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Box art by
Marc von Martial
...Migs tossed his cigarette...and crawled to the room's other window. Below him, on the small Italian house's first floor, the squad's BAR began hammering at their assailants. On his knees now, Migs peered over the window's sill. The squad's firing position looked over a small traffic circle. At least that's what they called them in Jersey. A fountain – as dry as Migs' mouth – adorned the center of the circle. Streets fanned from the circle like spokes on a wheel. Across the way, a small café faced his building, and from the lower window a German MG34 chattered, the bullets walking across the stone facing below him.
Whoosh! A stream of white smoke shot from the cemetery to his right. The stream disappeared into the MG34's window and erupted, dust belching from the opening. Oh hell yeah! Migs grinned at the silence. Fatman and Hillbilly were the best bazooka team in Italy.
Then he heard the sound all infantrymen dreaded, heard it and his grin disappeared – the sound of squeaking sprockets. Sarge had told them there were Tigers south of the village, but Migs hoped the Tigers had had bigger fish to fry than a squad of riflemen and their 57mm anti-tank gun. The squeaking grew louder. Now the machine's rumbling diesel thrummed against the morning air. A pair of gray-uniformed German infantry appeared at the end of the street. He didn't fire. No one in the squad fired. No one wanted the squeaking sprockets to know where they were. Migs prayed, prayed hard. I'm sorry Matt died. I'm sorry I lived. Please Lord let the squeaking be something the boys on the Fifty-seven can handle.
It wasn't.
First he saw the flash suppressor. He knew that flash suppressor, knew it was bad news. The long barrel slid inexorably into the street facing him, then the tracks, the fender, and finally the monster turned onto the street proper, facing Migs. The Fifty-seven crew fired. It was hopeless. Migs knew that, the men on the Fifty-seven knew that, but still they fired. The 57mm anti-tank gun popped impotently, the sound seemingly no louder than Migs' own Garand. The shell struck the Tiger dead on, sparking bright on the gun mantle, ringing like a church bell.
Migs held his breath. Please, God, please. Migs didn't know, maybe the 57mm round might scare the tankers, maybe it might hurt something, hurt someone.
It didn't.
The motors whined as the massive turret swung the gun toward the Fifty-seven. The eight-eight millimeter gun spoke, and it was anything but impotent.
–Excerpt of fictional intro to Scenario 1 of Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 Village and Defensive Line Map Expansion by Mark H. Walker.
Introduction
Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 Village and Defensive Line Map Expansion is a terrain expansion to our fast-paced WWII-themed card wargame, Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943, while also serving as an expansion for a future game in the Spearpoint 1943 line, Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 Eastern Front. The map expansion takes the basic Spearpoint 1943 card game to a new level of tactical depth. Immersion is the goal as you dive into fictional intros like the one above by author Mark H. Walker of Lock n' Load Publishing, highly-detailed artwork by German artist Marc von Martial, and well-tested rules that seamlessly tie it all together with the original game and its components by designer Byron Collins. (Don't have the original game? We've got you covered in our Kickstarter Project with support levels that include the original Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 plus the Map Expansion.)
We've been demonstrating the expansion prototype at every game convention we've attended in 2011 and have received lots of praise from gamers who sat down to play. With this designer diary, I'll take you through the basics of the Map Expansion and what's included, link you up with reviews of the game it expands (as well as reviews of the expansion), and offer you insight into the design with plenty of photos and videos along the way.
Components Overview Video
This video shows a prototype featuring the major components of the Map Expansion (Maps, Feature Tiles, Counters) with an explanation of each component and how it works. Pay special attention to the Feature Tiles. Some are specific for use with each map and they set up differently with each game, helping make every game unique. Even the orientation affects line of sight, or the ability of a Unit to see its target, into and out of each tile. Some tiles that depict village buildings can even be destroyed in-game by powerful weapons such as large tank guns, bombs, and artillery, turning protective stone houses into rubble, opening up line of sight, and exposing any infantry within. (To learn how line of sight works in more detail, please check out this Kickstarter update/preview.)
Design Insight
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Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 pre-game deck-building in action
With the simplicity of the base game came a cost – some things had to be abstracted. In the original game, I chose to abstract movement and range and line-of-sight to keep the game light, simple, and playable in 30 minutes without a lot of rules look-up but with a good tactical feel. This works well for the original game, and it remains a good portable filler wargame.
