Pike and Shot!

[Thagarr]

This one doesn't appear to have the best of graphics, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, the strategy looks fantastic!

Keep your Powder Dry

Pike & Shot is out now!

Epsom, UK – October 17, 2014.

"Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” (Oliver Cromwell – English military and political leader)

In the age of Pike and Shot, mighty struggles erupted across Europe for religious, political or dynastic causes. The greatest powers of that period were regularly involved in conflicts and struggles to increase their dominance over the continent. Some countries have also to deal with inner tensions and are torn apart between factions. War is in the air. But war has changed. Due to the development of new technologies, traditional medieval tactics have been substituted with a totally different approach to effectively utilise the new formations and weapons.

In these troubled times musketeers “gave fire” in a duel to the death, pikemen held stolidly against enemy assaults, and cavalry charged to glory or defeat. Players can march in the footsteps of the great leaders of The Thirty Years War, Italian Wars and the English Civil War and refight some of the greatest battles of the Renaissance. With its 30 full-sized historical battles, its random map and scenario generator, its easy-to-use PBEM++ multiplayer system and its gameplay simulating accurately the tactics of the period, Pike & Shot will thrill any history buff and fans of tactical challenges!

Pike & Shot features 30 historical scenarios that cover the main battles of three of the most important conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries:

• The Thirty Years’ War (1616-1648)

Pilgram-Lomnitz, 1618; White Mountain, 1620; Wimpfen, 1622; Lutter, 1626; First Breitenfeld, 1631; Lutzen, 1632; First Nordlingen, 1634; Wittstock, 1636; Second Breitenfeld, 1642; Roccoi, 1643

• The English Civil War (1642-1651)

Stratton, 1643; Adwalton Moor, 1643; Edgehill, 1642; Storming of Bristol, 1643; Nantwich, 1644; Cheriton, 1644; Marston Moor, 1644; Lostwithiel, 1644; Second Newbury, 1644; Naseby, 1645

• The Great Italian Wars (1494-1559)

Seminara, 1495; Fornova, 1495; Ravenna, 1512; Novarra, 1513; Marignano, 1515; Bicocca, 1522; Pavia, 1525; Ceresole, 1544; St. Quentin, 1557; Gravelines, 1558.
Today we have the pleasure to announce that the game is finally released and available on both our online stores and on Steam in a few hours. In order to celebrate this important milestone, we are offering a $10 discount to the early adopters during the week of the launch! We are also going to offer a free Steam key to anyone who bought a copy of the game from the Matrix Games or Slitherine store, once the game is available on this digital platform!

Get more information on Pike & Shot from its official product page and its live presentation on the official Slitherine Group Twitch channel.

Slitherine is part of the Slitherine Group

About the Slitherine Group
The Slitherine Group is the world’s leading producer and publisher of digital wargames and strategy games. Under the Slitherine (www.slitherine.com), Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Ageod (www.ageod.com) brands it has published literally hundreds of games, with many award-winning titles in its portfolio and spanning all digital platforms, from home consoles to modern Smartphone’s and Tablets. Slitherine is also involved with book publishing, board gaming and works with a wide array of key licensing partners, such as HISTORY®, MILITARY HISTORY®, Games Workshop®, Horrible Histories™, Showtime, BBC, Osprey, Scholastic, Buzz Aldrin Enterprises and many others to deliver the best blend of historical accuracy in an exciting and entertaining way. Together the Group companies form the world’s largest organization specializing in this important and vibrant niche. The Slitherine Group’s mission over the coming years is to lead the way in innovation and growth in an ever expanding segment of the entertainment industry.

 

[Ashinokami]

Reminds me of Total War: Empire, I had quite a fun combining Line Infantry and Pikemen (which by default are weakest unit in the game). Wanted to have exactly this type of warfare and it went pretty well. Besides heavy pike casualties, that is usually the case without ability to fire back, I was able to send 1 L.Inf+1 Pike 'Tercios' behind enemy lines and and have them survive cavalry charges that is normally slowly chipping away your manpower, before reaching objectives. The slight micromanagement involved gave that feeling of control over timing and formations, so even without in-built mechanic, that felt asking enough of skill, compared with this rather rigid turn-based approach. Recommend to try for TW fans

 

[Thagarr]

I agree, Empire Total War was a fantastic game! These graphics don't even come close of course, but I am curious to know about the strategy and game play. Total War could be a bit tough to manage at times. I always wanted a game that was a bit of a combination between Age of Empires and Total War, maybe even a bit of Port Royale and 1602 A.D. thrown in as well.

 

[Ashinokami]

Yes, it gets hectic. Lot of places asking attention at once has this effect, that a game gets played constantly on 0.5x speed. Sieges are a relaxed affair though. But I probably always enjoyed TW most, because of this flexibility that allows real tactics. Nobody beats fusiliers in star pattern, behind stone fences with pikes looming over their shoulders. Unit balance is also pretty good (Shogun 2 went simple again). Pike & Shot and Age of Empires are more on the rock/paper/scissors side.

Also, Medieval 2: TW had pike/shot gameplay in late campaign! I was trampling protestants in swamps of Flanders with my pike push+arquebusiers! For comparison pikes in M2:TW were far from useless as ine E:TW - they were used like billhooks in close melee.

