Orders Issued: O Group Arrives at the Wildlings

Friday nights at the Wildlings are rarely short of something special, and last week was no exception. Joining the ever-growing roster of games played at the club, Drew and Paul sat down to push some beautifully painted World War Two miniatures across one of the most stunning terrain setups we've seen on a club table. The game? O Group, a battalion-level WWII wargame that had us all stopping to take a look.

So, What is O Group?

O Group (short for Orders Group, the real-world military briefing where a commander issues orders to subordinates before battle) is a set of WWII rules published by Reisswitz Press, the sister imprint of Too Fat Lardies, and written by designer David Brown. Brown is the same mind behind acclaimed rule sets Pickett's Charge and General d'Armee, and O Group follows the same design philosophy: strip back the complexity of raw combat, and instead pour the depth into command, decision-making, and the fog of war.

At its heart, you are a battalion commander. You control a force of three or four infantry companies, supported by heavy weapons, artillery, and armour, all structured around the historical doctrine of the nation you're playing. The game features army lists for the British, Americans, Germans, and Soviets for the late war period, though the rules support the full breadth of the conflict using historical unit structures.

How Does it Play?

What immediately sets O Group apart from many WWII games is that it refuses to let you do everything you want. Orders are a precious resource. At the start of each turn you receive a set of command points, and spending them wisely is the real challenge. Do you push your lead companies forward? Bring your reserve into the line? Call in fire support? You can't do it all, and that tension is exactly what makes the game sing.

The game makes heavy use of what it calls Combat Patrols - an early game phase where players establish their forward positions and create genuine uncertainty about where the enemy is. Once contact is made, the real game begins: you commit companies to sectors, call for fire, try to establish fire superiority, and look for the moment to commit your reserve and break the enemy's will to fight. Infantry feel robust but vulnerable in the right circumstances, and vehicles behave in ways that feel right for the period without drowning in charts and tables.

The rulebook itself is a compact 106 pages, clean and well-organised. Tokens are used to track suppression and company statuses, and games feel dynamic from start to finish. There's no slow, methodical phase-by-phase slog here. Things happen. Plans change. Reserves matter. It genuinely rewards players who think like commanders rather than unit managers.

Friday Night at the Wildlings

Drew and Paul brought everything you could want from a WWII game night. The terrain was fantastic - the kind of detailed, lovingly built setup that turns heads across the room - and the miniatures were painted to a quality that reflected the skill and care that goes into the hobby side of what we do here at West Allotment Wildlings. Seeing a game like O Group at that standard is genuinely inspiring, and it's a reminder of what makes this hobby so rewarding when it all comes together.

This is exactly what we love about the club. Friday nights aren't just about the games - they're about people bringing their passions to the table and sharing them with the wider community. Whether you've been playing WWII wargames for twenty years or you've never pushed a painted infantryman across a hedgerow, games like O Group are a brilliant entry point and an endlessly deep rabbit hole in equal measure.

Want to Get Involved?

O Group joins a growing list of games that call the Wildlings home - from Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar to Trench Crusade, Kill Team, Bolt Action, Horus Heresy, Malifaux, and beyond. We are a club that welcomes players of every system, at every level of experience. If you've been curious about historical wargaming, WWII in particular, or you simply want to find a group of friendly, welcoming hobbyists to game with, we'd love to have you.

We meet regularly at Bay Games in Whitley Bay, and our Friday sessions are open to all.

Whether you want to learn O Group from scratch, bring your own army along for a game, or just come and see what we're about over a coffee, the door is always open. All of our admins are qualified Mental Health First Aiders and we are proud to be a club built on community, inclusion, and the shared love of the hobby.

Keep an eye on our events page and our Discord for upcoming sessions. If O Group has caught your eye, reach out to us directly and we'll make sure you get a game. Big thanks to Drew and Paul for a brilliant evening, and for bringing something new and exciting to the club.