Hallo! Oli here again. With Nuno away from the PC to attend to family affairs, I want to welcome all to our weekly roundup of strategy and wargaming news, where we (mostly me) keep you informed of the latest developments in the world of military and strategic gaming. Whether you’re a fan of historical or futuristic warfare, grand strategy, or tactical combat, we’ve got you covered. Our team (mostly me) curates the most interesting and exciting news, and updates from the top sources in the strategy and wargaming genre, so you can stay up-to-date on the latest releases, trends, and events. Grab a cup of coffee and join us each week for the newest and most relevant strategy and wargaming news!
Operation: Harsh Doorstop
RatDog Games has released its highly anticipated tactical shooter game, Operation Harsh Doorstop. This indie game features realistic military combat scenarios and challenges players to use tactical skills to outmaneuver and outsmart enemy forces, similar to other games in the genre like Squad and Hell Let Loose. The game led by BlueDrake42 features somewhat impressive graphics for an indie, detailed environments, and immense modding potential, and aims to be the ultimate tactical shooter. It had a rough launch, but for free, it’s hard to complain, so grab your gear, form your team, and get ready to experience 20th and 21st-century warfare in Operation Harsh Doorstop.
Field of Glory II: Swifter than Eagles Out Now
Field of Glory II– the popular strategy game set in the ancient (and medieval) world- has just received a new DLC expansion called Swifter than Eagles. Developed by Byzantine Games and published by Slitherine, the last expansion adds new content to the game, including units, scenarios, and a campaign set in the Bronze Age. With new armies and units, detailed historical accuracy, and a range of new features and improvements, Swifter than Eagles is going to finally round up FoGII offering to finally make it a must-play for fans of ancient history.
The new expansion adds a range of new armies and units from the Bronze and early Hellenistic periods, including the Seleucids, Ptolemaic Egyptians, and the Bactrians. Players can command these armies in various scenarios and battles, including the epic Battle of Kadesh. Each unit and army in Swifter than Eagles is modeled with historical accuracy, featuring authentic equipment and tactics.
The entire Field of Glory II franchise is on sale on Steam and the Slitherine store. If what Nuno rambles on about is half-true, then FoGII’s attention to historical detail, amount of content, and engaging gameplay are anything to go by, then it’s the perfect franchise for those looking for a deep and engaging tactical strategy game. Read his Field of Glory II: Medieval – Storm of Arrows review.
Panzer Campaigns Philippines ’44
Hopefully, the latest installment in the Panzer Campaign Series will arrive in the Wargame Design Studio’s store sometime during the next dozen days or so. Panzer Campaigns Philippines ’44 is a turn-based wargame that allows players to simulate the battles and operations that took place during the Philippines Campaign of World War II. The game is the latest addition to the popular Panzer Campaigns series, developed and published by Wargame Design Studio.
Check out Wargame Design Studio’s webpage for designer notes, maps, and scenario lists.
MicroProse Announces Two Games
MicroProse has announced the addition of two new games to its catalog. Waronoi is a real-time strategy wargame that focuses on snappy commands and an intuitive and simple interface. With procedurally generated maps and multiplayer options, the game offers high replayability and depth while remaining accessible and quick to play. Mech Engineer looks like it’s going to be my favorite of the two, and it is self-described “dark sci-fi mech assembling manager with semi-auto battles against a mutating alien bio-weapon”.
The game lets players oversee every aspect of their mech squad’s operation, from optimizing reactors to fine-tuning weapons systems. The game’s unique analog ‘80s retro-style interface is certainly a highlight. Apparently, you can play the beta of Mech Engineer for free, so I’ll be diving into that after I’m done publishing this. If Nuno wills it, I might even “pawssible” publish something on it. Also, here’s the Waronoi announcement trailer.
Beyond These Stars Announced
Beyond These Stars is an upcoming space strategy game that has been announced by Hooded Horse. Developed by Balancing Monkey Games, the game promises to offer a unique and engaging experience for fans of the strategy genre, with a focus on both tactical gameplay and story-driven narratives on the back of… let me check my notes… a space whale.
