2015 Naval Gaming Predictions

Given that the New Year has just begun, I thought it might be fun to “read the tea-leaves” and come up with a list of predictions for how the year might develop in the realm of naval wargaming. At the end of the year, I plan on coming back to re-visit these predictions and see how I did. This is an idea I shamelessly stole from the D6 Generation podcast, true, but I am going to run with it anyway! My scope here is going to be more limited, as I’m going to focus on just those things that are naval gaming related, though I am going to lump in video games and board games, not just miniatures games. Now, bear in mind, this is all based on my own observation/wish listing. I have absolutely NO inside information on any of this!

Here we go:

1. Star Wars Armada will release on-time in Q1 2015 (that is, before the end of March), and will see brisk sales and positive reviews. Star Wars Armada, the new capital ship combat game set in the Star Wars universe, is one of my most anticpated 2015 releases. This one is a bit of a no-brainer, considering Fantasy Flight’s track record with X-Wing and the intriguing previews that have been released to date. At any rate, this one will be one of the first predictions I’ll be able to put to the test!

2. Spartan Games will release at least one new faction each for Firestorm Armada and Dystopian Wars by the end of the calendar year. All indications are that these two games are going strong, so I have no doubt that Spartan will continue to expand the already considerable range of miniatures for these games. Now, I’m specifically talking about new factions here, not new models/box sets for existing factions. Most likely, they will be minor factions, but those still count!

3. Spartan Games will release faction-specific TAC decks for the 7 core factions of Dystopian Wars. This has been directly hinted at in the DW 2.0 rule book, and there is definitely some precedent for them releasing faction decks (Uncharted Seas STAR cards, specifically). This is a bit of a long shot, as Spartan has also not followed through on card-related promises, but I do hope they release these this year, if only in PDF form. There is some interesting angles that could be worked here!

4. WhizKids will release a 3rd expansion for Star Trek Fleet Captains in 2015, and it will be Borg-themed. Star Trek Fleet Captains has been well received, and WhizKids seems to be pursuing a parallel strategy with the miniatures they produce for Star Trek Hero Clix Tactics and Star Trek Attack Wing are later folded back into the Fleet Captains game. So, another expansion seems like a given, and considering there have been Romulan and Dominion expansions so far, and the fact that Borg ships are taking Attack Wing by storm, it seems like an obvious choice to make them the centerpiece of a new expansion. There is even the chance that the expansion will allow for solitaire play, with the Borg being the NPC force that needs to be defeated.

5. World of Warships will make it through Beta and be released for public play by the end of the year. I’m really excited about this game, as it looks awesome, so this may be more wishful thinking than anything else. Wargaming has been working on World of Warships (the other WoW!) for several years now, and recently went into closed Beta. That means that there will then be a closed Beta, and then finally release. So, there is still a lot of work to be done before the game goes live, but I think it will happen!

6. Games Workshop will release a Warhammer 40k space naval combat game by the end of 2015. This one is a loooooooooooong shot; Battlefleet Gothic has more or less been abandoned by GW for years now. On the other hand, strong eBay prices and 3rd party miniatures seem to suggest  there is still a strong demand for the game. Which makes sense, given that space travel is so integral to the very fabric of the 40k universe! So, we’ll see. I’m thinking that if this happens at all, it will most likely be in the form of a “splash release” box set, and not a full game launch. Something along the lines of a Dreadfleet or Space Hulk. Given that, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the rules wind up not having a lot to do with the current BFG rules. But like I said, this is most likely just whistling in the dark!

So, there you have it…6 predictions for the year! I look forward to seeing how I did come December!