# Lead Wars — THE Pencil and Paper War Game

> Turn-based strategy game simulating pencil-and-paper war with flicking mechanics. (iPhone/iPad app by DemonStudios.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lead-wars/id393340337 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [DemonStudios](https://appshunter.io/developer/393340343)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Simulation, Strategy
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 48 App Store ratings · 453 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 23 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-11-19
- Data updated: 2026-09-06
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lead-wars/id393340337/reviews.md

## What is Lead Wars?

Lead Wars is a turn-based strategy game requiring smart thinking and physical skill. It simulates the real life paper war games played in the days before portable gaming devices which needed only a pencil, some paper and lots of imagination!

• Charted #1 Strategy Game in 60 countries!

Control a fleet of planes, tanks and artillery units by taking turns to flick a pencil around a hand-drawn battlefield on a piece of paper, making long curve shots and strategic moves to try and outwit and out-skill your opponent.

Reviews:
• "The execution is what makes Lead Wars shine. Startlingly unique, a fabulous little game." 4.5/5 - MacReview.com
• "Surprisingly deep … from a strategic perspective, Lead Wars is a beautiful achievement” 4/5 - iOS Game Of The Day, GamePro.com 
• "Some battle are easily solved puzzles, while other start to feel more like chess games."  4/5 - PadGadget Recommended! PadGadget.com 
• "You'll definitely love this game." 4/5 - TouchReviews.net
• If you're looking for a great game to play with friends, we suggest grabbing this one … it really shines on the iPad” - Amber Neely, MacNN.com
• “A brilliantly implemented game" - iPhone-Experience.com
• iTunes review - djflippy: "Lead Wars has a rare quality; the simulation is actually better than that which it simulates." 5/5

Note this is not your typical path-drawing game - this is a simulation of the real life game played with a real pencil.

The flick mechanic works just like it does in real life (try it!): Point a pencil straight down onto some paper, holding it by the top with just one finger. While pressing down firmly, slowly tilt the top of the pencil - beyond a critical angle the tip will suddenly slip away leaving a line drawn on the paper. This line determines your move or shot on the battlefield.

Lead Wars simulates this mechanic using the touch-screen as if you're touching the top of a real pencil. See videos of the real life game and Lead Wars in action:
http://www.youtube.com/DemonStudiosOfficial

Main Features:
• Online Multiplayer - battle asynchronously or live real-time
• 2-player tabletop / pass 'n' play
• Single-player vs-CPU
• Single-player Campaign - rise up through the Army ranks
• Map Creator - create your own battlefields
• Instant Replays - replay all moves and shots in latest turn
• 27 Game Center Achievements
• Game Center Leaderboards
• Training missions and 250+ Campaign missions
• Visual 'MoveAid' system and tips for beginners
• 16 built-in battlefields, store up to 75 custom maps
• Have up to 25 local games on the go at once
• Have up to 30 Asynchronous online games on the go
• Highly configurable Game Setup
• Choice of 4 paper styles + 3 pencil leads
• Doodle graphics and verbal sounds - just like the real game!

Technical Features:
• Universal app supporting Retina Display
• Share maps via the system Clipboard
• Game Center turn alert push notifications*
• Auto-rotating interface - play in any orientation
• Allows iPod music in the background

* Turn alert sounds and settings can be controlled in Settings | Notifications | Game Center

The best thing about playing Lead Wars on your iOS device though is you're not having to rub out your previous moves, there's no arguments whether a shot hit or not and no dangerous flying pencils! The physical dexterity required to make your move makes the game challenging but ultimately more fun and rewarding, particularly when you make that near-impossible curve shot around a wall to win the battle!

## Key features

- Online multiplayer (async/real-time)
- 2-player pass 'n' play
- Single-player vs-CPU
- Single-player campaign
- Map creator
- Instant replays
- Visual 'MoveAid' system

## What do users think of Lead Wars?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Great game!
- 👍 Reminds me of my childhood
- 👍 Fantastic strategy game with a twist
- 👍 Awesome little game
- 👍 Excellent in-depth game
- 👍 Extremely fun

**Cons**

- 🐛 Absolutely Impossible
- 🐛 AI is too good. Unfair
- 🐛 Horrid controls
- 🐛 Waste of money
- 🐛 The way you move units and shoot is just bad
- 🐛 Bad Control Input
- 🐛 Frustration Defined
- 🐛 Poorly designed
- 🐛 Terrible controls

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Freezes on second shot
- Game often crashes when restarting a level
- Inconsistent behavior when moving over water
- Occasional crashes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Most requested features**

- Add more stuff like people
- Add boats, cargo planes, soldiers, and helicopters
- Add a random map option for multiplayer
- Add more units like ships and helicopters
- Add ability to resize sprites in map editor
- Add stats screen showing wins/losses, total units destroyed, etc.
- Add a full map view and the ability to instant replay the last turn of action
- Add more game types (Capture The Flag, destroy enemy HQ, etc.)
- Add asynchronous online play
- Add ability to flip in-game menu buttons upside down for hotseat play

## Recent user reviews (10 of 453)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lead-wars/id393340337/reviews.md

### 5/5 — O Sí o sí

*2024-05-26, version 2.1.2*

Juego divertido *Tengo que agarrar un lápiz y un papel para el juego*

### 5/5 — Great game!

*2020-11-28, version 2.1.1*

I used to play pencil flick games at school (I’m quite old) and this takes me right back there. 

I can hardly fault this game - the flickyness works brilliantly, the courses are varied, there’s enough variety to keep it interesting. 

