<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarchofWar">The pilot episode of March of War will launch when we reach 100,000 likes on our Facebook page!</a> Keep an eye on our page for give-aways of March of War merchandise and competitions.

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarchofWar"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6807" title="100k_LikeCampagne_design01_marchToWar" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/100k_LikeCampagne_design01_marchToWar1.jpg" alt="" width="506" height="242" /></a></p>

<em>Havana 1944 - Compañeros, the eyes of the world are upon you. Fellow revolutionaries, the colonial oppressor was surprised when we took up arms and liberated ourselves! Not twenty years ago, the Brigadas Revoluciónarias started to build an America for the people, a Latin Junta.

We fought a bloody war. Many of us have given their lives, but many more or our enemies have fallen!

How different it is when people are free. How different it is when the people rule! I see thousands of compadres de revolución gather here on Plaza de la Revolución de Cuba, and I know that millions more support our cause! Today we will take up arms and show the world what it’s like when the people rule.

People of Havana, we march to war when 100,000 gather here tomorrow!

Hasta la victoria siempre!</em>

The Black Market has the Baron Rocket Tank on sale this Sunday. Time to revisit the Barons of Kathos. It is a well-known fact the most Barons are swimming in money and with no actually political influence or positions, the Barons tend to spend their money of frivolous things.

The Baron Rocket Tank didn’t actually start life as a war-machine. Former military commander Baron Varinus Namea was well known for his extravagant garden parties, which often featured impressive fireworks displays. One day he decided to hold a simulated battle, and ordered the creation of a series of tanks specially designed to launch fireworks instead of shells, at great speed.

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/FireworksImage_01.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6796" title="FireworksImage_01" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/FireworksImage_01.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="364" /></a></p>
However, when a crew of marauders crashed his party and overwhelmed the guards, Namea took command and rallied the last of his men around the firework tanks. Picking out the largest rockets, Namea found that with some careful aim, they were more than capable of breaking up infantry formations and even stunning light vehicles and tanks – not to mention that the enormous explosions of colored sparks and flames made the rockets seem much more impressive than they actually were.

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/specialDeal_Banner_BaronRocketTank.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6794" title="specialDeal_Banner_BaronRocketTank" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/specialDeal_Banner_BaronRocketTank.jpg" alt="" width="520" height="229" /></a></p>

The marauders still got away with plenty of loot, but Baron Namea managed to save himself from being kidnapped – and it put his mind towards thoughts of rocket based weapons. In the end, the tank itself needed few alterations from the initial firework launching model; a bit more armor and a better engine were enough. The rockets themselves took longer and producing munitions with enough firepower and accuracy which were still small enough to be launched from the Rocket Tanks proved challenging. Baron Namea had to compromise the power of the rockets in the end, but he did manage to maintain the rapid rate of fire. Rocket Tanks are now a common sight in Baron armies.

The world is in a constant state of change. It is like a ripple in a pond, it starts small but its waves reach all ends and change everything in small or large measure. When Kaiser Wilhelm II sent the communist dissidents of the “Narodnaya Volya” to the Russian empire, he didn’t know that his small stone would create such a ripple that the pond would never remain the same.

This small stone, thrown so casually, would topple the mighty Russian tzardom and change a way of life. But then again, change is one of the two constant things in Russia. Change and cold. Russia became the Soviet Union. What belonged to the well-off few, now belonged to all. What were once the estates of royalty and glamorous nobility now became collectivist farmsteads and industrial centers working day and night for the progress of the new nation. Everything that was old was cast down, everything that was new – embraced! Individualism was vilified, collectivism was admired. An ideal was wholeheartedly brought to life!

Cyril Ilarionovitch was lost in his thoughts as he was staring blankly in his glass. Not long ago he was homeschooling the young heirs to a vast estate that belonged to a Kniaz. He was teaching them French, Geometry, Etiquette and other subjects that were privy to the nobility only. Now he, a man of learning, was working in a tractor factory like many others. He was happy with that, for he had been close to the now despised nobility and anti-revolutionaries. He had been teaching their children, and people were shot for much less. But he missed the little ones, and their little faces full of curiosity.

