1775: Rebellion
Battleward shelf
A brisk campaign game that makes control of the colonies the argument on the table. Its accessibility is a strength, though it will not satisfy someone looking for a detailed battle simulation.
The Battleward game shelf
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Search every Battleward listing in one place: board games, miniature rules, RPGs, and PC games. Full Battleward reviews appear where available.
354 games found
1805: Sea of Glory
GMT Games
The naval campaign of 1805 links fleet movement, intelligence, and the possibility of invasion. A campaign-level treatment of sea power, rather than a ship-by-ship recreation of Trafalgar.
1846: The Race to the Midwest
GMT Games
Railway investors buy shares and direct companies building routes through the American Midwest. Stock rounds alternate with operating rounds, linking personal wealth to track construction, dividends, and changing locomotive technology.
1914: Offensive à outrance
GMT Games
The opening campaign in France and Belgium examines mobilization, marching armies, and the cost of pressing an offensive. Operational decisions take precedence over individual trench assaults.
1918/1919: Storm in the West
GMT Games
Corps-level forces contest the final campaigning year of World War I on the Western Front. Alongside the historical 1918 struggle, a hypothetical Plan 1919 campaign explores an Allied assault against a stronger German defensive posture.
7th Fleet: Modern Naval Combat in the Far East
1987 · Victory Games
Joseph M. Balkoski’s Fleet-series game portrays a hypothetical naval war in the Far East. Surface groups, submarines, and air power require careful coordination; the range of scenarios supports both shorter engagements and substantial campaigns.
A Billion Suns
2021 · Osprey Games
Corporations deploy fleets to complete contracts in interstellar space. The first-edition rules link combat to the cost of committing ships, so winning a firefight is not automatically a profitable decision.
A Distant Plain
GMT Games
Government, coalition, insurgent, and warlord factions pursue different goals in Afghanistan. The COIN system makes political control and competing priorities integral to the military problem.
A Fistful of Kung Fu
2014 · Osprey Games
Small groups reenact martial-arts and action-film encounters with gunplay, stunts, and extraordinary fighters. This is a cinematic skirmish game, with narrative possibilities taking priority over military realism.
A War Transformed
Osprey Games
Small forces fight across a magical version of the Great War, where changed coastlines and awakened powers alter the battlefield. Campaign play mixes military equipment with supernatural threats.
A World Aflame
Osprey Games
Small forces fight conflicts of the turbulent years between the world wars. The rules provide a framework for historical campaigns and alternative encounters with irregular troops, vehicles, and scarce ammunition.
Absolute Emperor
Osprey Games
Army-level Napoleonic battles emphasize the choices of high command rather than individual soldiers. Infantry, cavalry, and artillery work together as players manage formations across a larger battlefield.
Achtung! Cthulhu
Modiphius Entertainment
Allied investigators confront occult threats amid a fictionalized Second World War. The 2d20 edition combines military action, investigation, and supernatural horror; it portrays an alternate conflict rather than a straight historical simulation.
Across a Deadly Field
Original Battleward commentary
"Across a Deadly Field" (ADF) by John Hill (the same author who designed Johnny Reb III) is an American Civil War miniature wargame designed to simulate large battles on a reduced scale, focusing on clarity, scale, and playability. It allows for…
Age of Eagles
Original Battleward commentary
"Age of Eagles" is a wargaming ruleset adapted from "Fire and Fury" to recreate the grand tactical battles of the Napoleonic era. It emphasizes historical accuracy, unit organization, and battlefield tactics, allowing players to experience the…
Age of Hannibal
2018 · Little Wars TV
Armies of antiquity fight large battles with flexible miniature basing and terrain cards that shape the battlefield. Historical scenarios, army-building options, and siege rules support games from the Greco-Persian wars through the Roman era; the pictured rulebook is the revised second edition.
AGON
Evil Hat Productions
Heroes inspired by Greek myth sail between islands and confront trials devised by gods and mortals. Competitive contests give each hero a chance to win renown while the group pursues its shared voyage.
ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game
2019 · Free League Publishing
Cinematic scenarios and campaign play turn stress, scarce resources, and lethal uncertainty into table tension.
All Bridges Burning
GMT Games
Three factions contest Finland during the revolutionary crisis of 1917–18. Political organization and the escalation toward civil war distinguish it from a conventional two-army campaign.
Almoravid
GMT Games
Campaigning in eleventh-century Spain puts provisioning, service obligations, and siege operations alongside battle. The Levy & Campaign system makes assembling and sustaining an army part of the contest.
America's Army: Proving Grounds
Original Battleward commentary
America’s Army: Proving Grounds was the U.S. Army’s multiplayer military shooter, emphasizing small-unit tactics and teamwork. Battleward’s original listing highlighted its official Army connection and tactical focus. This is a historical entry;…
Andean Abyss
GMT Games
Four factions compete through government action, insurgency, and the drug economy. Military operations are one instrument among several, making this a useful introduction to asymmetric political warfare.
Angriff!
1968 · Z&M Publishing Enterprises
A detailed early approach to WWII armor and infantry with HO and micro armor; one of the small-publisher titles that helped define historical miniature gaming.
Apocalypse Keys
Evil Hat Productions
Monstrous agents investigate occult mysteries and try to prevent the end of the world. Bonds and dangerous powers shape a campaign about belonging, emotional pressure, and the line between saving the world and threatening it.
Ardennes '44
GMT Games
An operational treatment of the German Ardennes offensive. Roads, terrain, reserves, and the pressure to keep an advance moving give the campaign its central decisions.
Armored Brigade II
Matrix Games / Slitherine
A real-time tactical game portrays Cold War combined-arms engagements. Terrain, observation, and coordinating different weapons shape the action more directly than empire-level economic decisions.
Atlantic Chase
GMT Games
British and German task forces hunt, evade, and protect shipping in the North Atlantic. Trajectory lines represent uncertain naval locations, making reconnaissance and interpreting reports part of the operational contest.
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
Magpie Games
Heroes travel through the world of Avatar, pursuing adventures across several supported eras. Character growth and the tension between personal principles underpin the rules, alongside bending, combat exchanges, and relationships.
Axis & Allies
1981 · Nova Game Designs
An approachable global WWII contest later brought to a mass audience by Milton Bradley.
Baldur's Gate 3
2023 · Larian Studios
A party-based role-playing game adapts Dungeons & Dragons to a branching adventure in the Forgotten Realms. Turn-based combat, character choices, and interactions with companions shape the journey.
Band of Blades
Evil Hat Productions
The Legion retreats before an undead army while players manage missions, personnel, and supplies. Forged in the Dark procedures link dangerous squad operations to the larger campaign and the struggle to reach safety.
Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine
Chaosium
A toolkit for creating campaigns across several genres using percentile skills. It offers a common mechanical foundation with options for different settings, rather than prescribing one ready-made fictional world.
Bataille Empire
Original Battleward commentary
"Bataille Empire" is a miniatures game covering the Napoleonic Wars from 1792 to 1815, focusing on battalion or regimental level. Players can use any scale of miniatures and the rules are designed for fast gameplay without losing realism. It…
Battle Brothers
2017 · Hooded Horse / Overhype Studios
Recruit and equip a mercenary company in a procedurally generated medieval fantasy world. Contracts and turn-based battles test the company’s finances, supplies, and ability to keep experienced fighters alive.
Battlefront WWII
Original Battleward commentary
"Battlefront WWII," developed by Fire and Fury Games, is a detailed and flexible system designed for WWII miniature wargaming at the tactical level. The tactical unit is the squad or section. The rules work well with multiple popular scales: 5mm,…
Beneath the Med
GMT Games
A solitaire career game commanding an Italian submarine in the Mediterranean. Patrol events, attacks, damage, and crew survival build a campaign around the fortunes of one boat.
Birth of the Federation
Original Battleward commentary
Released in 1999 this game masterfully combines turn-based strategy with the intricate lore of the Star Trek universe. Players can choose to lead one of five major civilizations – the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians, or…
Black Desert
2014 · Pearl Abyss
An online fantasy world combines action combat and character customization with trading, crafting, fishing, and other professions. Players can pursue quests and world bosses or join guild conflicts and siege battles. The game first launched in Korea in 2014, followed by its Western release in 2016.
Black Ops
2015 · Osprey Games
Small teams conduct modern covert missions where stealth and alarms affect the action. The rules offer a different battlefield problem from a straightforward meeting engagement between visible forces.
Black Powder
2009 · Warlord Games
A broad framework for large tabletop battles across the black-powder era, with an emphasis on spectacle and pace.
Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game
Free League Publishing
Detectives investigate cases in the Blade Runner setting. Evidence, moral choices, and the pressure of an assignment create a noir campaign rather than a succession of conventional combat encounters.
Blades in the Dark
2016 · Evil Hat Productions
Heists, flashbacks, and faction pressure make consequences and momentum part of the campaign engine.
Blitzkrieg Commander IV
Original Battleward commentary
"Blitzkrieg Commander IV" (BKC4) is praised for being a middle ground fast-play system that offers somewhat realistic results. The combat system is appreciated for its fluidity and quick pace, integrating hits, suppression, and fallback into the…
Bloody Big Battles!
