Publisher Slitherine and developer Foolish Mortals Games have showcased the opening mission of World War II wargame Battleplan, which challenges us with leading the Allied troops during the D-Day campaign by sketching the plan of attack on an actual, authentic map depicting Northern France.
Although moving divisions, picking targets for artillery barrages, and planning assaults against entrenched German positions should sound familiar enough to hardened wargamers, doing it “just as real commanders did in their wartime command bunkers” promises “an unprecedented level of immersion and accessibility,” according to the publisher.
World War II Wargame Battleplan Showcases Opening Mission
Slitherine has shared Battleplan’s opening mission as part of a Twitch stream, giving us a closer look at the wargame’s current state of development as well as how it plays.
Planning and logistics are key aspects that ensure a mission’s success as we guide armor, aircraft, and infantry in combined arms warfare, issuing real-time orders.
An intelligence briefing precedes each mission, giving us our first look at the map on which we draw our strategy and organize our units while taking into account the different types of terrain we’ll have to navigate as well as the position of supply lines.
During battle, we’ll have to adapt on the fly as we “seize high ground, merge or split divisions, and call in air support — reconnaissance to expose hidden positions, fighter-bombers to break armor, or carpet bombing to shatter fortifications.” Day and night cycles impact visibility, inevitably requiring us to alter our tactics.
Battleplan’s campaign promises 11 historical missions that see us fighting all across the Western Front, from places like Cherbourg and Caen all the way into Germany itself.
Progress carries from mission to mission, as divisions gain veterancy, officers unlock abilities, and losses must be replenished.
We can make use of requisition points to bring historic divisions into the fold as well as build custom formations.
Battleplan features “massive, accurate maps” that “include real archival photographs placed where they were taken.”
The World War II wargame hasn’t been given a release date just yet, but if its opening mission Twitch stream proved convincing enough, you can follow and wishlist it on Steam.
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