History of the LnL 'Tactical' Series

[DeHammer]

I was wondering... Is there's a place to read up on the history of the LnL 'Tactical' series, it's evolution over the years, and the historical chronology of when the various modules & expansions were released?

I think what I know so far is that LnL 'Band of Heroes' started it all back in... 2005? THere was a 1st & 2nd edition, and various expansions.

Then in 2015+ the 'Heroes' modules like HoN and HotM etc came into existence. When were these newer core modules & their various expansions released?

 

[Stéphane Tanguay]

No, there is nowhere to read about this...but I'm sloooooowly working on it, if only to be able to answer questions related to older editions. How I regret to not have kept all of them ; I had almost all of them over the years but kept solding/giving them to buy the newest ones :-( And it is Forgotten Heroes, published by Shrapnel Games, that started everything back in 2003

 

[Diesel_Kurt]

No, there is nowhere to read about this...but I'm sloooooowly working on it, if only to be able to answer questions related to older editions. How I regret to not have kept all of them ; I had almost all of them over the years but kept solding/giving them to buy the newest ones :-( And it is Forgotten Heroes, published by Shrapnel Games, that started everything back in 2003

you can still find the older editions on ebay and geek market, I currently have a copy of band of heroes in shrink (I am assuming that is fairly rare) coming in the mail, not a bad price either. I plan on keeping it of course.... maybe i'll pull the trigger on a copy of swift and bold to complete the package!

 

[Stéphane Tanguay]

Here it is:

Forgotten Heroes 1st edition	2003
Anzac Attack 1st edition	2004
Band of Heroes 1st edition	2005
Battle Pack Alpha 1st edition	2007
Not One Step Back 1st edition	2007
Swift and Bold, 1st edition	2007
A Day of Heroes	2008
Anzac Attack 1st edition Print N Play	2008
Dark July 1st edition	2008
Forgotten Heroes 1st edition Print N Play	2008
Swift and Bold, 2nd edition	2008
A Ring of Hills, 1st printing	2009
Band of Heroes 2nd edition	2009
Battle Pack Bravo 1st edition	2009
Heroes of the Blitzkrieg	2009
Not One Step Back Digital Download	2009
Noville: Bastogne's Outpost 1st edition	2009
A Ring of Hills, 2nd printing (boxed)	2010
Dark July 2nd edition (Mark Walker)	2010
Not One Step Back 2nd edition	2010
Heroes of the Gap	2011
Forgotten Heroes 2nd edition	2012
Honneur et Patrie	2012
In Defeat Defiance	2012
Anzac Attack 2nd edition	2013
Battle Pack Alpha 2nd edition	2015
Battle Pack Bravo 2nd edition	2015
Dark July 2nd edition (LNLP)	2015
Day of Heroes 3" box	2015
Days of Villainy 1st edition	2015
Days of Villainy 2nd edition	2015
Heroes of Normandy 1" box	2015
Heroes of the Falklands 1" box	2015
Heroes of the Motherland 1" box	2015
Heroes of the Nam 1" box	2015
Heroes of the Pacific 1" box	2015
Lock' N Load Tactical Starter Kit 4.1	2015
The Bear and the Jackal	2015
Dark July 43	2016
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume 1	2016
Lock' N Load Tactical Modern Demo	2016
Lock' N Load Tactical WW2 Demo	2016
Noville: Bastogne's Outpost 2nd edition	2016
Hell Frozen Over	2017
Heroes Against the Red Star 3" box	2017
Heroes in Defiance 3" box	2017
Heroes of Normandy 3" box	2017
Heroes of North Africa 3" box	2017
Heroes of the Falklands 3" box	2017
Heroes of the Motherland 3" box	2017
Heroes of the Nam 3" box	2017
Heroes of the Pacific 3" box	2017
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume 2	2017
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume 3	2017
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume 4	2017
Heroes of Normandy: The Untold Stories	2018
Lock' N Load Tactical Starter Kit 5.0	2018
We Stand Alone	2018
A Feat of Arms	2019
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume I	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume II	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume III	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Compendium Volume IV	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Days of Villainy Pack	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes Against the Red Star Pack 1	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes in Defiance Pack 1	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes of Normandy Pack 1	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes of the Falklands Pack 1	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes of the Nam Pack 1	2020
Lock' N Load Tactical Starter Kit 5.1	2020
Battles to the Rhine	2021
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Battles ot the Rhine Pack	2021
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes of Normandy Pack 2	2021
Lock' N Load Tactical Digital Heroes of the Pacific Pack 1	2021

 

[DeHammer]

Awesome! Thanks.

