Way of the Warrior released!

The new edition “The Way of the Warrior” is now available on Wargame Vault

https://www.wargamevault.com/product/297567

The Way of the Warrior (WoTW) is a solo system to simulate small tactical war operations during World War II; you will be in charge of an infantry squad during a series of missions: you can play a single mission or a campaign game where you’ll be able to improve the skills of your soldiers (while facing the inevitable losses).

This completely redesigned edition of WotW provides you two options to play the game:

  • Portable game: just print a few paper sheets and take your pencil and one die; no components to prepare and a very limited space required on your table.
  • Table Top game: play the game using counters (230+), cards (100+) and a playmat.

Both options share the same common set of rules and provide the same content, but on a different format; you can of course mix the two options, for example using the Table Top version at home and continuing your camapign with the Portable version while traveling.

The game covers the European Theatre of Operations, allowing you to lead the forces of one of seven possible armies: Commonwealth, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, USA or USSR.

The terrain for each mission is generated on the basis of the selected theatre of operation, including:

  • Central and Eastern Europe (general)
  • Winter War (Finland, Russia)
  • Normandy
  • Beach head

Additional rules for Airdrop missions are also available: with 25 different objectives, WoTW provides a great choice of tactical challenges.

If you want to better understand the main mechanics of the game you can find here an Example of Play.

Farewell Chad

Today is a very sad day: Chad Jensen, surely one of the major wargame designers, passed away after his fight against the cancer. He was only 52: we’ll miss him. I want to thank Chad for what he made for our community: many games in my bookshelves have his name on it so I will not forget him. Farewell then, and Sit Tibi Terra Levis.

Ciao Chad.

Image may contain: Chad Jensen

Underworld Stories update

I’ve just release an update for Underworld Stories, my quick solitaire fantasy game of exploration and combat.

The update fixes several typos and errors (thanks again to those that contributed!) and adds a few small clarifications. As a bonus you’ll find a brand new dungeon, the Lair of the Plague Rat King ad a new item for your equipment (no spoilers here).

I take this opportunity to point out a new creation of Watabu, the One Page Dungeon. This is a true gem, a free generator capable of creating high quality dungeons freely available for personal and commercial use. Here below an example:

While being a newly released tool, the capabilities of this generator are already very promising: you can show/hide notes, hidden rooms, change the grid and shading mode and also export the page to use it in other free mapping projects.

I’m of course thinking on how to use this great tool with my own games and I’ve got several ideas so stay tuned: in the meantime visit the One Page Dungeon page and if you can support the author.

A New scenario for Blood in the blade

The Halloween Night is near so it’s the perfect time for a new scenario for Blood in the Blade: it’s a new Challenge where you’ll be charged to eliminate an Hag hiding on village located in the very middle of a swamp. Are the villlagers scared by the Hag or are instead servants of this ancient evil? To many kids and innocents disappeared near this village: it’s time to eradicate this menace.

Grab the new scenario here.

plans for 2019

I’ve been quite silent in the last months due to a lot of pressure on my “real” job but this doesn’t mean that I’m not progressing on the projects in pipeline. What you can expect in the next couple of months ? Here more or less the idea:

  • A new Scenario for Blood on the Blade for Halloween: you will be charged to find an Hag hiding on a village and it’s not going to be an easy task.
  • The new version of Way of the Warrior should be available before Christmas (here below the current cover): this is a complete redesign of a very old game of mine so if you ever played WoTW expect a totally new game experience.
  • I’m completing the new title in the Rifles series, this time focused on the Napoleonic wars (a few counters in WIP are also included in this post as preview). The game must be ready for November to finalize the publishing process.
  • Still need to define what will be included in the traditional “Christmas Gift Package”: BoTB or BiS (or both?)

As always your feedback is very important to me: let me hear your voice.

The Wary of the Warrior cover
French Grenadier (Rifles in the Peninsula)
French Dragoon (Rifles in the Peninsula)
British Rifleman (Rifles in the Peninsula)

Saurus riders now available

Another mounted Enemy is now available, the Saurus Riders. Those Lizardmens are selected to train the ferocious Sauri, slow but very powerful reptilians with a thick carapace and massive horns.

