What Kind of Content Does Armchair General Magazine Publish?

Updated

Armchair General Magazine is a military history publication that mixes historical articles with tabletop wargame coverage. Its tagline, "We Put YOU in Command! | All things military history!", signals the focus: military history across eras, paired with board game reviews and previews aimed at readers who want to refight or study those conflicts on a table. If you are looking for a site that treats wargaming and military history as connected hobbies rather than separate ones, its content is likely relevant to you.

Main Content Categories

Board Game Reviews and Previews

The most visible content on the site is tabletop wargame coverage. Recent examples from the front page include:

  • Urban Battle and Urban Battle Junior – a preview of two games from publisher Forsage Games, designed by Predrag Lazovic and Dragan Lazovic. The preview describes "beautiful components, packed with tons of goodies, easy to learn and play, fun games, family friendly," while noting a criticism: the games "need initiative rules."
  • Corvette Command – reviewed under the headline "A Small Ship in a Big War," covering naval combat at the small-ship level.
  • Aces High! – a Compass Games release reviewed under the headline about bringing "those magnificent men in their flying machines to the table," covering World War I aerial combat.

These pieces follow a recognizable review format. The Urban Battle preview, for instance, separates positives ("Passed Inspection") from criticisms ("Failed Basic"), which gives readers a quick way to judge whether a game matches their interests before buying.

Subject Matter Across Conflict Types

The game coverage spans multiple scales and settings:

Theme Example Scale
Urban combat Urban Battle / Urban Battle Junior Tactical, family-friendly to standard
Naval warfare Corvette Command Small-ship actions within a larger war
Air combat Aces High! World War I dogfighting

This range means the site is not limited to one era or one type of warfare. A reader interested in naval history and a reader interested in WWI aviation can both find something relevant.

Military History as the Throughline

The tagline "All things military history" indicates that games are covered as a way to engage with historical conflict, not purely as entertainment products. Reviews tend to frame games within their historical setting — "A Small Ship in a Big War" and the WWI flying aces headline both do this.

Who This Content Suits

  • Tabletop wargamers looking for reviews and previews before purchasing, especially those who value a clear list of strengths and weaknesses.
  • Military history readers who want their history hobby connected to games they can actually play.
  • Families and casual players — the Urban Battle preview explicitly notes the games are "family friendly" and "easy to learn and play," so the coverage is not exclusively aimed at hardcore simulationists.
  • Readers who want criticism, not just promotion — the preview format includes a "Failed Basic" section, so weaknesses are stated alongside praise.

Practical Notes

  • The site offers a subscription option at armchairgeneral.com/subscribe. Pricing details are not specified in the available information, so check the page directly if cost matters to you.
  • Content is published in English (en-US).
  • Reviews and previews are organized under categories such as Boardgames and Front Page Features, which makes browsing by interest straightforward.

If your interest is specifically in games about urban combat, naval actions, or aerial warfare, the recent front-page lineup suggests these themes are actively covered rather than occasional. If you want a single source that pairs game criticism with historical framing, this site fits that description.