What is the Battlefield 6 release date? When Battlefield is firing on all cylinders, it’s a thing to behold: tactical, dynamic, and immersive, there isn’t much else like it out there. Some games have tried to emulate the feel of Battlefield, admittedly with mixed results, so a brand new, numbered entry in one of the best FPS series is something to get excited about.
The last Battlefield game that graced our screens was 2042, and it left a bitter taste for some, having eschewed some of the core principles that made the multiplayer game great. Battlefield 6 looks to learn from those mistakes, hopefully capturing some of that early magic, gathering old players and, with any luck, a new audience in the process.
Battlefield 6 release date
The Battlefield 6 release date has been officially confirmed and will arrive on Friday, October 10, 2025. This was revealed at the end of a livestream showcasing its multiplayer gameplay.
This is the same date that was leaked in a legal disclaimer that was spotted just after the initial reveal of Battlefield 6 reveal. The game was shown to have a pre-order promotional offer that ended on October 10.
Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, stated during this investors call: “We remain firmly on track for an FY ’26 release with a major global reveal later this summer.”
The summer reveal of BF6 put the game in good stead to be released this year – we assumed they would want to avoid a late March 2026 release, with other extremely high-profile games coming out around that time.
Battlefield 6 trailers
We finally got a glimpse of the future of Battlefield with the BF6 reveal trailer. It starts slow, with the usual political meandering that precedes violence, but once it gets going, it really gets going. Infantry combat, vehicle combat, huge mechanized assaults on fortified locations – this is what Battlefield is about. We even get a hint at the scope of destruction coming with the next installment, with dams bursting, skyscrapers toppling, and suspension bridges being totally decimated.
There is a Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal planned for July 31, and the link for that can be found right here. We’ll be waiting.
Battlefield 6 gameplay
From the looks of it, Battlefield 6 is heading back to its modern warfare roots, rather than the near-future version we got most recently. With a more grounded setting, it appears that BF6 is going for full realism, with destruction again taking center stage.
Various leaked videos show facades of buildings crumbling with a well-placed explosive, cover being destroyed, and on the flip side, being created with the debris of fallen buildings. The area of operation looks to be a dynamic, changing thing, being worn down over the course of prolonged firefights.
The level of destruction is being tweaked with each Battlefield Labs test, with the ultimate aim being to find a balance that offers a changing, dynamic playspace that doesn’t end up looking cluttered by the end of each match.
Some other additions have been hinted at, including the ability to drag downed teammates before reviving them. As a medic, you’re often putting yourself in harm’s way to save the life of another, so this small addition gives us the chance to be selfless, while also keeping our heads.
An artillery ability has also been hinted at, with the Recon class being able to call in a small barrage on a designated area. It looks like anyone caught within this area gets a warning before the bombs drop, so it’s unclear how powerful this will be if it’s implemented in the full game.
Speaking of classes, the universally hated Specialists are, thankfully, out of the picture this time. In the game’s current iteration, classes are still more freeform than Battlefields past, but certain ‘signature gadgets’ are class-locked. Additionally, each class offers a ‘signature weapon archetype’ bonus, encouraging specific playstyles without locking you into them.
Battlefield 6 Levelution
A term coined during a better time, perhaps; Levelution was how Battlefield evolved destruction, taking it to another level. It took huge landmarks on a map and, well, leveled them, changing the landscape mid-match and forcing players to change their approach. It was a spectacle, and a little canned for some players’ liking, but Levelution was something that was very Battlefield, and with the official reveal trailer, it looks like it may be returning.
While we know that there is an unprecedented amount of destruction coming with BF6, there are some structures that are surely too big to be eroded naturally by the tides of a battle. In the reveal trailer, we see a dam bursting, causing havoc for anything in the water’s path. An under-construction high-rise also comes toppling down in the same trailer. We would be extremely impressed if this were all occurring naturally, and would also still be kind of impressed if it turns out Levelution was back.
Battlefield 6 battle royale
Taking the next step from the ill-fated Firestorm, there are rumors that Battlefield 6 will host its very own battle royale mode. Getting in fairly early to the BR scene, BF5 tried to blaze the trail with its Firestorm mode, but a clunky user interface, slow pace, and ultimately a lack of support meant that the game mode was doomed to fail.
Many years have passed since then, and with any luck, many lessons have been learned. Warzone is going stronger than ever, showing that there is value in diversifying and offering a quality product with continued support. Nobody does scale like Battlefield, and it will be interesting to see if they can finally translate that to the battle royale genre.
