Firelock Games

by Mitch Reed

Like many of you, I am willing to try any historical game, whether it be a board game, miniatures, or video game. However, one type of gaming I have never tried is role-playing games.

The new game from Firelock Games called War Stories has gotten me to change my mind and take the plunge.  Lead designer Gabriel Garcia really got my attention for this World War Two-based RPG when we chatted in my interview with him on our podcast. Prior that that discussion, I did not believe that a topic as WWII would translate well in the RPG format.

However, the depth and breadth of War Stories really had me wondering why this has not been done before.

By Mitch Reed

Gamers should be excited that Blood & Plunder: Raise the Black from Firelock Games is now out. For those who love the game, they now have new lists, characters, and models to augment their collections; however, my focus in this article is on the new starter kit that will bring in new players who have been waiting to get into Blood & Plunder.

We are excited about the upcoming RPG from Firelock Games, War Stories, a WWII RPG. We put the game to the test with two Soldiers, Nate aka 1/77 and Sapper Mike and roll up our characters which you will hear in and upcoming episode.

After a long Hiatus and many many technical problems, podcasts are back to being published here on NDNG. Tales of the Sail returned with guest Jason Klotz of Timber and Sail to talk Oak and Iron for this episode originally recorded in November. To get ourselves back on a regular schedule, expect weekly podcast postings from Tales of the Sail. Next week we meet with a special guest Maarten De Kruif from Holland, and the week after that we hear about Firelock’s upcoming plans with a tell all from Mike Tunez recording live from Miami. It’s going to be a busy few weeks, so stay tuned.

Today we catch up the Glenn, Tyler, and Guest podcaster Joe Forster of Blood and Pigment to get the lowdown on the summer of plunder, as well as the September Tournament at the Calvert Marine Museum. Join us for this supersized recap of all that went down over the past few months as The Talesmen discuss Firelock Games and their premiere pirate game.

by Mitch Reed

Last month wargamers of every ilk converged at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) facility in Alexandria, for the annual Connections Wargaming Conference. This was the first live event since 2019 due to COVID19 and many people, including myself, were excited to have an in-person event.

By Tyler

Ever since the Scottish nationality made an appearance in Blood & Plunder’s ‘No Peace Beyond the Line,’ players have been asking about the historical validity of kilted Scotsmen clashing broadswords with the pirates and privateers of the New World. And simply put? It didn’t happen. Aside from outliers like the legendary (emphasis: legendary) Redlegs Greaves, the stereotypical Scottish highlander never settled beyond the rocky glens of his homeland. Settlements like the doomed New Caledonia and Stuart’s Town were founded by Covenanters from the lowlands. So if we can’t bring the highlanders to the New World, what if we brought Blood & Plunder, to the old one?

Huge episode! We are live at HMGS Historicon 22. The guys speak to Steve from Lead Pursuit, Lauren from Casemate Publishing, Jason from Military Miniature Magazine, Lee Gaddis from Gaddis Gaming and  the duo behind Blood & Steel, Damien and Edgar!

By Mitch Reed

Did you fall in love with the mechanics of Blood & Plunder when the game first came out? Did playing Blood & Valor make you love games from Firelock even more? Well then you need to check out Blood & Steel, which uses the same game basic engine as previous titles, but now has you fighting in the Victorian Era.

Many gamers focus on specific historical periods because of an interest in the conflicts that took place during a particular era. Few are as popular as the 19th century, which saw conflicts all over the globe. This period contains some of the most popular game topics in our hobby.