<a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/MarchOfWar_UnionStory01.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6783" title="MarchOfWar_UnionStory01" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/MarchOfWar_UnionStory01.jpg" alt="" width="603" height="388" /></a>

Across the room in the run down inn sat Dmitry Suvorov. He had been a small peasant boy, a little over seven, when he and his class were told that their teacher had to change schools. A new teacher would come to tell stories of even more interesting and fun things! Now Dmitry was twenty-seven, a young man. He was overseer at the tractor factory near Volgograd. He had finished high school and had achieved much, all thanks to his hard work. Him - the son of a peasant. Now everything is within his grasp, there are no limits to what a person of low-birth can achieve. Now, there is no such thing as low-birth for all are equal, all are entitled to the same and all were working to fill their quotas and help bring about a bright socialist future for their children. He was brought up with the belief that the proletariat of the world are brothers. His teacher told him that he had a duty to all workers around the world and he firmly believed in that duty. He would teach his own son that duty as well.

Both Cyril and Dmitry stood up, and picked up their coats. It was time to head home, for tomorrow there were quotas to fill. Once they noticed each other, Cyril saluted his overseer with Dmitry responding with a salute as well – “Good evening, comrade”.

The United Republic is renowned for its chrome finished airplanes and well trained soldiers. Funded through investments made by major corporations like the Ford Motor Company or business families like the Rockefellers, the arms industry in the United Republic is the wealthiest in the world. But as the stock markets fare well and the fat cat is eating his generous share of the pie, the ghettos of the Chicago, New York, Montreal, Vancouver, and other major cities in North America are filled with former test subjects of ambitious military research projects, such as the jetpacks for the Iron Troops.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Republic_FlyingTroops011.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6741" title="Republic_FlyingTroops01" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Republic_FlyingTroops011.jpg" alt="" width="599" height="599" /></a></p>
Phoenix has lived in Detroit all of his live. At a mere twelve years of age he got his first job at the car factory down the block that someone named Henry Ford had opened. That was in 1903. They told him he would be contributing to the Republican Dream; the work was dirty and hard. But was there really any other choice to be made by a boy from Highland Park?</p>

He was just Tom back then - he didn’t become Phoenix until much later. Phoenix shifts awkwardly. His back always hurts. In fact he couldn’t move it much at all. The nurses at the hospital started calling him Phoenix. Those nurses, with their impeccable white dresses and cold hands, he smiles. That was the only good this that had come out of the accident, to lay his eyes on those nurses again. The twilight of his life was approaching fast, but he Republican Dream got shattered when he was twenty-seven.</p>

It was a warm summer’s day. Rank smelling garbage lined the streets and the smog around the factories had gotten so thick the sun was barely visible. His supervisor called him and his team to his office and pushed a number of flyers into their hands. The federal government needed him to contribute to the war effort. They needed test subjects at R&amp;D. On the picture in the flyer his president reminded him that he should be proud to live in freedom. He crumpled the glossy piece of paper and threw it in the trash.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/republic-moodshot5.jpg"><img class="wp-image-6740 aligncenter" title="republic-moodshot5" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/republic-moodshot5.jpg" alt="" width="406" height="233" /></a></p>
They were shepherded to the research facilities in the factory. The man in the suit explained that this new technology called a jetpack could make soldiers fly. After going through a series of complicated looking diagrams and schematics, the man emphasized that Republic soldiers would one day be able to own the skies, and that the test last week only had a 30% malfunction rate. They had made great progress. Just three months ago it was still an alarming 70%.</p>

Someone strapped the metal tanks on his back and explained that he should push this button for take-off and pull that handle to steer. Phoenix pushed the button and started to lift off the ground. For a moment he was flying and thought ‘I’ll be damned’. Then a searing pain spread along his back and he heard his bones crack as he smacked into the concrete floor. There were third degree burns on 70% of his body and severe damage to the nerve system in his back.</p>

Years later, the doctors were amazed that he sort of learned to walk again, and in their eyes he was the embodiment of the Republican Dream.

