Introduction by Congress of Vienna (CoV)’s Assistant Designer & Editor, Fred Schachter: This article is a description of efforts made by one of the CoV Teams making fine and appreciated contributions to the game: “Gutt’s Guys” who’ve come up with a set of rules converting CoV’s 4-player game into 3 and 2-player versions. Furthermore, they’ve […]
Congress of Vienna: Designing Its Solitaire Game Read Post »
Designer Blogs
This game is often referred to as “brilliant”, “seminal”, “ingenious” and any other number of superlatives in terms of its breathtaking ability to capture the essence of the Vietnam War. To many, shall we say experienced, grognards, this is because they have direct experience with the game and have spent many long hours immersed in
This is the Vietnam Game You’re Looking For, Part 1 Read Post »
Developer NotesIntroduction by ACME Game Developer Fred Schachter: The previous parts of this Chapter One introduced readers to the game’s Great Person Investment, Competition, and Spy cards. This exposition now proceeds to cards with much varied, but never-the-less valuable attributes. Having additional background regarding this forthcoming GMT P-500 listed game should assist a reader’s appreciation of
Unlike other COIN games, People Power does not simply measure the Support for, or Opposition to, the Government. In most COIN games, Support and Opposition measure the willingness of a population to actively enable or hinder the operations of a faction through supplying guerillas, providing intelligence, and supporting Government operations.
Laban! Chapter 2: Support, Opposition, and Resistance in People Power Read Post »
Developer NotesIntroduction With Vijayanagara we are seeking to present a detailed look at an epic period of medieval history, and in a region and time which has seen scant attention in the historical gaming community, or in entertainment media, or even in educational domains. We have yet to meet a single person not of Indian descent
The future of our species depends on us becoming a multi-planetary society. And it is to this end that the United Nations of Earth have poured our collective efforts into the Martian project. And what a project it is, the great of human endeavors, reaching out into the stars to bring life, love, and society
Factions in Red Dust Rebellion: Earth Government and the Space Battlefield Domain Read Post »
Designer BlogsIntroduction by ACME Game Developer Fred Schachter: The previous part 2 of this series examined the game’s Great Person Competition cards. We now proceed to cards whose function is not overt on the game map… the “Spy” cards of Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East whose shadow role occurs before a turn’s first Competition is resolved!
Here from the game’s designer with its researcher is an at-a-glance introduction to the units in the soon upcoming second volume of the Levy & Campaign Series, Almoravid—Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086, with comparison to the forces used in volume one, Nevsky.
Almoravid: A Quick Look at Forces Read Post »
Designer BlogsWhenever I develop a game, I am always looking for ways to make the narrative shine. Usually, that involves consistent terminology, clear rules, concise player aids, and suggestions on what tweaks can be made to help the game get out of the way of the player, and allow for full immersion in the story. Occasionally
Laban! Chapter 1: Corruption and Patronage in People Power Read Post »
Developer NotesAs COIN Series Developer, I see a lot of cool prototypes. One of the hard things about my job is determining which prototypes will work well as COIN games, and which prototypes belong in a different series. There are lots of reasons that a game may not be perfect as a COIN Series game, but
What is the ‘Irregular Conflicts Series’? Read Post »
Developer Notes