Doodlebug
You may have heard that the pen is mightier than the sword, but did you know that the pencil is mightier than the 7th Panzer Division? Here is Battleplan to educate us on the subject. In this WW2 real-time strategy game, you issue orders by drawing on a big pseudo-paper map based on geographical survey data. Then you sit back and watch as thousands of troops, tanks, planes and artillery wotsits strive to transform your arbitrary doodles into actual conquered territory.
While you don't control units directly in Battleplan, the devs say there's a lot of nuance to the pencilling. It's not just writing "PLS BOMB XOXOXOX" over the nearest enemy supply dump: you can try your hand at curving breakthrough attacks, planned withdrawals, preparatory bombing runs, reconnaissance, counterattacks, and other such majestic strategickal balderdash.
You'll also apparently want to spend a lot of time organising your forces before (re)drawing any frontlines. "Each division is realistically modeled with headquarters, regiments, battalions and companies," comments Lieutenant Colonel Steam Page, adding that you can "customize the entire chain of command and order of battle of your entire army", perhaps combining divisions into corps or splitting units into companies. You'll get to requisition and upgrade units over the course of a campaign, hiring officers (who give advice of varying soundness) and developing them into veterans.
The launch version includes a single-player campaign with 11 historical missions that stretch from the D-Day landings to Operation Varsity, plus a couple of tutorial levels. It's all set on the Western Front. "We already have plans to continue expanding Battleplan after launch with new system updates, gameplay improvements, and additional theatres of war," the devs promise in a Steam post.
Out on Steam today, it's the work of Foolish Mortals Games, who you might also know as the co-creators of the excellently daft Kaiju Wars, providing you are a person of taste. There are no kaiju in Battleplan, whatever those wily Wehrmact counter-intelligence officers might tell you.
Julian has just sent me a code for this – I'll try to give it a go over the week and report back. No, I will not be drawing any willies, unless there is some direct and significant tactical benefit. In the meantime, please tell me of worthwhile drawing mechanics in other games.