<em>New adventures in Anchorpoint! You might want to read carefully. I have hidden an anagram in the text. Look at the first letter of each sentence. Nine of those letters form two words together. Send me your answer in a PM. Marauders that come up with the correct answer will win the official Iron Grip: Marauders 2012 strategy guide!</em></p>

<em>MechanicalAngel</em></p>

The tension that arose after <a href="http://www.isotx.com/airship-with-t…de-anchorpoint/">the airship crash in Anchorpoint</a> two month ago has reached boiling point. Even though the official investigation turned up that the captain of the airship reported several failures before take-off, the people of Anchorpoint have turned against the marauders. Surprisingly the people are gaining momentum, as most marauders are reluctant to reciprocate the assaults.</p>

Marauder captain The Almighty is appalled by recent outbursts of civilian violence: “In all my life I have not met one dishonorable marauder in Anchorpoint. Yes, we set-up roadside hijackings, but we would never propagate violence against civilians. Resident marauders of Anchorpoint uphold <a href="http://www.isotx.com/how-to-be-a-sky-pirate-101/">their own code of honor</a> and to digress from that means that he will be chased out of Anchorpoint. It’s really a self-regulating system.”</p>

Since the marauders have settled in Anchorpoint there has been much talk of their alleged honor, yet the city has gone downhill. They drink and gamble, flirt with our daughters. “Pirates are allowed some fun. We hang out at Jasmine’s and I assure you I have never taken a girl there without her consent. Keeping out the Barons is what we do, does it matter that we are also thugs and scoundrels?” The Almighty grins as he takes a sip of his beer.</p>

<a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/airship.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-6606" title="airship" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/airship.jpg" alt="" width="561" height="286" /></a></p>

Cities that fall under Baron rule have reported sky high taxes, but at least their streets remain safe. The Almighty bursts into laughter: “Sure, but everyone is poor as shit. Who wants that? And just to be clear, it is not the marauders who are harassing people on the streets of Anchorpoint right now.”
</p>
<em>The article has been published in The Marauder Herald.</em>

Among the exotic armies of the Emperor, few are feared quite as much as the Immortals. Clad in their ornate steel armor and wielding powerful autocannons, the immortals are terrifying foes and their devotion to the Emperor is unyielding. They answer only to him and to their spiritual leader – the Shisai. Upon the battlefield, their towering presence inspires terror in the hearts of their enemies. They are the physical manifestation of the Emperor’s will and they shall see it fulfilled.

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Empire_ImmortalConceptArt01_medium.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6529" title="Empire_ImmortalConceptArt01_medium" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Empire_ImmortalConceptArt01_medium.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" /></a></p>

Potential Immortals are recruited from the offspring of noble families that are in favor with the Emperor. Taken away from their mothers at birth, these children are brought to the fortress monastery deep in the Mountains of Hokkaido, where they are taught to venerate the emperor as the living descendant of the gods and to worship Izanami, the goddess of Death. With no family ties to distract them, the children are taught the warrior skills required to be the Emperor’s elite. As soon as they are able, the initiates are pitted against one another in series of tests of the body and mind that often end with the death of one of the contestants. This brutal selection ensures that only the strongest, most cunning and fanatical survive to serve to serve the Emperor.

When the aspirants come of age, they are brought before the Emperor and kneel at his feet to swear their undying devotion. After this, the Emperor issues them an extremely dangerous mission, so that they may prove themselves worthy of becoming his household guards and enforcers. The completion of the latest set of these proving missions saw the European Alliance losing all of their colonies in Asia.

