Kris Hall: John Poniske and King Philip’s War

John Poniske first came to my attention because of Lincoln’s War, an as-yet-to-published game on the American Civil War.  But Multi-man Publishing has put another of Mr. Poniske’s games on its preorder list, and John recently agreed to talk to me about King Philip’s War.

Kris: I have an interest in King Philip’s War because I grew up in Rhode Island, and I am one of the many descendents of Roger Williams, the founder of Providence and of the colony of Rhode Island--and who was still an important figure at the time of the war. What made you take an interest in such an obscure war?

John: I knew nothing about the conflict until I read a Military History Article about the subject in 2004. I was fascinated that something so monumental was so unknown. I looked for games on the topic and found none.  That same week I began work on KING PHILIP’S WAR.  As an aside, I feel sorry for the Rhode Islanders. Of all the colonies involved, it seemed they got the shortest end of the stick. Philip’s beef was originally with Plymouth. His relations with the Rhode Islanders was relatively good, but his geographic proximity in Rhode Island meant that it was inevitable that the war would spill over into these more neutral settlements

Kris:  What is the relative complexity of King Philip’s War? How long will it take to play?

John: On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate it a 4. My plan was not to wow everyone with my complex thought process, but create a fast playing, noncomplex game that introduces aspects of history that are less well known by the general public.

Kris: The most common wargame sub-genres are the old hex map and combat results table game, and the card-driven game that has become very popular over the last few years. King Philip’s War follows neither of these models. What factors influenced your design choices?

John: Interesting that. I initially used the map drawn from the Military History article as a model, and its location of a handful of settlements as well. Since I could never recreate the intricate path system that no one ever truly mapped through the blanket of New England forest, I originally used a dot matrix overlay.  Each dot led to eight other dots. It made for interesting chess like play but was not aesthetically pleasing.  I then researched the more well-known settlements (but did not name them on the map until recently).  Few Indian villages were identified and fewer still named.  I placed an equal number of villages as settlements, and for flavor and movement options added an equal number of neutral spaces or neutral villages where at a later date English Allied Indians might appear.  It evolved into a point to point system.

I tried making it a CDG at first but did not feel that there were enough variety in the key events to make that work.  Adam Starkweather, developer of the game, suggested at our first meeting an events die for the few crucial events that needed to be represented.  We diddled with the specific events until we arrived at what is now symbolized on the die.  It speeds game play and adds an additional layer of suspense.

Kris: What events are simulated with the event die?

John: The following is an excerpt from the current playtest rules. These may change, as I am already considering swapping the guide for a supply shortage symbol. However this is a good representation of what players will see.

Ambush
The defender’s die roll is ignored for this combat. 

Spy
Following damage removal, the attacking player places a spy with any enemy leader. The spy prohibits its evasion die roll and reduces its combat effectiveness by reducing its force by one strength point. The spy stays with the affected leader until the spy has been removed through combat. A spy is removed when the first SP casualty is lost in battle. Spies that are lost are recycled. Only one spy may be placed with any leader. If all three spies are in use, ignore the symbol. 

Reinforcements
Within stacking limitations, the defender must reinforce a battle with the closest one or two SP combat unit (within stacking limits). Proximity is indicated by the hash marks printed on the movement paths. The fewer the hash marks, the closer the unit. In case of a tie the defender chooses the source. If no unit exists within three hash-marks, or if reinforcing would violate stacking, or if the unit would have to move through enemy units, reinforcement is ignored. The reinforcing unit may not have participated in an attack that turn but may come from a space currently containing a Combat Marker. A unit may not be flipped to provide a1 SP reinforcement. If the last unit in a space is drawn from beneath a leader, the leader accompanies the reinforcing unit.

Massacre
If the forces engaged are unequal increase the casualties of the lesser force by one additional strength point. The “massacred player” then raises one a new, full strength unit in the nearest settlement or village, As the crow flies. The reinforcing unit must meet stacking limits and can only take place if a unit is available in the force pool. If forces engaged are equal ignore the symbol.

