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In the late 19th and early 20th century, a combination of coastal defence for the homeland and fleet defence for the East Indies became the established naval strategy for the Royal Dutch Navy and set

An action-packed cyberpunk roleplaying game set in a Hong Kong that never was.Set in a 1980s cyberpunk Hong Kong that never was, Crescendo of Violence is a high-octane, action-packed, tightly focused, and cinematic heroic bloodshed roleplaying game. Crescendo of Violence focuses on easy-to-run epic fight scenes, as cyberwared-out Triads, kung fu cops, and mystical entities throw down as they try to establish who rules Hong Kong.The Hong Kong of Crescendo is a dystopian technological marvel, where concrete high-rises brim with holographic neon, as gilded mob bosses, flashy CEOs, and famous vid-stars all strive to consolidate their power over the masses. You take on the role of the “one good cop,” the “redemption-seeking gangster,” or others attempting to destabilise the status quo and return power to those who need it . . .

A set of platoon level wargames rules for fighting in a Cold War Gone Hot scenario.East vs West, Capitalist vs Communist. Fight as either the Warsaw Pact or NATO in Flashpoint, a set of platoon level wargaming rules for a Cold War Gone Hot alternate history circa 1986. Featuring an extensive campaign system allowing for platoon, squad, and individual character development with forces selected from a range of conventional infantry through to special forces and even guerrillas combatants, Flashpoint contains all the rules, units, and scenarios to fight World War III.

A 2-4 player card game of trains, tracks, and tricky decisions designed by the award-winning design duo Brett Gilbert and Matt Dunstan.In the sleepy English countryside, life continues undisturbed as it has it has for centuries prior. It is for you to travel to every corner of this land, bearing the promise of modernization, accommodating the oddly specific demands of the locals, and bringing with you the age of steam.In Village Rails you will be crisscrossing the fields of England with railway lines, connecting villages together and navigating the complex and ever-changing demands of rural communities. Balance your need for income with your desire to selectively pursue your many objectives in this tricky tableau building card game.Players: 2-4Playing Time: 45 minsAge: 14+Contents: 118 mini cards, 30+ tokens, scoring pad

A roleplaying game of fantastical inventions and Machiavellian politics in Renaissance Italy.It could have been so different. Who knows, if Niccolo Machiavelli, military commissioner of the Republic of Florence, had not truly understood the scale of Leonardo da Vinci’s genius, he might simply have wasted his time painting portraits of women and doodling. Instead, Florence’s screwcopters, gun-turtles and organ-guns make it secure against the armies of the Pope, Milan, and the French, and a haven for radical thinkers, artists, and other inventors inspired by his example. Of course, though, success breeds jealousy amongst the city states of Renaissance Italy and beyond. The city’s winding alleys and cobbled squares swarm with sinister Venetian spies, sour-faced priests bearing secret Papal instructions, Milanese mercenaries hoping to earn the king’s ransom the Sforzas have promised for da Vinci’s secrets and even emissaries from France, England and the Ottoman Empire . . . Exciting times,

This supplement greatly expands the possibilities of constructs, providing players with new tools to create and field constructs in their games.In the glory days of Ancient Felstad, artisans competed to produce the most beautiful, the most functional, and the most enduring constructs. These living works of art could be seen everywhere in the city, fulfilling many of the day-to-day tasks that kept the magical metropolis running. These constructs provided transportation and security, worked on construction and cleaning, exterminated vermin, butchered animals, and tended furnaces. Constructs even helped run many of the factories where master enchanters produced ever better models.Then came the cataclysm. The ice and snow not only buried the factories and destroyed most of the constructs active in the city, but nearly wiped out the knowledge of construct creation. Only by the slenderest thread of a few journeymen wizards, did those crucial spells survive. While the modern explorers of the

An expanded edition of the Origins Award-nominated Lion Rampant that includes additional rules, scenarios a sample armies in addition to clarifying the original rules.Lion Rampant: Second Edition is a wargame of medieval skirmish combat allowing players to field warbands or small armies selected from a wide variety of unit types. This book contains all the rules and material required to play whether recreating historical battles or imaginative 'what if' scenarios.This is a new, updated version of the hit Osprey Wargames Series title Lion Rampant, featuring a wealth of new rules tweaks and updates from several years worth of player feedback and development while keeping the core game play experience that players enjoyed intact. This new edition also includes additional material for building retinues and playing games set during the Dark Ages, one of the most popular periods for wargaming.

