Is Armchair General Magazine suitable for board game players interested in military history?

Updated

Yes, if you are a board game player whose interest in the hobby overlaps with military history. Armchair General Magazine describes itself as covering "All things military history," and its front-page features include board game previews and reviews of historical conflict games. That combination is the main reason to read it. If you want general hobby board game coverage, or deep competitive strategy for a specific game system, it is a narrower fit.

What the site actually publishes

The site's own tagline is "We Put YOU in Command! | All things military history!" Its front-page features mix board game content with military history subject matter. The board game articles visible on the site are not abstract reviews of mechanics alone; they are framed around historical settings and how those settings are represented on the table.

Examples from the site's own front-page features:

  • "2 Games Which Make Me Feel Like a Kid at Christmas! Urban Battle and Urban Battle Junior – Board Game Preview" — a preview of two games from publisher Forsage Games, designed by Predrag Lazovic and Dragan Lazovic. The preview lists the price as unknown at that time and includes a "Passed Inspection" section praising beautiful components, being "packed with tons of goodies," easy to learn and play, fun, and family friendly. It also includes a "Failed Basic" note: "needs initiative rules."
  • "A Small Ship in a Big War: Corvette Command Board Game Review" — a review of a naval-focused board game.
  • "Aces High! Compass Games Brings Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines to the Table. Board Game Review" — a review of an air-combat board game from Compass Games.

That spread — land, naval, and air combat — shows the site treats board games as one of several ways to engage with military history, not as a separate hobby vertical.

The review format tells you what you get

The Urban Battle preview is the clearest window into how the site evaluates games. It uses a two-part verdict structure:

Section What it contains What it tells you
Passed Inspection Components, ease of learning, fun factor, family friendliness What the game does well and who can pick it up quickly
Failed Basic Specific missing or weak elements (here: initiative rules) Where the design falls short, stated plainly

For a board game player, this is useful because it separates production quality and accessibility from rules completeness. A game can look great and be easy to teach while still missing a mechanic the reviewer considers important. If you care about rules depth, the "Failed Basic" line is the part to read first.

Who this site fits

It fits you if:

  • You look for board games specifically because of their historical subject — WWII urban combat, naval corvettes, WWI-era air combat.
  • You want previews and reviews that comment on components and playability alongside the history.
  • You are buying or considering games from smaller or specialist publishers such as Forsage Games or Compass Games.
  • You want a family-friendly read; the Urban Battle preview explicitly notes the games are family friendly.

It fits you less if:

  • You want coverage of eurogames, abstract strategy, or non-historical themes.
  • You need tournament-level strategy, meta analysis, or competitive play advice.
  • You want a large volume of board game reviews; the front-page features show board games appearing alongside other military history content, not as the sole focus.

Practical checks before you rely on it

  1. Check the article type. Previews and reviews are different. The Urban Battle piece is a preview, so its judgments come before wide release; treat its "Passed Inspection" and "Failed Basic" notes as first impressions rather than settled consensus.
  2. Note the price status. The Urban Battle preview states the price was unknown at that time. Do not assume a listed price exists on the site for a game still in preview.
  3. Look for the two-part verdict. If a review includes both a "Passed Inspection" and a "Failed Basic" section, read both. The negative line is often the most decision-relevant part.
  4. Match the conflict to your interest. The site's board game coverage spans land, naval, and air combat. If your interest is a specific period or theater, scan the feature list rather than assuming every review matches it.

The bottom line

Armchair General Magazine is a reasonable fit for a board game player who wants historical conflict games reviewed with attention to components, learnability, and rules gaps. Its value is the intersection: military history as the subject, board games as one of the formats. If your board gaming interest is not tied to military history, the site's board game content will feel incidental rather than central.