That’s everything there is to know about the Battlefield 6 release date at the moment, but rest assured, we’re scanning the horizon for any and all BF6 news. For now, take a look at the best new PC games you can play right now, and the most exciting upcoming PC games for other things you can look forward to.
Yes, but only in Axis & Allies Pacific 1940, not in Axis & Allies Global 1940 (or Europe)
The quickest reference to the bonus is in the Second Edition rules FAQ, see the section on Page 9, The Political Situation, The United States, which indicates the appropriate rule should read
The United States
begins the game neutral. It may not declare war on Japan unless Japan first declares war on it or makes
an unprovoked declaration of war against the United Kingdom or ANZAC. Following any such unprovoked
declaration of war by Japan, the United States will receive an immediate one-time bonus payment of 30
IPCs, representing the total mobilization and transfer of military assets within the continental United
States. However, if the United States is still not at war with Japan by the Collect Income phase of its third
turn, it may declare war on Japan at the beginning of that phase. This is an exception to the rules for
declaring war (see “Declaring War,” page 11), which may normally be done only at the beginning of the
Combat Move phase.” (Note that this change applies only to the Pacific rules, and not to the Global
rules.)
What makes a horror game truly frightening? Jumpscares or chase scenes can be unsettling, but for me, the scariest horror games are those that encourage a creeping sense of dread and make you question the world you’re interacting with.
If you’ve been hunting for some new skin-crawling titles to add to your library, I’ve got you covered with this list. One of the games is a cult-classic that I believe every horror enthusiast should have in their collection, while the other two are underrated gems that deserve more of a spotlight.
The Escapist recaps
Flesh, Blood, & Concrete is an atmospheric, unsettling trawl through a seemingly occupied apartment building, filled with trinkets and chunks of meat.
Ib is a cult-classic horror that starts in an art gallery and ends up in an alternate world, packed with fiendish monsters and enemies.
Soul Void is a mysterious horror-adventure made in a Game Boy-esque style, with heavy themes of death, inner grief, and a reluctance to move on.
All three games are must-plays for fans of horror games that rely on slow-burning fear, unsettling imagery, and rich narratives to frighten their players.
Flesh, Blood, & Concrete
This game is dark and atmospheric. Image credit: waxwing0
Flesh, Blood, & Concrete is just as weird as it sounds – and I’m so glad I found this game while mindlessly scrolling through the horror tab on Itch.io, as it’s utterly engrossing.
Made by waxwing0, this RPGMaker experience is short but impactful. It’s a story-driven horror that begins with a car accident, and the mechanics are best summarized as exploration with a small sprinkle of puzzles on top.
After the main character falls asleep at the wheel and drives her car through the courtyard of a block of apartments, she’s invited inside the apartment block by a mysterious but friendly girl who wants her to take shelter from the vicious snowstorm outside. The story unravels from there, getting increasingly surreal with every new room uncovered.
While there are some gross-out moments – particularly for folk who are upset by mold or rot – it’s not a jumpscare-heavy game. The world design is spectacularly eerie, and the music adds to the ambience perfectly, but the real horror is baked into the story instead of the visuals.
Flesh, Blood, & Concrete somehow manages to be creepy, beautiful, and melancholic all at the same time. It ended up bringing a tear to my eye, and I wish I could’ve spent longer learning more about the characters.
You can play this horror game for free on Itch.io – before downloading, it’s worth noting that it features heavy themes along with a fair amount of gore.
Ib
While Ib does have jumpscares, it relies on its tense atmosphere for frights. Image credit: Playism
Calling Ib an underground horror game at this point is a bit of a stretch – it’s a cult-classic, after all, with a dedicated community – but I’ll take any excuse to write about this incredible title. It came out in 2012, then got a remake in 2022.
As a long-time RPGMaker game fan, I can say with confidence that this is one of the best examples of an RPGMaker horror game. It’s gorgeous yet creepy, with an intriguing storyline and plenty of unsettling enemies to dodge as you explore.
Ib follows the story of a young girl by the same name as she visits an art gallery with her parents. Before the family can settle into their day trip, something changes drastically within the gallery, and Ib ends up alone, forced to explore a dark, ever-changing world within the paintings that line the walls of the gallery.
Exploration is a key part of Ib, with a plethora of dungeons and winding pathways to navigate. The world gets increasingly more surreal and twisted, with plenty of elaborate puzzles to unravel as the story unfolds.
Something that I love about this game is that there are multiple endings to uncover. It’s rewarding to play through multiple times and see how your choices affect the story, which is often the case for story-led horror.
