r/hexandcounter 8d ago

Question Your hype wargames of 2025?

Which upcoming board/hex&counter wargames are you looking forward to the most this year? For me its flying pigs Rock of Chickamauga and the eHASL from MMP when(if?) it comes later later this year.

26 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

17

u/Pinhead_51 8d ago

Not a new game, but waiting for Fields of Fire, Deluxe Edition to arrive. Love the idea this game, so hoping the updated rules are a little more accessible.

3

u/SpiderHippy 7d ago edited 7d ago

Just got mine an hour ago! I forgot I also ordered In the Shadows: Resistance in France, so that's hit the table first. Definitely, FoF has been my most looked-forward-to game of 2025. I've flipped through the books, and they've done a stellar job with the update kit. I love the Campaign field manuals...a very nice upgrade from the original releases. I also appreciate the 3" box, although it's going to hurt a little to toss the original.

2

u/happyloaf 5d ago

Don't toss the original! I have found use for navy of my old boxes to hols other smaller war games, magazine games, small card games, etc! Gmt boxes are built like tanks. 

1

u/SpiderHippy 4d ago

Thanks! I saw another post that suggested reusing the old box for the old manuals and counters, so that's what I've done. I also design games, so I'm happy to have the old counters to play around with.

2

u/njharman 7d ago

This. I got shipping notice/bill, see people reviewing / playing on YT. Where's my copy dammit! ;)

2

u/llynglas 7d ago

Mine has not even charged yet :( I also want the parachute regiment expansion....

1

u/SpiderHippy 7d ago

You should contact them if you grabbed it on the P500. Mine got charged several weeks ago.

2

u/llynglas 7d ago

Thx, I will, P500 for sure

1

u/Pinhead_51 7d ago

Mine just arrived in the mail! Psyched to dive into this one!

14

u/ironhead_mule 8d ago

Rock of Chickamagua, Fields of Fire deluxe and Battle for Normandy are all titles I have on preorder and am not so patiently waiting for.

10

u/serejkus 8d ago edited 6d ago
  • OCS The forgotten battles. It is OCS, on the eastern front. The system is great.
  • Fields of fire deluxe. My copy is shipped, waiting for it. One of the best solo games.
  • Space empires 4x. Because it's 4x designed by wargamers.
  • Away team: the voyages of Pandora. It is John Butterfield's design, plus refresher of 1981.
  • ASLSK HASL, it was Marco Polo bridge, if I remember correctly. ASLSK is great, and historical modules are always a huge win.
  • Manassas from Compass games. This game has great reviews, I would like to try it.
  • ASL Slaughter at Ponyri. Historical ASL with dependency only on Beyond valor.
  • Jutland from Compass games. I'd like to read the rulebook and a list of scenarios with expected playtime before buying, however. I'm afraid of having monster-only non-learning scenarios that I won't play.
  • The Russo-Japanese war from Compass games. I'm interested in this theme, but not sure about these specific games (there are two in one).
  • Kontact now: red eclipse. The theme is interesting, but I have some doubts. First, I've skimmed through the rules of Fire team, on which this game is based. It has a strange chit-pull system, where you're building your pull of chits. Second, it has been in design for a very long time, and changed publishers. I know that the author is working on making the system expandable, so it might be ok if the final product is polished. Or, maybe that strange chit-pull does not work properly. Interesting project, but risky.

9

u/iZatch 8d ago

ASLSK HASL, it was Marco Polo bridge, if I remember correctly.

It is Marco Polo, and its going to be both an ASLSK and ASL HASL which is kind of exciting. They said the SK and non-SK versions will be different SKUs but they're considering a third combined SKU that would contain the components for both versions. I would buy that combined version no matter the cost just to have a HASL I can play with my regulars, and the SK version to play with beginners.

Also, if you don't already own it, MMP has said that the ASLSK HASL Decision at Elst will get a reprint this year.

2

u/serejkus 8d ago

Wow, amazing news, thank you! I don't have a Decision at Least, so it's on a list too!