Original Battleward commentary
"Bloody Big Battles", designed by Chris Pringle, stands out in the wargaming community for its streamlined approach to 19th-century warfare. Praised for its easy-to-learn mechanics, the game allows for large-scale battles to be played out…
Bluebeard’s Bride
Magpie Games
Players share different aspects of the Bride as she explores Bluebeard’s mansion. Rooms, disturbing discoveries, and difficult choices create a collaborative horror story with explicit attention to discussing boundaries before play.
Bolt Action
2012 · Warlord Games / Osprey
Platoon combat with random order-dice activation; a widely played accessible WWII system.
Bolt Action: Third Edition
2024 · Warlord Games / Osprey
The current major edition of the order-dice WWII platoon game; listed separately so edition history stays clear.
Broken Legions
Osprey Games
Warbands operating in a mythical Roman world search for powerful artifacts and battle supernatural enemies. Familiar ancient troops meet monsters and magic in campaign-oriented skirmishes.
Burrows & Badgers
Osprey Games
Animal warriors form small warbands in the troubled kingdom of Northymbra. Individual equipment, spells, and developing characters make the campaign as important as a single skirmish.
Call of Cthulhu
1981 · Chaosium
"Call of Cthulhu" is a horror fiction role-playing game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. Published by Chaosium in 1981, it's now in its seventh edition. The game utilizes the Basic…
Carnage & Glory II
Original Battleward commentary
On its second incarnation, "Carnage & Glory II" (C&G) is a unique, computer-mediated tabletop wargame covering the years 1740 to 1871 using its "On Campaign" and "Tactical upgrades" and is renowned for its historical accuracy and detailed…
Cartel
Magpie Games
Characters entangled in the drug trade face dangerous bargains, obligations, and divided loyalties. Powered by the Apocalypse rules focus on a tense adult crime drama, with consequences extending through families and criminal organizations.
Castles in the Sky
Osprey Games
Fleets of flying battleships contest the skies of an alternate early twentieth century. National fleet lists, scenarios, and campaign rules support engagements between aerial ironclads.
Cataclysm: A Second World War
GMT Games
A global strategic game beginning before the historical outbreak of World War II. Political instability, diplomacy, and rearmament can create a war with a different timetable and alignment of powers.
Catan
1995 · Kosmos
Negotiation, resource production, and an approachable ruleset helped broaden modern board gaming.
Cerberus: The Proxima Centauri Campaign
1979 · Task Force Games
Human and Cetian forces contest an alien planet, with special forces disrupting military infrastructure. Its ambitious setting deserves attention, alongside published criticism of slow movement and limited strategic opportunities.
Chain of Command
2013 · TooFatLardies
"Chain of Command" is a highly praised WW2 miniature wargame focusing on the importance of leadership and command. With a unique command dice system, it simulates the unpredictable nature of war. The game emphasizes platoon-level actions and…
Chainmail
1971 · Guidon Games
Medieval miniature battles with a fantasy supplement; its reach extends into the origins of role-playing games.
Champions
1981 · Hero Games
Point-built powers made superhero creation a game in itself, with flexible effects rather than fixed archetypes.
Check Your 6!
2007 · SkirmishCampaigns
Aircraft maneuver and campaign scenarios with plotted moves, designed for substantial multiplayer air actions.
Chosen Men
Osprey Games
Detachments of Napoleonic infantry and cavalry fight small actions rather than full army battles. Unit quality and leaders help distinguish troops while scenarios provide objectives beyond casualties.
Churchill
GMT Games
Three Allied leaders bargain over wartime conferences while competing for influence over the peace. The central contest is coalition politics, with military progress shaping the negotiations.
Classic Traveller
Original Battleward commentary
Game Designers’ Workshop's (GDW)"Traveller" was published in 1977 and quickly became the standard for these type games. Conceived by Marc Miller, the retronym Classic Traveller game stands as a landmark in sci-fi RPGs, lauded for its vast…
Cohors Cthulhu
Modiphius Entertainment
Roman-era adventurers uncover cosmic horrors at the fringes of the empire. Its 2d20 roleplaying rules combine investigation and action with ancient cultures; this is the RPG, distinct from the related Tactics miniature game.
Colonial Twilight
GMT Games
A two-player COIN game about the French-Algerian War. Insurgency, population control, and the political consequences of military action make a battlefield victory only part of the larger struggle.
Combat Commander: Europe
2006 · GMT Games
Cards make command, timing, and battlefield surprises central to squad-level combat.
Combat Commander: Pacific
GMT Games
Card-driven infantry combat moves the Combat Commander system to the Pacific. Orders, terrain, and unexpected battlefield events create uncertainty at the level of small tactical engagements.
Command Decision
1986 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Frank Chadwick’s battalion-level WWII system puts command and coordination above the detail of every individual tank shot.
Command Decision: Test of Battle
2006 · Test of Battle Games
The later Command Decision line continues the focus on battalion command and historically grounded combined arms.
Command: Modern Operations
2019 · Matrix Games
A detailed simulation of modern air, naval, and missile operations with a vast equipment database.
Commands & Colors: Ancients
Battleward shelf
Command cards bring friction to ancient battles without burying players in procedures. The blocks and dice are abstract; the tension comes from deciding which wing can act now.
Commands & Colors: Napoleonics
Battleward shelf
Command cards make it easy to see a promising move and still lack the means to order it. The dice are brisk and sometimes cruel; that tension is central to the design.
Company of Heroes 2
2013 · Relic Entertainment / Feral Interactive (Mac) / Feral Interactive (Linux)
Infantry, armored vehicles, and support weapons fight real-time World War II engagements. Capturing territory and coordinating different unit types provide the central battlefield decisions.
Conquest of Paradise
GMT Games
Polynesian peoples explore the Pacific, settle island groups, and develop culture and military strength. Limited resources force choices between canoes, warriors, new discoveries, and improvements to an expanding island network.
Coriolis: The Great Dark
Free League Publishing
Explorers venture into a dangerous region of space in search of a future for their community. Expedition planning and delving into forgotten structures distinguish this game from its Third Horizon predecessor.
Coriolis: The Third Horizon
Free League Publishing
A crew travels among the worlds of the Third Horizon, where trade, factions, religion, and ancient mysteries intersect. Spaceship adventures share the stage with the political and cultural setting.
Crusader Kings III
2020 · Paradox Interactive
Medieval rulers manage a dynasty through marriages, inheritance, intrigue, and warfare. Family relationships and the personalities of individual rulers help shape the political map.
Cuba Libre
GMT Games
A compact four-faction COIN game covering the struggle against Batista. Government forces, revolutionaries, rival insurgents, and organized crime have different ideas about what winning should mean.
CY_BORG
Stockholm Kartell / Free League Publishing
Cybernetic outsiders confront a polluted, exploitative future city. A rules-light structure supports dangerous jobs and anti-corporate adventures, with the setting’s excesses integral to its tone.
Dark Ages: Tactical Warfare, 500–1300
1971 · SPI
A scenario-based treatment of early medieval battle, with infantry, cavalry, command, and the danger of an army losing its nerve. Its appeal is the variety of tactical matchups within one system. Expect the abstractions and spare presentation of early SPI design; this is a historical battle game, despite a title that could easily suggest fantasy.
De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA)
1990 · Wargames Research Group
Compact armies, standardized bases and short games helped reshape ancient and medieval competition.
Death in Space
Stockholm Kartell / Free League Publishing
A crew tries to keep a working home and livelihood in a decaying universe. Equipment, repairs, and the pressures of survival make everyday spacefaring problems part of the adventure.
Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive
2021 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
An operational Ardennes game emphasizes terrain, logistics, and the movement of formations through a restricted road network. Local breakthroughs must be weighed against the capacity to support them.
Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa
2015 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
An operational Barbarossa campaign adds command relationships and consequential decisions to army movement. The design examines the pressures on headquarters as well as the disposition of forces on the map.
Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue
2012 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
The German 1942 campaign in southern Russia is portrayed at operational scale. Objectives, logistics, and command decisions complicate the attempt to convert movement across the map into durable success.
Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris
2010 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Operational campaigns cover the German invasions of Poland and France. Headquarters, formations, and the pace of an advance determine how effectively a plan survives contact with resistance.
Diplomacy
1976 · Avalon Hill (bookcase edition)
Seven European powers negotiate alliances and submit simultaneous orders, with no dice to rescue a bad promise. The military rules are compact; reading the other players is the real challenge. Avalon Hill's 1976 edition brought Allan B. Calhamer's 1959 design to its familiar bookcase format. Best suited to a group that enjoys bargaining and can take betrayal in the spirit of the game.
Dishonored: The Roleplaying Game
Modiphius Entertainment
Characters explore the Empire of the Isles through stealth, intrigue, and dangerous supernatural powers. Its 2d20 rules use momentum and chaos to connect risky decisions with consequences in a setting shaped by the video games.
Distant Worlds 2
2022 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A real-time galactic strategy game links exploration, diplomacy, economy, and fleet operations. Automation can handle parts of the empire, leaving players to decide which responsibilities to direct personally.