You can check out the 2022 version of Ib on Steam and the Nintendo Store. The official Nintendo store page for the game notes that Ib is supported on Nintendo Switch 2.
Soul Void (Redux)
Soul Void’s artwork is truly impressive. Image credit: Kadabura
The first thing that I noticed about Soul Void is how utterly impressive its artwork is. Thankfully, it’s also got a stellar story and gameplay loop to match its quality aesthetic.
Created by Kadabura on Itch.io, Soul Void is a Game Boy-esque horror adventure that’ll take you through a variety of bewildering, hellish landscapes, packed with lost souls who need your help to move on to the next life. You wake up in another world, seemingly by mistake, and you’ll need to find your way home.
The story is left deliberately mysterious in places – to me, the main location in the game seemed like a representation of purgatory, but others may interpret it differently – yet it still manages to feel incredibly rich.
I dipped into this game thinking I’d check it out for 20 minutes, then move on to the next title on my list, but ended up becoming utterly engrossed for the next couple of hours.
With themes of loss, inner turmoil, and life beyond death, this is a horror adventure that’ll make you think – but it’ll also make you squirm with gnarly creature designs and gory landscapes, too. It is worth noting that Soul Void touches on some heavy themes.
You can check out Soul Void on Itch.io – while it is available to play in-browser for free, I’d strongly encourage you to support the creator with a paid download, as this is a truly mesmerizing game.
Ask The Escapist
Did Ib get a remake?
Yes, the version of Ib on Steam is the 2022 version of the 2012 release. It features updated graphics and quality-of-life improvements.
Do these games feature jumpscares?
There aren’t any notable jumpscares that I found in Flesh, Blood, & Concrete or Soul Void. Ib has a few smaller scares, but I wouldn’t describe it as a jumpscare-forward game.
Can any of these games be played in-browser?
Both Soul Void and Flesh, Blood, & Concrete can be played in-browser. I’d highly encourage you to download the games and support the developers via their Itch.io pages, though – these games are incredible pieces of work.
The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the hows and whys of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, as well as discuss game history, game design and game players.
We post a new Ludology episode every other week. In these episodes, hosts Erica Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim deep-dive into a single topic within game design, often with a well-regarded guest from the game industry. We generally focus on tabletop game design (mainly board games and RPGs), but we often pull in experts from all forms of games, from video games to escape rooms to slot machines.
On weeks where there is no flagship Ludology episode, we will alternate between two smaller mini-sodes. Erica and Sen are happy to announce that Sarah Shipp of Shippboard Games and Stephanie Campbell of TTRPGKids will be joining us for the next year, providing additional content between our longer episodes.
Sarah’s segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, is a monthly feature that dives deeper into the other aspects of games beyond the dice and cards we’re all familiar with.
Stephanie’s segment, TTRPGKids, explores how parents and teachers can use role playing games with children in the home and in the classroom.
We hope you enjoy the additional content!
Our History
We aim for most Ludology episodes to be timeless, so you are welcome to explore our entire catalog. Most of it should age quite well. The podcast was started in 2011 by Geoff Engelstein and Ryan Sturm, with Mike Fitzgerald taking over for Ryan in 2015. Gil and Scott joined the show in 2017 when Mike stepped aside, and Emma joined in 2019 when Geoff ended his tenure as host. Emma left in 2021, and Erica and Sen joined us. Since then, Scott stepped down in 2022 and Gil will be hanging up his mic in 2023, leaving Erica and Sen to carry on this amazing legacy.
Erica and Sen are working to bring new voices to Ludology and have some great things to announce as gaming expands to include even more people!
Contact Us
Have your own thoughts about our topics? We encourage you to visit us at our guild on Boardgamegeek to get involved in a continuing discussion.
If you have questions that you’d like answered on Ludology, let us know by filling out this Google Form; you can also leave an audio question that we can use on the show, if you wish!
You can also make a one-time or monthly donation here. The link will take you to Erica’s account. People who donate in this way will not have access to the Patreon page – sorry!
I played Magic about 24 years ago and then stopped. I am interested in getting re-engaged but was wondering if I could still play the older version of the game which had far fewer number of cards and was easier. The version I remember had 5 different colors (Black, White, Green, Red and Blue). On line you would choose a color and build your deck from a random selection of the cars associated with that specific color. Does that version still exist somewhere?
