Tuesday 11 June 2013

We have post!

Hey guys,

The books are here from the printer!!



We are looking at getting the PDFs online ASAP, and these books will go on sale on Sunday at Valhalla!

Ben.

Monday 10 June 2013

An Interview with the Author: Ben

So, as part of the run up to our games launch, we thought it might be worth having a quick chat with the authors of the two rulebooks we're releasing. Here we have Ben, author of 'Engage: Spaceship Combat'



Hi, could you tell us who you are and tell us a little about yourself?
Howdy, I'm Ben Greenman, lead designer of Engage, but in the real world I'm a customer service manager.
I love all things scifi, most things fantasy, and everything military (especially Tanks!).

What is your gaming background? What got you into gaming?
Man, I have been gaming for as long as I can remember. My cousin got me interested in Games Workshop when I was about 7, and I dragged Ian (co-Red Wyvern Games designer) down with me.
We played most games that came out across the time, and spent most of the time making up our own crazily unbalanced but uninhibitedly fun games, and when we met Craig (the other Red Wyvern Games designer) at age 11 it just got even worse!

You've taken the step towards publishing your own rules, where did the idea for Engage come from?
Engage is finished now, the first print run is completed and it's gone really well.
It's origin story was two-fold really; I'd always wanted to play a starship combat game that gave me the feeling of being a Star Trek captain, and the game came to be when I put all my ideas together for a “Game designing competition” with my friends. I put it all together, and we all really enjoyed playing it! So 3 years later it's a finished product, and I'm very, very proud of it!

In your opinion, what's the best feature of the game?
Well, in the game some ships (with decent crews) can utilize special actions called “Captains Actions”, which allow them to perform unusual things during the game. It really serves to add that “Zing” twist, and giving it the high end cinematic experience I wanted.

How do you hope the gaming community will respond to it?
I truly hope they enjoy playing it. I have no doubt it's not 100% perfect for everyone; every gamer likes something different. But I would be super happy if the gamers that play it get a good, fun game out of it that delivers that special TV-show feel with a slice of solid miniature spaceship battling!

Outside of red wyvern games, what is your favourite War game?
I am a huge “mechanics” guy; I have a massive amount of rulebooks, just because the way the game's engines work is my favourite part. So I would have to say; I don't have a favourite really. From Warhammer to Full Thrust, Tomorrow's War to Polemos, every game system I've played has given me something different!

If you could work with another author, who would it be?
Despite there being so many talented individuals out there, I really have to say Rick Priestley, he's the father of so many games adored by myself and thousands of others I would be truly honoured to work with him.
That said, after meeting Alessio Cavatore a few times at Salute, and listening to interviews with him – I think he'd be excellent too!

What are your thoughts on the current state of the war games industry at the moment?
I think it is really expanding at the moment, and that can only be a good thing for gamers.
So many new, and old, ideas and games are being released and created it keeps the hobby fresh, Variety is the spice of life as they say.

What is next on the books for you and red wyvern games?
As the other Wyverns would tell you; I am a list guy, I have lists of lists of ideas and projects in various stages of completion. Now Engage is done I get to focus on supporting it (I've got a campaign system and a few fleet lists almost complete) and working my way through a few new game ideas. So really it depends on which of my ideas is fun enough for them to let me polish it off!


'Engage: Spaceship Combat' is being launched at Valhalla this Sunday (16th) and ebook copies will be available from War Games Vault. See the website for more details. 
[You can see the interview with Ian here]

An Interview with the Author: Ian



So, as part of the run up to our games launch, we thought it might be worth having a quick chat with the authors of the two rulebooks we're releasing. First up we have Ian, author of 'Seasons of War: Days of the Conqueror'

Hi, could you tell us who you are and tell us a little about yourself?
Hi, I’m Ian Hannam - main writer of Seasons of War: Days of the Conqueror. In my other life, I’m a Teacher. I’m married happily (although it wouldn’t be worth my while to say otherwise!) to a wife, who has most graciously put up with my piles of lead and paints over the short time we’ve been married – a real winner ehy?   

What is your gaming background? What got you into gaming?
Myself and fellow Wyvern, Ben, met at the tender age of 5 (or was it 4?) and quickly bonded over our mutual love of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers! 

It was a couple of years later that Ben introduced me to the world of Warhammer – at first I was sceptical but in time I grew to love the hobby and amassed my first army – Orcs! Ever since, I have loved everything green and am currently working on a 15mm orc army – but that’s a story for another time. In the years since those early steps, Ben, myself and Craig (who we recruited at secondary school) have branched out from Warhammer and played all manner of games – far too many to mention!