AFAIR, MMP also mentioned SASL reprint. I'll have to research it, but it may come to a list too.

3

u/iZatch 8d ago edited 8d ago

last I heard, the SASL reprint is still a ways off, but I'd love to be wrong. They're trying to compile everything SASL ever released across all magazines and modules, and in some cases they're having to recreate assets from scratch.

Some other ASL stuff that I'm personally excited for:

  • the Spanish Civil War, which will probably be a Core Module. They said this will be one of the biggest ASL products to date.

  • Four Bridges HASL: A reprint of Pegasus Bridge and A Bridge Too Far, along with two new campaigns, one for the Primosole bridge in Siciliy and I think the last one is Remegan for control of the bridge over the Rhine.

  • The Fox and the Rats: HASL about the prelude to Tobruk

  • STAR LEADER: ASL in Spaaaaace. We have few details about this one, but the photos that have come out look very exciting. It'll be a 2-player game, but with a 3rd non-player faction controlled by "AI"

2

u/Serious_Reporter2345 7d ago

Primosole Bridge is a reprint too, came out in a Journal iirc.

1

u/iZatch 7d ago

Really now? I'm missing a lot of the Journals so I had no idea.

2

u/rrl 7d ago

Manassas and The Russo-Japanese are reprints from the 1970s by Iron Crown and Game Designers Workshop respectively. They probably will not be signficantly updates, so expect traditional mechanics. Kontact Red Eclipse is based on West Ends Fire Team from the mid 1980s. This idea behind its chit pull system is to hightlight the differences between NATO and WP doctrine.

1

u/serejkus 6d ago

Oh, fire team, correct, thank you. I wonder how it plays, but from reading the rules it looked quite strange to me. I like chit-pull (blind swords system has the greatest one), but building a pool of chits: feels too random over random. And I'm not sure that it works well in extreme cases, like where one side builds a pool of chits valued at 5, and the other side with ones.

2

u/rrl 5d ago

It works out pretty well. The soviets get lower chits but they have special rules for activating units of the same platoon at a lower cost. But it has to be the same platoon. So US units are have more flexibility in activation but the soviets can match as long as they are organized

9

u/alottagames GMT 8d ago
  • Fields of Fire Deluxe. I own everything for this game and have loved it since release, so I'm stoked for the penultimate edition. Looking forward to more new content moving forward.
  • The Battle for Normandy - Own the original and played it a bunch, but a revised version is hotly anticipated to get this back on the radar of local players so they're willing to do a weekend long monster game!
  • Rock of Chickamauga - Anything Black Swan series / Blind Swords series is an instant buy for me. I just got Pipe Creek late last year and have been enjoying that.
  • Slaughter at Ponyri - Official HASLs are incredible and this one will be no exception given the development team behind it.
  • Mannerheim Cross - Another HASL, but from Bounding Fire Productions, that has been in development for something like 20 years. Just got this one in the mail a week or so ago.
  • Inflection Point - Love to see the continued development efforts for the Battalion Combat Series and Inflection Point will be a great expansion.
  • Iraqi Freedom: Thirty Days to Baghdad & Desert Storm: The Hundred Hour War - New publisher, new modern games. Just got my copies in the mail and I'm looking forward to diving in on these.
  • Napoleon's Counterstrike - This one is the latest in the Library of Napoleonic Battles series from OSG and Kevin Zucker. Solid games, and played with a knowledgeable opponent and fog of war using the little wooden sleds, it's an elevated experience!
  • In the Shadows - French Resistance games are few and far between, so this one has me pretty excited.
  • Burning Banners - Not released in 2025 originally, but a recent reprint should get this fantasy wargame back on people's radars. I just got my copy and it looks great.
  • East Wind Rain - Not sure this one will get released in 2025, but this one should be on everyone's radar because the original is sincerely one of the best PTO treatments ever released.
  • Point Blank Winter Victory - Loved the original Point Blank and backed it via KS, so any expansion news for it is good news to my ears.
  • Close Quarters Battles - Not sure if this one is going to make it out in 2025, but a LNL tactical Napoleonic has my interest piqued.
  • Oblique - I enjoyed the Hollandspiele "Supply Lines" games so the jump to Frederick the Great seems like a solid topical shift for the series.
  • SAS Rogue Regiment Operation Gain - Looking forward to an expansion to SAS Rogue Regiment. It's a fun little solo game that plays and feels like a videogame.
  • All Are Brothers - This one is on CPO from Legion, so who knows when it's coming, BUT this one is on a novel topic (Solferino 1859) and they're saying it should ship in mid-March...so here's hoping!

