A Forlorn Hope

A Forlorn Hope Deep Dive

What the Community Thinks About A Forlorn Hope

Reviewer coverage of A Forlorn Hope is still early, and the most detailed discussion comes from Zilla Blitz, whose upcoming wargame roundups followed the game from prototype through crowdfunding into pre-order. The host first tried a prototype at Circle DC, playing about 20 minutes between sessions, and came away calling it a fun game in which morale can break in the middle of an advance. In a later roundup the host reported enjoying a prototype session and pointed readers to the late pledge window, which signals genuine enthusiasm from someone who had already seen the game in person. Rob's Tabletop World only names the title in passing, in a broader rundown of new releases, so its coverage adds little about how the game actually plays.

Core Mechanics That Define A Forlorn Hope

Press-your-luck advances across No Man's Land

The central engine is a press-your-luck design in which the player drives waves of troops toward the enemy trenches and must keep deciding whether to push on or go to ground. Zilla Blitz describes exactly that choice: the player is hit by artillery and must weigh taking cover against continuing the assault. Each step forward is therefore a gamble that trades momentum for exposure, which is what the designer's press-your-luck framing is meant to deliver.

Keeping a regiment together under attrition

The player commands a full attacking regiment rather than one unit, split into battalions of assault companies, so progress depends on how well the formation holds together. Zilla Blitz summarizes the challenge as keeping troops together, keeping them working together, and mitigating the losses while still reaching the far side. That balance between speed and casualties is what turns each assault into a managed tactical problem rather than a single roll of the dice.

The A Forlorn Hope Experience

Tension from artillery and crumbling morale

Zilla Blitz calls the game a crazy game of trying to get troops across the trenches, and the host's account centers on constant, unpredictable setbacks. Watching a wave advance under fire while morale shatters around it is the emotional core of the experience. Because every advance invites new losses, the feeling is less about slowly grinding through a map and more about making tense calls under pressure.

Quick, accessible play

The host describes the game as very accessible and says it plays very fast, a combination that makes it easy to bring to a table without a large time commitment. Zilla Blitz frames it as a quick-playing trench warfare game that is fun to bring to the table, which is the quality the host hopes will get it played often.

What Makes A Forlorn Hope Stand Out

A tactical take on the Great War

Zilla Blitz places A Forlorn Hope at the tactical level, a single assault across no man's land, and sets it apart from Verdun 1916 by GMT Games, which the host describes as an operational-level tower defense game played from the German side. That contrast gives the Warfrat Games debut a distinct identity, since it asks the player to shepherd one offensive across the wire rather than manage an entire front.

Designer pedigree and a new publisher

The game is designed by Herman Lootman, whom Zilla Blitz describes as having almost 40 games in design. The host calls Lootman the designer of A Most Fearful Sacrifice, which is counted among the host's favorite games, and says the designer's work carries good design pedigree. The game is also the first release from Warfrat Games, a new company based in Washington DC, so the designer's track record is the most established reference point for the publisher's debut.

Potential Drawbacks

Limited full-length verdicts so far

No reviewer in the available coverage has published a full verdict on the game. Zilla Blitz's first encounter was a short prototype session, and the later impressions are enthusiastic but brief. Anyone weighing the purchase is relying on early impressions and designer reputation rather than extended playtesting reports, so the long-term replay value remains an open question.

Luck-driven losses that can frustrate

Zilla Blitz describes an assault in which events and bombs keep landing on the player's men while the player races toward the enemy trenches. That constant pressure is the source of the tension, but it may also feel punishing to players who want more control over outcomes. Reviewers did not voice this as a complaint, so this is a caution drawn from the description rather than a criticism raised by the host.

If You Enjoy A Forlorn Hope

Players who like the tension of a single hard assault and want a fast, tableable trench warfare game should look closely at A Most Fearful Sacrifice, the other Herman Lootman design Zilla Blitz names as a favorite. Because the two games share a designer, that shared pedigree is the clearest guide for readers deciding whether the style suits their table. Fans of the operational scale of Verdun 1916 may find A Forlorn Hope a tighter, more immediate alternative.