Strategy and Wargaming

Autumn Signals Real Savings! Save Now thru September 27th at Shrapnel Games!

Fall is almost here! Pumpkin lattees, leaves turning colors, a chill in the air, halloween on the horizon, and football is back. Shrapnel Games is celebrating the beginning of autumn with real savings on all our in-stock titles. From Air Assault Task Force to World Supremacy, Shrapnel Games has a huge selection of Simulation and RPG games for you to choose from.

Remember, the sale lasts through September 27th! Order your favorite games from the Shrapnel Games e-store, Gamers Front.

“I depart, but the State shall always remain” – King Louis XIV on his deathbed

King Louis XIV de Bourbon,following in the political footsteps of Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, is strengthening the power of the monarchy to the detriment of the feudal aristocracy.

The Thirty Years’ War’s end – won over an exhausted Holy Roman Empire – has not brought a stable peace. Spain is still acting aggressively against France’s interests and many German and Dutch princedoms are starting to fear France’s unmatched military power.

But despite all the enemies he is facing, internal and external, Louis XIV is strongly inclined to make the Kingdom of France the Arbiter of Europe. Like a Sun determining the orbits of the other minor celestial bodies around it.

Le Grand Siècle- the “Great Century” – has begun!

Pike and Shot: Campaigns has been updated! This new version is dedicated to the great military modernization of the French Army – with which the Roi Soleil desired to sustain his absolutism – the matching military advances of the other European powers, as well as several other great improvements!

You can download the update from here.

Get more information about Pike and Shot: Campaigns from its official Product Page.

“What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin” – Winston Churchill

Despite an initial illusion of defensive strength, the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) has been encircled and overrun by the unorthodox tactics of the German panzer divisionen. It is only by Hitler’s misjudgement of Churchill’s will to keep the fight that the evacuation of Dunkirk was not transformed into the massacre of Dunkirk.

The Royal Air Force and the Home Fleet have to protect the national ground against the incoming storm and if the pilots fail, the sounds of the German tanks will soon be familiar to the British shores…

Order of Battle: Pacific – the acclaimed wargame made by The Artistocrats – will on the 15th of September receive free special content in order to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Britain!

This update will cover the entire course of the operations, from the initial “Channel battles” to the aftermath!

Stay tuned for further updates!

Get more information about Order of Battle: Pacific from its product page.

This content requires the base game Total War: Attila on Steam in order to play

Source: Gamer’s Hell

Scheduled to be released on September 15th, the Empires of Sand Culture Pack brings three new playable factions to Total War: Attila: Aksum, Himyar and the Tanukhids. Part of the new Desert Kingdoms cultural group, the pack also features new campaign and horde gameplay mechanics, events, enhanced religion features, and adds over fifty unique units to the grand campaign.

Note that because of the dramatic impact religious changes had on these cultures in this period, the Empires of Sand Culture Pack includes a number of changes that increase the importance of religion including building chains, victory conditions, events, technologies and overall campaign bonuses. A video and six screenshots are available for your viewing pleasure.

New standalone multiplayer expansion for the ultimate World War II real-time-strategy platform is available now!

SEGA Europe Ltd, SEGA of America and Relic Entertainment have announced today that Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces is out now for PC Digital Download on Steam and via the online SEGA Store priced at $12.99/£9.99/€12.99. The standalone multiplayer expansion for Company of Heroes 2 features the British Forces as an all-new faction, including 15 new units, up to six new commanders (three in the base game and three via the War Spoils loot dropping system) and a total of eight new multiplayer maps.

The British Forces adds a new dynamic to the Company of Heroes 2 battlefield by giving players the ability to combine powerful, coordinated attacks across two distinct combat styles – the ‘Hammer’, an aggressive, mobile approach; or the ‘Anvil’, a deliberate but highly potent defensive approach. With the addition of the British army, Company of Heroes 2 is one of the most comprehensive World War II RTS games available, with a thriving online community and over 10,000,000 online matches played since launch.

Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces is out now as a PC Digital Download via Steam and the online SEGA Store. Please visit www.companyofheroes.com for more information.

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West is unprecedented in its historical depth, detail and scope among computer wargames that depict the entire Western Front of World War II both on land and in the air. War in the West is a “monster game” by any measure, but retains the ease of play that made its predecessor, War in the East, a classic.

