March 2018 – conflictsimulations

Sound Cloud Link: Harold on Games Podcast #1 with Volko Ruhnke

iTunes Link: Harold on Games Podcast #1 with Volko Ruhnke

Stitcher Link: Harold on Games Podcast #1 with Volko Ruhnke

Harold Buchanan on Twitter: @hbuchanan2

Volko Ruhnke on Twitter: @Volko26

10 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts for War Gamers

WBC-14-Liberty-or-Death-designers Volko Ruhnke’s first published design, Wilderness War was published by GMT Games in 2001. Wilderness War won a Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Pre-World War II Board game. He followed that with Labyrinth which won the Charles S. Roberts Award in 2010 for Best Post-World War II Board game. His next game kicked off the COIN series. Andean Abyss won the 2012 Charles S. Roberts Best Post-WW2 Era Board Wargame. Built around an innovative system of initiative where the cards that drive play are known to everyone, the game pulls 4 players together to fight for the future of Columbia in the 1990s. Each Faction in the game has asymmetric capabilities and goals driving friends, enemies and frenemies to negotiate to accomplish factional goals. Dice play a minor role in the game with randomness driven by card sequence and player choices.
The game has since spawned a flurry of activity of games based on that COIN system. COIN stands for Counter Insurgency and that was Volko’s original vision for the system. Since then, the system has been used to model ancient campaigns in the Roman-occupied but not-yet-conquered Gaul. COINs Fifth installment is set in the American War for Independence – imagine that. Solo play is driven by a detailed set of flow charts and a loyal cadre of players and developers that love the challenge of beating the bots. Volko’s supportive and kind hand has guided many a team in expanding this system from its Andean Abyss roots.

NEVSKY_playtest_art-Lords_on_Campaign
The excellence and the impact of the COIN series is why we all listen when Volko champions another series. The recent announcement by Voklo and GMT Games of the Campaign and Levy Series kicked off with Nevsky has many a war gamer frothing with anticipation. I start the interview asking Volko to tell us about Nevsky and where the game comes from.