Have you ever wanted to play a campaign (either historical or fictional) but there were no materials you could use? Our guest today took that challenge head on, designed his own campaigns and is now the unofficial Firestorm Campaign guru for Flames of War.
Gísli Jökull Gíslason is an expert at building these historical campaigns (which I can personally vouch for) and just published his latest collaboration with Battle Front (Firestorm Blitzkrieg – France).
Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you played Flames of War? What made you want to start writing these unofficial Firestorm Campaigns?
I started playing Flames of War Version1 back in 2005, but also have been playing Warhammer 40k since 2nd edition and I was a tournament organizer. With this experience I became familiar with the rules and was later offered to form a playtest group. I worked as a playtester on Firestorm Market Garden and later on a Firestorm that was never published – playtesting showed it didn’t work. It was then I designed Firestorm Greece to showcase my ideas on how I thought they should be done. It was a success at Battlefront. Not the least because the 2nd New Zealand Division fought there as part of W force.
2. They say you aren’t allowed to have favorite children, but I think these campaigns are fair game. What is your favorite campaign you have designed? Tell us Why!
That is actually easy. I think they are all worth while, but so far I think Firestorms: Norway, Villers-Bretonneux and Gazala are my best. They are also my most recent ones. But I am excited how the new one is received. In all of them I have been adjusting the system to new ideas and Firestorm Blitzkrieg – France is special in that is designed for a tournament weekend.
3. Are there any campaigns you are considering updating, to bring them up to Version 4? What about any mechanics you would consider revising?
Actually, the Firestorm campaigns are easy to adjust. There is nothing in the core mechanics that needs to be updated, only to place in V4 units instead of V3 units. And in most cases that is just to update the units to the new version.
4. Your campaigns have a few big differences from the Official Battlefront Campaigns, especially Exploitation moves and the fact that an attacker doesn’t lose territory if they lose their assault. Why did you make these changes?
They just felt right. A powerful push might be stopped, but it is unlikely that the attacker would lose ground. I felt the exploitation moves was redundant as my Firestorms are more contained, which generally is a good thing since they are easier to manage.
I have also been playing around with air support and destruction of units. Keep in mind that the scale of the Firestorms is very different. In Gazala the Firestorm Troops are down to regiments, in the new one Firestorm Blitzkrieg France we have armies and corps. For this reason you do not roll to see if they are destroyed, they can only be captured if they first are surrounded.
5. You have a new campaign coming out for the Early War Period, tell us a bit about
that and how different it’s then your earlier work.
Norway and Greece are also Early War. It is only Mid-War that I have one campaign. This time Wayne Turner at Battlefront asked if I cared to collaborate on a new Firestorm. That is how it started. I have a few ideas that I have played around with but never committed to going in on design. France or shall I say Fall Gelb was one. So from the outset I said I wanted this one to be different, mainly it is designed to be played over a weekend Tournament. Interestingly I think it actually makes it easier to run as a campaign as well.
What players need to understand is that simplicity is the key to a good Firestorm. Make it too complex and it will peter out. It is tempting to make it huge and epic, but I think quite enough groups know how that becomes needlessly complicated.
6. When designing your campaigns, what is your process? How do you determine what units should be present, how to make maps etc.
This is the fun part. Number 1 – know your history. My campaigns are historical. They are not designed as even games but should put you close to actual events. I once received a complaint about Firestorm Greece, that it was very hard to win as the Greeks and British. Yes… that is the point. The key to a hobby is that it should be fun and for me it should have a historical flair. If you are playing a long campaign, it should not be about the end result but the journey.
Every step should be fun. In the naval game Victory at Sea, I always let beginners play the last battle of HMS Rawalpindi. Firstly because it happened right next to Iceland and secondly because HMS Rawalpindi doesn’t stand a chance against the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. It is small and good to get acquainted with the rules and also losing. But it is still fun and now that you have lost we have gotten that out of the way and you gain a deeper appreciation for how to play.
The design process is to understand the campaign and limit the scope, in Firestorm Blitzkrieg France I focused on the all important first part, Operation Yellow or Fall Gelb. This is where France and Britain lost the campaign. Then I draw a map, the areas are the same important areas as in the campaign itself. Then I look through the order of battle for both sides and pick out the most important units. I select the units I think most accurately represent the actual units. Then I playtest a lot and adjust the rules until I am satisfied with the flow.
I find it very rewarding to design these campaigns and getting them right. I learned a lot of military history doing some of the lesser-known campaigns. In fact, I finally understood the Norwegian campaign after the design of the Firestorm. You can get close to the events by playing them.
7. Many of these conflicts were intended to be “unbalanced” by the generals planning them. How do you factor that in when designing these campaigns for players? Do you design the campaign so that the historical outcome is the most likely? Or maybe a draw to make it more even for the players?
I want this to happen. And the Firestorm system is a clever design. You can tweak small things to get the desired results. Initiative is one thing. A +1 or +2 difference is a big thing. In this campaign I went even further. You could say that the Battle of France was won by the Germans but lost by the French command. After a full seven months the French high command totally failed to understand what was happening and their best units for reserve had been sent ahead for screening actions. It was a disaster. If both sides had full command of their actions, then it would not happen as it did. Note that there is still a good deal you can do in the actual Flames of War games, just as commanders in the field showed daring and resolve, but the campaign is still going to be hard… very hard.
8. It’s not hard to see that you have had a lot of influence on how FoW players build and run their campaigns, what advice or wisdom do you have for people trying to build their own Firestorm Campaigns?
The golden rule is KISS! Keep It Simple Stupid. Simpleness is best. And involve your playing group. The whole point of Firestorms is to play games that affect a game in a larger context. Do not get stuck in details, and do not hesitate to roll of lesser engagements as a Generals Game. In face start by playing a few Generals Games to familiarize yourself with the flow of the game. Then stick to the time schedule. Make it contained. If you are playing in a tournament weekend you must finish each turn on time. If you are doing a 5-turn campaign, then allow yourself no more than a week per turn. In face a few of my designs I call mini campaigns and these are often 3 turns for a reason.
9. I know you are just starting to publish another Early War campaign soon but any other projects in the pipeline? If you were forced to create another campaign where and when would you like to set it?
No. Since 2017 I have been writing books, as well as a full-time job as a Police Detective I really have to burn the candle at both ends to find time to do this. Still, I have done 8 so far. Doesn’t 10 sound as a good number. That being said, I have done some work on Berlin 1945.. that might be interesting to complete. Then Poland and Barbarossa are tempting. I am not wanting for ideas.