A few questions...

Did the X-Maps come out at the same time as the 1" boxed games in 2015?

When did the 4K X-maps release?

Also, when did the spiral bound 'Module Rules & Scenarios' books release?

I think they more recently became the renamed 'Companion' books, right?

 

[Stéphane Tanguay]

Man I sure hope the answers to these questions are important to you because I had to dig for them, even more so with the search function not working on this forum yet...

1) The first X-Maps came out in 2015
2) The first 4-K X-maps came out in 2018
3) The first Spiral Bound Module Rules & Scenarios books came out in 2020
4) The first Companion Books came out in 2020 too

 

[DeHammer]

Man I sure hope the answers to these questions are important to you because I had to dig for them, even more so with the search function not working on this forum yet...

1) The first X-Maps came out in 2015
2) The first 4-K X-maps came out in 2018
3) The first Spiral Bound Module Rules & Scenarios books came out in 2020
4) The first Companion Books came out in 2020 too

Thank you!

I won't ask why, but I'm really surprised that the spiral bound module rules & companion books both came out in 2020. I've been looking at a 'Module Rules & Scenarios' for HotM and also noticed a 'Companion Book' for it as well. I wasn't sure which one to get, since they both appear to be the same thing except with a different name. I figured there was a change and maybe one was much older.

 

[Stéphane Tanguay]

Oh keep asking! I was just wondering why the dates of publication of X-Maps (for example) was that important. We sometimes get those questions that do requires research, and for which the immediate utility seems dubious You could, as I did, reread the older posts in this forum, on BGG or on the various social media LNLP use to announce their new publications.

I'll save you some research on the Spiral-bound/Companion thing. When LNLT Digital came out, along with the various LNLT Digital module on TableTop Simulator, there was a demand from people who never bought (and would never buy) the whole modules (with the maps and counters) to have access to the module specific rules, including the module specific Player Aid cards (PACs), such as the module specific Terrain Effect Chart, to be able to better and more easily play LNLT Digital. Some people also prefer to have their books laying flat on the table. So the spiral-bound came out, in the summer of 2020. Essentially, the Spiral-Bound were conceived to put anything module-specific in the hands of digital gamers.

Meanwhile, I was working on integrating errata and putting a bit more consistency in the LNLP published line. In particular, we came out with the 5.1 Core Rules, the associated Player Aid Cards (PACs) and the integration of all module-specific errata. So, in the Companion Books (that came out in the late fall of 2020), you get those new new PACs (they are available as a download too and are included in the Core Rules, including the PDF version), a version where all errata known at that point are integrated and the Unit Point Cost Table, to be used to make your own battles, in particular the Battle generator.

So, if you don't have any yet, you should buy the Companion but, if you already have the spine-bound Module rules, you could very well keep using it, like people have did for years, unless 1) you want a spiral-bound document laying flat or 2) you want all errata integrated in your version

 

[DeHammer]

That's some great info. Thanks!

I guess I'm going to have to pick up some Companion Books for the game's I've purchased. I do like the idea of a spiral bound reference guide during game play, whether digital or board game.

Since I'm a board gamer from way back, I'm not content to just own the digital games. My brother and I started buying the digital games first though, then later realized that there was board game versions. It seems weird that I didn't know about LnL as I'm also interested in ASL and have been collecting that line.

I just picked up HotM + DJ, HiD, HoNA, and HoTP, and all the related X-Maps. So next is the Companion Books for those... while I await the opportunity to add HoN & the soon to be released HRtS.

 

[Stéphane Tanguay]

Just want to make sure you realize the game you bought come with the spine-bound Module Rules and Scenario booklet. You could do without the Companion Book but, of course, you would be missing their goodies (such as the integration of errata)