Gioconomicon : Adopting the well known mechanics of Wings of War (now Wings of Glory) to a different context seemed to be such an obvious idea that we are surprised to see it done after almost 7 years. This behavior is very different from those of other editors that, when get their hands on the “right” idea, don’t hesitate to replicate it in other forms after only a few months. Why such a long wait? Were you seeking the right setting all along?
Andrea Angiolino : Since the first edition of WoG in 2004 we knew that the game system had really strong adaptability to other settings, not necessarily war-related.
To tell the truth other versions of the game set in different environments do exist since a long time ago: they are simply fan-made adaptations instead of commercial products. A developers we focused on the aerial game, following a request from the editor, to avoid stretching out forces over too many different projects. One of the foreign distributors actually presented us with lots of ideas, from electronic versions to party-game variations, and of course some re-settings inspired to famous movies and novels and TV-series: but in the end none of this projects came to fruition. In the mean time it was the fanbase who demonstrated what could have been done with the game mechanics.
Anyone can find on-line, for free or as fan-made commercial products (that are legal to sell in Japan), adaptations ranging from Star Wars to Battlestar Galactica, from Harry Potter’s Quidditch to various anime, from the solo-game inspired to King Kong climbing the Empire State Building to the Napoleonic dragon-rides of Naomi Novik’s novels. And let’s not get started about the many board and video games that, more or less, subtly or blatantly, take advantage of our game mechanics. With Sails of Glory we wanted to reshape the game into a new setting delivering an official product with the same quality, care for the details, historical rigor and beautiful miniatures as the original game. This is also possible thanks to a new designer, Andrea Mainini, that got on our radar when, a few years ago, produced a fan-made variant of WoG (still unpublished) that demonstrated to us his skills and most of all the fact that his ideas were in perfect sintony with the spirit of our game.
GN: When people were still speculating on the nature of the next setting for WoG many came up with ideas such armored tanks or historical infantry or something like that ... no one thought that after “air” the fluid par excellence was “water” ... what’s behind the choice of this peculiar setting?
AA: Most fanmade variants never even got to the public, but they exist.
We know of a brazilian and an american group that play a tank version of the game; I myself toyed with some infantry and artillery variants with Pier Giorgio Paglia. And there was also a naval conversion about boat racing which later inspired a similar game by Gigamic.
Our first idea was to set the game at the Maritime Republics and the battle of Lepanto, but then we saw that there was far more interest among the public toward the golden age of war sails, starting from the napoleonic era: the Aboukir and Trafalgar epopee. It was also a more international theme. This solution keeps the necessity for tight maneuvering to get into firing position, which is a key element to the success and flavor of our mechanics.
GN: WoG was also praised for the historical accuracy put into both the aero-models and the pilots portrayed in the game, merit of the genuine interest of the authors toward the setting that prompted the assistance of historical experts. Will this element be present in SoG too?
Did you ask for the help of experts, or are you also enthusiasts of naval warfare?
Andrea Mainini : The basic approach is the same. As in WoG, in SoG historical accuracy is a base element of the project, adding coherence and credibility to the game and charming the player into delving in the setting. We always were very curious and interested in history, but of course after we embraced this new project we expanded our knowledge of the specific period. To build a game that aims at mechanical simplicity we thought we needed a better understanding of historical naval warfare, of its technicalities, crew logistics, strategies and tactics. Of course we involved some experts, mostly for the design of the miniature models. But we have to admit that for this project our first hand sailing experiences turned out to be precious.
GN: As in WoG we can see a duo of authors behind this game. A classic but unavoidable question is: how did you split the job?
AM: It turns out we teamed up seamlessly. We had a very good feeling right from the start so we never had to clearly distinguish our tasks, counting on mutual respect and esteem to complement each other’s work. A winning element was our common ability to function at elevated working rates, continuously throwing thoughts back and forth in a way that allowed us to quickly find, analyze and develop a great number of ideas.
It was fairly common for us to find ourselves discussing the project in the middle of the night or at the breaking of dawn.
Fun fact: we mostly worked remotely.
I want to take this occasion to thank Andrea Angiolino for the opportunity to work with him in this new adventure.
GN: Obviously flying a biplane is very different from sailing a boat, but in terms of game mechanics how much WoG can be found in SoG?
AM: A lot.
And there’s also a lot of new stuff. Since the beginning we agreed that there had to be a strong coherence in the game mechanics: a WoG player had to feel almost at home playing SoG (or vice versa) allowing him to use his past experience within the new game.
On this basis we then implanted all the new specifics needed to describe and bring to life the new environment, offering a new and interesting game experience.
GN: Which elements of naval warfare (boarding, ramming, etc) gave you most headaches, and how did you solved them?
AM: The primary difficulty was that a sailing ship, be it small or big, cannot just freely go everywhere she likes (unlike an airplane) but has to cope with the direction of the wind; we wanted this to be present, even if in a simplified version, into the core game; many great battles of the past depended upon the ability to predict the wind and outmaneuver the opponent. Then there is the necessity of a numerous and diversified crew that has to accomplish complex tasks: managing the sails, recharging the cannons, repairing damages... and not everything can be done all at once, adding constraints and choices. But actually boarding and ramming were very delicate elements to develop, and we invite you to try them in the game!
GN: Will there be rules that account for specific characters and/or setups?
AA: Each ship has its own sheet recording statistics like maneuverability and resistance, firing capacity and crew, close combat and morale. How the crew is trained is a factor, as is the presence of a specific commander. Some things will be published right away, while other materials will come out as supplements, but we want the peculiarities of each ship to be relevant.
GN: Wings of War started out as a card game, later adding a third dimension with the miniatures. SoG uses models right from the start; why aren’t you “trying the water” with a card-only version of the game?
AA: This call was made by the publisher. We have to admit that, albeit the card version was very successful, the game had a huge boost from the introduction of miniature models; nowadays many people start right from the miniature version of the game, often attracted by the models themselves. I think that beginning the production of SoG with just the cards would have dampened its impact, while producing both version would have led to a cannibalization of one over the other. So I agree with Ares Games on this point.
GN: The quality of WoG models is almost proverbial, how are you approaching the mass production of pre- assembled and painted miniature boats?
AM: Here too we are doing things as we did in WoG: with the maximum care for the details and attention to historical accuracy. Obviously the complexity of the model is much higher.
GN: In the recent conference held during GiocaRoma 2011 it was stressed how WoG is a game appreciated by both casual and hardcore players; who do you think will be the typical SoG player?
AA: I think we’ll be able to reach the same target audience that allowed us to sell over 500.000 pieces (between boxes and accessories) of the aeronautic game. The most hardcore enthusiasts are usually wargamers that find our system both simple and immediate, allowing them to play in the spaces and times allowed by modern life much more easily than the classical simulations (so long and complex) used to. But they also appreciate the vast range of options and house-rules that can shape our games to their likings. The same approach also grants us the favor of the more casual players, that can try the game easily and without much effort. More often than not among them there are the family members of the original hardcore gamer, that successfully engage wives, parents and children of any age. Among our official playtesters we can name the american Jim Jr who started playing at six years of age, and the belgian Mathilda who started at eight. It also helps to be a ready-to-play wargame, with miniature models already assembled and painted.
It saves time for the hardcore gamer, leaving him the opportunity to customize some models if he wants to, and allows for easy in-store demonstrations that effortlessly catch the eye of bystanders.
GN: Do you already have in mind a production calendar, as we are used to?
AA: Yes, the game line is built to sustain a regular publishing schedule. The idea is also to not be limited to the napoleonic era, but to soon reach other periods. But the details about all of this will be disclosed directly by the publisher.
