''Field of Glory'' is a series of

turn-based strategy game A turn-based strategy (TBS) game is a strategy game (usually some type of wargame, especially a strategic-level wargame) where players take turns when playing. This is distinguished from real-time strategy (RTS), in which all players play simu ...

s published by British company Slitherine Software for

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

s. The series is based on a 2008 miniature wargame.

Board game

''Field of Glory'' is a 2008 miniature wargame for creating ancient and

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

tabletop battles. It was designed by Richard Bodley Scott and published by Slitherine Software and

Osprey Publishing Osprey Publishing is a British, Oxford-based, publishing company specializing in military history. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company produces ov ...

. The release of the game and two companion books (''Rise of Rome'' and ''Storm of Arrows'') were announced on December 20, 2007, for February 2008. A third edition was released on October 17, 2017.

Wargamer A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

gave the game a positive review: "On a 1 to 10 scale I’d give Field of Glory a skosh over 9, but only for intermediate or advanced players. Given that most players who already compete in ancients tourneys are at this level anyway, this should not be a problem, but beginners will likely get lost in the complexity if not nurtured." In 2017, Wargamer reviewed the third edition and gave it a positive review: "For current Field of Glory players this strongly recommended, but for everyone else it's optional."

Video games

''Field of Glory''

''Field of Glory'' is the first game in the series, a digital version of the board game. It was released on November 19, 2009, for Windows and developed by British studio Hexwar. An

OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

port was released on June 30, 2010. It was ported by

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. Four expansion packs were released in 2010: ''Rise of Rome'', ''Storm of Arrows'', ''Immortal Fire'', and ''Swords & Scimitars''. Three expansions packs were released in 2011: ''Legions Triumphant'', ''Eternal Empire'', and ''Decline and Fall''. Two expansion packs were released in 2016: ''Oath of Fealty'' and ''Wolves from the Sea''. Alongside the last two expansions, the game was remade for the

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...

game engine. ''

Armchair General "Armchair general" is a derogatory term for a person who regards themselves as an expert on military matters, despite having little to no actual experience in the military. Alternatively, it can mean a military commander who does not participat ...

'' gave the game a rating of 88% and said: "Overall, Field of Glory continues Slitherene’s tradition of fine-tuned, fast-playing games. FoG is easy to play and learn but more difficult to master." Digitally Downloaded gave the game four out of five stars and called it a "hugely entertaining game". Roberto Bertoni of Eurogamer Italy gave the game six out of ten and said: "Field of Glory is nothing more than an electronic board game. All is pretty tasteless but also very functional. Some flaws in the AI make the game more enjoyable in multiplayer rather than in single player."

''Field of Glory II''

''Field of Glory II'' was released on October 12, 2017, developed by Byzantine Games. It uses the same

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

as Byzantine's previous games: ''Sengoku Jidai'' and ''Pike and Shot''. Several DLC packs were released: ''Immortal Fire'' in 2017, ''Legions Triumphant'', ''Age of Belisarius'', and ''Rise of Persia'' in 2018, ''Wolves at the Gate'' in 2019, and ''Swifter than Eagles'' in 2023. ''Field of Glory II'' received generally favorable reviews upon its release. It holds an average of 84/100 on aggregate website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. Tim Stone of Rock Paper Shotgun wrote about the

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version: "Like its forerunners, FoGII produces gripping battle after gripping battle. Even the three tutorial skirmishes are absorbing. The beta leaves me questioning Byzantine's campaign thinking, but confident the PC is about to get something it's been without for a very long time – an ancient wargame with popular appeal and historical heft."

''Field of Glory: Empires''

''Field of Glory Empires'' was developed by AGEod and released on July 11, 2019. It is set from 310 BC until the end of 2nd century AD in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. A DLC pack, ''Persia 550 – 330 BCE'', was released on May 21, 2020.

Reception

''Field of Glory Empires'' received generally favorable reviews upon its release. It holds an average of 76/100 on aggregate website

. The game was often compared to '' Imperator: Rome'', another 2019 strategy game about the Roman Empire. Strategy Gamer said that "Empires lacks the breadth

Imperator The Latin word ''imperator'' derives from the stem of the verb la, imperare, label=none, meaning 'to order, to command'. It was originally employed as a title roughly equivalent to ''commander'' under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part o ...

has striven for and is a few years behind what

Total War Total war is a type of warfare that includes any and all civilian-associated resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilizes all of the resources of society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare over non-combata ...

is doing these days, but it's a smartly made game and gives a deeper military experience for those who prefer those aspects. It's definitely one to consider and an excellent new contender in the grand strategy space." Bill Gray of

gave the game a positive review and called it "one of the best ancient grand strategy games on the market". Jörg Luibl of

4Players ''4Players'' is a German online magazine that provides news and reviews of video games and related content. Established in August 2000, ''4Players'' is owned by the Hamburg-based company 4Players GmbH, an indirect subsidiary of the Marquard Grou ...

said that "This is dreary, sometimes plain boring and frustrating. Even if you get into the mechanics thanks to YouTube-videos (!), there are way too many shortcomings." Tim Stone of Rock Paper Shotgun summarized: "I'd be surprised if Field of Glory: Empires didn't go down as one of 2019s best grand strategy offerings. At the very least it looks certain to be remembered as an essential add-on for the finest Ancients tactical wargame around."

Gamepressure ''Gry-Online'' is a group of Polish websites devoted to computer games and electronic entertainment. Founded by Mariusz Klamra, Wojciech Antonowicz and Rafał Swaczyna, the group has grown to include Gry-Online, TVGry.pl, Gameplay.pl, and Gamepres ...

listed ''Empires'' among the best strategy games of 2019.

''Field of Glory II: Medieval''

''Field of Glory II: Medieval'', a sequel to ''Field of Glory II'', was released on February 4, 2021, and developed by Byzantine Games. It is set in the

era covering years from 1040 to 1270 AD. Several DlC packs were released: ''Reconquista'' and ''Swords and Scimitars'' in 2021, ''Storm of Arrows'', ''Rise of the Swiss'', and ''Sublime Porte'' in 2022. ''Field of Glory II: Medieval'' received generally favorable reviews upon its release. It holds an average of 75/100 on aggregate website

. Jonathan Bolding of

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...

said that the game doesn't "feel medieval", elaborating: "The ruleset's emphasis on flanking maneuvers over numerical advantage makes a lot of sense in the ancients period, but it feels silly when three units of elite infantry can't make a squad of enemy recruits flee in a single simultaneous assault." Bill Gray of

gave the game a positive review and said it is "easy to learn, easy to play, plays realistically" and "it looks spectacular".

''Field of Glory: Kingdoms''

''Field of Glory: Kingdoms'' is to be released in 2023, developed by AGEod. It was announced on May 10, 2022, and is said to be similar to ''Field of Glory: Empires''.

References

External links

Official board game website
(archived) *
''Field of Glory'' series
at

BoardGameGeek BoardGameGeek (BGG) is an online forum for board gaming hobbyists and a game database that holds reviews, images and videos for over 125,600 different tabletop games, including European-style board games, wargames, and card games. In addition to ...

* {{Matrix Games Board games introduced in 2008 Board wargames set in Ancient history Board wargames set in the Middle Ages Freeverse Inc. games Grand strategy video games MacOS games Matrix Games games Miniature wargames Slitherine Software games Turn-based strategy video games by series Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2009 Video games based on board games Video games developed in France Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games set in antiquity Video games set in the Middle Ages Video games set in the Roman Empire Video games with expansion packs Windows games