Greetings fellow naval gamers! Given that we are about to say a (perhaps not so fond) farewell to 2016, it’s now time for me to go back to the beginning of the year and review the predictions I made for the naval gaming hobby. Just like with my 2015 predictions, I’m going to be scoring myself on the following scale:

• Prediction Completely Accurate: 2 Points
• Prediction Partially Accurate: 1 Point
• Prediction was WRONG!: 0 Points

I made 6  predictions for 2016, which means I could earn a maximum of 12 points. As you may recall, my score for 2015 was…less than stellar. I got only 5 points, meaning I was somewhat less accurate that a coin toss! Did I do any better for 2016? Lets find out.

1. Given that 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland, a “Class A” WWI naval combat game will be released.

Result: Partially Accurate (1 Point)

I’m giving myself partial credit for this one. While there were no “Class A” games released (ie, games that are readily available in many stores), there were a number of Class B games for this time period that were released this past year (Class B games being games that are available online and occasionally in stores). For example, Majestic12 games released an updated Jutland expansion for their Grand Fleets rule set, along with a set of counters. Plus, Jutland got all kinds of attention thanks to the game run at the Naval War College and the sterling efforts of Ken, the Yarkshire Gamer.

2. Sails of Glory from Ares games will see a new wave of ships this year, possibly via another Kickstarter.

Result: Completely Accurate (2 Points)

Ares did indeed ship new expansions for Sails of Glory this year, although it was a bit of a squeaker. It is great to see that there is new content coming out for this excellent game. And, hey, no Kickstarter required!

3. The Dropfleet Commander Kickstarter will fulfill on time, and the game will satisfy the (admittedly high) expectations of its backers.

Result: Partially Accurate (1 Point)

I’m giving myself a partial on this one. Though the Kickstarter was months late on its delivery, and even then there was some controversy over how the fulfillment of pledges was handled in relation to the stocking of retail stores, the genearl consensus of those who have gotten their hands on the game is that it has been worth the wait.

4. Spartan Games will be able to successfully balance their game systems and maintain new releases for each of them.

Result: WRONG! (0 Points)

Yeah, this one didn’t pan out the way I was hoping. In 2016, Spartan seems to have mostly focused on releases for Halo: Ground Command and Firestorm: Planetfall. There was very little for Dystopian Wars (until very late in the year), Firestorm Armada, and Halo Fleet Battles. However, I am hopeful that some of the feedback they’ve gotten at the end of the year from the fan base will result in some new direction from the company in 2017. At the very least, we know there will be a lot of stuff coming for Dystopian Wars, thanks to their recent expansion Kickstarter. Look for this Kickstarter campaign in my 2017 predictions!

5. World of Warships will gain in popularity in 2016, and will have a full Royal Navy tech tree by the end of the year.

Result: Completely Accurate (2 Points)

I think it is safe to say that World of Warships had a great year in 2016. Not only did we get several new lines of ships for both Germany and Britain, but a number of interesting new play modes, balance tweaks, and other changes came along that have really improved the overall player experience. Based on what Wargaming.net has said about their plans for WoWS in 2017, I see a bright future for the game. I’ve been playing this one a lot lately, and I’ve been having a blast!

6. Battlefleet Gothic Armada will release by the end of Q2 2016 and will be a worthy game for the franchise.

Result: Completely Accurate (2 Points)

BFG Armada released on time, and is awesome! I’ve really enjoyed my time with this game. They really nailed the look, sound, and overall atmosphere of the 40k setting with this game, and it is fun to play to boot. So far, the Imperials, Chaos, Eldar, Orks, Space Marines, and Tau are in the game, with the potential for additional races to be added this coming year. I’m looking forward to what the developer, Tindalos, has in store for 2017!

Conclusion

And my final tally for my 2016 predictions is (drumroll please): 8 out of 12! Not too shabby, and a big improvement over my 2015 predictions score. I had a lot of fun going back over the major naval gaming developments from the past year while writing this post! However, now it’s time to look forward to the coming year; stay tuned for my 2017 predictions.

Until next time!