NEW GAME: The Great Commanders

SERENDIPITY

ser·en·dip·i·ty

[ser-uhn-dip-i-tee] noun

1.an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

Sometimes the best ideas come while working on something else. While waiting for the terrible winter weather of late to clear so that the test players can gather and finish the test playing of Battle for Gallion's Reach, I was working on the second game, Storm of Steel. However, as modifications were being made, and research was being done, I realized that there was another game here, hiding inside the game system.

Storm of Steel is meant to be a fast playing and casual (but historically detailed) game of World War Two operational combat for 2 to 4 players. While working on the combat system I stumbled on a better combat system altogether. A dice-less system that would speed play along. While I do like dice in combat I wanted to do something different with this game. As I was working on the mechanics I found out that perhaps I was wrong in concentrating on combat while I should be focusing on the difficulties and challenges of command. In a computer simulation, because so much is automated, you can combine both into a great game. But in the analogue world of board games where people have to do all the bookkeeping and number-crunching and rule following, it's best to focus a game on one aspect. While combat is still critical, I decided to look seriously at a dice-less combat system that stressed placing secret orders and having command points to spend as your "currency".


"THE GREAT COMMANDERS"

While looking into this new system I realized that both the system, the mechanic and the scale of the game would be ideal for more than just World War Two.  So I began considering a game that might focus on a different era> perhaps the Civil War. Or the Ancient world. Maybe Napoleon or the rise of Prussia. And then it dawned on me that it might be possible to do them all. In fact that might be a part of the game system itself. Playing through history and seeing who can gain the most points.

After doing some research, the game began to crystallize.

Firstly I do not know of any such table-top board game like this on the market. Players would step into the shoes of history's greatest generals and battle it out through time. Starting with Caesar and advancing up through the middle ages, 1600's, 1700's, 1800's and finally World Wars One and Two...and possibly a modern battle such as a US/Soviet war in Europe and maybe even a sci-fi war in the future. Players would select a track and advance battle-by-battle through time.

Using the dice-less combat system, players would place secret orders on organizations composed of units. These orders would be exposed simultaneously and players would then conduct those orders. To introduce some randomness I brought in cards that provide the player with options such as taking reinforcements, gaining command points or playing special orders. Command Points would be the currency.

Each historical commander would have abilities to use this mechanic based upon their own historical strengths and weaknesses.

As I have worked on this system, it has become clear that this is the first game after Gallion's Reach that we should release.

As I start play testing I will be talking more about this game. Stay tuned!