The development of Iron Storm has been going smoothly over the past few months, and the game’s core systems are now close to finalised, with only small tweaks being made as our dedicated playtesters continue to push it to its limits. In this article I will give an overview of the game’s combat system, which is something that a few people have been asking about and we don’t expect to change significantly before publication.

Iron Storm is a relatively simple game that uses straightforward mechanics to capture the core aspects of WWI in Europe, and combat is no different. At the beginning of the action round the active player can initiate Offensives in any contested space, usually by playing an Army card that matches one of their armies in the space (there are also some special cards, such as High Command Orders, that can be used to initiate an Offensive in any space).

In an Offensive all the armies in the space participate, both the attacker and the defender, and their combat value (Firepower) is compared. The defender can also add Firepower for Mountains and Trenches, but the main variable factor in Offensives are Combat Cards. In the example below the Allies have triggered an Offensive with the 3rd French Army in Brussels, and the 1st British attack with them for a total Firepower of 6. The defending 1st and 2nd German armies have a combined Firepower of 5 (note that the 2nd German army is at reduced strength), but also get to add their level two trenches, for a total defending Firepower of 7. Currently the defenders are winning this offensive!

Combat cards have a big impact on Offensives in Iron Storm. For example, a good army like the 3rd French has a Firepower of 3 if it is at full strength. A single Artillery card adds two artillery dice, and each of these dice adds on average 1 Firepower, but possibly up to 2 (or 0 if you roll badly). However, the Artillery dice can be made even better if you have Air Superiority, because the planes at this time were mainly used for reconnaissance and to correct artillery fire. If you are able to commit three Artillery cards and also gain Air Superiority, you can amass an overwhelming amount of Firepower to support your Offensive!

However, the attacker must commit all of their Combat cards first, facedown but still giving some crucial information to the defender, who may then choose to strengthen their defense appropriately by playing Combat cards of their own, or perhaps accept defeat and save for their Combat cards for later use. If the attacker does not commit any Combat cards then the defender will be able to calculate the odds fairly precisely, almost guaranteeing victory if they are holding the correct cards – but the attacker may be feinting, hoping to draw out the defender’s strength on one front before attacking in force elsewhere! Launching an Offensive without artillery support is often suicidal, but if your armies have superior Firepower you may still have a chance of victory.

However, even winning an Offensive as the attacker does not mean that the defender must necessarily retreat, or that you will not suffer any casualties. The loser will always suffer one casualty (reducing or removing an army), plus one more if the winner’s Firepower was at least double theirs, but then both sides may also suffer some additional casualties, depending on the scale of the battle. When battles are very large, there are many casualties for both the winner and the loser. In an Offensive with three armies remaining on both sides (the largest possible battle in Iron Storm), both sides will suffer two additional casualties, so the usual result would be that the winner suffers two casualties and the loser three – a stiff price for victory! The defender, if they lost, can also choose to reduce their trenches by one level instead of retreating, or never need to retreat if they are defending in mountains (and can keep their trenches). Armies may then be reinforced during the defender’s next turn, so WW1 in Iron Storm can fairly quickly become a static battle of attrition, as it did historically.

After one Offensive, the active player can initiate another, so long as they have the correct Army cards or Operations! Maybe they launched a minor offensive to make the defender spend their combat cards, and now launch their main assault with all the Artillery they have kept reserved in their hand. The defender never knows for sure if an Offensive will be the last of the round, or just a diversionary attack before the real Offensive (although the number of cards left in the attacker’s hand can certainly give them some clues).

Unlike most wargames, in Iron Storm the combat phase is played first and then the movement phase comes second, and any armies that fought cannot move (or even dig trenches or be reinforce). There is no exploitation movement, even if the defender has been wiped off the battlefield. It is very important that the combat phase comes first, because after moving your armies, your opponent will take their action round, giving them an opportunity to reinforce those positions where you are concentrating troops. When your opponent is done and it is your action round again, you can launch the offensives you have been planning, but perhaps the situation on the front has changed. Will you cancel the offensive after the arrival of the opponent’s reinforcements, or do you have enough combat cards to continue with the plan?

As you can see, the game offers a lot of small but meaningful decisions, while keeping the basic mechanics very simple. This is one of the things I’ve put a lot of effort into, trying to keep the game simple but deep, and I think the combat system is an excellent example of this. I hope you have enjoyed this small taste of Iron Storm, and that people will enjoy the game as much as our playtesters have so far!

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