If there was one thing I’d say that the CPU opponent is both deadly and rubbish at the same time: if it’s lining you up and there’s no gap in the wall to shoot through then it’s pretty much curtains 100%. But, on the other hand, it spends ages making daft moves back and forth for no reason.

I’d make a few changes to those things, add on a few levels of CPU skill (it’s not great, even at its highest level) then - bingo - a six star game!

### 5/5 — ОТЛИЧНО!!!

*2019-08-27, version 2.1.1*

В конце 80-х играли в живую на листочках))) ...как только вы разберётесь в управлении, игра очень понравиться!!! Посмотрите пару видосиков и сделайте скрины обучения и переведите в переводчике! А потом наслаждайтесь игрой! Не знаю как на телефоне, но на iPad идеально!!!

### 1/5 — Absolutely Impossible.

*2019-03-16, version 2.1.1*

Beyond frustrating to play. Can’t get passed the airplane tutorial. The most unfun gaming experience I’ve ever had.

### 3/5 — AI is too good. Unfair.

*2019-02-11, version 2.1.1*

Neat concept, but AI never misses. For a human the controls are not easy to master. It’s not like playing against a human, it’s like playing against that robot girl in Ex Machina that killed everyone.

### 5/5 — Sweet Game! One thing I think could make map creator better tho.

*2019-02-01, version 2.1.1*

I love this game so much! Me and my friend would play this irl all the time but you can’t carry a big enough piece of paper wherever you go. That’s why I especially love the pass n’ play feature. You just need one phone! However, we always have some new ideas for maps, but the map creator is kind of hard to use. I have an idea that might make it easier. I think that the buttons at the top that change the type of sprite should be removed altogether. I think that pressing the sprite button should select whatever type is default, then tap it again to open a list of the types of sprites. Then when you select the desired type, you can then place and maneuver as desired. 

        So, tap once to select sprite, then tap again to open the list of sprite types. It would also be nice if it were that way for units as well, just for simplicity’s sake.

### 5/5 — My favorite game

*2018-06-05, version 2.1.1*

This game offers a fun challenge every time. It is my favorite game app and it always transports me to my childhood when I used to play this with paper and pencil

### 1/5 — Loading...

*2018-04-01, version 2.1.1*

Multiplayer funktioniert nicht mehr. Spiel lädt einfach unendlich lang

### 5/5 — Stealth iPhone X Update!

*2018-02-09, version 2.1.1*

This excellent and completely unique game now supports the iPhone X’s native resolution. Nice!!!

### 5/5 — Bellissimo!!!!!

*2018-01-19, version 2.1*

Divertente!! Lo consiglio.

## Frequently asked questions about Lead Wars

### What kind of game is Lead Wars?

Lead Wars is a turn-based strategy game that simulates the experience of playing real-life pencil-and-paper war games. It requires smart thinking and physical skill, using a unique flicking mechanic to control units on a hand-drawn battlefield.

### How do you play Lead Wars?

Players control fleets of planes, tanks, and artillery units by taking turns to flick a virtual pencil around a hand-drawn battlefield. The goal is to outwit and out-skill your opponent through strategic moves and precise shots, similar to how one would play with a real pencil.

### What are the main features of Lead Wars?

Key features include online multiplayer (asynchronous and real-time), 2-player pass 'n' play, single-player modes against AI and a campaign, a map creator for custom battlefields, instant replays, and a visual 'MoveAid' system for beginners.

### Is Lead Wars free to play?

Based on the provided information, Lead Wars is a paid application. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, indicating a one-time purchase model.

### What platforms is Lead Wars available on?

Lead Wars is a universal app that supports Retina Display and can be played in any orientation. It is designed to work across various Apple devices, including iPads, making it suitable for a range of users.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1.2 — 2022-04-02

• Fixed game speed for devices running at 120Hz
• Added game assets for devices with 3x Retina screens
• Other updates to support all the latest devices

### 2.1.1 — 2018-02-08

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

• Reduced the delay when making moves/shots in online asynchronous games
• Fix for the new 7-day timeout - now if an online player hasn't taken their turn within 7 days and automatically surrendered the winner is awarded accordingly
• Fixed a bug introduced in v2.1 where the OSD toggled when making a move / shot

### 2.1 — 2017-12-13

• Making moves/shots during online turns now just saves the game instead of pushing a 'turn' to self (which alerted other devices)
• Fixed unit-selection bug on devices supporting 3D Touch
• Fixed 7-day online turn timeout
• Minor bugfixes

### 2.0.1 — 2017-09-28

• Fixed a crash when navigating back on the Advanced Setup screen

Important Note! Online multiplayer is only compatible with others also running Lead Wars v2.0 or later. If a player running a pre-v2.0 version of Lead Wars manages to join an online game started in v2.0 or later then map / unit data corruption will occur.

### 2.0 — 2017-09-25

• Sergeant Major Campaign Missions
• Added online play turn timeout (7 days)
• Run native resolution on all devices
• Support for iOS 11 and 64-bit devices

IMPORTANT NOTE! Online Multiplayer is only compatible with other players also using Lead Wars v2.0.

This means you should finish any existing online games using v1.9 or earlier, on an iOS device not yet upgraded to iOS 11. This was necessary to add iOS 11 support while still supporting older 32-bit devices running iOS 8.0 - 10.0. Note that all existing local savegames and custom maps will still be saved and continue to work on upgrading to v2.0.

Thanks to all the Lead Wars fans for being so patient anticipating this long-awaited update!

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## More apps by DemonStudios

- [Super Grav](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/super-grav/id911502180)
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All apps by DemonStudios: https://appshunter.io/developer/393340343

## Related topics

[tribal wars](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/tribal-wars)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*