The fog-of-war in Kriegsspiel – 7 Years War is so thick you can slice it with a sabre

Campaigns on the Danube, Radio General, Peter Turcan’s Waterloo… a few of the games that cantered through my mind while I was playing the petite prototype of this hopefully-still-in-production Eighteenth Century wargame.

Developer Franzoar likes his FoW pea-soup thick. Unless your avatar-general is nearby when they happen, Kriegsspiel’s turnless clashes are hidden from view. Less attentive commanders must make do with visual courier reports – tableau-like snapshots of the battlefield, delivered by vulnerable gallopers every couple of hours.

Because couriers, like the automatically dispatched supply wagons that periodically trundle between supply depots and troops, can be intercepted by the enemy, you might only learn of a defeat when broken retreaters begin appearing in your LoS circle.

Look beyond the prototype’s simple maps, scant sound effects, and basic GUI, and there’s a Seven Year’ War project here every bit as exciting as Master of Command.