What is Warfare 1917?
Warfare 1917 is a historical side-scrolling strategy game developed by Con Artist Games. Set in the trench lines of the First World War, the game puts you in command of military forces fighting across contested ground. Rather than relying on fast reflexes, victory requires calculated unit deployments, strategic fire support, and careful timing. You choose your faction, allocate resources to send squads over the top, and push forward to capture defensive trenches until the enemy line breaks. The game runs directly in your web browser with no download or setup required.
Key features
- Dual campaign factions: Command either the British forces or the German army across historical battle scenarios.
- Trench defensive system: Station squads inside entrenched positions to gain cover and reduce incoming enemy rifle damage.
- Specialized infantry units: Deploy a balanced mixture of riflemen, assault troopers, mortar squads, and machine gunners.
- Tactical fire support: Call in devastating mortar strikes and artillery barrages to soften enemy fortifications before advancing.
- Pre-battle unit upgrades: Spend earned experience between skirmishes to improve squad survivability, firepower, and deployment efficiency.
- Custom battle mode: Set up tailored frontline skirmishes with custom parameters to test unique army compositions.
- Morale and territory victory conditions: Win battles by pushing across all defensive lines or by draining enemy combat morale to zero.
How to play
- Select your campaign: Choose whether to lead the British military or German forces into battle.
- Review pre-battle upgrades: Spend available upgrade points to enhance unit combat capabilities and support cooldowns.
- Deploy infantry squads: Click unit icons on the bottom command bar to deploy soldiers when resources and cooldowns allow.
- Occupy defensive trenches: Move your advancing troops into forward trench positions to gain defensive cover against enemy fire.
- Call tactical abilities: Trigger mortar strikes and support fire on heavily defended enemy positions when squads gather to push.
- Break the enemy frontline: Maintain continuous pressure across no-man's-land to capture the enemy base or deplete enemy morale to zero.
Controls
| Action | Mouse control |
|---|---|
| Deploy unit | Left click unit card on bottom bar |
| Advance squad | Left click forward trench or ground |
| Call support strike | Left click ability icon |
| Purchase upgrades | Left click upgrade menu items |
Morale and trench combat mechanics
Combat in Warfare 1917 revolves around two core mechanics: trench positioning and army morale. When infantry soldiers occupy a trench, they gain substantial defensive cover that shields them from direct small-arms fire. Soldiers caught running across open ground without support suffer heavy casualties from entrenched defenders. To advance safely, you must gather enough soldiers in one position to create a sufficient force before ordering a push forward.
Battles can be decided in two distinct ways. Capturing every trench line across the map and reaching the enemy territory secures an immediate territorial victory. Alternatively, inflicting heavy casualties and landing precise mortar strikes steadily drains the opposing army's morale bar. When enemy morale drops to zero, their remaining forces surrender and retreat from the field.
Tips and strategy
- Combine diverse unit types: Avoid deploying only riflemen; combine standard infantry with assault troopers and mortar squads so your frontline has both defensive resilience and heavy punch.
- Time support abilities with infantry advances: Launch mortar strikes against hostile trenches right before your infantry charges over the top, suppressing defenders during the open dash.
- Consolidate troops before pushing: Wait until multiple squads gather in your forward trench rather than trickling single units into prepared defensive fire.
- Prioritize essential upgrades early: Invest upgrade points into unit health and support recharge speed to gain compounding advantages across campaign stages.
- Watch your morale meter: If your morale begins slipping, hold defensive positions in fortified trenches to break incoming enemy charges before resuming your offensive.
Game modes
Campaign mode
The main campaign lets you experience the conflict from either the British or German perspective. Each campaign presents a sequence of frontline battles with escalating difficulty, rewarding tactical progress with upgrade points to develop your military forces.
Custom battle
Custom battle mode offers quick-play skirmishes where you can tailor combat conditions and test different tactical unit combinations against computer-controlled armies.
Similar games on Tiny Fishing
If you want to explore other games in the catalogue, several options offer distinct styles of gameplay. Tiny Fishing delivers a calm, casual upgrade loop focused on patient timing and line management. For chaotic side-scrolling destruction, Sharkosaurus Rampage lets you smash through laboratory obstacles and adversaries. If you prefer real-time multiplayer arena competition, Stabfish2 Io Multiplayer provides fast aquatic combat against online rivals.
Developer and history
Warfare 1917 was developed by Con Artist Games and released in September 2008. Originally created as a Flash strategy title, the game earned widespread acclaim for its thoughtful tactical systems, dual-faction campaigns, and atmospheric depiction of First World War trench warfare.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main objective in Warfare 1917?
Your objective is to lead your army across the battlefield to capture the enemy territory or drain the opposing force's morale bar to zero through sustained tactical combat.
Which factions can you play as in Warfare 1917?
The game includes campaigns for both the British forces and the German army, each featuring a sequence of tactical trench warfare engagements.
Who developed Warfare 1917?
Warfare 1917 was developed by Con Artist Games and released in September 2008 as a tactical browser strategy game.
How do you control your troops in Warfare 1917?
The game uses simple mouse controls to select unit cards on the bottom menu bar, deploy soldiers into trenches, and trigger tactical fire support abilities.