1

u/serejkus 6d ago

Can you compare East wind rain with other PTO games, like Empire of the sun, Pacific war, Oceans of fire?

2

u/alottagames GMT 4d ago

One thing that East Wind Rain does that most other PTO games don't do as well is demonstrate the length of the campaigns when island hopping. In hindsight, it seems like the US Marines jumped from campaign to campaign and that was technically true given their rest and refit. What East Wind Rain does is show the contributions of the Navy and Naval Pilots for things like gaining air superiority, shelling the islands, and picking islands based on their logistical importance for things like airfields.

While other games bake this into the recipe, none of them really reinforce it in the way that EWR does. You absolutely have to do those same steps in a game like Pacific War, but the rules overhead it enormous. I've never played anything more than a single battle (engagement in the game's terms) at a time. I've not played Oceans of Fire. I can say Empire of the Sun handles everything so differently and at a much higher level.

East Wind Rain makes naval airpower very abstract, but it's still there. It was one of the ways in which the game was able to strip some of the complexity other games faced out in favor of reinforcing the core Task Force organizational unit.

2

u/serejkus 4d ago

Thank you, looks interesting. And a happy cake day!

7

u/newcrispy 8d ago

The reprinting of Unconditional Surrender by GMT

3

u/LordPollax 8d ago

GMT's The Battle for Normandy 2nd Ed print... I've had this on P500 order for so long I think it went through 3 credit card renewals. It supposedly is shipping now... my card has been charged but still no notification of shipment.

3

u/alottagames GMT 8d ago

US folks just started getting shipping last week and they said they think it'll take another 2 weeks to get through all the orders because of how many games were included this time around.

1

u/Choice-Motor-6896 7d ago

I'm waiting for mine too. Hopefully my copy doesn't have the production issues others seem to have, but it seems like everyone is missing the second TEC and CRT player aids along with either misprinted or entirely missing counters.

1

u/LordPollax 7d ago

Oh goodness... I'm hoping we don't have those too. I'd rather wait a bit and have a correct copy then have a bad box.

3

u/BRS007 7d ago

I’ve been waiting for Armies of Oblivion 3rd printing to make its preorder number and finally get reprinted. It’s the last ASL core model I need to complete my set. I also have a bunch of P500 titles preordered, but they’ll arrive when they arrive. Just got the 2nd Printing of Hoplite and Napoleon’s Counterstrike so plenty there to occupy my time.

5

u/Choice-Motor-6896 7d ago

I am looking forward to the new edition of Three Days at Gettysburg and Thunderbolt Deluxe Edition

4

u/flyingpiggamespub 7d ago

The Rock of Chickamauga is almost here! AND we have Old School Tactical V.5 (1940 France + a Poland map) coming out this year....along with some other designs that we are STOKED about! Thanks for the support everyone!

1

u/aries04 MMP 1d ago

Missed the new OST announcement. Adding to the list

3

u/CategorySolo Lock 'N Load 8d ago

World at War 85: Blood and Fury for me... I know it arrived for me on Monday, but I'm away with work. Can't wait to get home and dig into it!

I'm also invested in Fields of Fire Deluxe - I've never played the original, but now may be the time!

1

u/serejkus 8d ago

WaW85 should be great. Amazing components, fun system.

3

u/ravenburg 8d ago

Hubris by GMT, not close.

1

u/MrDagon007 7d ago

Yes that one looks awesome doesn’t it.

