# Musket Smoke — Turn-based tactical bliss! > Turn-based tactical war game with deep strategy and interactive UI. (iPhone/iPad app by Woodie Dovich.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musket-smoke/id436684234 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Woodie Dovich](https://appshunter.io/developer/425068577) - Category: Games, Education, Board, Strategy - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 99 App Store ratings · 89 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 198 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-05-31 - Data updated: 2026-06-08 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musket-smoke/id436684234/reviews.md ## What is Musket Smoke? Flank and charge with friends! Simple, fun and rich with tactical options. Musket Smoke is a turn-based, war game with an unusually interactive UI allowing for enormous tactical options.  Smoke, artillery, cavalry charges, morale and flanking.  It’s all here and dead simple to play. Features: • Solo training skirmish maps with AI. • Take turns online, with friends, asynchronously. • Special training zone for first-time-online players. • Online campaign - the core feature. • Pass n Play. • Full replay for online matches. • Competitive ELO like leaderboards. • Manual, tutorial, help video. • Universal app. • In-game video recoding for newer devices. • 4 round 'Mingle Phase' before deciding on who you want to play online. • Just 'Friendly Pass' with those not suitable for your first battles. It's the ideal system for great match-ups. Musket Smoke is a tactical online turn based war game. It supports both single player and multi player but the competitive asynchronous matches are the primary focus. The board game design was 'inspired by' Napoleonic warfare but streamlines it to be fast and furious, optimized for online play.  This is a ‘people first’ war game with a focus on usability and visually rich tactical options. ------------------------------------------------------- What people are saying about Musket Smoke: (US) “Hands down the most fun game I have played on the iPad period. I’m a sucker for historical wargames and musket smoke is one of the best I have played virtual or otherwise. I enjoy it so much, I plan on making some chits and buying a hex board to play it on table top!” (Canada) “One of the best strategy titles available for the iPad. Immense amounts of strategy, replayability and detail. One of the few must have titles of strategy gamers” (Ireland) “This is the first game that have regularly played online matches. While the mechanics are quite simple, you can really get yourself into to some interesting situations, especially when playing the campaign.” (Australia) One night in Naarden. This game is a blast. The campaign mode will have you on the edge of your seat, whether you're battling one of the top ten players or a newcomer. Mini matches are great fun, and the variety of armies and tactics is amazing. Even the AI is fun to play against, if you want to learn the game or perfect your strategies. Musket Smoke is a one of a kind game and will forever be in our hearts." (Croatia) “Real Strategy. Great game for the strategy gamers.” (Germany) “Seems simple at first glance, but at second glance turns out this game as a strategic, round-based strategy game … Who loves it with his favorite drink in peace weigh all options to try out individual solutions, while relaxing on the couch at sit and then burning it waits his opponent makes his turn, this game is highly recommended !!!” (Greece) “Fast, easy, deep. recommended!” (Japan) “This is without a doubt one of the most fun and most polished, with deep strategy, but easy-to-get-into-gameplay turn-based stragegy games around. And the async multiplayer is seamless.” (Austria) “... show me a better wargame today!” ## Key features - Turn-based tactical gameplay - Solo skirmish maps with AI - Asynchronous online multiplayer - Online campaign mode - Pass n Play option - Full match replays - ELO-like leaderboards ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Mini Campaign: Naarden | $2.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Musket Smoke? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - ♟️ Deep tactical strategy gameplay - 👥 Welcoming and helpful community - 🎮 Easy to learn, hard to master - ⚔️ Napoleonic era warfare authenticity - 🔄 Asynchronous multiplayer functionality - 🎯 Non-random deterministic damage system - 📚 Comprehensive tutorial and manual - 🎨 Clean and intuitive UI design - ⏱️ Quick turn-based gameplay pace - 🤖 Competent AI opponents - 🔁 High replayability and variety - 💰 Affordable pricing model - 🛠️ Regular updates and developer support - 🌍 Active global player base **Cons** - 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs - 🌧️ Weather effects (rain) affect all games simultaneously - 👤 Limited player base for matchmaking - 🎮 Steep learning curve for newcomers - 🎯 Experienced players dominate online matches - 🔧 Solo play experience is limited - 📱 Wind indicator removed from solo play - 🎪 Campaign mode lacks offline functionality **Commonly reported bugs** - Glitches causing turn replays - Controlling opponent troops unintentionally - Campaign download failures - Multiplayer synchronization issues - Wind indicator missing from solo play despite manual reference **Most requested features** - Larger maps with more units - Additional campaign scenarios - Map editor functionality - Offline campaign mode with full features - More solo/single-player content - Ability to purchase additional maps - Bigger army sizes (10,000+ units) - Improved matchmaking system with game availability info - Friend system in-game - Historical battle scenarios - More unit variety and customization - Better solo training to reflect multiplayer unpredictability ## Recent user reviews (10 of 89) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musket-smoke/id436684234/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Bad glitches. *2026-02-16, version 1.871* Great concept but glitches a lot ### 5/5 — Great tactical wargame *2025-12-30* One of the best implementations of flanking, morale, Napoleonic-era combined arms I have seen. Really easy asynchronous turn-based multiplayer. My only complaint is not having enough active opponents. ### 5/5 — Best Game on iOS by far !!!!! *2025-10-02, version 1.871* Buy