A few weeks ago I let Mantic know that I had made the decision to step down from the Kings of War Rules Committee once we have completed work on Clash of Kings 2023.
This wasn’t an easy decision, because I have absolutely loved my time on the RC.
Being able to have a direct hand in designing the game that I’ve enjoyed so much for the past six years has been a fantastic experience and one that I will be forever grateful for.
In January this year my entire world was turned on end with the birth of my son. I’m having the time of my life and wouldn’t change a second of it, but needless to say my available hobby time has taken a bit of a hit!
Being at the Northern Kings GT a few weeks ago reminded me that with the limited hobby time I have, I’d like to spend it actually…. doing the hobby. So I’m making way for fresh meat to come in and shake up the game. I’ve no idea what Mantic plans to do with my vacant seat, but they’ve always been clear that the membership of the RC is fluid to meet the needs of the game – so it could be anyone from anywhere in the world.
The Hidden Heroes of Kings of War
I want to give a shout out to two members of the Rules Committee in particular because I don’t think they get anything like the amount of credit in the community they deserve.
Chris Morris and Jason Moorman are the longest serving members of the Rules Committee and have both been on the RC since at least the start of second edition.
Chris is a rules writing master. I would imagine that at least 90% of the final wording that made it into 3rd edition rule book was typed up single handily by Chris.
While of course everyone on the RC contributes to designing the rules, its Chris who puts in the long hours going through and making sure what we’ve written is actually legible, consistent and does what we think it does.
For people who’ve never had a go at writing wargaming rules before it can be easy to underestimate what a talent that is. But please let me assure you that Chris’s ability to clearly and concisely translate the gibberish that the rest of us on the RC come out with into a coherent rules set is nothing short of miraculous. People often comment how ‘clean’ a game Kings of War is and I lay a huge amount of credit for that on Chris’s shoulders.
Jason is a basement gamer and proud. I think its fair to say that most of the RC (including myself) play the game from a competitive tournament perspective, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. But not Jason. Jason is the angel on the RC’s shoulder reminding us that Kings of War is sooo much more than just the tournament scene.
I think that it’s Jason’s influence that has helped stop Kings of War feeling clinical despite years of balance tweaks – his passion for making sure that players have fun playing the game is incredible. Throughout all of the time I have been on the RC (and I’m sure for long before) Jason has pushed to make sure that the game remains… fun. I know that sounds like it should be obvious, but when you’re striving for competitive balance it can genuinely be something that you forget.
And I should stress that Chris and Jason fulfil these roles on top of being ‘regular’ members of the Rules Committee. They have just as much input into the balance changes and designing of new stuff as the rest of us, whilst also doing so much more.
We should all be massively appreciative of Chris and Jason and I wanted to specifically shout them out because they’re both the kind of characters who will never blow their own trumpet.
This is So F%^&%^KING COOL!
On the latest episode of Counter Charge, Andrew Sharp (the Lead Designer of Firefight) spoke about what it would be like to tell your 13 year old self that you had designed a wargame that thousands of people around the world were now playing.
While I of course haven’t reached the lofty heights of Mr Sharp, I still get to see my name printed in black and white know that my work is now out there in the wild being enjoyed by the community.
That is seriously cool.
My highlight on the RC will definitely be the work I did on Halflings. Absolutely everything the RC does is a collaborative effort and there are no ‘lead’ designers on any project, but Halflings are one of the times were I can point to several units and game mechanics and say “I did that”.
Finally I want to say a huge thank you to Mantic for trusting me with their game and giving me the chance to fulfil a massive hobby dream of mine. Its been a brilliant, if not knackering experience.
Please please everyone make sure to stay supportive of your RC members, especially the poor sod they get to replace me. They’ve no idea what they’re letting themselves in for…
One Northern King 