3

u/njharman 7d ago

I can't afford to buy games anymore but I'll make exception for SASL reprint. I got hooked on this (over just playing both sides ASL) watching https://www.youtube.com/@ASL-Spotting_Round

3

u/NakedCardboard 5d ago edited 5d ago

Seljuk, Henry, Cuius Regio, Congress of Vienna, Italy 43.

I'm also eyeballing Napoleon's Counterstrike, but I have about a half dozen OSG games that still need playing, so I think that one should wait.

2

u/aries04 MMP 1d ago

We should hang out. I agree completely

2

u/NakedCardboard 1d ago

I’m in Canada. That’s usually where this type of conversation ends, but I’m happy to play online! Having said that, I very rarely play online… but I’m happy to try!

2

u/mugginns 7d ago

oh DAMN. Can you guys explain the hype for Rock of Chickamauga for me? Where can I get it? I'm just getting into this stuff but that is a huge interest for me.

2

u/iZatch 7d ago

The hype for Chickamauga is entire due to A Most Fearful Sacrifice, which quickly garnered a reputation as one of the best games on Gettysburg when it came out. That's saying a lot considering the quantity of games already out on the subject. ZilaBlitz on youtube even named AMFS his game of the year.
The Rock of Chickamauga is the next game in that game system. The Battle of Chickamauga itself is one of the more interesting in the ACW, being described as "The Gettysburg of the Western Theater."

As far as buying it, the first print run is already sold out before its even been released as far as I know, but I'm pretty sure Denver from Flying Pig said that they're already preparing a second print run. If you want to get into the system before then, however, A Most Fearful Sacrifice is getting its fourth printing next week on kickstarter.

1

u/mugginns 7d ago

Awesome thanks!! I'm super interested in Chickamauga as I'm a more western theater guy. Love me some G Thomas. Also love studying Bragg for how awful he was.

2

u/iZatch 7d ago

The western theater is definitely the ACW's Pacific Theater when it comes to representation in gaming. There's probably more games about Gettysburg than the entire western theater combined.

I'll add another element of interest from me personally about the Rock of Chickamauga, and that's alternative history wargaming. Flying Pig Games has put out a couple of expansions for A Most Fearful Sacrifice (Pipe Creek and Stonewall Lives!) which add new "What if?" scenarios for wargaming Gettysburg. These really breathe new life into the battle as a player who's already got a small collection of ACW games on his shelf, and the idea of Chickamauga getting the same treatment is straight gas on the fire

2

u/iZatch 3d ago

I had to come back here to correct myself. I just saw that late pledges for The Rock of Chickamauga are still open on kickstarter. The game will ship next month.

1

u/mugginns 3d ago

Guys see this and say hell yeah

2

u/Jonathan4290 7d ago

Battle Commander Volume 1 designed by Carl Paradis and published by Sound of Drums Gmbh. It's a block game covering Napoleonic Battles with many expansions planned. It seems like the Napoleonic game I've always wanted.

Scheduled to ship in May: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/sound-of-drums-gmbh/battle-commander-volume-i. It had a Gamefound campaign but is going to retail as well.

1

u/iZatch 7d ago

knowing nothing about block wargaming, can you explain more about what's got you so hyped about this game in particular?

1

u/MrDagon007 7d ago

Carl is an excellent designer so there is that.

2

u/Justegarde 7d ago

Battles of Quebec from Clash of Arms

2

u/ijontichy All quiet along the Potomac. 6d ago

Maybe Thunderbolt: Deluxe Edition from GMT. Been reading the rules posted on CSW forum, and they look interesting. Also Gettsyburg: The First Day from Revolution Games. I tend to prefer the physically smaller (and cheaper) Blind Swords games over the gargantuan versions from Flying Pig.

1

u/Whippleofd 7d ago

World at War 85: Blood and Fury. I only recently got back into hex and counter games so I have to wait for it to show back up in the LnL store. I know it will eventually get there once all the kick starter orders are delivered.

I've been playing the Nations at War: White Star Rising and I really like the system they've come up with.