By Kreighton Long
On 21 February, thirteen players gathered at the Williamsburg Muster in Williamsburg, VA to compete in another one of Kalissa Skibicki’s Bolt Action tournaments. Most of the participants were returning players with friendly catch-ups throughout the weekend. A few new faces joined the usual gang over three rounds on gorgeous tables prepared by David Skibicki.
By Kreighton Long
With my Bolt Action Stalingrad German Army completed (for now), I set my sights on a display board to accompany my army. My plan was to make the most of some extra textured mats procured from Michaels for a previous project.
By Richard Steer
Flames of War has returned to the early period of the Second World War, with the publication of Blitzkrieg, covering the Invasion of France in May and June 1940. A new period is an exciting time for the game, with new nations, new miniatures, and new challenges.
My focus for Early-War in previous editions was the Mediterranean theatre, and I have never played anything from the campaign in France. To get back into playing Early-War while we wait for the North Africa book, I have picked up a copy of the new “Dunkirk” two-player starter set. Over the next few weeks, I’ll use it to assemble, paint, and start playing a new army. First, though, let’s have a look at what’s in the box.
By Troy Hill
Back in 2022, as the world was stretching its legs again post-Covid, I decided it was finally time to dive headfirst into fantasy rank-and-flank gaming. The obvious choice was Kings of War (KOW) by Mantic Games. So I cracked open the Big Green Rulebook (v3), joined a few online communities, and started building armies — even though there wasn’t a local scene anywhere near me. Apparently, I like my hobbies the way I like my road trips: long, ambitious, and slightly inconvenient.
In 2023, I hit two tournaments to start my journey into the game. First, I drove seven hours, crossed an international border, and threw myself into the King Beyond the Wall tournament in Ontario. That fall, I attended the Michigan GT for the KOW tournament.
There is, after all, no better way to learn a game than by jumping directly into the deep end with a chess clock ticking down your life expectancy. I learned a lot. I also discovered that playing a new-to-me game, under time pressure, feels suspiciously like defusing a bomb in a Bruce Willis movie. Eventually, I stepped away from the game, unsure if the tournament scene was the right fit for me at the time.
Then came the announcement that veteran designer Alessio Cavatore had joined Mantic and that KOW 4th Edition was on the way. That got my attention. Not because I wanted the game reinvented — but because I wanted it refined. Cleaner. Sharper. More confident in what it already did well.
Fourth Edition, as it turns out, isn’t a revolution but a revision. And for a game whose competitive identity rests on clarity and stability, that may be exactly what it needed.
By Kreighton Long
This past December I was introduced by a friend to a new hobby store in Culpeper, Virginia — Brickhammer. I quickly made a trip to the store and met the owner, Kevin, and offered my services as someone who knows a bit about Bolt Action. He eagerly accepted my offer and we scheduled a demo game at the store in January. This was my first demo game and I challenged myself to do quality work for a group of potential new players.
By Aaron Kamakawiwoole
Hey Reader!
Kreighton gave an excellent overview of the new Third Edition supplement for the Armies of Imperial Japan, and today we’re continuing in our review of the book by looking at some of the highlights for new units in the book.
Japan has a lot of interesting, thematic, and powerful options, so today we will highlight some of the unique choices that will make your army feel fresh and unique from the rest of your collection.
By Kreighton Long
The most recent addition to Warlord Games‘ Bolt Action Third Edition is enroute in the form of Armies of Imperial Japan. This latest edition comes in at just under 100 pages and is full to the brim with exciting and unique units, Osprey illustrations, and photographs of miniatures in action.
By Richard Steer
Every year, our wargaming club in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, runs a one-day tournament for club members at the final meeting of the year. Named Remember December, this event commemorates club member Nick Garden, who passed away in 2015. The 2025 edition of the event was held on 13 December, playing Flames of War.
Remember December often has a themed format or unusual list restrictions, and this year was no exception, The format used was 55-points Late War, with infantry formations only. In addition, your force could not include more than one tank unit, a maximum of four vehicles, and a maximum Front Armor of 7. Three 1.5-hour rounds were to be played using the Extended Battle Plans mission selector, and each player had to use each stance once during the event.
By Tom Gall
We’ve all been patiently waiting for early war to make the return to Flames of War, time to feast your eyes on the French part of release for version 4. Unfortunately when Germany turned their focus west in May of 1940, a brief few weeks and the French would be knocked out of the war, which as a result means this is a faction for early war only.
I first started playing French during the earlier release of Blitzkrieg for Flames of War version 2 back in late 2010. What drew me was the desperate struggle of one of the largest militaries at the start of WWII, on the defensive against the German onslaught, putting up the good fight that would ultimately not go their way due to a whole host of tactical reasons. The French are plucky, unique and offer up unit selections that can work for offensive and defensive stances.
No matter if you’re an old hand or a new to Flames of War, the French as a faction in Early War brings good tanks, reasonable infantry, and good artillery that can win you games. In this article we will crawl through just the French part of the release, note their strengths and point out their weaknesses too. They might be just the force for you.
By Paolo Paglianti
It’s time to invade France – or defend it! For those who are not Flames of War fans, this may sound strange, but when publisher Battlefront launched version 4 of the game around 2017, it started with Mid War, namely the North African campaign and the invasion of the Eastern Front. A few years later came the Late War, from D-Day to Berlin, but until now nothing had been released about the Early period of the war.
