This is a special episode where I talk with my BFF Jon Russell from Warlord Games. Jon is on the road heading to the Twin Cities for yet another convention and took time out to tell us what is new and exciting coming out from Warlord. We talk about Epic Napoleonic, Blood Red Skies-Midway, and all the new Italy books coming out for Bolt Action. A lot of spoilers and let’s hope he does not hit another deer.
By Kreighton Long
This past weekend the hosted CYBËR WÅRS 2020 giving attendees a virtual convention experience that will hopefully help alleviate some of the pent up pressure to geek out after months of closed shops and social distancing.
Throughout the CYBËR WÅRS weekend over a dozen panels took place over Zoom with interviews of movers and shakers in the wargaming community. During one such panel representatives from came together for a 2-hour conversation including some sneak peeks at upcoming releases and works-in-progress over at Warlord HQ.
Cruel Seas by Warlord games is a WWII naval skirmish game for PT boats, coastal cutters, and smaller craft. Within our gaming group, the rules have seen renewed interest so time for more battle reports and some highlights of how we keep the game fun.
We played this game at D6 games in Rochester Minnesota just before the holidays.
We used the More Missions document which is a player-created set of random missions that allows you to roll up everything from terrain to what it is your fleet is being asked to do. This can be found on the .
By Troy A. Hill
Brad at the Cast Dice podcast is fond of saying that we are in a gaming renaissance right now. Our choices for where to spend our hobby dollars and hobby time in the table-top gaming world have never been greater.
I’m crediting Warlord Games with a large selection of where I’m spending my hobby dollars and time now. They just won’t stop churning out the great games. Their latest, is no exception.
When I first began playing games from Warlord, I had no idea that within a two-year span I’d move from a single WWII game into:
Bolt Action, Konflict 47, Warlords of Erehwon, Hail Ceasar, SPQR, Black Powder, Cruel Seas and now their latest release, Black Seas, in such a short time. I’m so far behind on my painting, I’m not sure where to go next with all of these games.
First, before I get started, it’s important to note that a was released on April 3rd. Be sure to pick it up and have a look!
As the game Cruel Seas continues to mature, one of my friend Chuck Hiner and I got together for him to try out his new Japanese fleet that he had just completed painting. We decided to play at 1000 points which would allow both of us plenty of options.
Chuck had picked up the , and was wondering how he would approach building a fleet. Included in the fleet box is one Hei minesweeper, four Sampans, six T-14s, a Val, and of course the six of the little kamikaze boats. Chuck decided to get an addition Hei minesweeper and use two of them as the backbone for his force.
By Tom Gall
Saturday February 23rd, seven of us gathered at D6 Games in Rochester to play some Cruel Seas. Seven became eight, then nine as people watching became interested in the action on the table top.
We used the to play some games. We didn’t call it a tournament, but I was looking to validate a number of the missions to continue to try and eek out any bugs. (Note this document is player generated and not official by Warlord games.)
The great attribute of this kind of play is, people can just show up with an agreed to point costed fleet for a day of Cruel Seas gaming.
Across the Flames, Star Wars Armada, X-Wing and other communities, it’s a pretty popular and fun style of play.
Here Chuck getting in his first game with his Germans is taking on Pat’s scratch built Finns.
The mat is by F.A.T. mats and you can purchase from the firelock games website. It’s 4’x6′ which in my opinion is a perfect size for Cruel Seas.
By Tom Gall
Warlord has released for Cruel Seas navy fleet boxes for four different countries. The US, Imperial Japanese Navy, British, and Germans are all covered. Sometime this month we should see the addition of the Soviet and Italian navies.
Within the Core Box, along with the rules, counters and other necessities are four British Vospers and four German S-Boats. This is a good starting force but what might you want to pick up next? What plays well?
This set of four articles will explore the navy boxes that Warlord has released starting with the German Kriegsmarine.
By Troy A. Hill
I confess. I’ve wanted to play a naval wargame for the past 30+ odd years and never have.
Back in the halcyone days of university, I remember the HMGS chapter renting out the “old” gymnasium on campus once a year and playing with their 1:350 (or was it 1:700?) waterline models. That event took all weekend, and they had binders full of charts and ship information. It was glorious to watch, but seemed an impractical way to game with your mates. Not everyone has access to a gymnasium floor, nor room to store all of those models.
Since that time, I’ve had my eye out for a tabletop naval game that had a player base of regulars that met in a game store. A game that I would not mind investing my gaming dollars in, nor storing the minis in the limited space available to me in my tiny Los Angeles apartment. Negotiating berthing rights with my spouse in such cramped quarters for large ships, even in 1:700 scale would be daunting.
Fortunately John Stallard at Warlord Games decided to build and release .
