Plastic Soldier Publishing - Battlegroup Expansion

[V]

Its finally time, after weeks of mystery and backroom wheeling and dealing, we can announce the plans for our wargame Battlegroup.

Its been 12 years since the game was released, focusing on WW2 and then joined by Battlegroup NorthAG opening up the Cold War to our players. Its been a hugely popular game thanks to its fans and the positive community the game has built and we are reaching the final title of the original series – Battlegroup Cassino – to finish what was begun all those years ago with the book the team has looked forward to the most, covering WW2 in Italy during 1943 to 1945.

So for sometime now we have been working on what we do next with the game. We decided it was time to really double down on support for the game, that we feel is one of the best WW2 games on the market today, and to strive to get it more visibility among wargamers around the globe. To do so we are embarking on a very exciting and ambitious plan for the next five years.

Firstly, we are very proud to announce that the Battlegroup family of titles will be looked after by a new company – Plastic Soldier Publishing. This new entity is run by Will Townshend and Tom Gilliland in regards the business end of things and has onboard Warwick Kinrade as head of games design and Piers Brand as studio manager. As you can see it’s the original gang behind Battlegroup, all onboard to build the game further. We are also looking for new writers and authors from among the Battlegroup community, to work under guidance from our team to create more content and expand the game system. We will also be returning to the show circuit, both in the UK and abroad. Wr will also be unveiling a purpose built Battlegroup  forum for the community to use.

Exciting times ahead for all of us, and we hope, also for the Battlegroup community.

But lets face it… The only real reason you are reading this is to find out what is planned!

Well this year we will be releasing the first in our Battlegroup 'Campaign Series', where the books will focus on historical scenarios covering either a specific battle or a certain unit from WW2. The first title is 'Battlegroup Küstrin' which we hope will be hitting the shelves this winter before the end of the year.

This will be followed by 'Battlegroup Cassino', the final book of the original series covering the Second World War in Italy during the last two years of the war, in the traditional big supplement format that Battlegroup players are familiar with. This will hopefully be available for Salute 2025 when we return to the show next year.

While that book ends the original series, we are also pleased to announce the first book of a new series of original Battlegroup supplements in the summer of 2025, this time covering the early war period with ‘Battlegroup Far East’ and our return to the war with Japan to compliment 'Battlegroup Pacific' with a very different version of the war in the 1941 to 1942 period in the Asian theatre. This book will hopefully cover Malaya, Burma, Dutch East Indies and the Philippines if we can cram it all in!

Then we are also hoping to see the release of Battlegroup Commander, our WW2 6mm to 15mm wargame in a similar vein to the popular Battlegroup NorthAG series. This will be a new system, though existing players will find a lot that is familiar and it is currently in playtest with our new playtest teams that have joined the studio this year.

But that’s not all for 2025… We also have another Battlegroup Campaign Series book to come, most likely our first unit book focussing on the actions of 21st Panzer Division during WW2 and we tentatively have a new expansion for NorthAG in development as well.

Is that it?

No… its not. As we progress further we have releases planned in consistently over the next few years. We have very definite plans in regards titles for Battlegroup, but also expansion with two new rules systems within the Battlegroup family. One will be looking at the Cold War again, this time matching up the Cold War to the original Battlegroup level of play. So as Battlegroup Commander will mirror NorthAG and its play level, so a new title will do the same for Cold War and the original level of game that Battlegroup aims for… its time the 15mm/20mm Cold War gamers to also get some love! We have other titles pencilled in to expand NorthAG too so all our existing fans will be getting new content regardless of the system you play.

And that’s still not all!

We also have plans for the original Battlegroup series to have new releases as well with books looking at WW2 in Scandinavia during 1939 and 1940, the war in the Netherlands 1944 to 1945 and perhaps even a look at conflicts prior to the traditionally perceived start of WW2 with the likes of Spain or China. We also have a range of expansions for Battlegroup Commander to come as the game takes off, and finally for now, we want to delve into the world of WW2 skirmish games and see if the Battlegroup family can offer a more specific system tailored for 28mm gamers.

Alongside all of this will be a huge expansion of new miniatures from The Plastic Soldier Company to support the various game systems and as well as figures and vehicles there will also be official supporting merchandise too as we aim to give players an all encompassing product and experience.

As you can see, there is a lot to be done, and a lot of hard work to come. However we hope this will be an exciting and eventful journey as we support the existing Battlegroup community and also spread the word to new players and swell the ranks of Battlegroupies!

All the best

 
Will, Tom, Warwick & Piers

[Blodwin]

Excellent news

[Fred Mills]

Loved that. The Northag/CENTAG follow-ons plus Cassino plus 15mm Cold War skirmish? I'll need another mortgage!

[V]

Loved that. The Northag/CENTAG follow-ons plus Cassino plus 15mm Cold War skirmish? I'll need another mortgage!

Yes... must say, I'm quite excited about the Cold War skirmish...