A wargaming ruleset for epic pre-WW1 battles in the sky.It’s the dawn of the 20th Century and the Great Powers turn to war. Since the development of the air screw, leading to the creation of flying warships, the navies of the world have comprised an ever-growing number of these aerial ironclads. So fire up the turbines, ready the aether drives, and take to the air in Castles in the Sky: A Wargame of Flying Battleships.Featuring all the rules required to fight battles with fleets of flying behemoths. Assemble your fleet from 9 nationalities and fight through a variety of scenarios. With a full campaign system, Castles in the Sky contains everything adventurous aeronautical admirals need to find victory in the skies.

An ambitious asymmetric area control game of tense negotiations and political intrigue in the 10th Century Middle East.As the sun rises over the deserts, rivers, and oases of the 10th century Middle East, an uneasy balance has been upset. Ambitious sultans sit in their golden palaces, presiding over great architectural works. Secretive cults work to undermine the central authorities and advance their agenda through an expansive network of agents. Nomadic tribes aim to sow discord in order to secure employment for their experienced mercenary citizenry. Hordes of foreign invaders sweep through the land, chasing after promises of plunder. And in the face of chaos and uncertainty, the caliphate aim to preserve order through military might.As one of many competing factions in the region, you must grab history by the reins and seize power for yourself. Will you successfully navigate this web of rivalries and rise to prominence, or squabble with your lesser adversaries and fade into obscurity

Describes and illustrates the full range of Dutch resistance groups and German and collaborationist counter-resistance groups during the Nazi occupation in 1940-45.The Nazi occupation of the Netherlands was a complex, varied and bloody affair. Well- documented is the initial capture by the Gestapo of a secret Dutch Special Operations Executive radio-operator who thereafter lured several parachuted agents to their deaths, but, the actual scope and complexity of the occupation was much greater than this. Large-scale civil resistance against the occupation began as early as February 1941, and 1943 saw assassinations, reprisals, and the development of various resistance groups – the LKP National Assault Teams and some “wild” armed groups: the left wing RzV and the conservative OD. In addition, several overlapping Dutch organizations amalgamated in September 1944 into the NBS: “Netherlands Interior Forces.” In return, the Germans created the collaborationist Landwacht security force. From t

While the PP and PPK were intended for police, the Walther P 38 was for the Germany military; all three pistols have garnered a formidable international reputation since the 1930s.The innovative Walther PP (Polizeipistole), a double-action semi-automatic pistol intended for the law-enforcement market, became available in 1929 and went on to arm the police of several European countries in the 1930s. Its smaller cousin the PPK, more readily concealed for undercover work but with reduced magazine capacity, was produced from 1931. Intended to replace the P 08 Luger, the Walther P 38 was issued from 1940 and equipped the armed forces of Germany and other countries during and after World War II, but never entirely replaced the Luger in German service.All three pistols went on to have lengthy and varied service across the world after 1945, with the PPK attracting particular attention owing to its association with figures as diverse as Adolf Hitler, Elvis Presley and James Bond. Following the

A fascinating look at the British naval intervention in the Baltic in 1918–20, and at the British, Soviet and Baltic nationalist fleets that fought it.Following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Baltic states became a battleground between Russian Reds and Whites, German troops, and emerging Baltic independence forces. In November 1918 the British government decided to intervene, to protect British interests and to support the emerging Baltic states.This initial small force of cruisers and destroyers was eventually augmented by other British warships, including aircraft carriers, a monitor, as well as a handful of submarines and torpedo boats. Opposing them was the far more powerful Russian Baltic Fleet, now controlled by the Bolsheviks. The campaign that followed involved naval clashes between the two sides, the most spectacular of which was an attack on the Soviet naval base of Kronstadt in June 1919 by a force of small British torpedo boats. They torpedoed and sunk the Russ

This study describes the air-sea offensive supporting the ground-force invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in February and April 1945, which led to the onslaught of the Japanese kamikaze.The island invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa were the last two major ground campaigns to be initiated during the Pacific War. This superbly illustrated volume explores the air–sea aspects of these pivotal battles. Among the events covered are the “death ride” of the Japanese battleship Yamato (the largest ever built), and the mass kamikaze attacks off Iwo Jima and Okinawa, as well as the amphibious invasions themselves, including the air–sea bombardment of the two islands. By early 1945, the US Navy had reached an exceptional level of coordination in its amphibious operations and was able to overrun and subdue Japanese territories efficiently. Faced with the increasing might of these forces and to prevent further defeat, Japan deployed its squadron of kamikaze and attacked many US heavy aircraft carriers