Dominant Species
GMT Games
Animal groups compete for survival as environments change. Action selection and adaptation make it a substantial competitive strategy game with an ecological subject rather than a military setting.
Dominant Species: Marine
GMT Games
Aquatic animal groups compete to survive as prehistoric habitats change. Action placement drives migration, adaptation, and population growth across a shared ocean map; this is a separate game from the original Dominant Species.
Dracula’s America: Shadows of the West
Osprey Games
Posses clash in an alternate American West under supernatural rule. Gunfights, occult factions, and campaign development combine familiar frontier weapons with monsters and magic.
Dragon Rampant
2015 · Osprey Games
Flexible warbands, monsters, and magic bring fantasy battles to the Rampant family of rules. Unit profiles support an assortment of miniature collections without requiring one proprietary setting.
Dragonbane
Free League Publishing
A fantasy adventure system built around a compact set of rules and a broad selection of adventurers. It suits dungeon expeditions and shorter campaigns without requiring an elaborate character-build process.
Drang Nach Osten!
Original Battleward commentary
"Drang Nach Osten!" by GDW and published in 1973 is an operational simulation of the first nine and a half months of the Russo-German War starting in 1941. As part of the Europa series, it offers a detailed operational experience. The game covers…
Dreams and Machines
Modiphius Entertainment
Communities rebuild on a distant world where enormous machines sometimes awaken. The RPG places exploration, cooperation, and the risks posed by these technological remnants within a hopeful science-fiction survival setting.
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium
Modiphius Entertainment
Agents of a noble House navigate intrigue, duels, espionage, and conflict in the Imperium. The 2d20 system can move between individual action and broader contests involving a House’s assets.
Dune: Imperium
Battleward shelf
Deck-building and worker placement pull influence, resources and conflict into the same contest. It rewards planning while forcing you to adapt to the cards you actually draw.
Dungeons & Dragons
1974 · Tactical Studies Rules
The original fantasy role-playing game turned a referee, characters, and an open-ended world into a new hobby.
Dux Bellorum
2012 · Osprey Games
Element-based armies fight in post-Roman Britain, with leadership resources influencing battlefield performance. A compact route into the era’s shieldwalls, mounted troops, and rival war leaders.
Élan Deluxe Edition
Original Battleward commentary
"Élan Deluxe Edition" is a tactical-level Napoleonic wargame for 15-25 mm miniatures, offering a refined system that emphasizes historical tactics and command flexibility. Developed in Australia by Phillip A. Jones, it's the culmination of over…
Empire
Original Battleward commentary
"Empire" is a set of rules for Napoleonic Era miniatures wargames, first published in 1975. It offers general rules for enacting any battle from this period, including aspects like leader ratings, troop types, frontage, range, and…
Empire of the Sun
GMT Games
A card-driven Pacific campaign combines naval, air, and ground operations. Coordinating offensives across a vast theater is the main problem; individual tactical battles are deliberately abstracted.
En Garde!
2016 · Osprey Games
Individual fighters trade shots and sword blows in swashbuckling encounters. The rules emphasize small groups and dueling decisions, making them suitable for adventure-style scenarios.
Enlisted
Original Battleward commentary
Enlisted is a squad-based Second World War shooter. Battleward’s original introduction focused on infantry squads, combat vehicles, and battles across several theatres. It was listed as a free-to-play title in December 2023; readers should check…
Europa Universalis IV
2013 · Paradox Interactive
Guide a state through centuries of diplomacy, trade, colonization, and war. Long-term political choices sit alongside military campaigns rather than reducing the period to individual battles.
Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt Against Caesar
GMT Games
Romans and competing Gallic factions struggle over allegiance, resources, and military control. The COIN approach highlights the political fragmentation behind Caesar’s campaigns.
Fallout
1997 · Interplay Entertainment
The first Fallout, also called Fallout 1, sends a Vault Dweller into the wasteland to find a replacement water chip. Its SPECIAL character system, dialogue choices, and turn-based combat offer several ways to approach settlements and their conflicts.
Fallout 2
1998 · Interplay Entertainment
A descendant of the original Vault Dweller searches for a Garden of Eden Creation Kit to save Arroyo. An expanded wasteland connects settlements, factions, companions, and branching quests through dialogue and turn-based combat.
Fallout 3
2008 · Bethesda Softworks
Leave Vault 101 and explore the ruined Washington, D.C. region in search of your father. First- or third-person exploration combines with dialogue, character development, and the V.A.T.S. targeting system.
Fallout 4
2015 · Bethesda Softworks
A survivor of Vault 111 explores the Boston Commonwealth while searching for a missing family member. Faction choices and quests sit alongside weapon modification, power armor, settlement building, and V.A.T.S. combat.
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game
Modiphius Entertainment
Wasteland wanderers scavenge equipment, face mutated threats, and contend with competing factions. Its 2d20 rules carry the familiar Fallout setting into a group campaign with character perks and survival challenges.
FATE
2003 · Evil Hat Productions
Aspects let players invoke character traits and circumstances directly in the fiction.
Field of Glory II
2017 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Turn-based ancient battles emphasize formations, morale, and the different roles of troop types. A digital tactical option for players interested in army matchups and battlefield maneuver.
Field of Glory II: Medieval
2021 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Medieval armies fight turn-based tactical engagements with distinct infantry and cavalry roles. Historical scenarios and army-based battles put positioning and cohesion at the center of play.
Field of Glory: Empires
2019 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Ancient states expand while managing economies, provincial development, and the pressures of decline. The strategic campaign can connect to Field of Glory II for resolving battles in greater tactical detail.
Field of Glory: Kingdoms
2024 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Medieval realms develop provinces, manage authority, and wage campaigns. Political relationships and the maintenance of a realm complement warfare, with optional tactical battle integration through Field of Glory II: Medieval.
Fields of Fire
GMT Games
A solitaire infantry-command system recreates a rifle company's missions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Terrain cards and command resources make communications and orders central to managing the fight.
Fighting Sail
2015 · Osprey Games
Fleet battles in the age of sail emphasize maneuver and the collective fighting ability of squadrons. A naval miniature system for larger actions rather than an exhaustive record of each sailor and gun.
Fire and Fury
1990 · Quantum Printing
Brigade-level Civil War battles with a celebrated maneuver table and an emphasis on the ebb and flow of formations.
Fire in the Lake
Battleward shelf
Four factions pull the conflict in different directions, so cooperation is temporary and victory means different things to different players. The political and military machinery is rich, but it takes work to learn.
Flames of War
2002 · Battlefront Miniatures
Company-level WWII battles supported by an extensive miniature range and national force books.
Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm
2013 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A fictional Cold War clash uses asynchronous orders and resolution to represent command delay. Plans unfold while new information arrives, making timing and imperfect control central to the experience.
For the People
GMT Games
A card-driven Union–Confederate campaign links armies, leaders, politics, and strategic will. It offers the sweep of the Civil War without resolving every battlefield at tactical scale.
Forbidden Lands
Free League Publishing
Travel, survival, exploration, and stronghold development define a dangerous fantasy sandbox. The journey between adventures is part of the game, rather than a brief transition to the next dungeon.
Force on Force
Ambush Alley Games / Osprey Publishing
Modern engagements emphasize troop quality, reaction, and mission objectives. The Ambush Alley/Osprey system covers conventional and asymmetric situations, making scenario context important to the balance of a game.
Fortress Europa
1980 · Avalon Hill edition (original: Jedko Games, 1978)
The Allied campaign from the invasion of Western Europe to the advance toward Germany demands decisions about landings, reserves, supply, and momentum. John Edwards' campaign design originally appeared through Jedko Games in 1978; this entry identifies Avalon Hill's 1980 edition. Its appeal is the operational sweep of liberation rather than the detail of individual Normandy firefights.
Four Battles of Army Group South
1979 · SPI
Kiev, Rostov, Operation Star, and Korsun present four separate operational battles in the Soviet Union between 1941 and 1944. A shared core system supports different problems of breakthrough, encirclement, and survival. The attraction is variety without learning four unrelated games; these are individual battles, not one linked campaign covering the entire army group's war.
France '40
GMT Games
Operational scenarios examine the 1940 campaign in France. Breakthroughs, withdrawals, and the placement of reserves make the contest about campaign timing rather than weapon-by-weapon combat.
Freedom in the Galaxy: The Star Rebellions, 5764 AD
1979 · SPI
An empire and a rebellion struggle for control through military operations and the missions of individual characters. It combines galactic strategy with the personal adventures that give space opera its appeal. The breadth of the character and campaign systems is the draw, but also the burden: expect considerably more rules and administration than a straightforward fleet battle.
Frigate: Sea War in the Age of Sail
1974 · SPI
Sailing warships maneuver and exchange broadsides in scenarios ranging from single-ship encounters to fleet actions. Wind, positioning, and the condition of individual vessels give the battles their character. A naval board wargame rather than an RPG, it is an appealing subject for players who want ship handling and gunnery to matter, with the procedural detail of its era.
Frostgrave: Second Edition
2020 · Osprey Games
Wizards and their hired warbands explore a ruined magical city. Treasure hunting, spells, and campaign development connect small encounters, with survival and advancement providing reasons to return.
