Recon Report: Bolt Action Third Edition Armies of Imperial Japan Unit Highlights

Photo Courtesy of Warlord Games and Osprey Publishing

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.

Recon Report: Bolt Action Third Edition Armies of Imperial Japan

Image courtesy of Warlord Games and Osprey Publishing

 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.

Infantry Attacks: Flames of War at Remember December 2025

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.

A close up shot of an Italian-themed wargaming table with Flames of War miniatures. Two German 7.5cm infantry guns are in the foreground, while in the background a platoon of infantry advances on a group of buildings.
German Infantry advance with close support from 7.5cm infantry guns

Ils Ne Passeront Pas – Early War French for Flames of War

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.

Why Play French?

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.

Keep Calm – it’s Blitzkrieg-era British for Flames of War

Flames of War banner: "Blitzkrieg Invasion of France 1940"

By Richard Steer

The Early-War era has returned to Flames of War. 2026 and 2027 will see the release of three books covering the period from 1939 to 1941 for the 4th Edition of the rules. The first book in the series is Blitzkrieg, covering the French, German, and British forces involved in the German invasion of France in May and June 1940.

The British list in Blitzkreig represents the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and Belgium. It covers those units present from the start of the invasion, through the evacuation from Dunkirk, and those still fighting after Dunkirk.

Springtime for Germany: Germans in Blitzkrieg

By Michael Rafferty

Look it’s Springtime! The long-awaited and much anticipated release of Early War is finally upon us. I know it’s not the late-war Italy book that literally tens have been clamoring for, but this is a solid release. We’re starting things off with Blitzkrieg, covering the invasion of France. Sorry Poland, someday you’ll have a list again. Blitzkrieg contains lists for the Germans, French, and British all themed around the forces that fought in France. Today we are going to look at the German forces.

Flames of War Blitzkrieg book – the Early War theater finally arrives!

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.

Battlegroup NORTHAG CENTAG Omnibus

By Tom Gall

Plastic Soldier Publishing shipped to various corners of the earth the latest in rules and lists for the Battlegroup NORTHAG/CENTAG. Battlegroup NORTHAG brought Cold War gone hot set in the early 1980s to the Battlegroup series of rules back in 2020. The Battlegroup CENTAG supplement was later published, introducing more nations, more lists and another mission.

This new hardcover edition binds together the original rulebook the one supplement along with a couple of new nations, a few more lists, inside of a hardcover book. The past review of the rules on NoDiceNoGlory still stands.

The first play through as part of the review is worth a revisit if you are new to the system to get a sense how it plays.

Late-War Dynamic Points for Flames of War

Flames of War Banner

By Richard Steer

Just in time for Christmas, Battlefront’s gift to Flames of War players was the finalization of the first round of Dynamic Points for Late-War.

What Is Dynamic Points?

Dynamic Points is a free update that adjusts the cost of units in existing force books for Flames of War 4th Edition. If you are playing a game using Dynamic Points, you treat any units in the update as costing what they are listed there, while any units not in the update continue to use the points given in the published books.

For each round of Dynamic Points, usually published annually, Battlefront focuses on a small number of specific areas where they see problems with the balance of a game. For the Late-War era of Flames of War in 2026, this focus is increasing the price of light armor and reducing the price of medium armor. Other areas that players have been asking to be addressed, such as the cost of Save 4+ Soviet infantry, have not been touched.

Battlefront initially published a draft set of changes in November, seeking feedback from the community. They have now considered that feedback, and the changes have been locked in for 2026, including being added to the Forces of War list building tool.

Let’s take a look through some of the things that have changed, and how they might impact the game over the coming year.