this game !!!! ### 5/5 — Best Turn Based Strategy Game Available *2025-08-11* This is a fantastic turn based strategy game. Only takes a couple of games to learn and is far and away the best strategy game for iPhone. ### 4/5 — AWESOME LITTLE GEM!! *2024-11-12, version 1.871* This game is pretty awesome. The tactics part in depth.. I would love to see more updates in the future. ### 5/5 — Underrated Gem *2024-10-17* The Best Turn Based Strategy Game on mobile and perhaps also the best Strategy Game I’ve ever played as well. Chess is too linear and you must memorize a billion gambits for it to be great, Subterfuge may have diplomacy but a single game takes forever (not to mention it looks gross since the recent update), and Total War games have moronic AI at times and no PVP on mobile. Musket Smoke although complex has a certainty to it and times and not to mention it lets you build your own armies. You can play multiple games at once for free and quickly visit them through the day, resolving them relatively quickly. The Naarden campaign has pvp like no other game. 10/10 ### 5/5 — Chess on steroids *2024-02-27, version 1.871* This is a great game for all levels - very good tutorial feature to get you up to speed - gameplay is easy to grasp - lots of global players eager to teach you and then beat you - many scenarios to keep you interested Have played for 3+ yrs now and still finding out new plays ### 5/5 — Great! *2023-04-21, version 1.871* This is a really fun game! Great tactics, love flanking units and shredding them to pieces. Wish there was bigger maps against ai, perhaps a future update? Overall, a very fun, intense, interesting game! Would definitely recommend. ### 5/5 — review *2023-04-15* this game is awsome. play it! It takes getting used to. But once you’ve learned how it works, the campaigns are extremely fun. ### 5/5 — Great throwback to old board games *2022-11-15* Enjoying the system … exactly as advertised. Simple enough but complex in tactics and this game definitely reminds of playing old SPI games in the basement back in the day. One can imagine lots of applications of the system. Hope to see lots more battles and or campaigns. Highly recommended throwback game. A little wonky, but that’s cool with me. ## Frequently asked questions about Musket Smoke ### What kind of game is Musket Smoke? Musket Smoke is a turn-based tactical war game inspired by Napoleonic warfare. It offers deep strategic options, including smoke, artillery, cavalry, and flanking, presented through an unusually interactive user interface. The game focuses on both single-player skirmishes against AI and competitive asynchronous online matches. ### What are the key features of Musket Smoke? Key features include solo training skirmish maps against AI, asynchronous online multiplayer with friends, an online campaign mode, Pass n Play, full match replays, and competitive ELO-like leaderboards. It also provides a tutorial, help videos, and an in-game video recording option for newer devices. ### How does the online multiplayer work? The game supports asynchronous online matches, allowing players to take turns at their convenience. There is a 'Mingle Phase' before online battles to help find suitable opponents, and a 'Friendly Pass' option for less competitive matches. The online campaign is a core feature for competitive play. ### Is Musket Smoke free to play? The application is free to download and play, with in-app purchases available. This monetization model allows players to enjoy the core gameplay and features without an upfront cost, with optional purchases for additional content or enhancements. ### What platforms is Musket Smoke available on? Musket Smoke is a universal app, meaning it is designed to work across a range of devices. This includes compatibility with newer devices that support in-game video recording, ensuring a broad reach for players. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.871 — 2019-01-03 Updated UI to latest iPhone sizes. The campaign​ will be free for a week or so. ### 1.87 — 2018-01-09 Time to shake things up! • Range 1 grapeshot. This will improve offensive play and balance defensive responsibilities across units. Dramatic campaign changes: • The player that falls back no longer gets an SF unit reward. Both sides still get SF rewards if the battle is completed. • All Pike units lose 1 confidence. Regular troops can optionally offset this with a Rally. • Artillery Run battle has changed. No more race, some trees added. OTHER: • Free purple hearts for everyone! Note: • Manual and docs will be updated in another update after our community decides if these dramatic new rules and changes are good. If all goes well the next update could just be a new Mini Map and updated docs. Good luck with your new battle strategies and Happy New Year! ### 1.86 — 2017-12-28 - A new map added for Mini Matches. - Campaign's first battle artillery units changed. - Training mode is no longer enforced. - iPhone X UI updated. - Removed video recording ability. - Rematch button added. ### 1.85 — 2016-12-22 Rule changes: - Maximum 3 artillery for Mini Matches. - Duke Rosters for Mini Matches have 1 less Musket Unit. - Smoke now lasts 2 rounds, instead of just 1 round. ### 1.84 — 2016-09-07 • You can once again attack and then fallback in the campaign. • Exception: You can not fall back after killing an SF unit. • Stability improvements with fallback action. • Some minor text updates in the campaign. ## Apps similar to Musket Smoke | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [BTFields](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/btfields/id1586465628) | 3.0 (3) | Free | Games | | [Medieval Battlefields](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medieval-battlefields/id1108352969) | 4.5 (43) | Free | Games | | [Naval Tactics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/naval-tactics/id670669812) | 4.2 (38) | $4.99 | Games | | [Stockpile Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stockpile-game/id1410674432) | 3.3 (19) | $4.99 | Games | | [Blokus Duo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blokus-duo/id6630373168) | 3.7 (3) | Free | Games | | [Gaia Project](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gaia-project/id1572302140) | 4.0 (38) | $9.99 | Games | --- *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 2026-06-08.*