Panic
If the attacking force is equal or greater than the defending force, the defender abandons the space and moves to the next available space within stacking limitations (even if this mean moving through a friendly-occupied space).  If retreat to an adjacent space is impossible, the defending force remains.  If PANIC is rolled against an undefended village or settlement, or a space containing a village or settlement is abandoned, the village or settlement is automatically destroyed.  If PANIC is rolled against a space containing a fort, at least one defending unit retreats while the fort and any remaining units remain to defend the space.  Presence of any leader negates the effect of PANIC retreat.

Guide
When Guide is rolled the current player claims his faction’s Guide token and retains it until, during the movement phase, it is committed by adding up to two additional movement spaces by one company or war band and/or bypassing any occupied enemy spaces along its line of march.  Once used it is discarded until the Guide symbol is once again rolled

Kris: What role do leaders play in the game?

John: Minimal roles for the most part. I will admit that I could have included many more on both the side of the English and the Indian. In fact, Each of the tribes did have individual sachems (chiefs) represented early on. But additional leaders slowed game play and added complexity that was not necessary. I settled on the key figures of King Philip (Metacomet) of the Wampanoag, Canonchet of the Narragansett, Benjamin Church, and fighting Governor Josiah Winslow.  Since Winslow was added, I also felt that I had to add the governors of the other colonies as well.  Of the four main figures, Philip is the most important.  His tribe and his two related tribes begin the war.  His movement into the various tribal areas allows him to recruit other tribes into the war, and his capture, along with that of Canonchet will end the game. 

Church is next in line in importance. His insight in understanding the Indian way of life and his way of war, helped to turn the tide. Before his ideas were accepted, the English shunned Indian assistance, indeed--anything that smacked of Indian philosophy.  Church is in fact recognized as the father of our Army Rangers. When Church appears, The English may begin to deploy allied Indians.  The presence of Canonchet, Winslow and the remaining governors act as added military wisdom/strength when attached to a company or war band

Kris: Could you describe a typical turn for us?

John: Both the Indian and English player go through a diplomacy phase to obtain additional allies (Philip moves in this phase to encourage neighboring tribes to join in) . Then the Indian player moves three warbands and attacks either colonial companies or settlements. The English player moves three companies next and attacks either villages or war bands. Points are scored for village/settlement destruction and for loss of war bands or companies.  The marker on the turn track is moved.

Kris: In my experience, most designers decide to emphasize certain aspects of a conflict that they consider important, while limiting the detail of other aspects. What aspects of the war does your design emphasize?

John: I emphasized the destructiveness of the war, the abilities of Church and Philip, and the unpredictability of battle.

Kris: When is the earliest that you think King Philip’s War could be published?

John: In the first month on the preorder list it has gained over 200 preorders. I don’t want to jinx its growth, but I can see it reaching its goal by fall of next year--maybe sooner. I plan on introducing it at TOTALCON in February and I’m sure that will garner further interest in New England.

Kris: What is the status of your Civil War game Lincoln’s war?

John: Perry Cocke tells me that he is working on getting it into the next round of titles on the MMP preorder list by the end of the year or soon after.

Kris: What other projects would you like to work on in the future?

John: Well, first I’d like to say I’m happy to see HEARTS AND MINDS:VIETNAM 1965-1975 being released by Worthington Games in January of 2010 and LEAPING LEMMINGS which I coauthored with Rick Young released in March by GMT.  I am currently working on four projects. CALIPHATE, a multiplayer game on the expansion of and contention between Islamic caliphs during the middle ages. KNIGHT’S END, a card game based on the dissolution of the Knights Templar.  The PHILLIPINE INSURRECTION 1889-1902. and HAWAII, the native unification of the islands in the 1700s. Oh, and look for MAORI WARS, soon to be added to the preorder list on the Legion Games website.

Kris: Thanks for the interview.

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