RockyMountainNavy3 Comments on Wargame SITREP 25-56 ~ 2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame of the Year

Wargame SITREP 25-56 ~ 2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame of the Year

“…and the nominees are…”

In 2025, I took in 82 wargames and expansions for wargames along with four wargame-related books. I really want to award a “Wargame of the Year” but with such a large number of potential nominees I need to find a way to narrow down the selection. While in past years I separated “published in [this] year 202X” against “published in [not this] year 202x” even that seems too broad a division. At the same time, the risk of too many granular divisions is that one easily ends up with too many categories and everybody gets a trophy (and I HATE participation trophies). For better or worse, these are my nominees and winners in different wargame award categories for 2025 as defined by my crack team of consultants constituted by me, myself, and I.

Wargaming Books (4 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame Book WINNER: On Wargaming, second edition by Matt Caffrey, Jr., Admiralty Trilogy Group, 2025.

Unfortunately, I never wrote a review of Caffrey’s book in 2025. I started a few times but never finished. Some critics of my choice will (rightfully) point out that as a “second edition” that there is actually not-much-new and any thoughts/comments on the first edition should stand. Suffice it to say that On Wargaming is required reading for wargame practitioners and a highly recommended read for hobby wargamers.

Courtesy Admiralty Trilogy Group

Adventure Wargames (2 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Adventure Wargame WINNER: Forgotten Ruin: The Adventure Wargame (Modiphius, 2025)

I personally have taken the genre name “Adventure Wargame” to heart. Forgotten Ruin is a intriguing theme matched with relatively simple skirmish rules that makes for FUN gaming.

Courtesy Modiphius

Wargames – Rules (9 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame Rules WINNER: Polyversal: Sci-Fi Miniatures System (Collins Epic Games, 2022)

Since my first set of sci-fi miniatures rules, Striker by Frank Chadwick from GDW (1981) I have acquired more than a few sets of sci-fi minis rules with some winners and more-than-a-few losers. Polyversal is exciting to me; a crunchy yet quick-playing game system with an equally quick but robust unit design system.

Photo by RMN

Wargames – Print-n-Play (4 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Print-n-Play Wargame WINNER: Iwo Jima (Neva Wargames, 2024)

There is a reason Iwo Jima is getting the full-on box treatment—the game has depth and replayability.

Via Kickstarter

Wargames by and for Wargame Practitioners (5 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame by or for Wargame Practitioners WINNER: Emergency Operations Center Board Game: Wildfire Mayhem (Simental Industries, 2025)

I fully understand that Littoral Commander: The Baltic is in many ways the “gold standard” in wargames for and/or by wargame practitioners. I fully endorse LB:B. I also was, frankly, stunned with the game play and learning in Emergency Operations Center. Part of my enjoyment was timing; when Emergency Operations Center arrived I had recently assisted my wife with her online training in community emergency response. EOC was a far better trainer on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ways of approaching emergency or disaster response in the community than the multi-hour computer-based training offered. For a first-time designer and their first-published game this was a real tour de force and I want to recognize it appropriately.

Photo by RMN

Wargame Expansions (30 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame Expansion WINNER: World at War 85: Operation Red Gauntlet (Lock ‘n Load, 2025)

Given the many JADO expansions taken in I could of given that entire group the award for Wargame Expansion of the Year but, well, all those expansions were really just more kit to play with and no new rules or the like. I almost gave the award to Battles of the PLA Navy as it is an excellent combination of history, scenarios, and bonus gaming material. Ultimately, however, Red Gauntlet is my winner as it offers so much in the package and literally takes World at War ’85: Blood and Fury to another level.

Photo by RMN

Wargames – Small Format (19 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame (Small Format) WINNER: The Pacific War: Deadly Bloody Battles of Combined Fleet (Bonsai Games Folio Edition, 2025)

Read my review of The Pacific War here for how much I love this wargame!

Photo by RMN

Wargames – Large Format (13 nominees)

2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame (Large Format) WINNER: World At War 85: Blood and Fury (Lock ‘n Load, 2024)

My very first wargame, ever, was Jim Day’s Panzer from Yaquinto Publishing in 1979. World at War ’85: Blood and Fury is in a way a return to my wargaming roots, just in a “Cold War Gone Hot” instead of World War II. It also does not hurt that I got to play the game this year in a battle hosted by designer Keith Tracton. Even without Keith’s guidance, Blood and Fury is an incredible game system. Lock ‘n Load took FOREVER to deliver this game but the nearly 10 pounds of product delivered has enough gaming inside that I almost need no other wargame (well, not really…but you get the point, yes?).

Photo by RMN

Feature image courtesy RMN

The opinions and views expressed in this blog are those of the author alone and are presented in a personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Navy or any other U.S. government Department, Agency, Office, or employer.

RockyMountainNavy.com © 2007-2025 by Ian B is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

3 thoughts on “Wargame SITREP 25-56 ~ 2025 RockyMountainNavy Wargame of the Year”

  1. Keith Tracton's avatar
    Keith Tracton December 31, 2025 — 1:25 pm

    Thank you!! I was genuinely thrilled and honestly a little stunned to see Blood and Fury and Operation Red Gauntlet claim the top spots in their categories on your year-end wargame list. I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to get to know BaF and ORG, and, especially, for playing BaF with me! And I must mention that, frankly, it is a true honor just to be mentioned alongside so many fantastic titles that you encountered this year.

    Thank you again for the incredible support. What a spectacular way to finish the year!

    Yours, Keith Tracton

    Reply
    1. RockyMountainNavy's avatar (Post author)
      RockyMountainNavy December 31, 2025 — 1:29 pm

      Obviously, I LOVE the RED GAUNTLET expansion and only wish I had more time to play it! Maybe a Wargame Challenge for 2026? Hmmm…

      Reply
      1. Keith Tracton's avatar
        Keith Tracton December 31, 2025 — 2:50 pm

        Yesssss! 🙂

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