You've taken the step towards publishing your own rules, where did the idea for Seasons of War: Days of the Conqueror come from?
I’ve always had a keen interest in history. During my college years, we were given the choice to research and write an essay about a historical issue or figure that jumped out at us. After filtering through a number of ideas, I settled on William the Conqueror. I was fascinated and impressed by the man’s achievements, in spite of his illegitimacy and the opposition he faced from his own people. With this theme in mind, Days of the Conqueror was a natural evolution of a set of generic unit based rules I’d been working on called 'Seasons of War'.  

In your opinion, what's the best feature of the game?
I find that in some turn based wargames, the player whose turn it is does all of the attacking, rolling, moving etc. whilst the other player sits and watches it happen! 

In Seasons of War, I quite enjoy how both players have something to do in each players’ turns. Whether rolling armour dice or taking part in the Fight Phase, the player whose turn it isn’t, still participates. I’m also a big fan of using polydice to represent different degrees of attacking, armour, discipline and morale.   

How do you hope the gaming community will respond to it?
As my first published ruleset, I hope of course, that wargamers will respond positively to Seasons of War. As well as just playing and enjoying the game, I would love for the community to shape future expansions for the rules; army lists, scenario ideas and everything in between.  

Outside of red wyvern games, what is your favourite War game?
Tough call – it completely depends on what sort of mood I’m in, what has influenced and excited me, even down to films I’ve seen that I think would enjoy playing out on the tabletop. Having said that, there are several rulesets that I think have really endured in my mind. The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game by Games Workshop gets my vote for the best fantasy skirmish game. I’m a huge fan of the how heroes work and heck, it’s Lord of the Rings – what’s not to love?  

If you could work with another author, who would it be?
Again, a tough question – there are so many great guys (and girls) out there. I would have to say however, Alessio Cavatore is a man I have plenty of respect for as a writer. He seems to effortlessly make slick and innovative mechanics that really appeal to me. As a gamer I’m not big on overly convoluted rules and endless special rules – that’s not to say I prefer ‘light’ rulesets, just those that flow well!

What are your thoughts on the current state of the war games industry at the moment?
As someone starting out as a rules designer, I personally believe that time has never been better for rookies to have a go! More choice can never be a bad thing for gamers and hopefully means that the bigger writers have to up their game to keep interest. With the age of the internet and sites like Kickstarter giving budding miniatures makers a chance to produce their own models, there are more and more exciting projects emerging that the community can have genuine input on.  

What is next on the books for you and Red Wyvern Games?
Having only just put the finishing touches on Seasons of War, my brain is definitely still in recovery mode! Having said that, I have plenty of project ideas vying for my attention at the moment – a 20mm WWII skirmish game, a 15mm Low-Steampunk unit game, some derivatives for SOW and even the odd mini game here and there. If you have any thoughts or ideas that you’d like to see become a reality, I have some free space in my creative lobe for some more games.  


Seasons of War: Days of the Conqueror is being launched at Valhalla this Sunday (16th) and ebook copies will be available from War Games Vault. See the website for more details. 
[You can see the interview with Ben here]

Friday 7 June 2013

209 Hours to go

That's right, at the time of writing this, we have a little over 210 hours until the door open to our first show - Valhalla. 

Everything is starting to fall into place
To prove the point, I came to work to find a long tube shaped package waiting for me which contains our banner! all beautiful 6' of it. 


Confirmation emails for the delivery of our flyers came today, along with, most importantly, delivery emails for our rulebooks, both of which will be arriving on monday! All the models for the demo boards are ready, the boards have been spruced up and we've got bowls for all the sweets we'll be luring people to our stand with.

If you're looking for something to do next Sunday (16th) then head on down to Valhalla (link) and get in on the action, come say hi and have a go on our demo boards! It's only £2.50 entry!


Here's the coverwork for our two rulebooks; Engage! Spaceship combat and Seasons of War: Days of the Conqueror. We'll be launching both at Valhalla - they'll be £10 each, and if you buy one on the day, you'll get a free version of the electronic rulebook!
Go to our website for more information. www.redwyverngames.com.

Engage is a space ship combat game with an excellent ruleset that focuses on distriuting power around your ship to shield, weapons and more.
Days of the Conqueror is a unit based medieval combat game based around the time of William the Conqueror