Introduction 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.
Whenever 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 more major changes occur, and while painful, these almost always improve the end result.
People Power is one of the latter cases. Ken Tee (the designer of People Power) has always had a strong personal story in mind for People Power, but playtesters were not experiencing the narrative in the way Ken intended. One major hurdle was the MNLF (Moro) faction, which ended up being dropped, but the main narrative issue with People Power was the victory condition for the Government. While many COIN factions use Victory conditions centered around Support for the Government (US in Fire in the Lake, Batista in Cuba Libre, France in Colonial Twilight), the Marcos regime was fundamentally unlike these governments.
As 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 often it’s as simple as a game not adhering to a well-established and specific COIN conflict model. What is the COIN model, and why is it so important that a COIN game fits into the model advanced by Volko back in Andean Abyss? If COIN can portray the Gallic Revolt against Caesar or the American Revolution, why can’t it work for conventional warfare or purely political conflict? There are many great games that aren’t COIN games, and it is hard to determine how best to organize them!
Prime Minister already offers a highly thematic gameplay experience in its standard format, but if you want to take that experience to a higher level, you can try one of the twelve scenarios planned for the game. In this fifth InsideGMT article for Prime Minister, we’ll take a closer look at those scenarios, starting with an overview and then delving into some examples.
Ian M. Sullivan is the Special Advisor for Analysis and ISR at the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, US Army Training and Doctrine Command.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in this post are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or Army Training and Doctrine Command
Introduction by ACME Game Developer Fred Schachter: The February 2021 GMT Update contained a wonderful new development as the game proceeds towards production readiness… the first increment of professional graphics by the talented Mark Mahaffey!
Most tactical games start when your units make contact with the enemy, and bullets start flying. While tactical games will occasionally introduce hidden units, and operational games like Silver Bayonet require players to conduct recon to find the enemy, most wargames start when the action starts. Fields of Fire is different. Because you control an entire rifle company in Fields of Fire, your mission begins in the planning: What is the mission objective? How will we accomplish it? Who will maneuver? Who is in reserve? How will I coordinate with Battalion HQ?
This distinguishes Fields of Fire from every other wargame I’ve played. While the situation starts static in most tactical games, every mission of Fields of Fire will play out differently as the situation evolves and the enemy disposition is discovered. This narrative and the way that the game puts you in the position to attempt to solve the unknown is what drew me to Fields of Fire and is the main reason I wanted to work with Ben on Fields of Fire: The Bulge Campaign. Since the P500 announcement, I’ve been asked a lot what the next steps are for Fields of Fire generally.
Ian M. Sullivan is the Special Advisor for Analysis and ISR at the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, US Army Training and Doctrine Command.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in this post are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or Army Training and Doctrine Command
