History in Your Pocket

Today I wanted to look at an intriguing new Kickstarter project called Pocket General: Waterloo, a portable historical wargaming system that replaces traditional miniatures with beautifully illustrated playing cards. While the video explores my first impressions after speaking with creator Brandon Fisichella, the wider discussion raises some interesting questions about accessibility, affordability and the future of introducing new players to historical tabletop gaming.

Historical wargaming has always been a rewarding hobby, but it is also one that demands a considerable investment of time, money and space. Building opposing armies, painting hundreds of miniatures and collecting terrain can be immensely satisfying, but it can also appear daunting to newcomers. Pocket General approaches that challenge from a different direction. Instead of asking players to assemble large collections before enjoying a battle, it provides complete armies represented by high-quality illustrated cards that are ready to play straight out of the box. The result is a system that can easily travel in a pocket, making it ideal for holidays, weekends away or simply gaming where storage space is limited.

Importantly, Pocket General is not presented as a replacement for traditional miniature wargaming. Rather, it offers another way to enjoy the hobby while lowering the barriers for those taking their first steps into historical gaming. By making classic battles such as Waterloo more accessible, it may encourage newcomers to discover the wider hobby before eventually moving on to painted miniatures and larger collections.

Another aspect that makes the project stand out is its visual presentation. The card artwork captures the energy and movement of Napoleonic battlefields with an expressive style that conveys the smoke, confusion and drama of combat. The creators have also committed to commissioning only original artwork from human artists, with no AI-generated imagery used in the production of the game. The Kickstarter campaign is focused primarily on funding these commissions while ensuring the artists are paid fairly for their work.

The initial release focuses on the Battle of Waterloo, providing French and British forces, with plans to expand into Prussian, Dutch and Hanoverian contingents as additional funding becomes available. Future ambitions also include terrain cards that would allow players to build more detailed battlefields while retaining the system's remarkable portability.

Whether Pocket General becomes a regular feature on gaming tables remains to be seen, but it is certainly an imaginative attempt to make historical wargaming easier to access without sacrificing its historical flavour. Anything that encourages more people to explore our hobby deserves consideration, particularly when it is supported by original artwork and a genuine passion for history.