A couple of years ago we announced our full acquisition of the Konflikt ’47 IP, and things have been pretty quiet of late… on the outside! Here at Warlord Games HQ, we’ve been feverishly plotting away, working hard behind the scenes to make what already is a great game… the best it can possibly be when it relaunches later this year.
The Setting
To that end, we started at the ground up. What is Konflikt ’47 now, and what should it become? Taking the foundations of what already existed in the lore, we set out to expand on it, without destroying what was already established. The setting of Konflikt ‘47 is an alternative universe that resembled our own prior to the opening of the Rifts. The Rifts essentially allow man access to powers and technology previously unknowable, though not fully understood, resulting in an exponential increase in the rate of technological development – a concoction for chaos during the worldwide arms race already underway as a result of a world-spanning conflict (known in our universe as World War II). The objective, more than ever, was to become survival at any cost. Konflikt ’47 explores what humanity is prepared to do in pursuit of victory via technological and military superiority.
From that world is born a game of heroes, horrors, monsters and mechs. This isn’t blue skies and green fields, but a world of darkness, terror, desolation, and destruction. Our design philosophy, whether developing lore, miniatures, or rules, will be adhering to this aesthetic.
The Game
The game itself, as was the original, is firmly based on the core principles of Bolt Action (now in its third edition). Players of that game will recognise the ubiquitous Order Dice and pin markers for instance. However, Konflikt ’47 should feel like its own game – it shouldn’t just feel like Bolt Action with different (though admittedly very cool) miniatures.
To imbue this uniqueness, we’re weaving the fibre of the setting and narrative into the game itself. The key to Konflikt ’47 is Rift Tech and Rift Energy. Rift units and weapons are handled via new mechanics that place them in the very centre of the game. It bears repeating – this is a game of heroes, horrors, monsters and mechs, resulting in cinematic gaming moments, narrative gameplay, and stories that transcend the tabletop experience.
Please bear in mind that Konflikt ‘47 i still in active development, and the rules still a work in progress, but here’s a little taster…
Rift Dice
All Rift Units contribute Rift Dice to the pool, which can be in one of three states – Exhausted, Active, and Surging. These dice go into a dice bag alongside order dice and can be assigned to Rift Units when drawn. The state of a Rift Dice will directly influence the efficacy of Rift Units or Rift Weapons, with a Surging Dice holding the potential to unleash some very powerful abilities indeed.
Rift Tech
Rift Tech is the result of the experiments undertaken and development of Rift Scientists of each nation – deadly weapons, more effective military vehicles (walkers/mechs) and new methods of wreaking destruction upon the enemy. Each faction has its own identity when it comes to Rift Tech – and the updated rules will make them both more integral to the game, and more fun to use. They are considerably more effective than most conventional WWII weapons.
That is not to say that your Bolt Action miniatures are obsolete. Not by any means! You can use anything in your collection – they’re fully compatible with the Konflikt ‘47 rules. However, in the majority of cases, they will not be as effective as bespoke Konflikt ’47 units.
Heroes
Heroes are integral to the game. Many of them will be more in tune with Rift energy and weaponry than conventional commanders. Others may be preternaturally aware, or are just too stubborn, or tough, to die quickly. These attributes are represented in the game by new stats which only apply to heroes (…or as the case may be with some of them…villains). Expect characters (and corresponding new miniatures) for each faction in the game.
Speaking of which, there will be five factions in the game – the Axis, the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Soviet Bloc, and the Empire of Japan. Army lists will be available for each of these at launch.
New Miniatures
Now, we’re not quite ready for the grand reveal of the new miniatures, but suffice it to say there will be plenty – including plastics for both infantry and vehicles. That said, nothing will become obsolete, all miniatures in the existing range will have rules in the new version, although they may differ slightly from what came before. Additionally, we will be revising the current range and converting them from metal to Warlord Resin where we can, vastly improving the hobby experience.
That’s all for now. We’ll reveal more Konflikt ’47 in the coming months, including exciting new reveals of miniatures, specifics on rules, lore, and more. These are exciting times for wargaming fans. Konflikt ’47 is poised for launch in Q4 2025.
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