Full Thrust
1991 · Ground Zero Games
A flexible starship miniature system with a fast basic game and optional detail for larger fleets.
Gamma Wolves
Osprey Games
Pilots in armored machines search a ruined Earth for valuable salvage. Machine customization and campaign resources link battles, making the recovery of equipment central to a force’s survival.
Gandhi: The Decolonization of British India
GMT Games
Four factions pursue independence, authority, or revolution in British India. Nonviolent action is part of the COIN system, broadening the catalog beyond campaigns settled mainly through armed force.
Gary Grigsby’s War in the East 2
2021 · Matrix Games
A demanding Eastern Front operational simulation for players who want logistics and campaign depth.
Gary Grigsby’s War in the West
2014 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A large operational campaign joins ground warfare in Western Europe to a substantial air-war system. It suits players who want planning, logistics, and theater-wide coordination to be major parts of command.
Gaslands: Refuelled
2019 · Osprey Games
Armed vehicles race and fight through a ruined future. Movement templates and vehicle customization make converted toy cars central to the hobby appeal, with collisions and hazardous maneuvers shaping play.
General d’Armee 2
2024 · Reisswitz Press / TooFatLardies
Dave Brown’s second edition puts battalions within brigade commands, using ADC taskings and limited personal interventions to make divisional and corps command a matter of priorities.
General Quarters III
Old Dominion GameWorks (ODGW)
Naval miniature rules covering surface gunnery, torpedoes, radar, damage control, aircraft and submarines. Campaign tools include weather, logistics, shore bombardment and amphibious operations, with streamlined alternatives for air and submarine combat.
GURPS
1986 · Steve Jackson Games
A single core system supports historical, fantasy, science-fiction, and modern campaigns.
H-M-G
Original Battleward commentary
HMG is a set of World War One wargame rules for use with any scale of figure (6mm, 15mm, 20mm, 28mm ...) with infantry companies of between 4 and 8 figures used and use a ‘I go - You go’ sequence of play..
Hail Caesar
Original Battleward commentary
Warlord Games' "Hail Caesar" is a tabletop wargame that allows players to recreate large-scale battles from the biblical era to the medieval period. It is known for its flexibility, catering to various historical periods with comprehensive rules…
Hearts of Iron II
2005 · Paradox Interactive
A globe-spanning wartime command game, joining production, diplomacy, and military operations.
Hearts of Iron IV
2016 · Paradox Interactive
National production, diplomacy, research, and military planning combine in a global World War II strategy game. Land, naval, and air forces operate within a campaign that can diverge from the historical course.
Hellenes
GMT Games
Athens and Sparta contest the Peloponnesian War through a card-driven block system. Concealed units introduce uncertainty while naval operations, land battles, sieges, and pillaging affect the struggle for prestige.
Here I Stand
GMT Games
Six powers contest the religious and political struggles of the early sixteenth century. Diplomacy, warfare, exploration, and religious debate share the same strategic stage.
Hex of Steel
2020 · War Frogs Studio
Turn-based campaigns cover World War II in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. Players command combined forces against the computer or other players, with cooperative play and a scenario editor extending the available battles.
Historical BattleLines
Old Dominion GameWorks (ODGW)
Battalion- and regimental-level rules for conflicts including the English Civil War, Seven Years War, Napoleonic Wars and American Civil War. Morale, disorder and ammunition shape unit effectiveness; optional modules cover command, cavalry, skirmishing, artillery and fortifications.
Holland '44
GMT Games
Airborne troops and ground formations fight to connect a chain of bridgeheads. The road corridor and the timing of relief make Market Garden a distinctive operational problem.
Homeworld: Revelations
Modiphius Entertainment
Crews and explorers travel through the Homeworld universe, encountering ancient mysteries and competing civilizations. A 2d20 adaptation supports adventures connected to the fleets and displaced peoples familiar from the computer strategy games.
Honours of War
2015 · Osprey Games
A set of eighteenth-century battle rules centered on the Seven Years’ War. Command, movement, firing, and morale provide a framework for fighting historical engagements with formed armies.
Horizon Wars
Osprey Games
Small-scale infantry, vehicles, aircraft, and walking machines fight combined-arms battles. The rules use flexible force construction so players can field models from different miniature ranges.
I Ain't Been Shot Mum
Original Battleward commentary
"I Ain't Been Shot, Mum" (IABSM) is a company-level WW2 miniature wargame by Too Fat Lardies, focusing on the narrative and fun aspects of gaming rather than competitive play. The game doesn't come with army lists but has numerous supplements…
Imperial Struggle
GMT Games
France and Britain compete for overseas trade, European alliances, and prestige across the eighteenth century. Peace turns build the position that players will carry into the game's major wars.
Infamy, Infamy!
TooFatLardies
Roman detachments and tribal warbands fight on the frontiers of the empire. Leaders, ambushes, and differences between disciplined troops and tribal fighters shape the tactical choices.
Inferno
GMT Games
Rival cities and political factions campaign in thirteenth-century Tuscany. Supply, service, and siege warfare put the practical limits of medieval armies at the center of the design.
Infinity: The Roleplaying Game
Modiphius Entertainment
Agents undertake missions in the Human Sphere, where rival powers contest information, influence, and advanced technology. The 2d20 rules support physical confrontations alongside hacking and social conflict in the Infinity universe.
Into the Odd
Free League Publishing
Explorers seek strange artifacts in a world mixing industrial society with uncanny dangers. Compact character creation and direct combat procedures keep attention on exploration and the consequences of decisions.
Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud
Original Battleward commentary
Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud is a two-player Eastern Front board wargame from Phalanx. Its compact approach is reminiscent of The Russian Campaign: positioning, supply, changing seasons, and the timing of an offensive matter as much as combat.…
Ironsworn: Starforged
Shawn Tomkin / Modiphius Entertainment
Explorers swear vows and journey through a dangerous space frontier. Oracles and guided procedures support solo, cooperative, or guided play, linking uncertain encounters to the character’s commitments and developing campaign story.
Jagged Alliance 3
2023 · THQ Nordic
Hire a team of distinct mercenaries and campaign across a fictional country in crisis. Turn-based tactical combat connects to sector control, equipment, and the relationships within the team.
John Carter of Mars
Modiphius Entertainment
Heroes cross the deserts and cities of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom in adventures of daring rescues, swordplay, and strange technology. The game adapts 2d20 to fast-moving planetary romance and larger-than-life characters.
Johnny Reb
1983 · Adventure Games
"Johnny Reb" designed by John Hill, is a set of rules for the American Civil War, featuring simultaneous movement and strong command-and-control elements. It's designed for 10mm to 25 mm figures, with a turn representing 20 minutes and each…
Justice, Inc.
Original Battleward commentary
"Justice Inc," launched in 1984 by Hero Games, adeptly captures the essence of pulp fiction narratives, transporting players to the adventurous era of the 1930s and 1940s. Unlike its sibling "Champions," which focuses on superpowers, "Justice…
Knights of Honor II: Sovereign
Original Battleward commentary
Knights of Honor II: Sovereign combines medieval kingdom management, diplomacy, espionage, and warfare. Battleward’s original listing presented it as a grand-strategy option for players interested in leading a European realm. That introduction…
Kobolds & Cobblestones
Osprey Games
Rival fantasy gangs compete for power in the streets of Ordinsport. Playing cards and bribery add uncertainty to small encounters between criminals and enforcers.
L'Art De La Guerre
Original Battleward commentary
"L'Art de la Guerre" is praised for its thoughtful approach to ancient and medieval wargaming, offering a blend of simplicity in mechanics with strategic depth. It's highlighted for features like the Numidian light horse's ability to engage…
Labyrinth: The War on Terror
GMT Games
A card-driven geopolitical game portrays counterterrorism and extremist movements after 2001. Asymmetric objectives connect military action to governance and international politics, with a solitaire system for the United States side.
Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse
Osprey Games
Survivor groups search for supplies while hostile humans and zombies threaten their plans. A campaign tracks the group between encounters, making losses and scarce resources matter.
Leipzig: The Battle of Nations – Napoleon vs. Europe
1969 · SPI
Napoleon's 1813 campaign in Germany becomes a contest of concentration, maneuver, and coalition pressure. This is a campaign game rather than just a recreation of the final battle at Leipzig. First issued in SPI's Test Series in 1969 and subsequently revised, it offers an early example of the company's approach to operational Napoleonic warfare.
Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection
GMT Games
British, Patriots, French, and Indian factions pursue overlapping and conflicting aims. The COIN system emphasizes control, support, and alliance pressures alongside military operations.
Lion Rampant: Second Edition
Battleward shelf
A compact medieval fight with activation risk and a healthy appetite for dramatic reversals. It gets painted figures into action quickly, though failed activations can sting when a plan depends on one unit.
Marne 1918
Hexasim
Divisions and regiments fight the German offensives and Allied counteroffensives around the Marne in 1918. Three-day turns gain additional movement and combat sequences during offensives, reflecting alternating surges and pauses in the campaign.
Masks: A New Generation
Magpie Games
Young superheroes protect Halcyon City while deciding who they want to become. Playbooks and shifting labels make relationships, adult expectations, and personal identity central to the action.
