VR Designs

Here are a sneak peak into the nation profile fields. Note that the arrows actually indicate a negative feedback loop. So for example a high ‘democracy’ profile diminishes the ‘totalitarian’ profile. This system means a nation can only have one profile at a really high score in each circle. Note that this is part of a bigger system and what you are seeing here are just the ‘cap the maximum scores’ rules. Capping is important because we don’t want players to have top scores on everything. Opening certain doors means closing certain others. The profile scores themselves, if high enough, will provide you with bonuses, special action cards and can trigger special stories.

Here are some early sketches on the idea of randomly created Shadow Empire planets. Note that the black & white map there is torn from a Sci-Fi pocket; anybody recognise which one?

I am also wondering what map perspective is preferred by players… top down (like in Advanced Tactics) or sideways (like in Decisive Campaigns) ?

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Snippet #12: Leader Appointments

A relatively big part of Shadow Empire will consist of managing your leaders and making appointments. Here a newly formed Infantry Brigade needs a commander appointed. There are military positions like these, but also more administrative positions like council directors.

Snippet #11: Unit Supplies

Just a small snippet showing the 6th Abarum Guards Division. Most units will need a combination of three types of supply: Food, Oil and Ammo. Oil is key to have mobile and mechanized forces. Ammo is key in running a successful offensive, since usually quite a lot more bullets are expended in attack than in defense. And food acts as a sort of a final ‘axe of death’ for lost units; it is the thing that will take many rounds before it becomes truly fatal, but it ensures units will not sit encircled for ever: they will starve and die.
Disclaimer: Artwork shown can be placeholder artwork and does not necc. represent the art in the final game

Fog of war, almost better known under its acronym FOW, is a well known game feature to wargamers. One of the reasons I am designing the procedural Shadow Empire (SE) and not another historical game is that I really love FOW. Uncertainty makes me curious and adds exploration and recon gameplay. As well as providing added excitement as risks mount with the increasing count of unknowns.

My Decisive Campaigns games always had the well known recon range type of FOW, while Advanced Tactics even had a shroud of darkness. Both however limited themselves to hiding from view what the players forces could not see.

In real wars the FOW is much more extreme. For example the German army in 1939 had no sure idea how well their Panzers would do in combat… Or how good a commander their generals would actually be… Or even if the Blitzkrieg theory would actually be effective…

I am quite motivated to increase the level of FOW in SE significantly. However there is a catch… If for example you as a player are not sure if you have a good or a bad general in your service, or if your tank design is better or worse than the enemy tanks… would that not be frustrating? You’d find out eventually, but it would take combat and time to come to conclusions about what is working and what is not. Would you actually like such a level of realism / uncertainty?

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Big thanks for taking the time to reflect and advise VR. The feedback is valuable to me, however keep in mind that I am not designing on a majority vote basis :)

Best wishes,
Vic