 

[Thagarr]

Going mobile!

The Three (Thousand) Musketeers

Pike & Shot is now available on iPad!

Epsom, UK – January 29, 2014.
"We may employ artifice to deceive a rival, anything against our enemies.” (Cardinal Richelieu – French Statesman)

Back in October, Pike & Shot grabbed the attention of both specialized press and fans of wargames due to its streamlined game mechanics and its rich, yet rarely used historical background. From a strategic point of view, the period presents a brilliant evolution of military units and approaches thanks to the development of new technologies. Integrating firearms and artillery into an army is not an easy task, and only the most flexible commanders will be able to combine them perfectly!

And today we are pleased to announce that the iPad version is available! This mobile adaptation required a couple of months of work to optimize the game for this device and fine-tune the touch controls. All of the elements that made this wargame successful on PC have been implemented for a unique historical experience in the tablet world.

3 massive solo campaigns, a random map generator, a competitive multiplayer mode, and a unique skirmish mode that allows players to generate an infinite number of customized scenarios will all come together for a glorious journey in the pike and shot era! On top of this is the cross platform multiplayer that means you already have an established community and can jump into a one-on-one challenge in no time!

Pike & Shot features 30 historical scenarios that cover the main battles of three of the most important conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries:

• The Thirty Years’ War (1616-1648)

Pilgram-Lomnitz, 1618; White Mountain, 1620; Wimpfen, 1622; Lutter, 1626; First Breitenfeld, 1631; Lutzen, 1632; First Nordlingen, 1634; Wittstock, 1636; Second Breitenfeld, 1642; Roccoi, 1643

• The English Civil War (1642-1651)

Stratton, 1643; Adwalton Moor, 1643; Edgehill, 1642; Storming of Bristol, 1643; Nantwich, 1644; Cheriton, 1644; Marston Moor, 1644; Lostwithiel, 1644; Second Newbury, 1644; Naseby, 1645

• The Great Italian Wars (1494-1559)

Seminara, 1495; Fornova, 1495; Ravenna, 1512; Novarra, 1513; Marignano, 1515; Bicocca, 1522; Pavia, 1525; Ceresole, 1544; St. Quentin, 1557; Gravelines, 1558.
Get more information on Pike & Shot from its official iTunes pages.

Slitherine is part of the Slitherine Group

About the Slitherine Group
The Slitherine Group is the world’s leading producer and publisher of digital wargames and strategy games. Under the Slitherine (www.slitherine.com), Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Ageod (www.ageod.com) brands it has published literally hundreds of games, with many award-winning titles in its portfolio and spanning all digital platforms, from home consoles to modern Smartphone’s and Tablets. Slitherine is also involved with book publishing, board gaming and works with a wide array of key licensing partners, such as HISTORY®, MILITARY HISTORY®, Games Workshop®, Horrible Histories™, Showtime, BBC, Osprey, Scholastic, Buzz Aldrin Enterprises and many others to deliver the best blend of historical accuracy in an exciting and entertaining way. Together the Group companies form the world’s largest organization specializing in this important and vibrant niche. The Slitherine Group’s mission over the coming years is to lead the way in innovation and growth in an ever expanding segment of the entertainment industry.

 

[Thagarr]

Not exactly the most informative of trailers, but it gets it point across.

When Tacticians Become Strategists

Pike and Shot: Campaigns is released!

Epsom, UK - August 13, 2015.
"The Lord God is my Armour!” (Gustavus Adolphus – King of Sweden)

Since October 2014, Pike and Shot has become one of the most active wargame series on the market . In less than a year, Byzantine Games developer managed to release a full-fledged game on PC, its iPad adaptation and an official expansion called Tercio to Salvo. Today the ultimate wargame set in one of the richest periods in European history, is back with a premium all-in-one package that brings a complete new strategic dimension to the original game.

Indeed, until now Pike and Shot was excelling at delivering intense tactical battles in the skirmish and historical modes. With the release of Pike and Shot: Campaigns, players not only benefit from the base game and Tercio to Salvo content but also have the possibility to fight with 21 new skirmish army lists and get access to the brand new campaign mode. So now players can lead their armies in an entire theater of operations and take into account key strategic variables like supply, attrition, terrain or economic damage to feel like a lord commander during the Iron Century.

Pike and Shot: Campaigns includes 4 campaigns:

• Gustavus Adolphus, set in the “Swedish phase” of the Thirty Years War, allows you to play as Swedes or Imperialists.
• English Civil War allows you to play as Royalists or Parliamentarians.
• Great Turkish War, set in the period of the famous Siege and Battle of Vienna in 1683, allows you to play as Austria and Poland or as the Ottoman Empire.
• Pike and Shot allows you to match any two armies from 1494 to 1648 in a struggle for dominance.

Owners of Pike and Shot get a 75% discount when upgrading to Pike and Shot : Campaigns. Note that players who got their copy through Steam can only benefit from this rebate program until October, 27th.

For inquiries contact
Olivier Georges
olivierg[at]slitherine.co.uk
Get more information on Pike and Shot: Campaigns from its official product page