Mein Panzer Core Rules
2022 · Old Dominion GameWorks (ODGW)
Mein Panzer WW2 miniatures game by Old Dominion Game Works is a comprehensive rule system for company-level combined arms warfare from WWI to the present. The game is known for its balance between historical accuracy and playability, offering…
Mein Zombie
Old Dominion GameWorks (ODGW)
Zombie-survival miniature scenarios in which players guide survivors toward safety while fighting the undead. ODGW provides a dedicated rules forum and product-download support alongside its historical miniature systems.
Melee
1977 · Metagaming Concepts
Strength, Dexterity, equipment, and positioning create meaningful choices in a compact game of individual combat. Reviewed together with Wizard, its compatible magical companion and a foundation of The Fantasy Trip.
Men of Bronze
Osprey Games
Hoplite armies compete for position and victory in ancient Greek battles. Players manage unit formations and leadership resources while coordinating the heavily armed infantry that define the period.
Men of War: Assault Squad 2
2014 · Fulqrum Publishing
Squads and vehicles fight detailed real-time World War II encounters, with direct control available for individual units. Missions and multiplayer battles emphasize combined arms and the equipment carried into a fight.
Monster of the Week
Evil Hat Productions
A team of hunters investigates strange events and dangerous creatures in episodic adventures. Playbooks define different hunter types, while investigation and escalating threats help structure each mystery and its confrontation.
MÖRK BORG
Ockult Örtmästare Games / Stockholm Kartell / Free League Publishing
A compact dark-fantasy system presents desperate adventurers in a world approaching its end. Its sparse mechanics and strong visual identity suit short, dangerous adventures and unconventional settings.
Mutant: Year Zero
Free League Publishing
Mutants explore the wasteland while developing the settlement they call home. Personal expeditions and the community’s growth connect survival adventures to a broader campaign purpose.
Napoleon’s Battles
1989 · Avalon Hill
Grand-tactical Napoleonic rules that let players command substantial formations rather than resolve every company’s fire.
Nevsky
GMT Games
Teutonic and Rus forces campaign around the Baltic frontier. Transport, provisions, seasonal limits, and the obligations of individual lords shape what an army can attempt.
Next War: India-Pakistan
GMT Games
A hypothetical India-Pakistan campaign focuses on Kashmir and the neighboring frontier. Terrain, bridges, outside intervention, and the possibility of nuclear escalation influence the operational problem; it portrays an imagined war.
Next War: Korea
GMT Games
This hypothetical modern Korean conflict combines land operations with air power and possible foreign intervention. Standard and advanced systems offer different levels of detail; the depicted war is a scenario, rather than a historical event.
Next War: Taiwan
GMT Games
A hypothetical conflict around Taiwan emphasizes amphibious operations, naval threats, and control of the air. Its advanced system expands operational decisions, and it can link with Next War: Korea for a wider fictional campaign.
Normandy '44
GMT Games
The invasion and early Normandy campaign are handled at operational scale. Beachheads, reinforcement, terrain, and German reserves create a contest over building momentum after the landings.
North Africa '41
GMT Games
The 1941 desert campaign turns on movement, supply, and the changing balance of available forces. A theater-specific operational game for examining how far a successful advance can be sustained.
Nuclear War
1965 · Flying Buffalo · licensed in 1972
Douglas Malewicki’s 1965 card game mixes propaganda and nuclear attacks. Final retaliation can turn a successful attack into a chain of destruction. The appeal is social interaction and dark satire; Flying Buffalo acquired the publishing license in 1972.
Oathmark
2020 · Osprey Games
Fantasy armies fight within a framework of kingdom building and campaign warfare. Different peoples can be combined within a kingdom, encouraging armies assembled around a setting rather than a single faction aesthetic.
Of Gods and Mortals
Osprey Games
Gods, legendary heroes, and mortal followers share the battlefield. A force draws on a chosen mythology, with the relationship between supernatural leaders and ordinary warriors influencing play.
Ogre
1977 · Metagaming Concepts · original MicroGame
One cybernetic tank advances against an army defending a command post. Target selection and sacrifice give both sides distinctive problems. This review focuses on the original compact game, rather than the contents of later editions.
On the Seven Seas
Osprey Games
Pirates and their opponents fight encounters ashore and aboard ships. Crew motivation and leadership influence the actions of small forces during raids and boarding clashes.
Outreach: The Conquest of the Galaxy, 3000 AD
1976 · SPI
A broad science-fiction strategy game about expanding and sustaining a civilization across the galaxy. Its focus is empire management and long-range planning rather than the details of a single space battle. The scale gives it an ambitious sweep, while the administration makes it better suited to players who enjoy managing an interstellar empire than those seeking quick fleet combat.
Outremer: Faith and Blood
Osprey Games
Small bands fight encounters in the Crusader states. A campaign develops individual fighters and follows the fortunes of a force through the hazards of medieval warfare.
Pacific War: The Struggle Against Japan, 1941–1945
Battleward shelf
Mark Herman’s campaign system returns in a modern GMT edition. The range from smaller engagements to the full war is impressive, but its operational machinery rewards a committed opponent and a permanent table.
Panzer Corps 2
2020 · Slitherine
A modern heir to accessible hex-based operational campaigns, with a broad scenario library.
Panzer General
1994 · SSI
A campaign of linked hex-based battles made operational choices accessible without losing the appeal of combined arms.
Panzer Leader
1974 · Avalon Hill
The Western Front companion to PanzerBlitz expands the tactical system to Allied forces and new terrain.
PanzerBlitz
1970 · Avalon Hill
PanzerBlitz, published in 1970 by Avalon Hill is a pioneering board wargame set in World War II's Eastern Front, offers players a tactical level simulation. Using hexagonal grid maps and counters to represent military units, the game emphasizes…
Pasión de las Pasiones
Magpie Games
Players portray the stars of a dramatic telenovela, complete with secrets, rivalries, and extravagant romantic complications. Its rules build scenes around emotional escalation and revelations rather than tactical combat.
Pathfinder
2009 · Paizo
Pathfinder’s first edition builds on the revised third-edition Dungeons & Dragons rules framework, giving players familiar with that system a recognizable starting point. The second edition establishes a more distinct rules system. Battleward’s…
Pathfinder Second Edition
Battleward shelf
The character options and tactical structure reward a group that enjoys learning a system together. If the table prefers loose rulings and little preparation, the machinery may feel like another player at the table.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
2021 · META Publishing / Owlcat Games
Create a party and lead a crusade against demonic forces in a Pathfinder-based role-playing game. Mythic character paths and strategic army management accompany exploration and tactical encounters.
Paths of Glory
GMT Games
A card-driven campaign covers the First World War across several fronts. Reinforcement, replacements, operations, and political events compete for the same limited strategic attention.
Pax Baltica
GMT Games
A block-based campaign game covers the Great Northern War and the struggle to end Swedish dominance of the Baltic. Provincial control, concealed forces, and several scenarios support campaigns of different lengths.
Pax Romana
GMT Games
Competing Mediterranean powers raise armies, establish colonies, and manage political stability from 300 BC onward. Long turns and an unpredictable activation sequence portray the development of empires rather than individual battlefield maneuvers.
Pendragon
Chaosium
Knights pursue honor, family, and service across Arthurian campaigns. Personality traits and passions make a character’s convictions part of play, while dynastic continuity extends the story beyond one adventurer.
Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain
GMT Games
Four factions navigate the breakdown of Roman Britain. Raiding, migration, rival British interests, and changing political institutions give this COIN game a different character from a simple conquest campaign.
Pike and Shot: Campaigns
2015 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Turn-based battles portray the era of pikes, firearms, and changing cavalry tactics. Campaign play gives the tactical engagements a wider context without moving to individual-soldier simulation.
Pillars of Eternity
2015 · Xbox Game Studios
Lead a customizable party through a fantasy world shaped by souls, politics, and ancient mysteries. Exploration, dialogue, and real-time combat with pausing support a campaign built around character decisions.
Piquet
Original Battleward commentary
The "Piquet" miniatures game offers rules, supplements, and scenarios for various historical periods, from ancient times through the Vietnam era. A feature release, "Battle Command Musket to Rifle 1700-1900," emphasizes command decisions and fog…
PIRATE BORG
Limithron / Free League Publishing
Pirate crews face dangerous seas, strange islands, and supernatural threats. Its rules-light approach supports chaotic voyages and treasure hunting in a setting that blends historical inspiration with horror and fantasy.
Plantagenet
GMT Games
Lancastrian and Yorkist leaders raise and sustain forces during the Wars of the Roses. Campaign logistics and political allegiance provide the setting for a contest of rival dynastic claims.
Poseidon’s Warriors
Osprey Games
Fleets of classical galleys maneuver for decisive clashes from Salamis to Actium. Ship formations and the different strengths of ancient vessels shape the naval battle.
Pulp!
Osprey Games
Adventurers and villains pursue scenario objectives in the interwar years. Explorers, detectives, gangsters, and sinister masterminds can face each other across city streets or far-flung expedition settings.