As we have seen in the general historical overview in Book 1, individual leaders, first and foremost, but not exclusively, kings, drove the historical narrative in Ancient times. Accordingly, Hubris – Twilight of the Hellenistic World has been built around these leaders, their strengths and weaknesses, unique abilities and relationships. Who can you trust to get the job done? Who can you trust with an army? These will be essential questions when you play Hubris…
Introduction
Unlike modern states, Hellenistic kingdoms did not feature extensive administrations and bureaucracies: in many ways, the king was the state. But, no matter how talented he could be, he could not do everything on his own. To govern, he relied on a circle of people close to him, who were traditionally known as his Friends (in Greek: Philoi), though over time the term lost its original meaning to become more of an official title. Whenever a king needed a task to be taken care of, whether leading a diplomatic mission, overseeing a construction project or leading an army, he would appoint one of his Friends, usually selected because of their particular skills or connections, and also with an eye on their loyalty. Indeed, the model of heroic kingship epitomized by Alexander, and through which the original Successors built their kingdoms, was still very much present in the minds of Macedonian officers, leading to a number of rebellions by royal family members or prestigious generals…
In Hubris, whenever you want to do something in the game, whether undertaking an action or triggering a pending event, you will have to activate an available leader, and test their appropriate rating to determine whether you are successful, and to what extent.
Every leader is typically able to be activated twice per turn, and each activation takes up one activation opportunity, of which there will be at least four, but never more than six, for every kingdom each turn. Since all leaders have different abilities, which leader to activate, to what end, and when, forms the core of player decisions…
Anatomy of a Leader Card
Every leader in the game is represented by a Leader Card. Let us look in some detail at one of these.
This leader is Perseus, the eldest son of king Philippos V of Macedon. You can see that he is affiliated at start with Macedon, and tagged as a member of the Royal Family, with the succession rank of #2. If he is in play (alive) when his father is removed from play (dies), he will automatically succeed as king of Macedon.
He enters play at the start of Turn 6 (195-191 BCE). This means that he is of age to play an active role in politics, war and administration from that turn onward. His has no end turn, which means that, barring other circumstances, he would live beyond the scope of the game.
If he had an end turn within the time frame of the scenario being played, he would be removed from play when the recurrent game mechanism “Ferryman of Souls” pops up if his end turn matches the current turn, or a previous turn – since recurrent events do not necessarily occur every turn. However, irrespective of their printed end turn, every leader must roll 2d6 when “Ferryman of Souls” is resolved, and is removed from play on a roll of 12, representing early death occurrences, such as from a battle wound, a riding incident, disease, or random assassination…
Finally, Perseus’s Leader Card is illustrated, like every other leader’s in the game by a specially commissioned hand-drawn portrait.
Leader Capabilities and Ratings
Perseus has all three Capability icons existing in the game: the Military icon, the Diplomacy icon, and the Admin icon, which means that he is able to undertake all possible Actions and Reactions:
With the Military Capability, he is able to undertake Campaign Actions and all kinds of military Reactions, including Naval Interceptions, Strengthening Defenses and Emergency Muster;
With the Diplomacy Capability, he is able to undertake diplomatic Envoy Actions toward autonomous cities and tribes, try to increase his kingdom’s influence in the Roman Senate or to forestall war with the Republic (though his Special Ability diminishes his effectiveness in this regard, see below);
With the Admin Capability, he is able to attempt to Raise Additional Taxes, Build new naval Squadrons, and undertake Evergetism Actions, various actions to increase the standing of the dynasty through public buildings programs or other benefaction initiatives;
Various events may require a leader with a specific Capability icon to be Activated in order to trigger them.
He is rated for each of these Capabilities, with actually two ratings associated with Military: a Battle Rating and a Siege Rating:
As indicated by its name, the Battle Rating is primarily used in battle, with each Unit under his command rolling once and generating hits if they roll equal or less to his Battle Rating;
The Battle Rating is also used when rolling for Subjugation of Tribes during Campaigns;
The Siege Rating, on the other hand, is used when rolling for Sieges of Cities during Campaigns.
In all cases, the highest the rating, the more effective the leader is, as successes are gained by rolling equal or less to the appropriate rating. Various To Hit Modifiers (THMs) may apply, for instance:
Elite Units get a +1 THM in battle;
A Siege Train grants a +1 THM on Siege rolls;
A number of Cities and Tribes are deemed Strongholds and impose a -1 or -2 THM to Siege or Subjugation attempts against them;
An Envoy attempt against a Place already Aligned with another Power suffers a -1 THM; if it has a Garrison, that THM is -3 instead;
An Raise Additional Taxes attempt gets a +1 THM if friendly troops are in the targeted Satrapy…
Perseus’s Battle Rating of 4 makes him one of the best field commanders in the game, with only the famed Hannibal, who can come in play as an exile from Carthage, having a better rating with 5. His Siege Rating of 2 is average. Diplomatically, with a Rating of 3, he is good though not great. Same thing with his Admin Rating of 3. Overall, Perseus is a very capable leader, though with some flaws as we are going to see now.