This fully illustrated volume compares two of the most iconic AFV's: the SU-152/ISU-152 and the Tiger, used on the Eastern Front during World War II.On the Eastern Front in 1943, the Tiger-equipped heavy Panzer battalions gave German armored divisions an unmatched capability that cost the Red Army dearly. The Tiger's 88mm gun carved through Soviet defenses in the attack, and caused havoc amongst advancing Soviet armored formations when used in defense. Neither of the Red Army's heavy tanks (the KV-1 and KV-2) could match the Tiger’s gun, and, more importantly, penetrate its armor at anything approaching standard combat range. The Soviet response was a stopgap vehicle that mounted a 152mm artillery piece onto the KV tank’s chassis: the SU-152. This fascinating volume describes how the SU-152 was first deployed at Kursk in 1943, where its shell proved capable of killing Tigers, and documents its evolution into the ISU-152 in late 1943 (the latter carried the same gun on an IS chassis, an

Fully illustrated, this book assesses the warriors fighting on both sides during the Vikings’ attacks on the Frankish realm in the 9th century, as raiding turned into siege warfare.On the eve of the 9th century, Vikings first raided the Frankish Empire on the coast of what is now western France. Although this attack ended in disaster for the Scandinavians, Charlemagne reportedly wept, not in fear of his own life, but for the ensuing bloodshed brought upon his successors. Mobile parties of highly skilled Viking warriors would continue to raid Francia for decades; as these attacking contingents grew more numerous they began to assail powerful centers, besieging Paris in 845 and again in 885. To combat the Viking threat, Frankish kings mustered scores of infantrymen, then subsequently transitioned to cavalry-based forces in the 9th century. The dynamic nature of Viking activity in Francia meant that numbers and mobility would determine the fate of Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire.This stud

A unique perspective of the global history of U-boats during the entirety of World War II by Lawrence Paterson, one of the world’s leading U-boat experts.The accepted historical narrative of the Second World War predominantly assigns U-boats to the so-called “Battle of the Atlantic,” almost as if the struggle over convoys between the new world and the old can be viewed in isolation from simultaneous events on land and in the air. This has become an almost accepted error. The U-boats war did not exist solely between 1940 and 1943, nor did the Atlantic battle occur in seclusion from other theatres of action. The story of Germany’s second U-boat war began on the first day of hostilities with Britain and France and ended with the final torpedo sinking on May 7 1945. U-boats were active in nearly every theatre of operation in which the Wehrmacht served, and within all but the Southern Ocean. Moreover, these deployments were not undertaken in isolation from one another; instead they were fre

Victory in Japan Day on August 15, 1945 officially marked the end of World War II, but conflicts continued throughout the month. This fascinating title explores the final weeks of the war.In forty-four months between December 1941 and August 1945, the Pacific Theater of Operations absorbed the attention of the American nation and military longer than any other. Despite the Allied grand strategy of “Germany first,” after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. especially was committed to confronting Tokyo as a matter of urgent priority.But from Oaho to Tokyo was a long, sanguinary slog, averaging an advance of just three miles per day. The U.S. human toll paid on that road reached some 108,000 battle deaths, more than one-third the U.S. wartime total. But by the summer of 1945 on both the American Homefront and on the frontline there was hope. The stunning announcements of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 seemed sure to force Tokyo over the tipping point si

Based on recently released wartime files, interviews with veterans and previously unpublished papers, this is the incredible story of a wartime special forces unit that defied the odds.Z Special Unit, one of the most intrepid but arguably the most unsung of Allied Special Forces of the Second World War waged a guerrilla war against Japan for two years in the south-west Pacific. On some of their 81 operations Z Special Unit slipped into enemy harbors in canoes and silently mined ships before vanishing into the night; on others they parachuted into the dense Borneo jungle to fight with headhunters against the Japanese and on one occasion they landed on an Indonesian island and smuggled out the pro-Allied sultan from under Japanese noses.The Japanese weren’t the only adversary that Z Special Unit encountered in the brutal terrain of the Pacific. In the mango swamps of Borneo and the dense jungle of Papua New Guinea they were faced with venomous snakes, man-eating crocodiles and deadly dis

The aerial clashes between the iconic Corsair and Zero-sen translated into a contest of speed and altitude for the former, versus the latter’s outstanding agility and range.Whilst the F4U Corsair eventually proved to be a superior fighter in Pacific operations, its introduction into combat in this theatre initially demonstrated its weaknesses. Indeed, the ‘Saint Valentine's Day Massacre’ debacle showcased exemplary Zero-sen fighter tactics, and American losses were of sufficient magnitude that further daylight missions toward Bougainville were discontinued until Allied fighter tactics could be improved. As a result, for the next two months the Corsair’s combat results were much subdued. Indeed, the F4U only became a superb fighter when both its pilots and their commanders worked out how to deploy the gull-wing design effectively. Optimum circumstances for effective engagement did not always occur, and the Zero-sen remained effective against the Corsair until February 1944 in the South