Nevertheless, 2by3 Games has not been resting on their laurels. The team was eager to add more material and many improvements to the game. The result of all these efforts is Operation Torch, a stunning expansion that covers not only the eponymous operation by the combined forces of the Western Allies against the Afrika Korps after El Alamein, but also much more!

We are now ready to announce that this great expansion will be available on the 8th of October!

As reported here, the game will use the enhancements made for the base game (for the full list of features please visit Grigsby’s War in the West product page) adding new scenarios with plenty of strategic options (like the 1945 Campaign scenario that starts on the 16th December 1944 and runs to the end of the war in Europe, playable both on the Allied or Axis side), both historical and what if scenarios.

This is a title that every true wargamer simply cannot miss!

Get more information about the game on its official product page.

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West: Operation Torch is an expansion for War in the West and requires the base game to play.

On 22nd June 1941 the German Invasion of Soviet Russia began. Over 4 million Axis soldiers and 600,000 vehicles were involved in the Operation Barbarossa, probably the biggest large-scale invasion of the War.

The destiny of Europe lies on 3,000-kilometer of frontline.

Masterminds behind the stunning wargames The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris and Case Blue are proud to announce the development of their third chapter in the Decisive Campaigns series: Barbarossa: Decisive Campaigns!

Set during the entire Operation Barbarossa the game features a deep and detailed chain of command, with which you are forced to work with. Refusing to follow an insane order could mean the end of your military career…

You will act as one of finest planner behind the invasion, Generaloberst Franz Halder. In his shoes you will manage a true operational structure, dealing with both superiors and subordinates, in an environment where strategy and politics often conflict.

Try to stay focus on what’s important, ignore what isn’t and execute a winning strategy in order to overcome the enemy!

Furthermore the game allows you to choose to play the role of Stalin himself! Manage the crisis you helped to create, be ruthless and save Mother Russia

This astonishing wargame has reached the Beta Phase and we invite you all to sign up and to help us in giving the finishing touches to the game!

You can apply for the beta here

Get more information about the game from its official Product Page

Free Trial Offers Players Early Access to This Standalone Multiplayer Army Pack

SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced a limited free trial for Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces from Relic Entertainment  which will begin at 10:00am PDT/6:00pm BST/7:00pm CET on August 31 and end at 2:00pm PDT/10:00pm BST/11:00pm CET on September 2 2015. During the trial, which is exclusive to Steam users and set to take place just before the final game’s release, up to 55,000 players will get hands-on with the complete British army including 15 new units, up to six new commanders (three in the base game and three via the War Spoils loot dropping system) and a total of eight new multiplayer maps as well as the four factions and base commanders from all previous Company of Heroes 2 games. Keep your eyes on the @companyheroes Twitter feed for details of where you can grab a key through exclusive media partners or via Relic.

The British Forces adds a new dynamic to the Company of Heroes 2 battlefield by giving players the ability to combine powerful, coordinated attacks across two distinct combat styles – the ‘Hammer’, an aggressive, mobile approach; or the ‘Anvil’, a deliberate but highly potent defensive approach. With the addition of the British army , Company of Heroes 2 is one of the most comprehensive World War II RTS games available .

Get more info about Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces at the games official website.

Relic Entertainment has released the second developer diary for Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces, the recently announced World War II standalone RTS expansion. In part two of the “From History To Gameplay” developer diary, Lead Game Designer Quinn Duffy dives into the core gameplay of The British Forces, new features, and how the British army is represented. Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces will be out on September 3.

Get more info about Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces at the games official website.

“The Lord God is my Armour!” – Gustavus Adolphus, refusing the steel body armour offered by his aides, 16th September 1632.

Since the beginning of the Italian Wars in 1494, Europe has been turned into an endless killing ground. Armies are raised one after another, sooner or later involving all the powers and kingdoms of the Old Continent in the conflicts. This is a time of cruelty and great military innovations. This is the era of the birth of Modern States and the definitive death of the Middle Ages.

This is the Iron Century!

Pike and Shot: Campaigns is released! The latest and comprehensive title in the Pike and Shot franchise is finally out!

Challenge yourself with 4 historical campaigns, including the eruption of Gustavus Adolphus’s innovative army into the Thirty Years War, the rise of the famous Roundheads during the English Civil War, and the great 1683 siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Empire, or choose your troops from 21 new skirmish army lists and lead them into furious battles across the Europe!

Your destiny awaits! Grab the game here!

If you wish to learn more about the game, be sure to visit the official Pike & Shot: Campaigns website.