, co-op and multiplayer. The 11th Armoured Division “Black Bull” is playable for the first time, and only available in this mission. It will team up with the 3rd Armored and face off against the 16 Luftwaffe and the 21 Panzer divisions.

View the Steel Division: Normandy 44 – Back to Hell release trailer HERE.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Paradox introduced a new bundle today, Steel Division: Normandy 44 Locked & Loaded, which contains the base game, deluxe edition content, Second Wave and Back to Hell. Available exclusively on Steam, Locked & Loaded gets players up-to-date on content and 10% off the cost.

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, please visit the games official website.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, the Roman Republic found itself in mortal danger. The infighting that followed eventually saw the end of the Republic and the birth of the Principate, with Octavianus Augustus sole ruler of the newly-established Roman Empire.

Victory after victory, the Empire slowly expanded, reaching its maximum extent in 117 AD. But dominance couldn’t be held forever. Internal and external threats undermined stability in the centuries that followed. To ease administration, the empire was eventually divided into western and eastern halves, each with its own emperor. Under the constant pressure of large Germanic confederations, the western half eventually collapsed, and in 476 AD the last western emperor was deposed.

In Legions Triumphant, the new exciting DLC for Field of Glory II, you can be part of the final conquests of the Roman Empire in Britain, Germany and Dacia, witnessing the Pax Romana when the legions on the frontier mostly kept at bay the barbarians to the north and first the Parthians, then the Sassanid Persians, in the east.

Relive the final disintegration of Western Roman power under pressure from the Germans and Goths (themselves attempting to outdistance the rising power of the Huns), and the desperate attempts of 5th century leaders to hold at bay the barbarian tide, using armies at least partly consisting of barbarian troops.

Legions Triumphant follows the development of the Roman Imperial Army through its heyday, its late 3rd century AD reorganisation to deal with new threats, and subsequent decline. It also follows the rise of its various enemies, the Germans and Goths, the Sassanid Persians and the dreaded Huns. Play as the Romans or as one of their many enemies.

Field of Glory II: Legions Triumphant brings you 10 new factions (Alans, Anglo-Saxons, Caledonians, Goths, Hephthalites, Huns, Palmyrans, Picts, Romano-British and Sassanid Persians); 17 new units (including Legio Comitatensis, Auxilia Palatina, Pictish Spearmen and the Fierce Hunnic Nomad Horse Archers), and 22 new Army Lists!

In addition, this expansion adds numerous improvements and changes to the campaign system, with 4 new historically-based campaigns, the ability to name your units, to fight on after a lost battle and many more!

Get more information about Field of Glory II: Legions Triumphant from its official product page.

A great classic game returns, as Strategic Command Classic WW2: Global Conflict is available! This release will also include the expansions “Assault on Communism” and “Assault on Democracy”.

Players will be able to wage World War II across the massive expanse of the entire planet. From battles in Europe and North Africa all the way to Asia and the Pacific, Global Conflict features a very huge map, leading the forces of 6 major and 58 different minor nations.

To celebrate this important milestone, Strategic Command Classic WW2: Global Conflict will have a 50% discount for an entire week! Hurry up, the offer ends on Thursday 15th!

As with all of the previous Strategic Command games, Strategic Command Classic WW2: Global Conflict comes with a full Game Editor that allows you to modify or create your own all new scenarios, campaigns and maps. To assist with that, the full range of terrain tile types and resources are available including Western, European, Asian, Tropical and Pacific Island themed villages, cities, capitals, jungles, mountains, marsh and hills.

Gary Grigsby’s Eagle Day to Bombing of the Reich has been updated to version v1.03!  This new version brings tons of improvements and changes, making this classic masterpiece better than ever.

We would like to thank everyone involved with this update! Download it from here. Some highlights from the changelog (click here to read the full list of changes).

• Turn replay feature now fixed to allow both players the ability to review messages and combat results over and over before continuing to the next turn, especially helpful in pbem games.
• Overhauled Production System User Interface. Added priority buttons and filters for aircraft type. Added “Weapon Database” menu bar to Production screen. Also changed how research works.
• Added missions, sorties, fatigue and “days since last mission” columns to squadron information screens.
• Added a sort button for the units to sort by unit ID.
• Added ability to bring up “Unit Detail” screen by clicking squadron info button twice in “List Air Unit” and “Order of Battle” screens.
• Added filters for displaying unique aircraft types (fighter, fighter bomber, jets, etc.) on several info screens.
• Modified aircraft graphics to be more proportionally realistic during Action Phase.
• Modified over 70 map locations to more geographically accurate locations
• New map graphics
• Added Production and PBEM instructional PDF’s
• Lots of minor bug fixes

Get more game information about Gary Grigsby’s Eagle Day to Bombing of the Reich on its official product page.