Once involved on a combat, Sauri will continue to fight until the end if they remain without their master: if the Saurus Rider is eliminated do not remove the miniature but keep it in the battlefield until the Saurus is also killed.

Get the Enemy Sheet for the Saurus Riders here!

Wolf Riders

The next addition to the mounted characters are the Wolf Riders; the Orc Enemy Sheet already includes Plague Wolves as individual characters: some of the strongest Wolves are used as mounts by the Orcs, creating a powerful combination of strength, speed and ferocity.

The Wolf Riders use the Special Dice to trigger two distinct effects:

  • Shove. If the Special Dice is a ‘6’, the target of the attack must immediately undergo a DEX(9) skill check; failure of this check will cause the character to become Prone. Only applies to newly engaged targets (i.e. after the Wolf Rider moved and engaged a character).
  • Bite. If the Special Dice is a ‘1’, execute an additional attack with the Plague Wolf.

The updated Orc Enemy Sheet is available here: after some additional playtest I’m planning to move this Sheet in the official distribution of BoTB.

Lancers and mounted lance

As promised, today I’m releasing the first add-on focused on the Mounted Characters: the add-on introduces a new weapon, the Lance and a new Enemy Unit, the Lancer, with some suggestions on how to use it with the existing Enemy sheets.

The Lance is a two-handed weapon can only be equipped by a mounted character: the following special rules apply to a Unit equipped with a Lance.

Charge. If a Unit equipped with a Lance moves straight at least 4MP to engage a target, he gains +H DMG modifier and Penetration(1)  for the first attack (in addition to the standard +1 modifier for a mounted attacker).

Long Weapon. An Engaged Lancer suffers a -3 modifier against an Engaged target (in addition to the standard +1 modifier for a mounted attacker)

Download the file of the Lancer here!

July preview – Blood on the blade

I must admit that the development of the 1PG titles and the ruleset of the next game in the Blood xxx series consumed a lot of my spare/spare time. Still I’ve not forgot the Blood on the Blade community so July will see (finally!) the release of some new components for BoTB – free, of course.

The first set of components will be focused on Mounted Characters: the second edition of BoTB added the rules for those figures and some examples of characters using them. Still, a lot can be added: the plan currently include Lancers (with a new weapon), wolf and bear mounts, mounted Skeletons and mounted Lizardmen. If you have a mounted figure you’ll like to use with BoTB just drop me an email or a comment here and I will work on it, promised.

A new Scenario will also be released in July: It’s a new Challenge that will provide unique Loot items but as usual nothing prevents to re-use it in your Campaign.

Thanks to everybody for the great support to BoTB!

Underworld stories now available

Underworld Stories is the second title of the One Page Games (1PG) series: it’s a quick solitaire fantasy game of exploration and combat (in other words a Dungeon Crawl).

The game has been designed following the 1PG guidelines: all the components of the game are placed on a single sheet of paper and one 18 cards deck provides all the elements to randomize the game. To facilitate the campaign game, a separated Player Sheet has been added to track the progress of your Character.

You start the game creating and equipping your character, then you will generate the dungeon using the 1PG Deck, that will help you designing the random layout of the map (where and how to connect the rooms/corridors). Each Scenario includes unique events, encounters, obstacles and of course enemies that you’ll need to face during your exploration of the dungeon.

Combat is not resolved with a plain die roll but instead provides several tactical options in the form of the available Combat Actions: will you select a Strong Attack or instead a Feint and Counterattack? Enemies very often have special attack capabilities that you will need to evaluate to identify the best strategy: this is especially important when you’ll face the Boss.

Scenarios can be played (and re-played) individually or you can play them in succession as a campaign: loot and experience points accumulated by your character will allow to purchase better equipment and improve your attributes.

The game includes three different Scenarios, and new ones are already planned to expand the gaming options.

Get you copy of the game on Wargame Vault!

Underworld Stories Components:

  • The game rules
  • Three game Boards for Map N1, N2 and S1
  • Player Sheet
  • The 1PG deck (18 cards)
  • “The 1PG Deck” document.