Words by David C. Obenour
Trenches dug only to be filled with mud. Barbed wire rolling across farms and fields now more reminiscent to the cratered surface of the moon. The whistle blows. Helmets donned. Bayonets fixed. Horrifying new machines lurch and lumber from their sleep. No corner of the globe has been left untouched. The Great War was a world war. A war meant to end all wars from its horridness. A war stepped in the Blood and Valor of those sent off to carry the burden of the elite’s ambition.
Blood and Valor recreates the struggle of the nation’s engaged in First World War on a skirmish-based level. Taking from the ruleset of Firelock Games’ Blood & Plunder, the miniatures neutral tabletop game has just released its first expansion, extending the history to the aftermath through the Russian Civil War and The End of Empires.
Off Shelf: I have to imagine that one of the main struggles was wanting to present enough rules to provide unique and immersive play while avoiding the constant looking up of rules. How did you strike that balance? Was there any guiding principle to what would or wouldn’t work for Blood and Valor?
Rufus DeVane: When designing games my plan is to make a game simple to learn and difficult to master. My ultimate goal is to have players not have to reference the rule book once they have a few games under their belt. This makes for a faster and more enjoyable gaming experience. If the rules are straight forward players can concentrate on developing their skill at game play.
OS: You did a wonderful job in presenting the rules in an inviting and image filled way in both the core rulebook and your latest supplement, End of Empires. What guidance and inspiration did you take here? How did you want to make sure that your rules were presented in the books?
RDV: Fortunately we have Lilly Figaroa as our graphic designer at Firelock Games. She is responsible for the look and layout of the books. I love the bold look of the Blood and Valor books and I think she did a great job. The rules are presented in an instructional style. For example, the instructions on how to build a cabinet. I believe this style is clearer and gets to the point.
OS: Speaking of the images, tabletop wargaming is also just as much about modeling and painting. Though without your own line of miniatures, how do you think Blood and Valor sets players up to experience those elements of the hobby?
RDV: For me, painting and the look of the table is half of the hobby. I have inspired many players to kitbash unique troops for Blood and Valor. There are WW1 miniatures and vehicles available on the market, also companies have been releasing STL files of WW1 and Russian Civil War miniatures.
OS: While fascinating, World War I was also a particularly brutal and horrific war with some of the first introductions of modern war machines and tactics. What considerations did you keep in mind while gamifying this chapter of our history?
RDV: I think wargaming is important to help keep the history of wars alive. While there is a level that turns the horrible events of war into a game it also keeps the memory of the people that were affected by the war in the minds of the players. Blood and Valor is a deadly game where models can be removed in bunches if players make mistakes. I watched a game in a tournament where a player put his cavalry unit in front of a heavy machine gun in the open. As expected the cavalry unit was devastated. This was not a good tactic but I was happy with the historical result. WW1 was deadly and it should be represented on the tabletop.
I tried to create the stress of commanding troops in the field in the scenarios I designed. I think the attrition scenario reflects this the most. In the scenario if your troops do not keep up with the advance they are removed from play, this is punishing to the player that does not keep their eye on the ball and plays the scenario instead of just trying to kill their opponent’s troops.
I also intentionally kept the game small. I wanted to represent small unit tactics. I realized recreating one of the great battles of WW1 is not feasible for players wanting to play a game during the afternoon. Blood and Valor does scale up and I have had games with four players on each side and 1600 points on the table, but this game took three and a half hours and I ran it at a big convention.
OS: You also included some famous combatants of the war, like JRR Tolkien, Lawrence of Arabia, Erwin Rommel, Alvin York, and others. What do you feel this level of flavor and roleplaying adds to Blood and Valor?
RDV: I added special named characters in the game to add flavor to the forces they are attached too. Also I wanted players to look into the history of the special character and find out more for themselves. I added JRR Tolkin, because I knew people would get a kick out of it. I also added Ernest Hemingway to the Italians for the same reason.
OS: You also have some historical units with their own colorful stories, like the Harlem Hellfighters. Are there any highlights you care to share? Any you wanted to include but didn’t fit the rest of the scope of the game?
RDV: I added the special historical units to the game for the same reasons as the special characters, to add flavor and to peak people’s interest in finding out more about the unit. I was not able to have everything in the books that I wanted, I missed the Finns and the Freikorps. I am sure there is a lot more that I could add, Africa comes to mind.
OS: Aside from offering additional special rules, the rules changes introduced in End of Empires are limited to a single page – really with just two changes and three point changes. Were you tempted to tinker with any other elements? How were you able to keep these so succinct?
RDV: I did not want to change any of the core rules, the few rules I did change were pretty minor in my opinion and only enhanced game play. I did make a conscious effort to not change any of the rules and also make all the forces able to play against any of the other forces regardless of time period or location in the world.
OS: What were some of your favorite special rules that you were able to introduce in End of Empires?
RDV: It is my son’s rule for the Portuguese. I find it very interesting that they fight better with fatigue on them and they can voluntarily start the game with a fatigue point. We created this rule to represent the Portuguese on the western front. Their force was much smaller than the other nations involved in the war, as a result they did not rotate out of the trenches for rest at the same rate as other combatants. They suffered a higher level of combat fatigue as a result of more time in the trenches.
OS: In presenting the new fronts for End of Empires, what new and not as well known areas were you excited to be able to present for players? How do these unique fronts differ from what you were able to present in the core book?
RDV: All I can say is, the Russian Civil War! I believe WW1 and the turmoil of the years after the war are incredibly interesting. Unfortunately WW2 overshadows a lot of the history of WW1 and the Russian Civil War. The breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the formation of many new states in Eastern Europe was full of turmoil and conflict. We are still seeing the repercussions of these conflicts today with the war in Ukraine. It was suggested by many of the playtesters to make a separate book that just covered the Russian Civil War but I was against the idea. In my early descriptions of the planned expansion I promised that the Russian Civil War would be included and I am very happy that I was able to keep that promise. I truly attempted to cover the whole world in the two books and I think I made a good attempt.
I also was very aware of the fact to make a game that is easily accessible to the modern wargamer. Low model count, small play area that fits on a dining room table and a play time of an hour to an hour and a half. Another concept that sometimes gets lost with tabletop games, you have to make the game fun! Hopefully I have created a balance of fun and historical simulation.
OS: What else still would you like to further add for Blood and Valor players? Have you considered narrative campaign play rules?
RDV: I would like to cover some of the forces that I missed. I have considered campaign books with a narrative driven story. Also doing a Blood and Valor version of the Battle of Port Royal.