The Great War Is Advancing to Your Game Table

By Mitch Reed

Many of you know that I am a huge fan of Great War gaming, and this month we have some great new games being released or in the works that gamers should take note of.

I find the history of the Great War fascinating and I have always wondered why it is not more popular and prominent in our hobby. I think some of these new games may change some minds over the next few months.

Blood and Valor
We have covered this game a lot over the last few months and now it is in the mail for those who have pre-ordered it. Blood and Valor is from the guys at who also produces Blood and Plunder and Oak and Iron. Blood and Valor follows in the footsteps of Blood and Valor so players of the colonial game will pick the game up in no time.

Blood and Valor is an amazing 28mm Great War skirmish that covers the fighting on the Western, Near East, Gallipoli, and East African fronts. The model count is low and the firepower is deadly. I know from playtesting it scores of times that the game is fun and hits a spot that was missing in our hobby.

Lead developer Rufus Devane tells NDNG the work on the second book, which covers the Eastern and Balkan front, will begin soon. Phalanx Consortium is releasing both box sets miniatures for the game, and the tokens which are key to tracking status, aiding in the fast gameplay.

Firelock also plans to put out unit cards in a few weeks. The first major tournament in the Blood and Valour system is scheduled for Adpetacon in late March, so a lot of excitement is happening with this game.

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Heart of Leviathan

This is another game that we have covered in the past and our team has helped playtest. HOI is a low model count naval game where groups of Dreadnoughts duke it out. Simply put the game is much like X-Wing ort Starfleet Battles, where you decide on a points level then select, upgrade and man your ships for combat.

Right now, Wave 1 is out so you can have four German battleships slug it out with 4 German Battleships. We are playtesting Wave 2 which adds light cruisers to the mix and expands the game so much. I just love how the game with the little ships gives the game a totally different feel.

The game is easy to pick u,p and the mechanics causes you to make decisions during each turn that will either set you up for victory or cause you to go down with your ship. The playtesters loved this game and many of them are now selectable as captains for these great ships.

Check out our coverage and here.

Great War Commander

Not really a new game, but it’s one that should be more popular with the surge of interest in gaming the Great War. This title from the French gamers at came out a year ago and is based on the excellent Combat Commander Series from GMT Games. The games in this series leave the roll of the dice behind and use a card mechanic for orders, events and combat results. The first game focuses on the fighting between French and US allies against the Germans. Recently Hexasim announced and took pre-orders for an expansion that adds the British to the game.

The action in GWC is at the battalion level where the main units are platoons equipped with all sorts of extra heavy weapons such as the HMGs that rule no-man’s land. Tanks also make an appearance in some of the later war scenarios in the game.

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Devil Dogs: Belleau Wood 1918

This game is a new title from that focuses on the US Marine attack in 1918. This game also uses a card mechanic but it’s very different from the GWC game. It took me some time to pick because it is that much different than any other games. The developers are willing to take risks in the design, and publish games that expand the hobby.

The designers (who are Marines) really hit a home run with this game and I hope they come out with other games with this mechanic.

Check out the game

Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno

Another game from France by the developers at the Fellowship of Simulations. I saw this game on Facebook and it piqued my interest. The game uses blocks to represent the forces and uses a neoprene mat as a map (why don’t more games do this). While the game also uses cards your trusty d6 dice are still needed.

I have looked over the videos from the developer and this is a must-buy when the game hits Kickstarter on 21 Feb 2020 (the 104th anniversary of Verdun – 21 Feb 1916). I hope to update you on this game as it nears release.

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New Games, Old War
We are seeing a plethora of new titles coming out that feature the Great War. These games cover different genres and focus on different domains. Some of these games are using tried and true mechanics, while others are pushing the boundaries of our hobby with new game-mechanics and design. This is great for the hobby.

The Great War is more than just trenches and mud. Battles of a wide variety of troops, terrain, and tactics occurred during this seminal period of transition in warfare. The Great War is a period worthy of your gaming time.