In Beyond These Stars, players take on the role of a village elder and will be “Building a city on the back of a sentient creature comes with its own set of challenges, but as you build your relationship and travel across the galaxy, you’ll come across great opportunities for exploration and stable expansion. Meet other species, pursue the needs and wants of your Peeps, and seek the truth about their ancestors and the Space Whales alike”. I love its art style, but we’ll see how the building aspect of it manages to keep me playing long after the novelty wears off.
As of this writing, Beyond These Stars is not yet available, but be sure to keep an eye on the game’s Steam page for further updates on its release date and gameplay details
Battle Cry of Freedom 2.0 Update
The very average Battle Cry of Freedom is stepping up its game with its 2.0 update. It will add cavalry a whole lot of other options. Here are the changes:
- Cavalry: Mount horses and tow artillery for greater mobility.
- Graphic Overhaul: Stunning upgrade to terrain rendering, flora, and post-processing effects.
- Enhanced Performance: Improved performance, especially with many players on screen.
- Vehicles: Operate armored trains, steamboats, and wooden launches.
- Dynamic Terrain: Fully deformable terrain creates an ever-changing battlefield.
- Trench Warfare: Use shovels and pickaxes to dig trenches.
- Refined Class System: Reworked class system with distinct skills for each class.
- New Classes: Classes, such as the Chaplain and War Correspondent add depth to the gameplay.
- Blood & Gore: Free DLC adds realistic gore and blood.
- Brass Band Music: Access to Brass Bands with unique instruments via the Supporter Pack.
- Expanded Weaponry: New weapons and artillery pieces to tailor playstyle.
- Smarter AI: Entirely reworked AI code for intelligent opponents.
- Original Soundtrack: Purchase the game’s original 57-minute soundtrack.
Broken Arrow Demo Feedback
Slitherine’s darling RTS, Broken Arrow has analyzed the feedback from its Steam Next Fest demo and there’s nothing of special note here: performance was bad across the board, as the game is yet to be optimized. Stability wasn’t its strong point either (the game crashed a couple of times here). Other than that, some players apparently weren’t familiar with the way reinforcements work and tried to play the entire mission with the starting units, didn’t resupply existing units, and were using helicopters to ferry one unit at a time, which is hilarious, but I get it, not everybody spends their free time playing games. In terms of gameplay, Balalaika Studios will implement the possibility of countermeasures deploying automatically, and for a double click to trigger infantry sprint. This is cool. Also, there’s a line-of-sight tool already in the works. Things are looking fine for Broken Arrow and I know that Nuno cannot wait to get its paws… hands on it.
Read our impressions about Steam Next Fest – Strategy Games Galore.
Jake Solomon Leaves Firaxis
Jake Solomon, the creative director behind the XCOM series, has announced that he is leaving Firaxis Studios after more than 20 years with the company. The news has sent shockwaves through the gaming industry, as Solomon is considered one of the most prominent figures in the strategy gaming world and his departure is sure to impact the future of the XCOM franchise. Solomon first joined Firaxis Studios in 1999 as a programmer and worked his way up to become the lead designer on the 2012 reboot of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which was widely praised for its strategic depth and challenging gameplay. He also served as the creative director on XCOM 2 and its expansion, War of the Chosen, which further expanded on the series’ tactical combat and story-driven campaign.
Headquarters: World War II Dev Log
I randomly found this one on youtube and I would figure out I might as well just share this small update on Headquarters: World War II.
Follow Strategy and Wargaming Socials
Strategy and Wargaming needs you to follow its socials. Are we the best strategy gaming website around? I would say so. Heck, what other options do you have? The Wargamer? Please.
So why not give us a follow on the cesspool that is Twitter, or join the 1000 other geriatric patients on Facebook? Or subscribe down below? Or maybe do everything? I don’t care, I’m not your grandmother.
If you enjoyed the article, consider buying me a coffee!
I’ve been running Strategy and Wargaming at my own expense since 2017, with only the ad revenue to cover the hosting, with everything else being done by me. So, if you’re an avid reader, you can afford it, and want to support the website, please consider Buying Me a Coffee by clicking this link, for as low as one euro! If you do, just know that you’re helping out a lot and contributing so that Strategy and Wargaming can continue growing!
Strategy Games | Strategy and Wargaming 
Leave a comment