With the fires of war engulfing the world, the Immortals march with the armies of the Emperor and bring swift destruction upon all those who would oppose him.

March of War is a game that is being written by you. Developments in the world, such as which faction conquers which region or who is the leader of a faction, are completely dependent on your actions. We provide a basic world with a backstory – a world that is in an everlasting state of war. We don’t know what that world is going to look like a year after the release.</p>

However, playing the game isn’t the only way to contribute to March of War. You will also be able to vote on which content will appear in the game and of course you can contribute to the official library. So eventually the game is as much a product of you, the players, and us, ISOTX.</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Storm-Trooper_big.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6381" title="Storm-Trooper_big" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Storm-Trooper_big.jpg" alt="" width="581" height="581" /></a></p>

During the closed beta we have invited a few loyal players to act as war correspondents and to provide us with material for the wiki. One of our devoted contributors is coastwardchippy – he also wrote a lot of fan fiction for Iron Grip: Marauders and is now one of the first war correspondents. So far he has submitted two articles for the wiki – about Alliance <a href="http://marchofwar.wikia.com/wiki/Storm_Troopers">Storm Troopers</a> and <a href="http://marchofwar.wikia.com/wiki/Spy">Spies</a>.<br>
If you are interested in writing for us you can send an email to community@isotx.com.</p>

The following piece of fiction is inspired by coastwardchippy’s description of the Storm Troopers:</p>

<a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Military-Parade_blog.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-6384" title="Military-Parade_blog" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Military-Parade_blog.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="280" /></a>

<em>“That’s my dad!” Erich nudged his friend Hans and pointed to one of the Storm Troopers marching by: “When I grow up I’m going to be a Storm Trooper as well!”</em></p>

<em>“No, you won’t – only the really strong soldiers can be a Storm Trooper and I’m way stronger than you are so you’ll never make it. You have to do like a million exams before they let you in.” Hans looked indignantly at Erich, who was a good head shorter than he was. Every boy in their class wanted to be a Storm Trooper. Except Klaus – he wanted to be an <a href="http://marchofwar.wikia.com/wiki/Engineer">Engineer</a>. Like that was any fun. The Storm Troopers got all the glory. They were the pride of the European Army, or so Erich’s dad said. Hans envied Erich, because his dad was a Storm Trooper, marching proudly in the victory parade on Unter Den Linde towards the Brandenburger Tor. Hans and Erich always watched together and even if Erich would never make it, they had an unspoken agreement to join the army when they were eighteen and become Storm Troopers.</em></p>

<em>Erich’s dad told him that he was part of the first regiment to be equipped solely with the MG 42s - the guns the Troopers are famous for. When the Soviets invaded Europe, Erich’s dad and his regiment, were accidently assigned nothing but the LMGs by mistake - despite a lack of widespread training with the weapons, they used them to devastating effect. Soon the MG 42 became a standard weapon, one of the symbols to show the Union that Europe is much stronger and that they would never be able to invade the old world with their backwards ideas. At least that’s what Erich’s dad said. Hans wasn’t so sure about that. He once saw in the newspaper that the Red Army has giant machines that kind of look like the robots in R.U.R., but much bigger and with huge cannons. It would be scary if he had to face that in battle, even with an MG 42.</em>

When all the riches have been plucked from your land, you have to be inventive. The African Warlords surprised the world when they united to fight for a single cause; to reclaim their lands. But the tribes are poor and the continent, though rich in natural resources, has been depleted by European colonists. But Africa has junk. From the remains of the Alliance armies the Warlords constructed theirs own weapons, zeppelins and bombs. One of these is the Demo Truck. Pieced together from old tanks and cars, this truck is filled with dynamite.

<a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Demotruck01.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-6348 alignright" title="Demotruck01" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Demotruck01.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="240" /></a>

<em>A cold wind cut through the bunker. Commander Joseph Herzberg surveyed the beach through his binoculars. The beach grass bent from the relentless push of the ocean breeze, the sand gushing over the beach covered everything in hazy white gauze. The sea beat endlessly on the shore. And all was calm on this winter day in Normandy.