Special Abilities
Most leaders have Special Abilities. Perseus is afflicted with a negative Special Ability: as he was strongly disliked in Rome (which preferred his younger brother Demetrios, who had been a hostage there for a number of years), he suffers a -1 THM on every Diplomacy Check involving Rome, whether trying to increase influence in the senate or to forestall war. This brings an interesting choice for the Macedon player in the late stages of the game, as an event may force them to pick an heir to Philippos V: Perseus is the most capable, but Demetrios may be better able to avoid a confrontation with Rome. However, his ties there prevent him from undertaking anything against Rome and its allies, including the Greek cities…
Other Special Abilities found in the game include military or diplomatic bonuses in certain circumstances, or powerful actions unique to this leader, such as the ability to suborn enemy leaders, train troops or improve the ratings of one’s king…
Loyalty and Intrigue
While not every leader has all three Capability Icons nor Special Abilities, they all have Loyalty and Intrigue Ratings, which define how reliable and potentially troublesome they are.
Loyalty in Hubris represents both how personally ambitious and how faithful to their king leaders are. This is especially critical for leaders entrusted with military commands, though some events will check the loyalty of leaders at court. Should a leader fail a Loyalty Check, typically during a recurrent “Ambitious Generals” game mechanism, he will rebel, setting himself up as an independent power, controlling troops and places, and will usually have to be eliminated by military force.
Intrigue on the other hand represents both the ability of a leader for shady undertakings and the likelihood that they will create trouble at court. Some events will require Intrigue checks, making high Intrigue leaders desirable. But the most common use of Intrigue ratings is when the recurrent game mechanism “Intrigues At Court” is resolved: then, the Intrigue Ratings of all Friends at court – i.e. not in the field with a military command – are totaled and compared to the Intrigue Rating of the king or of his Chief Minister. If this total exceeds various multiples, a growing number of plots will oppose various Friends who are at court, possibly targeting the king himself if things really get out of hand, and often resulting in the elimination of courtiers, fallen victims to deadly court intrigue! Some other events, such as the dreaded “Succession Crises” which are put in the Events Deck upon the death of a king, also require testing Intrigue of key leaders.
It should be noted that Loyalty is most critical for leaders in the field with a military command, while Intrigue typically plays with Friends who are at court. This introduces another balancing act, with Loyalty, Intrigue – and Renown, as discussed below – being key considerations when deciding who to send out with an army and who to keep at court close to the king…
In the case of Perseus, his Loyalty of 5 is below average, reflecting his ambition, which may make him a liability if he were to accumulate Renown before acceding to the throne. His Intrigue of 4 however is above average, again making him something of a liability when at court, but also positioning him well to handle his court easily once he becomes king – if he survives long enough…
Renown
Where all other Capabilities and Ratings are set – though some Ratings may be modified by the Special Abilities of the leader or of another leader in the same court – Renown must be earned, and can be lost, usually on the battlefield, though not exclusively.
Renown is capped between a maximum value of 4 and a minimum value of -2.
Renown is intimately linked to Loyalty, in that a leader’s own Renown is directly subtracted from his Loyalty, and his king’s Renown applied as a THM on Loyalty checks. As a result, leaders who have more Renown than their king are at a significantly higher risk of rebelling! This can prove especially problematic under a regency or under a weak king: would you rather risk defeat on the battlefield with an inferior commander, or risk an abler commander develop ambitions of his own?
Renown may also modify Intrigue Ratings, although only to a reduced extent, for some game mechanisms, including “Intrigue At Court” and “Succession Crisis” checks. Here again, a king with high Renown will more easily be able to keep control of his court, and high Renown Friends will create more trouble, while being less likely to fall victim to court intrigues…
Another key aspect of Renown is that the Renown of a king is directly added to his kingdom’s Total Victory Points (VPs). This can prove decisive, as 4 VPs exceeds the VP value of most Satrapies in the game, but negative Renown can also offset gains on the map! When a king dies, half of his Renown is converted to Dynastic VPs, a kind of essentially permanent VPs independent of the strategic situation or the current king.
