Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 47 minutes ago
I’m joined by designer (and friend of the show) James Buckley for an interview and live demo of Battlegroup Clash: Baltics—a 2–6 player tactical land warfare game adapted from a training tool used by the British Army for junior officers. Set in Estonia amid a near-future Russian invasion, the game pits reinforced-battalion-sized forces (units at platoon/section scale) across six scenarios and multiple play modes (Basic, Standard, Advanced) for 2–3 hours of modern combined-arms decision-making.
We’ll talk design goals and then jump into play, highlighting the system’s distinctive features: pre-game Orders drafting that shapes tempo and initiative; drones and electronic warfare (UAS recon, FPV strikes, jamming, SIGINT); and real-world maps derived from satellite imagery (no hexes—read the ground like a real ops map). If you’re curious how contemporary tactics translate to the tabletop, this is a great entry point.
You can pre-order it here: sapperstudio.com/battlegr
☕ Support the channel and the Homo Ludens community: ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
I’m joined by designer (and friend of the show) James Buckley for an interview and live demo of Battlegroup Clash: Baltics—a 2–6 player tactical land warfare game adapted from a training tool used by the British Army for junior officers. Set in Estonia amid a near-future Russian invasion, the game pits reinforced-battalion-sized forces (units at platoon/section scale) across six scenarios and multiple play modes (Basic, Standard, Advanced) for 2–3 hours of modern combined-arms decision-making.
We’ll talk design goals and then jump into play, highlighting the system’s distinctive features: pre-game Orders drafting that shapes tempo and initiative; drones and electronic warfare (UAS recon, FPV strikes, jamming, SIGINT); and real-world maps derived from satellite imagery (no hexes—read the ground like a real ops map). If you’re curious how contemporary tactics translate to the tabletop, this is a great entry point.
You can pre-order it here: sapperstudio.com/battlegr
☕ Support the channel and the Homo Ludens community: ko-fi.com/homoludens1871