Quartermaster General: 1914
Original Battleward commentary
"Quartermaster General: 1914" is a World War I card-driven grand strategy game praised for its approachable gameplay and historical engagement. It differs from other WWI games by focusing on logistics and strategy over combat specifics, using…
Reality’s Edge
Osprey Games
Street operatives fight for money and influence in a cyberpunk city. Hacking and technological upgrades add another layer to missions fought by small, customized crews.
Rebels and Patriots
2019 · Osprey Games
Small-unit actions cover North American warfare from colonial conflicts to the Civil War. Officer development and flexible company forces provide a framework for linked skirmish campaigns.
Republique
2015 · Camouflaj
Help Hope escape a tightly controlled society by taking command of its surveillance cameras and electronic security. Observation, hacking, and stealth guide her past guards across an episodic story about censorship and control.
Republique (Napoleonic rules)
The War Times Journal
Free online miniature rules for commanding corps and armies in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Regimental and brigade assaults combine volley fire, melee, and unit reactions, with separate command, maneuver, artillery, skirmishing, and panic rules. WTJ supplies combat charts, troop lists, leader ratings, and historical orders of battle, and also offers Republique 5.0 as a beta edition.
Richthofen's War: The Air War 1916–1918
1972 · Avalon Hill
Individual aircraft fight for position in First World War dogfights, with speed, altitude, ammunition, and damage tracked alongside movement on the hex map. The attraction is the tactical problem of lining up a shot while staying out of the enemy's sights. Its record keeping and older movement conventions demand more patience than many modern aerial games.
Rise and Decline of the Third Reich
1974 · Avalon Hill
The European war is fought through national economies, production, and land, air, and naval campaigns. Choosing where to spend a country's resources matters as much as the next attack. This is the original Avalon Hill game, distinct from Advanced Third Reich and A World at War. A substantial strategic undertaking for players willing to learn its detailed procedures.
Rivers of London: The Roleplaying Game
Chaosium
Police investigators handle magical incidents in Ben Aaronovitch’s fictional London. Procedure, investigation, and the relationship between ordinary policing and supernatural threats form the campaign’s core.
Rogue Stars
Osprey Games
Players build small crews with individual traits and equipment rather than large armies. Missions and an activation system support clashes between bounty hunters, pirates, traders, and other spacefaring characters.
Ronin
2013 · Osprey Games
Small groups of warriors fight in feudal Japan, with individual combat choices giving encounters their character. A skirmish option for samurai, soldiers, and other fighters rather than massed armies.
Root: The Roleplaying Game
Magpie Games
Animal vagabonds travel through a woodland divided by competing factions. Powered by the Apocalypse rules turn jobs, loyalties, and local conflicts into adventures; this is a standalone roleplaying game distinct from the Root board game.
RuneQuest
1978 · Chaosium
Skill-based play and a richly imagined mythic world distinguish it from class-and-level fantasy.
SAGA
2011 · Gripping Beast / Studio Tomahawk
Warband battles shaped by faction-specific battle boards, keeping small forces tactically distinct.
Salerno '43
GMT Games
The Allied Salerno landings and German counterattacks become a compact operational contest. Building a viable beachhead is as important as winning the next local engagement.
Scum and Villainy
Evil Hat Productions
A spaceship crew takes risky jobs among rival factions in a troubled sector. Forged in the Dark mechanics connect action, stress, downtime, and ship development across campaigns of smugglers, bounty hunters, or rebels.
SEEKRIEG
1975 · Richard R. Sartore / SEEKRIEG
A specialist naval system that grew through several editions; the 1981 fourth edition covers the age of the battleship in depth.
Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan
GMT Games
A block game about the campaign that decided control of Japan in 1600. Hidden forces and loyalty cards make concentration and political reliability central to command.
Sengoku Jidai: Shadow of the Shogun
2016 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Turn-based tactical battles portray warfare in Japan and neighboring regions. Army composition, troop roles, and morale provide an alternative setting for players familiar with European pike-and-shot games.
Shadow Empire
2020 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A military 4X game combines planetary exploration, economic development, leaders, and detailed logistics. Building a functioning state is inseparable from equipping and supplying the forces sent to expand it.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
2014 · Paradox Interactive
A team of mercenary operatives navigates a cyberpunk Berlin where magic and technology coexist. Turn-based tactical encounters accompany dialogue, investigation, and decisions about the crew’s loyalties.
Sharp Practice
Battleward shelf
A characterful way to fight smaller black-powder engagements where leaders and command friction do real work. It suits players who want the incidents around a battle as much as the final tally.
Sid Meier’s Civilization
1991 · MicroProse
Build a civilization across eras, balancing expansion, research, diplomacy, and war.
Smooth & Rifled
Original Battleward commentary
"Smooth & Rifled" by Dadi & Piombo is a set of wargame rules focusing on skirmishes during the colonial era (although with the supplements any period from 1700 to 1900 can be gamed), using 15, 20 or 28mm miniatures (even 40mm and 54mm figures),…
Snappy Nappy
Original Battleward commentary
Don't let the name of the game throw you off, "Snappy Nappy" is a known for its straightforward, accessible rules and operational-level gameplay, capturing the essence of Napoleonic warfare. A lot of the gamers I asked commended its clarity, ease…
Space Empires: 4X
GMT Games
Explore a hidden map, develop technology, and commit fleets to expansion and war. Economic preparation and uncertainty about enemy forces matter as much as the eventual space battles.
Space Opera
Original Battleward commentary
"Space Opera" presents a science fiction role-playing game that intertwines complexity with depth, demanding a significant investment from its players. Its intricate mechanics and extensive use of charts and tables may pose a barrier to immersion…
SpaceCorp
GMT Games
Commercial enterprises explore and develop space across three eras, progressing from nearby planets to interstellar colonies. Card play supports travel, research, infrastructure, and profitable production, with a complete solitaire option.
SPQR
GMT Games
Tactical battles pit Republican Roman armies against their ancient opponents. The Great Battles of History system gives command, formation, and troop differences detailed battlefield roles.
Squad Leader
1977 · Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill's 1977 Squad Leader is a classic board game that offers a rich, tactical warfare experience set in World War II. Renowned for its depth and strategic complexity, the game challenges players to manage infantry squads and armored units…
Stalingrad '42
GMT Games
An operational treatment of the German 1942 summer offensive in southern Russia. The campaign asks how much territory can be taken and held with finite forces and increasingly stretched support.
Star Fleet Battles
1979 · Task Force Games · original pocket edition
Energy allocation, impulse movement, shields, and system damage make commanding a ship a demanding tactical problem. This retrospective distinguishes the original pocket game from the much larger system that followed.
Star Trek Adventures
Modiphius Entertainment
A Starfleet crew investigates unfamiliar worlds and balances scientific discovery with diplomatic and ethical decisions. The second edition uses 2d20 rules for personnel, starships, and the collaborative work of a bridge crew.
Star Wars: Legion
Battleward shelf
A miniature battle game that puts recognizable Star Wars forces on the table. Its draw is the combination of tactical play and the pleasure of building an army from that universe.
Starfinder
2017 · Paizo
A standalone spacefaring RPG that brought Pathfinder-style adventure to starships and alien worlds.
Starfire
1979 · Task Force Games · original pocket edition
Ships are represented by compact rows of system letters, tying construction and damage tracking to fleet combat. The original tactical game is an appealing design study; later strategic expansions and editions need separate assessments.
StarForce: Alpha Centauri
1974 · SPI
Interstellar forces maneuver through three-dimensional space using a speculative system of star travel and conflict. Spatial thinking and anticipating enemy movement are central to its identity. Redmond Simonsen's design offers a distinctive alternative to treating space fleets like battleships on a flat ocean; the unusual movement concepts also make the learning curve part of the commitment.
Stargrave
2021 · Osprey Games
A captain and first mate lead a small crew through dangerous salvage and mission encounters. Campaign advancement and flexible character choices suit collections drawn from several science-fiction miniature ranges.
Stars n Bars
Original Battleward commentary
"Stars n Bars" is a regimental-level game for the American Civil War, heavily inspired by the EMPIRE 3rd edition Napoleonic miniatures rules. It emphasizes the importance of command and control and balances between tactical and grand tactical…
Starweb
1976 · Flying Buffalo · original postal game
Players submit orders and pursue space empires with differing objectives. Artifact collecting and destruction can reward different players, creating reasons for negotiation and alliances. A postal strategy experience rather than a conventional board game.
Steel Division 2
2019 · Eugen Systems
Large-scale real-time tactical battles accompany an operational campaign system set during the 1944 fighting on the Eastern Front. Reconnaissance, artillery, armor, and infantry require coordinated employment.
Steel Panthers
1995 · SSI
Steel Panthers has experienced several transformations since its original release. Initially developed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors for Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI), the game was launched in 1995 under the title "Steel Panthers".…
Steel Panthers: World at War
2000 · Matrix Games
A substantial Matrix Games continuation of the SSI lineage, with tactical scenarios and mega-campaigns.
Stellar Conquest
1975 · Metagaming Concepts · original edition
Exploration, colonies, industry, research, and fleets form one strategic contest. The early Metagaming game rewards long-range planning and an interest in the economy behind a war; bookkeeping and a gradual buildup require patience. Initial publication is variously dated 1974 or 1975.
