Victory by Any Means Games, Inc. (VBAM Games) is excited to announce that development has officially begun on a new edition of the company's eponymous flagship strategic campaign system. This new line of campaign products, to be released under the Victory By Any Means Second Edition label, will update the venerable Victory by Any Means Campaign System with a special emphasis on both integrating additional content released after the initial Campaign Guide; and streamlining the overall gameplay experience.
"In approaching a Second Edition, nothing is sacred," says Tyrel Lohr, one of the developers working on this new project. "We are taking a fresh look at the campaign system, and asking ourselves which rules we as players consider fundamental to the game experience. We will then make sure that these core gameplay elements form the foundation of the new edition. While many elements are still up in the air, players can expect some major changes going from First Edition to Second Edition."
A new edition of the Campaign Guide will function as the cornerstone of the new Second Edition release. This new core rulebook will provide the player with all of the rules necessary to play a strategic campaign using the Victory by Any Means Campaign System. To this end, the Campaign Guide will integrate many of the advanced or optional rules that were previously found in other VBAM Games campaign products.
Lohr says, "It is our desire to make the new Campaign Guide as complete a release as possible so that players will only have to buy a single book to gain access to rules that were originally spread across several books in the previous edition." For example, the advanced star system generation rules from the Campaign Moderator's Companion will be included in the Campaign Guide as integral system generation options.
This new edition will also address one of the acknowledged weaknesses of the existing campaign rules: the lack of an integrated technology and ship construction system. The tech system included in the new Campaign Guide will allow powers to research dozens of technologies in order to improve the quality or capabilities of their ships, fighters, and ground forces. The use of fixed unit lists, with availability based on "in-service dates," will become an optional rule in the new product.
But why a Second Edition? "This previous year, we have all come to terms with the fact that it is time to revisit the campaign rules," says Jay Waschak, President of VBAM Games. "The rules have existed in one form or another for over five years, and the campaign system itself has come a long way since the initial Campaign Guide release in 2004. Victory By Any Means Second Edition will allow us to address criticisms of the existing version of the campaign system, while also offering an opportunity to improve the organization and integration of our campaign product line."
Existing customers, especially new players that only recently purchased campaign rules, will wonder how the announcement of a Second Edition will affect them. "Obviously, we don't have any plans to release any additional First Edition products," Waschak says. "However, VBAM Games remains committed to its established customer base, and we will be making ‘update packs' available for existing customers that will allow them to take advantage of the new features that will be included in Second Edition. For example, the redesigned Campaign Strategic Combat Resolution (CSCR) module for Second Edition will be released for free to our existing fans prior to the release of Second Edition, along with updated force lists for our existing First Edition campaign supplements. This will allow First Edition players to enjoy some of the new features from Second Edition without having to purchase a new set of rules."
VBAM Games expects the new edition of its Campaign Guide to be released sometime in Q4 2009. A number of additional Victory By Any Means Second Edition campaign products have been tentatively scheduled for development in parallel with the Campaign Guide, and these products will be released in the months following the initial release of the Campaign Guide. These campaign products include:
- CAMPAIGN MODERATOR'S COMPANION (SECOND EDITION):
- As in the previous edition, this product will include advanced optional rules for use with the Victory by Any Means Campaign System. However, this book will also provide additional insights into how to run a successful campaign.
- THE MENAGERIE (SECOND EDITION):
- This new edition to the First Edition favorite will introduce some fundamental changes to how alien species are depicted in campaigns. Six orders of life (Carbon, Silicon, Exotic, Hydrogen, Synthetic, and Transcendent) will be introduced, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. New and updated traits will further differentiate these species, ensuring that no two empires will play the same.
- ENGINEERING MANUAL:
- While the Campaign Guide will include the fundamentals of the planned tech system, this product will provide an expanded look at the strange and alien technologies that players can encounter or develop over the course of a campaign – from cloning armies to deploying wormhole weapons.
- THOSE WHO SERVE:
- This book will include the Second Edition rules for elite officers and crews, and provides an interesting synthesis of the rules previously found in the Campaign Moderator's Companion, Terran Civil War, and Fire As She Bears edition.
- STAR CHARTS:
- At long last, an atlas of nearby space – with star maps and system data – will finally see release. This product will make playing campaigns in the solar neighborhood that much easier for moderators and players alike.
While it has been mostly silent for the last two years, VBAM Games is committed to keeping players informed about Second Edition's development. Between now and the Q4 2009 release date, the Second Edition development team will be posting weekly updates to the VBAM Games blog (blog.vbamgames.com). Each of these updates will contain not only a general update of the status of various projects, but each week developers will discuss specific changes that are planned for implementation in Second Edition. This will give customers an opportunity to track what is happening in the new edition and offer feedback prior to release.
"Fan response and interaction is very important to us," says Lohr. "Most of us started off as fans of the system before we became involved on the development side, and everyone brings a unique perspective to the table. It always amazes me how we as players can collectively collaborate to create new content for the game system. In fact, I think it is that kind of creative energy that has fueled the campaign system from the beginning."
Want to join the discussion about Victory By Any Means Second Edition? Visit us online:
VBAM Games forums: forums.vbamgames.com
VBAM Yahoo! Group: games.groups.yahoo.com/group/VBAM