WargameChess

WargameChess asks the question: what if chess actually felt like a battle?

You and your opponent each command a Napoleonic army — 29 pieces in total: infantry, cavalry, artillery, and one all-important general. Unlike chess, your units don’t hop around in weird patterns. Infantry march one square at a time, cavalry thunder forward two, artillery shells explode from a distance… and if your infantry get outflanked, they suddenly aren’t so tough anymore.

Battles aren’t just one-on-one captures. Up to 8 units can clash in a single square, and victory goes to whoever has the stronger combined force. It’s fast, swingy, and surprisingly brutal.

Other twists on the classic formula:

• Fog of war — the battlefield only reveals itself as you advance.

• Multiple maps — woods, hills, rivers, lakes, and roads change the feel of each battle.

• Hot-seat multiplayer — play on the same computer, pass turns back and forth under password lock.

• Setup phase — place your army however you like in your first two rows before the game begins.

Your goal? Simple: kill the enemy general. How you get there is anything but.