Stellaris
2016 · Paradox Interactive
Explore a galaxy, develop colonies, and negotiate or fight with other spacefaring civilizations. Research, fleet design, and encounters with unfamiliar societies support a wide range of empire-building approaches.
Storm Above the Reich
GMT Games
Command a German Fw 190 fighter squadron intercepting American B-24 formations in a solitaire campaign. Pilot selection, approach paths, and aircraft equipment affect the risks of penetrating a bomber formation.
Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe
2016 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A European-theater strategic game brings campaigns, diplomacy, research, and production into one turn-based system. The scale favors planning a war over managing individual tactical engagements.
Strategic Command WWII: War in the Pacific
2024 · Matrix Games
A turn-based Pacific campaign offering a more approachable path into theater-wide command.
Strategic Command WWII: World at War
2018 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
The Second World War is fought across a global strategic map. Production and diplomacy accompany land, sea, and air operations, with decisions in one theater competing for resources needed elsewhere.
Strategic Command: American Civil War
2022 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
Union and Confederate campaigns connect land warfare to naval operations, diplomacy, and national resources. A strategic alternative to games focused on one Civil War battlefield.
Strategic Command: World War I
2019 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A turn-based strategic campaign connects the major fronts of the First World War. Diplomacy, research, production, and national resources frame the decisions about where armies should fight.
Striker
1981 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Ground combat for 15mm Traveller forces, including vehicle design and a serious treatment of future combined arms.
Successors
GMT Games
Alexander's generals vie for legitimacy and territory after his death in this multiplayer card-driven game. Campaigning must be balanced against the political struggle over the royal family and succession; the linked cover is GMT's third edition.
Sword of Rome
GMT Games
Rome, the Gauls, Greek cities, and other Italian powers contend for ancient Italy using faction-specific strategy cards. Different abilities and shifting alliances connect military campaigns to political survival.
Symbaroum
Free League Publishing
Adventurers explore the forest of Davokar and the conflicts surrounding its ancient secrets. Corruption and the consequences of disturbing the past give the setting a darker tone than heroic treasure hunting.
Tales from the Loop
Free League Publishing
Children investigate strange technologies and mysteries in an alternate 1980s. Everyday relationships and the extraordinary world around the Loop matter more than combat prowess.
Talon
GMT Games
Spaceships maneuver and fight with ship information presented on the counters. Energy management and positioning make this a tactical fleet game rather than a galactic empire simulator.
Team Yankee
2015 · Battlefront Miniatures
A hypothetical late-Cold-War land fight in the Flames of War family, built for tanks, helicopters and infantry.
Terrible Swift Sword
1976 · SPI
Award winning "Terrible Swift Sword" (TSS) by SPI is highly regarded in the wargaming community for its detailed simulation of the Battle of Gettysburg. It's celebrated for its depth and complexity, offering an immersive experience of one of the…
The Bard’s Tale
1985 · Electronic Arts
A party-based dungeon crawl whose mapping and combat made it a fixture of early home-computer RPGs.
The Campaign for North Africa: The Desert War, 1940–43
1978 · SPI
Richard Berg's enormous desert campaign joins land and air operations to exceptionally detailed supply and transport requirements. Moving an army is inseparable from keeping it fed, fueled, and equipped. Its scope is remarkable, but so are its demands on table space, organization, and time. This is a project for a committed group, not a casual evening's contest.
The Doomed
Osprey Games
Small bands hunt dangerous horrors in a dying science-fiction world. Encounters place rival hunters and a monstrous threat on the same battlefield, creating competing objectives and uncertain alliances.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
2002 · Bethesda Softworks
Create an adventurer and explore Vvardenfell's rival houses, guilds, and religious traditions as an ancient threat returns. Skills, spells, and faction loyalties shape the journey; the linked Game of the Year release also contains Tribunal and Bloodmoon.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
2006 · Bethesda Softworks / 2K Games
Travel across Cyrodiil as portals to the realm of Oblivion threaten the Empire. Guild storylines, dungeons, and character skills support exploration alongside the central crisis; the linked classic Game of the Year release includes Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles.
The Elder Scrolls Online
2014 · Bethesda Softworks
Explore Tamriel in a shared online world with character quests, crafting, and stories across its provinces. Group dungeons, trials, and alliance warfare offer cooperative and competitive adventures alongside solo questing.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2011 · Bethesda Softworks
Explore Skyrim as the Dragonborn, choosing skills, equipment, and alliances while dragons return to the province. Dungeons, guild quests, and a civil war provide paths through an open world beyond the main story.
The Electric State Roleplaying Game
Free League Publishing
Travelers journey through an alternate America shaped by strange technology and social collapse. Relationships, encounters, and the mystery of the surrounding world give the road trip its campaign structure.
The Great Battles of Alexander
GMT Games
Tactical scenarios portray Alexander’s battles through the Great Battles of History system. Leadership, formations, and the differing roles of infantry and cavalry drive the battlefield decisions.
The Great Battles of Julius Caesar
GMT Games
A tactical collection covering battles associated with Caesar. Command and troop capabilities matter within the Great Battles of History system; this is a battle game rather than a Roman empire-management game.
The Great War: Western Front
Original Battleward commentary
The Great War: Western Front combines a campaign on the Western Front with real-time battlefield command. Battleward’s original listing highlighted its First World War setting and the opportunity to direct either side. It was a brief introduction…
The Grizzled
Battleward shelf
A small cooperative card game about enduring the war together, with friendship doing more work than battlefield tactics. It approaches its subject through human strain rather than operational history.
The Korean War: June 1950–May 1951
Battleward shelf
An operational treatment of the first year, with the momentum of invasion, intervention and counterattack driving the campaign. It demands time and attention; it is not a light introduction to the conflict.
The Men Who Would Be Kings
2016 · Osprey Games
Large skirmishes cover nineteenth-century colonial conflicts, with leadership and troop behavior shaping activation. The subject suits scenario-driven games with different force types and uneven battlefield situations.
The Napoleonic Wars
2002 · GMT Games
Europe-wide card-driven strategy in which Napoleon’s campaigns, coalition politics, neutral powers, and the timing of peace all matter.
The One Ring: Second Edition
Battleward shelf
A Middle-earth game built around journeys, fellowship and the shadow hanging over them. It is most attractive when the group wants that particular tone, rather than generic fantasy with familiar names pasted on.
The Operational Art of War IV
2017 · Matrix Games / Slitherine
A broad scenario-based operational system supports conflicts across different periods. Its attraction is the variety of campaigns within one engine, with movement, supply, and formation behavior carrying the simulation.
The Pikeman’s Lament
2017 · Osprey Games
Companies of infantry and cavalry fight raids and skirmishes in the pike-and-shot era. An officer’s campaign career adds continuity between games without turning every action into a full army battle.
The Russian Campaign
Battleward shelf
A sweeping Eastern Front contest that makes reserves, weather, and timing matter without the bookkeeping of a monster game. It is broad-stroke history, but the strategic pressure is real.
The Silver Bayonet
2021 · Osprey Games
Small Napoleonic-era teams encounter monsters and supernatural threats. Historical uniforms supply the setting, but the premise is horror adventure rather than a simulation of conventional brigade warfare.
The Troubleshooters
Helmgast
Resourceful friends embark on globe-trotting adventures in an alternate 1960s inspired by Franco-Belgian comics. Percentile mechanics and story points support investigation, chases, and adventurous complications rather than military campaigns.
The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game
Free League Publishing
Survivors contend with the dead and with the choices of other people. Community needs, scarce resources, and relationships give the campaign stakes beyond surviving the next attack.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians
Evil Hat Productions
Adventurers combine dramatic swordplay with romance, relationships, and emotional complications. Powered by the Apocalypse playbooks support a range of settings, using conflict to develop connections as well as resolve dangerous situations.
Thunder Alley
GMT Games
Each player manages a team of stock cars rather than a single racer. Card-driven movement can pull several cars along together, while vehicle wear, pit stops, and race events complicate the team's scoring strategy.
Ticket to Ride
2004 · Days of Wonder
Easy to teach and tense to finish, with route cards turning a simple map into a contested network.
Time of Crisis
GMT Games
Rival Roman dynasties compete during the third-century crisis through military, senatorial, and popular influence. Deck building connects control of provinces and armies to the actions available on later turns.
To the Strongest!
2014 · To the Strongest!
"To the Strongest! Ancient & Medieval Rules" is a simplified set for ancient and medieval tabletop wargaming that allows battles to be fought and concluded in less than two hours. It supports both small and large-scale engagements, playable with…
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
2006 · SEGA / Feral Interactive (Mac) / Feral Interactive (Linux)
Medieval kingdoms compete through conquest, diplomacy, religion, and settlement development. Real-time battles resolve the clashes produced by the turn-based campaign.
Total War: NAPOLEON – Definitive Edition
2010 · SEGA / Feral Interactive (Mac)
Napoleonic campaigns combine turn-based strategic planning with real-time land and naval battles. Armies, diplomacy, and the demands of campaigning provide the context for tactical engagements.
Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition
2013 · SEGA / Feral Interactive
A turn-based campaign of ancient expansion leads into real-time battles between large armies. Diplomacy, provincial administration, and army composition connect battlefield decisions to a broader Mediterranean struggle.