As you can see, Renown is a very precious commodity, highly desirable on your king, but fraught with risks on other members of his court, even on his heir apparent…
Courts
The leaders currently affiliated with a kingdom form that kingdom’s Court. Every kingdom includes two permanent positions: those of the King and his Chief Minister.
A King must be a member of the Royal Family of that kingdom. When a King dies, he is automatically succeeded by the member of the Royal Family who is next in line as per Succession Rank on their Leader Cards. If there is no member of the Royal Family in play at that time, then there is no King until one enters play, creating a regency situation. Under some circumstances, a member of the Royal Family may be Hostage in Rome, and he is effectively considered to be out of play until freed by an event.
The King holds a special status in many game functions, and his Renown and Intrigue Ratings in particular are critical. All other leaders in a Court are considered to be Friends of the King, including leaders affiliated with a Minor Power allied with the kingdom.
The Chief Minister, unlike the King, is freely appointed from among a King’s Friends when a new one needs to be chosen, including from members of the Royal Family or leaders who were originally not affiliated with the kingdom, having joined the Court either after defecting from another Court, or through a bidding process for exiles or mercenary leaders. Only Allied Minor Leaders – leaders affiliated with a Minor Power allied with the kingdom – are not eligible to be Chief Minister.
A Chief Minister, once appointed, remains in office until he either is removed from play, defects or becomes king himself. Like the King, a number of game functions require the Chief Minister’s ratings to be checked, so choosing the right person for this office can be critical, in particular to offset some weaknesses of one’s King.
Both the King and the Chief Minister may be sent out to Campaign on the map, as long as they have a Campaign Capability Icon. When it is needed or desired to send another leader to lead a Campaign or undertake a military Reaction, another available Friend may be appointed as Strategos – a Greek term meaning both general and governor – and possibly entrusted with units to undertake this campaign. Up to three Friends besides the King and Chief Minister may be appointed Strategos, but such a position is only temporary and cannot last beyond the end of the current turn.
Any leader on the map, either the King, the Chief Minister or a Strategos, is not considered to be At Court. This is a critical distinction when resolving “Intrigue At Court” or, conversely, “Ambitious Generals”.
Leaders with full Leader Cards only represent the most noteworthy leaders who were active during the period of the game. Should a given Court fall below three members (including the King), an appropriate number of generic Replacement Leaders are randomly drawn from a pool specific to each kingdom to make up the numbers until new leaders join the depleted Court. While better than nothing, these generic leaders are obviously much less talented than the named leaders…
Example of a Court
You can see below an example of the Seleucid Court at the end of Turn 4:
The Seleucid king is Antiochos III Megas (‘the Great’), one of the best leaders in the game. At that point, he has wiped the stain of his defeat at the hands of Ptolemaios IV at the battle of Raphia in 217, crushing his cousin Achaios’s rebellion in Asia Minor, then following in the steps of Alexander all the way to the nearest reaches of India, restoring some degree of Seleucid authority over the so-called Upper Satrapies, hence his considerable Renown of 3…He is Spent (his card rotated upside-down) after Campaigning twice with his Royal Army, Siege Train and a Katoikoi (‘military colonists’) unit. He also has a peace marker showing that he has sworn peace with the current Lagid king, Ptolemaios IV Philopator.
Next to him, his faithful Chief Minister, Zeuxis, is also Spent after Activating twice for Diplomacy and Admin undertakings this turn.
The Seleucid Court boasts no less than three members of the Royal Family beyond Antiochos III: his sons Antiochos (‘the Younger’) and Seleukos (future Seleukos IV), and his cousin Antipatros. This pretty much guarantees there will be no shortage of heirs, but also presents definite risks since Royal Family members are more liable to being tested for rebellions…
Here, both Antiochos the Younger and Theodotos, a defector from the Ptolemaic Court, have been appointed as Strategos during the turn, and both have been Activated only once during the turn, leaving them still potentially available for being further Activated.
Finally, Polyxenidas, despite not having campaigned himself, is Spent also, having been rotated twice to use his “Admiral” Special Ability. Such rotations outside regular Activations explain why the Court shows a total number of leader rotations of 8, even though there is a maximum of 6 Activations per turn.