This illustrated book traces the development of mercenary soldiering, from individuals and small units in the African wars of the 1960s-90s to today's state-employed military contractors.The phenomenon of mercenary soldiering has constantly recurred in the news since the 1960s and has always attracted lively interest. The concept of “mercenaries” began in the former Belgian Congo during the 1960s when men such as Mike Hoare and Bob Denard assembled hundreds of military veterans to 'do the fighting' for a particular leader or faction. This idea soon evolved into small teams of individuals training and leading local forces with varying success; wars in Rhodesia and on South Africa's borders attracted foreign volunteers into national armed forces, and veterans of these conflicts later sought employment elsewhere as mercenaries. The wars in former Yugoslavia also attracted foreign fighters inspired as much by political and religious motives as by pay. This picture then evolved again, as fo

A fully illustrated study into the extraordinary Convair B-36 during the Cold War.Conceived during 1941 in case Germany occupied Britain, when US bombers would then have insufficient range to retaliate, the B-36 was to be primarily a “10,000-mile bomber” with heavy defensive armament, six engines and a performance that would prevent interception by fighters. Although rapid developments in jet engine and high-speed airframe technology quickly made it obsolescent, the B-36 took part in many important nuclear test programs. The aircraft also provided the US nuclear deterrent until the faster B-52 became available in 1955. It was one of the first aircraft to use substantial amounts of magnesium in its structure, leading to the bomber’s “Magnesium Overcast” nickname. It earned many superlatives due to the size and complexity of its structure, which used 27 miles of wiring, had a wingspan longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight, equivalent engine power to 400 cars, the same internal ca

Updated and revised, with new images throughout, this concise history examines the most violent and exciting chapter in Japanese history, the Age of Warring States.In 1467 the Onin War ushered in a period of unrivalled conflict and rivalry in Japan that came to be called the Age of Warring States. In this revised edition, fully illustrated in colour with all new images, Stephen Turnbull offers a masterly exposition of the wars. He explains what led to Japan’s disintegration into warring states after more than a century of peace; the years of fighting that followed; and the period of gradual fusion when the daimyo (great names) strove to reunite Japan under a new Shogun. Peace returned to Japan with the end of the Osaka War in 1615, closing the most violent, turbulent, cruel and exciting chapter in Japanese history.

Updated and revised, with new images throughout, this is a detailed overview of the bloody conflict in former Yugoslavia, a war which had significant consequences for the region.In 1991, an ethnically diverse region that had enjoyed decades of peaceful coexistence descended into bitter hatred and chaos, almost overnight. Communities fractured along lines of ethnic and religious affiliation and the ensuing fighting was deeply personal, resulting in brutality, rape and torture, and ultimately the deaths of thousands of people. This book examines the internal upheavals of the former Yugoslavia and their international implications, including the failure of the Vance-Owen plan; the first use of NATO in a combat role and in peace enforcement; and the war in Kosovo, unsanctioned by the UN but prosecuted by NATO forces to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the region.

This first volume of three discusses the tactical decisions made on day one and the ensuing combat.The Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1–3, 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, PA resulted in the largest number of casualties of the entire American Civil War and is seen as the key turning point in the conflict. On its first day, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia sought to destroy the Union army, forcing its men to retreat through the streets of the town to the hills just to the south. The opening clash involved four divisions of Confederate infantry and their accompanying artillery battalions, about 27,000 officers and men. They assaulted two corps of Union infantry and an accompanying division of cavalry, about 22,000 aggregate. Much of the narrative describes the tactical play-by-play, the customary “who did what” of the battle, but it also gives special emphasis to identifying the critical decisions of July 1 and explains why the commande

A beautifully illustrated history of the iconic ocean-going gunboats of British “gunboat diplomacy,” the hundreds of little warships that for 50 years demonstrated the power of Royal Navy.In recent years the phrase “gunboat diplomacy” has been used to describe the crude use of naval power to bully or coerce a weaker nation. During the reign of Queen Victoria, “gunboat diplomacy” was viewed very differently. It the use of a very limited naval force to encourage global stability, and to protect British overseas trade. This very subtle use of naval power was a vital cornerstone of the Pax Britannica. Between the Crimean War (1854-56) and 1904, when the gunboat era came to an abrupt end, the Royal Navy’s ocean-going gunboats underpinned Britain’s position as a global power and fulfilled the country’s role as a “global policeman.”First created during the Crimean War, these gunboats first saw action in China. However, these small ships were also used to hunt down pirates in the coasts and ri