Total War: SHOGUN 2
2011 · SEGA
Lead a Japanese clan through the struggle to unify the country, managing provinces and rivals before commanding battles. The campaign places samurai warfare within political and economic competition.
Tractics
1971 · Guidon Games
Chart-rich armor combat from the early micro-armor era, with attention to individual vehicles and weapons.
Traveller
1977 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Character careers, starships, trade, and countless worlds make the setting as much a toolkit as a game.
Triumph & Glory
GMT Games
Five Napoleonic battles are presented in a shared battle system, including Austerlitz and Aspern-Essling. Players maneuver formations and resolve combat in scenarios built around each battle's situation.
Triumph and Tragedy
GMT Games
Three blocs pursue European supremacy between 1935 and 1945 through diplomacy, industry, technology, and military expansion. Concealed block armies encourage uncertainty, and economic or technological success can offer a route to victory alongside conquest.
Tunnels & Trolls
1975 · Flying Buffalo
Ken St. Andre’s early fantasy system favors accessible procedures, six-sided dice, and abstract combat. Flying Buffalo’s solo adventures offer a way to begin without assembling a group. Later editions are distinguished from the early game.
Twilight Struggle
2005 · GMT Games
Card-driven global influence in which playing an event can advance your opponent’s plans.
Twilight: 2000
Free League Publishing
Soldiers and survivors navigate a Europe devastated by a fictional World War III. Travel, supplies, encounters, and choices about helping others form a military survival campaign, not a historical account of an actual war.
Ukraine '43
GMT Games
The Soviet summer offensive in Ukraine becomes an operational contest of breakthroughs and counterattacks. Players must judge where to commit reserves as the front shifts.
Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts
2023 · Game-Labs
Design warships and command fleets during the transition from early ironclads to twentieth-century naval warfare. Hull, armor, weapons, and propulsion choices shape the ships available for tactical battles.
Ultimate General: Civil War
2017 · Game-Labs
Build an army and lead it through a campaign of American Civil War battles. Recruitment, equipment, and the preservation of experienced formations connect one engagement to the next.
Ultimate General: Gettysburg
2014 · Game-Labs
Command Union or Confederate forces across the Gettysburg battlefield in a real-time tactical game. Terrain, formation positioning, and the condition of units matter as the battle develops.
Unconditional Surrender! World War 2 in Europe
GMT Games
Axis, Western Allied, and Soviet factions conduct the European war at strategic scale. Army movement and combat share an activation system, while economics and diplomacy shape the forces available.
Unity of Command
2011 · 2x2 Games / Matrix Games
A clean operational system where supply lines determine whether an offensive can survive.
Unity of Command II
2019 · 2x2 Games
A turn-based operational game of the Western Allies emphasizes headquarters, supply, and the timing of offensives. Campaign choices and the development of command capabilities connect successive scenarios.
Universe
1981 · SPI
"Universe," developed by SPI, is a noteworthy addition to the science fiction RPG genre, offering a system that balances simplicity with depth. Its character creation and world-building mechanics help engulf players into a richly imagined cosmos,…
Urban Shadows
Magpie Games
Vampires, wizards, mortals, and other factions bargain for power in a contemporary city. The second edition uses debts, relationships, and corruption to connect personal drama with the struggle for influence.
Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying
Free League Publishing
Investigators encounter supernatural beings drawn from Nordic folklore. Understanding a creature and its history can matter more than fighting it, making investigation central to resolving the mystery.
Vampire: The Masquerade
1991 · White Wolf
A modern gothic game that put character relationships and identity at the center of play.
Victoria 3
2022 · Paradox Interactive
Industry, trade, social groups, and political reform shape a state during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Military power depends on the economy and domestic pressures behind it.
Victory in the Pacific
1977 · Avalon Hill
"Victory in the Pacific" is a classic board game designed by Richard Hamblen and published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It's a strategic World War II naval wargame that focuses on the conflict between the United States and Japan in the Pacific…
Virgin Queen
GMT Games
Six powers compete in the later sixteenth century through war, diplomacy, religion, and overseas expansion. A broad multiplayer design whose political negotiations are part of the game’s substance.
Volley & Bayonet
1994 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Large battles from the musket era on practical tables, with stands representing substantial units.
War in the Ice: The Battle for the Seventh Continent, 1991–92
1978 · SPI
A speculative struggle for Antarctic energy resources pits small forces against distance, isolation, and a hostile environment. An optional scenario introduces a subterranean civilization. The unusual setting is its strongest attraction: this imagines a future conflict rather than recreating a historical war. Players interested in logistical problems and unconventional battlefields will find a distinctive premise here.
War in the Pacific
1978 · SPI
A theater-spanning monster game with the Pacific war laid across multiple maps.
War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition
2009 · Matrix Games
A dense Pacific theater simulation with an exceptional level of operational and logistical detail.
War in the Pacific: The Campaign Against Imperial Japan, 1941–45
Battleward shelf
An enormous operational and strategic undertaking covering the full Pacific war. The detail and reach are the appeal; the maps, counters, and time commitment are serious obstacles to casual play.
Wargame: Red Dragon
2014 · Eugen Systems
A real-time combined-arms game imagines Cold War conflict in Asia between 1975 and 1991. Ground units, aircraft, and naval forces form decks that define the force available in battle.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
1987 · Games Workshop
The first edition of the tabletop system that developed into the dominant science-fiction miniature game.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar
Battleward shelf
A spectacular setting for large painted armies and decisive clashes. The collecting and painting commitment is part of the attraction for some players and the barrier for others.
Warhammer Ancient Battles
Original Battleward commentary
"Warhammer Ancient Battles," (WAB) often referred to as "Warhammer Ancients," is a historical miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop's publishing division. It utilizes a variant of the rules used in the fantasy game Warhammer Fantasy…
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
1983 · Games Workshop
Mass fantasy battles built around armies, heroes and a setting that became a giant in the miniature hobby.
Warhammer: The Old World
2024 · Games Workshop
A return to ranked fantasy armies and the Warhammer world, with a contemporary edition and model line.
WARNO
2024 · Eugen Systems
NATO and Warsaw Pact formations fight a fictional late-Cold-War conflict in real-time tactical battles. Division-based forces and operational campaigns place battlefield encounters within a wider European war.
Wars of the Republic
Osprey Games
Roman armies and their opponents fight battles from the Samnite Wars through the conquest of Gaul. Army lists reflect changes in Republican warfare and include enemies such as Carthage and the Gallic peoples.
Washington's War
GMT Games
A card-driven campaign of the American Revolution combines army movement with political control. The struggle extends beyond battlefield victories to maintaining a viable rebellion across the colonies.
Westfront
Original Battleward commentary
Westfront offers a strategic gaming experience set in World War I, catering to company to battalion-level engagements with miniatures ranging from 1/72 to 10mm scale. While emphasizing simplicity, the game incorporates various elements such as…
What a Tanker!
TooFatLardies
Each player commands one or more tanks in small World War II engagements. Command dice limit the actions available to a crew, so acquiring a target and completing the shot depend on more than a weapon rating.
When Nightmares Come
Osprey Games
Investigators confront supernatural threats through linked tabletop encounters. Solo and cooperative play combine fighting with the discovery of clues and the development of a wider mystery.
Wilderness War
GMT Games
British and French forces campaign across North America during the French and Indian War. Strategy cards drive raids, alliances with Native nations, fort construction, and larger military operations.
Wings of Glory
2012 · Ares Games
"Wings of Glory, World War I" is a dynamic tabletop game that allows players to simulate aerial combat during WWI using beautifully detailed miniature aircraft and the use of visually appealing maneuver cards. This dice-less game stands out for…
Wings of Glory: World War II
2012 · Ares Games
Players plan aircraft maneuvers with cards, then move miniature planes and resolve aerial combat. The World War II system models differing aircraft speeds and firepower; the pictured Battle of Britain Starter Set supplies a complete entry point with aircraft, maneuver decks, and playing accessories.
Wingspan
2019 · Stonemaier Games
Bird habitats and card combinations create a gentle-looking but thoughtful engine-building game.
Wizard
1978 · Metagaming Concepts
Intelligence and magic expand the physical contest established in Melee. Character construction and spell resources give the duels their interest. Reviewed alongside Melee, with the later role-playing framework distinguished from these original combat games.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
2012 · 2K Games
Squad tactics and base management give every soldier’s survival strategic weight.
Xenonauts
2014 · Goldhawk Interactive
Manage a multinational defense effort against an alien invasion in an alternate 1979. Research, bases, aircraft interception, and turn-based ground missions form interlocking parts of the campaign.
Xenos Rampant
2022 · Osprey Games
A setting-independent large-skirmish system supports science fiction, weird war, and post-apocalyptic forces. Its unit options make it useful for assembling armies from an existing collection of figures.
Zona Alfa
2020 · Osprey Games
Scavenger crews venture into an anomalous exclusion zone for salvage. Hostile encounters and campaign development support small forces and terrain-heavy games with a survival-horror atmosphere.
This is a growing catalog. Every title currently listed on Battleward appears here; new entries will join this search as they are added.