Note that despite the Court counting seven members, a quite large number, Antiochos III is able to hold it together easily both because of his high Renown – giving him an adjusted Intrigue Rating of 5 when testing “Intrigue At Court” – and the “Faithful Friend” Special Ability of Zeuxis. King Antiochos should however be cautious about sending his eldest son Antiochos the Younger on campaign again, as his Renown of 1 lowers his Loyalty to a borderline dangerous value of 4…
Now that we have looked at the leaders and the kingdoms’ courts, I will present in the next installment of these Histories the lay of the land where these leaders practice their skills, the satrapies, cities and tribes, as well as how they come to be aligned with the various kingdoms, and their significance in game terms, from the collection of taxes through the waging of war to the collection of victory points…
Disease killed significantly more soldiers in the Civil War than bullets did. The Union lost 110, 000 killed in action and 225,000 from disease. The South lost 94,000 killed in action and 169,000 from disease. In addition, each side had about 30,000 men die in captivity, and almost all of those would have been die to disease, although in some cases aggravated by exposure and malnutrition. Four major killers were dysentery, typhoid fever, pneumonia, and malaria. The estimated totals from several diseases were:
These estimates are probably low, because a great man men died of unspecified causes, or “a fever.”
Most disease losses were spread evenly over time and so represented a steady attrition made up for with continuous recruiting. But I thought that some representation of epidemics which could suddenly impact a field army’s fighting strength was in order.
A House Divided now includes event cards, one of which is drawn each turn, and there are unique decks for each of the years of the war after 1861. Every card is drawn and played once, and so every one of the historic events portrayed by the card occur, but players are unsure in what order within the year they will happen. One of the effects of a number of the cards is to cause an immediate loss of one unit by one or both players at the start of a turn, the sort of disruptive casualties that sometimes occurred with particularly virulent outbreaks of a disease. Over the course of the game five Union units are removed and four Confederate.
Work in Progress Event Card Samples (not final artwork)
Some other non-disease losses occur due to events outside the player’s control. Those cards read as follows:
Trouble on the Frontier
*Union player removes any one active Union infantry to the Recruiting or Promotion Pool.
The Dakotah uprising in Minnesota, August 1862, force diversion of Federal troops north.
Southern Bread Riots
*Confederate player removes one Confederate infantry in play and place it six months later on the turn track. On that turn place it in the Recruiting or Promotion Pool.
The Southern Bread Riots were a response to dwindling food supplies in the Confederacy, and took place across the south in March and April of 1863. Militias were called out to restore order, diverting troops from the front.
New York Draft Riots
*Union player removes any one New York militia infantry in play and place it six months later on the turn track. On that turn place it in the Recruiting Pool.
Historic draft riots in New York, July 1863 caused diversion of troops to restore order.
Midwest Draft Riots
*Union player removes any 1 Illinois militia infantry in play and place it six months later on the turn track. On that turn place it in the Recruiting Pool.
In Charleston, Illinois the last pro-Confederate draft riots of the war took place in March 1864
Three Year Enlistments Expire (Union)
*Union player removes any two active Union Veteran infantry units to the Promotion Pool.
The enlistment terms of large numbers of the Union regiments enrolled for three years’ service in the summer of 1861 expired during the summer of 1864, just at the height of the Overland Campaign, which weakened the Army of the Potomac in particular.
Blockade Tightens
*Confederate player removes any one active Confederate infantry to the Recruiting or Promotion Pool. (If the Confederacy has been recognized by Europe, this card has no effect.)
Starvation in the South
*Confederate player removes any one active Confederate infantry in play and place it in the Recruiting or Promotion Pool.
As transportation broke down across the South in mid-1865, food often rotted in warehouses and starvation became widespread. Confederate soldiers increasingly left the ranks to look after their families.
In addition, weather can cause casualties as well as affect movement and game length, but that is the subject of a different article.
Oh Ubisoft, I have been dining out for over a year on quoting that throwaway comment from one of their execs that we need to get used to the idea of not owning our games anymore. Of course, we should merely enjoy them as a contract between equal partners that can be whipped away from one side (us, obviously) at any time (for backstory, check out the Stop Killing Games Movement).
I was concerned, though, that it might be getting stale, and I was worried I wouldn’t get any new meme-worthy material anytime soon.
Step forward the most unlikely of sources – the Ubisoft financial report. A PDF destined to be a dry read that nobody cares about, really. That is, until the MP1st website spotted a gem hiding away in all the numbers.
“Our monetization offer within premium games makes the player experience more fun by allowing them to personalize their avatars or progress more quickly, however, this is always optional.”
Oh, so it’s for us? Stupid. Of course. I shouldn’t expect an $80 purchase to be fun enough; I should expect to open my wallet further to make it more “fun”. Maybe I can keep the fun going by constantly paying more?
