tabletopgaming.co.uk 55iring modes, the potential to jam and their
telltale noise when trying to stay quiet
- opened up interesting new gameplay
potential for the team. Guns won’t be the
only weapons players will have at their
disposal, either.
“We have grenades and lamethrowers,
which usually are fan favourites as they ofer
ways to have a huge impact from a single
action on the board,” Drummond reveals.
Another new aspect for the game was the
multinational make-up of the Reichbusters,
including heroes from Russia, France, Ireland,
Holland, Canada, Norway, Germany and
further-lung regions like India and New
Zealand in addition to the typical American
and British soldiers.
“Being able to play on a few stereotypes
is always fun and we found that it was much
enjoyed by our [Kickstarter] backers, who
were wondering which nationality the next
Reichbuster would have in the stretch goals,”
says Drummond. “Actually, the most common
backer request was to include a hero from
their country!”
he modern apparel and weaponary
of World War II means that Reichbusters
stands apart visually from the studio’s past
games. Mythic art director Stephane Gantiez
collaborated with returning Solomon Kane
illustrator Guillem H. Pongiluppi and artist
Catalin Lartist to balance the gritty nature
of warfare with the alternate world’s more
outlandish elements.
“We wanted to present a stark contrast
between the bright, over-the-top, courageous
heroes and the evil Nazi Vrilmeisters, their
soldiers and experiments – and having the
combination of these wonderful artists
provided that wonderfully,” Drummond says.
Although Reichbusters deliberately looks
and feels a world away from the ancient
fantasy of Mythic Battles, the medieval
clashing of Joan of Arc and the gothic
adventure of Solomon Kane, Drummond
says Reichbusters shares with those games
something that sits at the heart of Mythic’s
diverse reimaginings of history.
“As in most of our other games, heroism
and extraordinary actions are put forward,
and the modern setting makes no diference
in this case.”MAKING MYTHS
Mythic has taken stories and worlds that
already exist and put its own mark on them,
capturing the attention and afection of
thousands of gamers. Reichbusters is already
set to continue the studio’s strong surge – its
Kickstarter late last year raised close to a
million dollars from more than 6,500 people.
Drummond reveals that the team is keen
to explore its reimagined universes further,
saying that Mythic is “very open” to the idea ofcreating games diferent in style and size to its
epic miniatures oferings – though he quickly
reassures: “Miniatures board games are and
will remain the heart of Mythic Games.”
he studio’s melding of real-life history and
fantastical iction is sure to continue too, as it
searches for new ways to retell familiar stories
in ways that are undeniably its own.
“hat’s something we really like indeed
and the beneits are twofold,” Drummond
says. “First of all, when creating a universe
whose core elements are well known, you do
not need to describe it for too long to your
players. hey understand immediately what
it is about. You thus save time and it is one
less barrier to entering your game. Secondly,
by not going purely historical, you have more
freedom, not only with the scenarios, when
it’s a scenario-based game, but also with the
game system. You can aford to be less realistic
when needed. You can create more impressive
efects, more unexpected situations. It’s
usually more exciting for the players, but also
for the game designers.
“his approach also gives us more freedom;
we can develop the stories we want, inject our
creativity into the world and deine a really
compelling look for our heroes and villains.
We want to create universes that you can
relate to instantly and add fantasy or mythical
touches to make the whole thing more fun,
exciting and spectacular.”