Hi everyone!

It's been a pretty busy few weeks here at Proxywars, and I thought it was time to share a little update about what I've been working on, what's coming to Patreon, and why the next big update to our wargame is taking a little longer than I originally planned.

October Patreon Releases

First of all, let's talk about miniatures!

Last month, I was almost entirely focused on sculpting and finishing new units for the Bug Army. I'm really happy with how much progress I've made, and I've finally managed to prepare all the completed miniatures for release.

For October , Patreon members will receive four new releases:

• Cagylaos with Poisoned Rifles, bringing more ranged firepower to the Bug Army.

• Rebels with Pistols and Daggers, a new group of lightly equipped fighters.

• The Tracker, a specialist character for the Bug Army.

• Dorn Helgar, the mastermind and leader of the Bug Army.

I'm particularly happy to finally release Dorn Helgar. I've spent so much time developing the different soldiers and vehicles of this faction that it's really satisfying to see some of its most important characters joining the collection.

I've also decided to increase the number of monthly Patreon releases from three to four. I've already prepared a release schedule for the coming months, so there are plenty more Bug Army units, characters, and vehicles on the way!

From Sculpting to Programming

One thing I've learned about myself over the years is that I'm not particularly good at focusing on several completely different projects at the same time. When I'm sculpting, I want to sculpt. When I'm programming, I want to program. Switching constantly between the two isn't always easy! Last month was mostly dedicated to miniatures. This month, I've been spending most of my time working on the wargame itself.

I’ve added a new, super handy feature for randomly filling out your army list.

My original plan was fairly straightforward. Finish the latest changes to the rules and army builder, publish the website update, and announce everything together with the new Patreon releases.

The update was practically ready. And then I had what was probably a very stupid idea. I decided to reopen a wargame project I started about twenty years ago.

A Project from 20 Years Ago

Long before Damocles Wars reached its current form, I spent years developing a historical wargame focused on the ancient world, particularly the armies and campaigns of Alexander the Great. I started working on it around twenty years ago and continued refining it for roughly a decade and a half.

The old website with profiles shaped like playing cards, such nostalgia.

It was an enormous project, with detailed rules, army lists, and a considerable amount of historical research. I wanted to recreate ancient battles as faithfully as possible while still making an interesting game.

Recently, I started reopening those old files, some of which hadn't been touched in many years. It was quite a strange experience to rediscover all that work. And naturally, instead of simply looking through the old rules and enjoying a little nostalgia, I decided to bring the entire project into the new system. That means converting approximately 60 historical army lists.

 Yes, sixty. I really need to stop giving myself new projects!

Why the Conversion Takes So Much Work

Fortunately, I still have the original database, which gives me a very useful starting point. Unfortunately, the conversion is far from automatic.

The old game used a more systematic approach to representing troops, equipment, formations, and their characteristics. The current rules offer many more possibilities through special rules, equipment choices, and individual unit customization.

So it's not simply a matter of copying statistics from one database to another. An army list that originally contained ten entries might need many more entries in the new system to properly represent the differences between its troops, equipment, and battlefield roles.

There are also historical questions to consider. For some ancient armies, the surviving documentation is extremely limited. Sometimes we have to reconstruct plausible equipment and military practices using sources from neighboring regions or earlier periods. It's fascinating work, but it requires a lot of checking, research, and manual adjustments.

At the moment, about a quarter of the historical army lists have been converted into the new development database. There's still a long way to go, but seeing these armies come back to life after so many years is incredibly satisfying.

And that's why the website update has been delayed again!

One Set of Rules, Three Very Different Worlds

But there is a very good reason why I'm so excited about this project. 

When I started developing the rules all those years ago, my ultimate goal wasn't to create a system that could represent only one particular setting. I wanted a wargame that could handle many different kinds of battles without requiring players to learn an entirely new game every time. With the historical armies joining the system, we're getting much closer to demonstrating exactly that.

The same core rules can now be used for:

Historical warfare, with classical armies, cavalry, infantry formations, and the battles of the ancient world.

High fantasy, with knights, monsters, trolls, dragons, magic, and all the other wonderful things that make fantasy wargaming so much fun.

Science fiction, with futuristic infantry, powerful weapons, vehicles, strange creatures, and the factions of Damocles Wars.

Of course, each setting has its own equipment, special rules, and particularities. But underneath all of that, the fundamental mechanics remain the same. And honestly, seeing the system work across such different settings is one of the things I'm most proud of.

Revisiting the Old Rules

Something else happened while I was working on the historical armies. I took the time to reread and analyze my old rulebooks. I had very fond memories of that system, particularly because of the attention I had given to historical realism. At the time, I was trying very hard to reproduce how ancient battles might actually have unfolded, based on the historical accounts and research available to me.

And in many ways, I still think it was a very good game. But looking at it again after so many years, I realized just how much the newer system has improved. The old rules could represent a remarkable amount of historical detail, but they also required players to learn many concepts before they could really appreciate what was happening on the battlefield.

The new system is considerably easier to understand and faster to learn, without losing most of that historical depth. In some respects, I actually think it produces more convincing battles. One thing I've become increasingly aware of is that historical realism doesn't necessarily mean reproducing the perfectly ordered battle lines that we often imagine when we think about ancient warfare. Real battles were chaotic. Units lost cohesion, commanders struggled to maintain control, unexpected events changed the situation, and formations didn't always behave like perfectly organized blocks.

I feel that the current rules do a better job of capturing some of that uncertainty and movement while keeping the game enjoyable and accessible. And perhaps most importantly, they still offer plenty of tactical depth.

Revisiting my old work has made me much more confident in the direction the game has taken. It's a rather strange feeling to look back at twenty years of development and realize that so much of what I originally wanted to achieve is finally coming together.

What's Next?

My immediate priority is to finish integrating the historical armies and release the website update. I know it's taking longer than expected, and I really appreciate everyone's patience.

Once that's done, I want to spend much more time showing the game in action. I've been working on rules, miniatures, army lists, and background material for such a long time that I really need to start making more battle reports and videos. There's a huge amount of content already available, and I think the best way to introduce people to the game is simply to show them what happens on the battlefield.

I also want to continue developing the different factions, of course. There are still plenty of ideas I haven't had time to explore. But for now, I'm trying to finish what I've already started before adding another enormous project to the list. We'll see how long that resolution lasts!

In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy the October Patreon releases. I'm really pleased with how the Bug Army is coming together, and I can't wait to share the next units with you. 

Thank you all for your support, your patience, and your interest in these projects.

See you on the battlefield!

All the Best,
William