Satisfied with his observation Joseph returned to his desk. He turned his attention to a report about the defeat in the Alps; the Alliance was losing ground in Europe. Fearsome war elephants were thundering down the mountains and scrap-metal zeppelins were seen crashing into European troops. The Warlords they called themselves, or so the report said. A bunch of savages more like it. Wild, dark and utterly insane.

His grandfather had told him about the colonies in Africa. About the gold and the diamonds mine he had owned and how that had made the family rich. About how his grandmother tried to educate the savages in the ways of the Lord. But their dark eyes had rejected them fiercely, the white in stark contrast with the ebony skin.

A siren rudely disturbed his reminiscence. Perturbed he peeked out of the slit in the bunker. His eyes widened as a saw a shabby looking truck rush towards him, bits and pieces of metal falling of it in the sand. The truck gathered speed as it approached the bunker. What are they trying to do, Joseph thought. Before he could blink the truck rammed the bunker.

<a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/featureImagedemoTruck.jpg"><img src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/featureImagedemoTruck.jpg" alt="" title="featureImagedemoTruck" width="603" height="188" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6353" /></a>

The walls shook, but the bunker was still standing. The moment before an explosion the world is completely quiet. For a split second he stared into those wild, dark and utterly insane eyes. Then thunder filled the world and darkness rolled over the dunes of Normandy.</em>

Scrapyard metal and war animals, the African Warlords are the final faction of March of War. Have you been able to decide which faction you want to play? You can vote here on the blog.<p>

<em>“No-one saw us coming that day in the Sahara. The United Republic launched an attack to secure their holdings at the Suez Canal. I saw the white men tremble in their boots as we gathered to reclaim the lands that are ours.” - Hanifa</em><p>

<a href="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F90590471" >Listen to the music here</a><p>

The tribes of Africa united for the first time in history, to defeat an attack by Republican armies in 1935. The Suez Canal had been dug not fifty years before to enable easier trade between Europe and Asia. As the European Alliance had to withdraw most of their military forces from Africa, and following pirate activities in the now lawless area, the United Republic stepped in to claim the Canal. They didn’t count on the anger of tribal Africa, who saw the chance to rule their own lands without colonial interference.<p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MarchOfWar_WarElephant.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-6332 aligncenter" title="MarchOfWar_WarElephant" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MarchOfWar_WarElephant.jpg" alt="" width="560" height="560" /></a></p>
The Republic were defeated utterly, but the truly wondrous thing happened after this bloody battle: the tribes stayed united under the flag of the African Warlords. Led by Hanifa, the diamond of the savannah, the Warlords started salvaging what was left on the battlefield. From the scrap metal of blown up tanks, howitzers and motor cycles, they started to fortify their war elephants and repair and improve their own vehicles. Hanifa had done the impossible; capturing the fury of Africa and giving it direction.<p>

<em>“Warlord, are you ready to mount your elephant and reclaim our lands?”</em>
<p>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UsyA97xcY1A">Watch the YouTube video here </a>

At ISOTX we’re proud of our roots! As some of you know we started in a basement making mods. This year we’re releasing our third commercial game and our staff has grown to over fifty people. Iron Grip: Warlord was our first successful game, that despite its venerable age (2008) is still a very popular indie FPS that surprises players with the tower defense strategy elements. An FPS for people with brains.

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/warlord-banner.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6320" title="warlord banner" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/warlord-banner.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="215" /></a></p>

Enough self-praise. So the real reason for this post is to announce to you all that next week on Friday we’re going to play Iron Grip: Warlord live. <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/isotx/videos">You can tune in on Twitch.tv!</a>

Want to try the game for yourself? <a href="http://www.bundlestars.com/">You can get Iron Grip: Warlord and nine other games (which aren't as good) on BundleStars.com for only €4,68.</a>