Do you want to Add Fun to basket?
Oh, come on. It’s fun to pay to change the clothes on my character. Everybody thinks that.
I think we would all have more respect for companies and their microtransaction tactics if they just came out and said, “Look, guys, we need to make more money to continue to make you games that you enjoy.”
I’d be relatively cool with that. Even though I don’t really believe there is a place for paid-for skins and the like in single-player games anyway, I think it’s ridiculous. At least we could stop dressing it up and move forward.
In a world where loot boxes are definitely not gambling, and don’t for one minute think they are – you can check out the fuss Blizzard has caused with Hearthstone’s gambling mechanics of late – companies continue to extract as much extra cash out of players as they can by upselling this nonsense, mainly to those who can afford it, but sometimes to those that can’t, and that is the concern.
While it might be true that the majority of microtransactions are all funded by people with more money than sense, I have had to have enough conversations with my kids to suspect that it’s not just mine that are being targeted with this stuff, and find it attractive.
Mecha Break is another game to fall foul lately of seeing the cash signs ahead of providing a game that could be amazing, and more and more games seem to set out to put things they know players will want behind extra purchases.
Fun is now a premium service
The constant drain on funds is going to become an issue as the asks keep getting bigger. It’s not just buying a game and maybe paying for skins for a little more “fun”; it’s that on top of the Netflix subs, the Prime subs, the Spotify subs, etc. Something has to eventually give.
In the same report, Ubisoft highlights that it believes Star Wars Outlaws failed to meet sales expectations due to a declining interest in the Star Wars franchise.
I somehow doubt it is anywhere close to being that simple. Maybe we are misunderstanding what the word “fun” actually means.
The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Suppose Player A’s Sporogenic Infection enters enchanting Player B’s Nine-Lives Familiar, and its ETB triggered ability is put onto the stack targeting Player B. Player B responds by casting Back to Nature, destroying Sporogenic Infection. When Sporgenic Infection’s ETB triggered ability resolves, can Player B sacrifice Nine-Lives Familiar?
The best candidate for relevant rule seems to be…
608.2h If an effect requires information from the game (such as the number of creatures on the battlefield), the answer is determined only once, when the effect is applied. If the effect requires information from a specific object, including the source of the ability itself, the effect uses the current information of that object if it’s in the public zone it was expected to be in; if it’s no longer in that zone, or if the effect has moved it from a public zone to a hidden zone, the effect uses the object’s last known information. See rule 113.7a. If an ability states that an object does something, it’s the object as it exists—or as it most recently existed—that does it, not the ability.
I am unclear on the how to apply the phrase “requires information from a specific object.” In my own attempt to arrive at an answer, two distinctions arose…
About which object(s) does the effect require information? Does it look at the creature and view “being enchanted by Sporogenic Infection” as information about that creature? Does it look at the enchantment and view “enchanting Nine-Lives familiar” as information about that enchantment? Does it look at both the creature and the enchantment?
Does the phrase “other than enchanted creature” refer to whichever object(s) the effect ultimately looks at intensionally or extensionally, for example, in the case that the effect will look at just the creature, does the effect say “hey game, give me information about Nine-Lives Familiar” (intensional) or “hey game, give me information about the creature which has the property of being enchanted by Sporogenic Infection”?
If the creature is the sole object of query, and if “other than enchanted creature” refers intensionally, then Nine-Lives Familiar is in the public zone it is expected to be in, thus its current information should be used, and as it is no longer enchanted by Sporogenic Infection, it should be legal for Player B to sacrifice Nine-Lives Familiar. If the creature is the sole object of query, but if instead “other than enchanted creature” refers extensionally, then the game will not find any creature which has the property of being enchanted by Sporogenic Infection, and will have to use last known information to find the creature which has that property, and thus it should be illegal for Player B to sacrifice Nine-Lives Familiar. By similar logic, if the enchantment is the object of focus, then regardless of the intensional VS extensional distinction, it should be illegal for Player B to sacrifice Nine-Lives Familiar. If both the creature and the enchantment are objects of query, then more explanation may be warranted.
What is the right way to interpret and apply this rule? An ideal answer would obviously describe the mechanics which address the broadest category of phrases possible, but if such consistency is not to be found, then at least how does it apply to the phrase “other than enchanted creature” as in the above case?
The rules of aftermath for something like Driven // Despair say to exile a card cast with aftermath when in leaves the stack, does this override Taigam, Master Opportunist placing the card into exile?
Published: Jul 21, 2025 08:08 am