BattleLore Designer Update
by Jason Steinhurst
I have always liked the Commands and Colors game system. In my game collection is a well-worn and much loved copy of Battle Cry and an often-played copy of Memoir '44 (complete with all its expansions).
When BattleLore arrived on the scene a few years back, I immediately went out and purchased it, and have bought every expansion that has come out for it since then (I even managed to score myself a promo Hill Giant and Earth Elemental…but I'll talk about those two guys at a later date). I spent many hours playing BattleLore as a fan, always eagerly awaiting the next newly-released box of BattleLore bits to add to my collection.
Then something interesting happened. The company I work for, Fantasy Flight Games, made a deal to acquire BattleLore from its previous manufacturer, Days of Wonder. Suddenly, BattleLore belonged to us, and was ours to expand and grow (Big grins from me when I found out that intriguing fact).
In FFG's acquisition of the BattleLore product line, we inherited some already started, but as of yet incomplete, projects. Some of these projects were further along than others, but all of them would need lots of hard work before they were finished and in a state that was ready for public consumption.
I have been charged with the task of working with BattleLore 's designer, Richard Borg, to develop these upcoming expansions, molding them into a concrete format, seeing them polished to a fine sheen, and creating brand new, well-balanced add ons to the current BattleLore system. Richard is great fun to work with, and quite the game designer, so this has been a thoroughly enjoyable process for me, and well, since I've always liked BattleLore anyways, life is pretty good at the moment. :-)
So, what are we working on right now, you ask? Hmm. Stuff and things. Expansions.
Heroes .
Yes, the Heroes expansion does exist, and at the present time, it is right in the midst of the development process. That means it's currently in the middle of being cooked; we are seasoning it to taste and trying to get the recipe just right. I know you've been waiting for this expansion for quite a while now, but believe me when I say it will be worth it. Spring 2009 will be a great time to be a BattleLore fan.
Man, is this dish going to taste good when it's ready to eat.
Hang in there with us, folks.