These abstractions are lessened by the Map Expansion. As more detail is added, that too has a cost – typically more rules and potentially a longer play time (in this case 45 minutes vs. 30 for most games). The payoff for this additional level of complexity (which really isn't that complex) is greater depth. Where Spearpoint 1943 is a filler card wargame, Spearpoint 1943 played with the Map Expansion takes that filler a step further and essentially turns it into a more "meaty" board wargame. I would still consider Spearpoint 1943 with the Map Expansion to be a relatively simple "gateway" wargame.
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Spearpoint 1943 with the Map Expansion in action at Williamsburg Muster 2011
Players who have played the original game and the Map Expansion note (in a good way) that each plays like a completely different game, both with their merits. A lot of expansions I've bought in the past aren't generally game-changers – sometimes they even feel rushed out by the publisher and I just end up feeling underwhelmed. It's honestly easy to make more of the same.
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The Map Expansion may optionally be played using miniatures
A comment we commonly receive from players at conventions who play the expansion is that it feels like a miniatures game. Thinking this over I realized, "Hmm, you're right!" and experimented with something else entirely – an optional way to play. The cards from Spearpoint 1943 are used as the pieces in the expansion by default. They provide all of the stats you need for how the Units behave in the game, which minimizes or eliminates rules lookup.
But let's take it a step further. If you have your own miniatures you can actually use those miniatures on the boards in place of the cards, referring to the cards only for their stats. While this may "complete the look" of the tabletop, it is totally optional.
With respect to artwork development, it has been my great pleasure to work with German artist Marc von Martial. Marc has done an incredible job on the artwork for this game, achieving a level of detail that makes you feel a part of the action. Marc worked tirelessly on multiple revisions of the Feature Tiles to help clearly convey how line of sight – that is, the ability of a unit to see its target – works in the game and to get it just right. These tiles are extremely important to the game, set up differently on the map even if playing the same scenario. That is a key aspect of increasing this game's replayability factor. In an illustrated Kickstarter update, Marc answers ten questions in depth, giving his perspective on this project. (Marc does game artwork for multiple publishers of board and computer games as Cogwheeldesigns.)
In closing, we've taken a card wargame filler and added meat to it – a lot of meat. Even so, it remains a simple-to-learn system that appeals to those familiar with wargames as well as those who are not. The goal of this expansion design was not to create "more of the same" but rather challenge players with a whole new way to play. So if you are an existing player of Spearpoint 1943 and want to take it further, the Map Expansion is a must-have. If you have never tried the game, by picking up both the base game and the expansion, you're essentially adding two unique games to your collection. Finally, keep in mind that the expansion can optionally be played using miniatures as the pieces (15mm works well) in place of the cards from the base game, which really does look stunning on your tabletop.
Detailed Session Reports / Walkthroughs
For a more in-depth look at the game with the expansion and its rules in action at a convention, please check out this detailed session report, featuring two brand new players learning how the game works from the designer at the 2011 Guns of August convention in Williamsburg, VA.
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Demo game at Guns of August, Williamsburg, VA 2011
In addition, please check out this in-depth 36-photo After Action Report Album from the designer, who walks you through one play of Scenario 2 of the Map Expansion. Every photo is captioned to recount the action.
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Scenario 2 in action
Reviews
* This review by Charles Cabell is based on prototype play of the Spearpoint 1943 Map Expansion.
* Check out this video review of the original Spearpoint 1943 card game by Marco Arndaudo, which provides a good overview of how the original game plays.
Final Thoughts
I hope that you'll join our growing fanbase of Spearpoint 1943 players and support us over on Kickstarter before our project expires on January 8th, 2012. At the time this designer diary was written, we were 40% funded! I'd love to have you as a backer of this project; we can't wait to get the Map Expansion to production, but we can only do so with your help! Please help us make this game a success! "Migs" is depending on you...
Our Pledge to You
As the designer and publisher of this game, I pledge to support you for whatever you may need as you discover this game and others from Collins Epic Wargames. I'm very active here on BoardGameGeek, supporting players of our games, as well as the game designers who call BGG home. Please let me know if I can do anything for you with respect to our games and if you see me at a convention near you, stop by and we'll play a game or two.
All the best,
Byron Collins
Collins Epic Wargames, LLC
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