This book offers an illustrated introduction to some of the American Civil War’s most famous and important battles, from the Battle of Fort Sumter to the Battle of Appomatox Court House.The American Civil War was the most cataclysmic military struggle of the late 19th century, and in four bloody years of fighting from 1861 to 1865 over 620,000 American soldiers and sailors lost their lives in more than 8,000 battles, engagements, and skirmishes.The American Civil War Battle by Battle tells the story of 30 of the most significant of these battles. These include some of the most famous clashes, such as the battles of Gettysburg and the Fredericksburg, which resonate through American military history, but also the less well known, such as the battles of Brandy Station and Cedar Creek.This highly illustrated introduction, packed full of color artwork, covers every theater of the war and details infantry, cavalry, artillery, and seaborne units from both the Union and Confederate forces to g

Set in a mirror of our own world, Sigil & Shadow is a roleplaying game of urban fantasy and occult horror in which players take on the roles of illuminated heroes and shadowed monsters to face the ris

The Wehrmacht’s last Blitzkrieg campaign was indeed a lightning war, since German forces were required to seize both Yugoslavia and Greece before redeploying immediately to the East ready to attack th

Ju 87 dive-bombers, originally developed for pin-pointing bombing missions against land targets and Allied naval vessels were deployed by both the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica against the Allie

Driven by the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the insecurities it provoked in Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi dictatorship, the Iran-Iraq war which began the following year would become the largest conventional conflict of the period. Curiously little-known considering its size and longevity, the struggle between Iran and Iraq was primarily fought along the 1,458km border in a series of battles which, despite both sides being armed with modern small arms, armour and aircraft, often degenerated into attritional struggles reminiscent of World War I. Such a comparison was underlined by frequent periods of deadlock, the extensive use of trenches by both sides, and the deployment of chemical weapons by Iraq.Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this study investigates the organization, appearance and equipment of the ground forces of both sides in the Iran–Iraq War, including Iraq’s Republican Guards and Iran’s Pasdaran or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which often proved to be we

The Campaign for Norway in 1940 was a pivotal moment in modern warfare. It was the first modern joint campaign that featured not only ground and naval operations, but also airpower as an equal element of all operations. Indeed, Norway was the first campaign in history where air superiority, possessed by the Germans, was able to overcome the overwhelming naval superiority, possessed by the British. German success in Norway was not pre-ordained. At several times in the opening weeks of the campaign the Norwegian and Allied forces could have inflicted a major defeat on the Germans if their operations had been effectively supported. It was, in fact, the superior German use of their air force that gave the Germans the decisive margin of victory and ensured the failure of the Allied counteroffensive in central Norway in April and May of 1940. The Norwegian campaign featured some firsts in the use of airpower including the first use of paratroops to seize key objectives and the first sinking

A Sword & Sorcery roleplaying game set in a Fantasy Bronze Age inspired by the legends and cultures of the Ancient Near East. The Zaharets, the land between the Vori Wastes and the Plains of Aeco, is

Designed in 1942, Britain’s innovative Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) provided British and Commonwealth troops with a much-needed means of taking on Germany’s formidable Panzers. Replacing the

Between 1941–45, the Germans recruited around 175,000 men from a number of minorities in the USSR, distinguishing between 'Turkomans' (predominantly Muslims) and 'Caucasians' (predominantly Orthodox C

The armoured car has an important place in the early history of Soviet armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) – they were the most important AFV during the Russian Civil War and figured prominently in the

A roleplaying game of adventure and fantasy in the age of King Arthur and the Britain of folklore.Romance of the Perilous Land is a roleplaying game of magic and adventure set in the world of British

The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager was intended to facilitate the recapture of the Philippines and to provide bases for the bombing of the Japanese mainland. This

Aelin Galathynius has given up her freedom for the sake of her people. Held captive by the Queen of the Fae and tortured for information, her only companions are a silent prisoner and her own mind. Th

A roleplaying game of myth and survival at the dawn of history.Paleomythic is a roleplaying game of grim survival and mythical adventures in the land of Ancient Mu, a harsh prehistoric world full of m

Hyper-reality. The area between the thriving mass of humanity known as the Sprawl and the digital refuge of Cyberspace. This is your playground. As a data-jack, you can see and manipulate the flow of