Firelock Games: Fire on the Frontier Overview and Oak & Iron with GWUS

By Mitch Reed

The makers of Blood & Plunder leave the high seas behind to immerse players in some of the most interesting fights that have ever taken place in North America. The new Fire on the Frontier book from Firelock Games takes the game in a new direction and now you can play with many of the forces that were seen in King Phillip’s and King William’s War that took place between 1675 and 1697.

Few games bring you the Anglo-Indian and the Anglo-French conflict in such stunning detail. This new book introduces some great new force lists and no Blood & Plunder game would be complete without some of the colorful characters taken right from the pages of history and onto your gaming table.

Fire in the Frontier features new lists for your Native American, French and British forces that richly expand the game. The biggest addition is the new Native American forces that allow players to field many of the different tribes such as the Iroquois, Wabanaki, and the Westo nations.

The game features seven unique native tribes to pick from and three new units in which to include in your Native Forces. The new commanders and characters for this faction really stand out. Ten new historical and legendary commanders add so much flavor to the game. New tribes also can be tailored to represent many other factions that took part in the conflict along with new special rules that many of us cannot wait to play.

The French forces can also include the Native Americans and we get new units such as the French Raiders and Iberville’s Expeditionary Force along with two other lists.

The French faction from No Peace Beyond the Line were some of the most interesting units to play. Fire in the Frontier now gives you some great options when making a French force that will drive your opponent from the table. Along with new leaders theFrench have two special characters who are missionaries that are interesting and will be included on many lists builds in the future.

The English faction now focuses on some of the first permanent communities in North America with many of the forces hailing from New England. Benjamin Church’s Raiders is a list that will become a favorite of many players who have loved English lists in the past. Once again, this faction comes with a host of new commanders and special characters.

Even if this period of early Colonial North America is not your thing, you still need to get this book for all the new rules that feature fortifications. The frontier forts, blockhouses, and fortified houses are so iconic and a huge part of the history that Fire on the Frontier covers. Along with your new frontier forces, you now can make a perfect table that recreates the outposts and settlements that dotted the western edge of the early colonial period.

The book also gives you four new historically-themed scenarios that recreate some of the most interesting battles of the period. Each of these battles comes with unique rules and the lists that are needed to play them. The game also has two new standard scenarios that you can use with your lists from previous books.

As you have come to expect from other Blood and Plunder books, the detailed history of the period is included that gives you the historical background of the forces and factions that are in Fire on the Frontier.

In order to play Fire on the Frontier, you will need the base rules (Blood and Plunder) as well as the No Peace Beyond the Line book. However many of the forces you have collected and painted are used in this new book. If you are a dedicated Blood & Plunder player, this book is a must-have. If you have been waiting for the game to include this conflict, now is your time to join the rest of us who are just loving Blood & Plunder.

You can get Fire on the Frontier from your local gaming shop that stocks Firelock Games products, or order it directly at Firelockgames.com.

Recently I was invited to play Oak & Iron with the folks from the Georgetown University Wargaming Society and here are some pictures from that event.

If you want to hear more about GUWS check them out right here.