Fighting Formations: US 29th Infantry Division Interview: Kai Jensen and John Foley

 

Fighting Formations is intended to be an ongoing series of wargames covering WWII tactical combined-arms combat at the platoon and squad levels. Each game in the series will feature a distinct combat unit, highlighting battles in which that unit participated as well as its particular order of battle and fighting characteristics. In this second volume of Fighting Formations, we feature the US 29th Infantry Division—“Blue and Gray”—as it fought from just after D-Day in June of 1944 to the end of the year.

The rules and images shown here are not final.

You can find it in P500

1-Who are you and your favorite wargame/s?

KJ - “Who am I?” is a hard question to answer! There are so many little things that make up who I am now. For gaming purposes, the easy/short answer is “I am a developer.”

Favorite wargame is another tough question for me. (I’m off to a great start here…) Of course, I will say anything created by my late husband Chad Jensen because I love them all! I have played all of his games literally hundreds of times and still enjoy playing them. Combat Commander heads up my list but Fighting Formations is putting up a good fight for those top honors.

My first wargame was Totaler Krieg which I learned to play in 2000. I played board games, card games, and miniatures battles, and had an avid interest in history prior to that. But my exposure to hex-and-counter games in 2000 by Chad opened up a whole new world to me, starting with TK. That game also holds a special place in my heart because of how often we played it together.

JF – I am also a developer. I have widely varied interests in gaming because I am curious about what designers can imagine and discover through their creative work. My favorites tend to be focused on tactical conflict.

2-Why did you decide to do this game?

KJ – As a developer, I didn’t decide on the designs. Whatever system or topic Chad had in his mind was what I worked on. So the original work on Fighting Formations came from Chad’s idea of the matrix, which is the heart of the game.

I decided to get this title onto the P500 with GMT because I would love to finish out the projects Chad had started and GMT is my partner in that endeavor. When I looked over the files for this game a few months ago, I was surprised to find that we were nearly done with the development work (design work had been finished long before) when Chad fell ill. All the scenarios were fleshed out, most of the maps were done, a few small items needed tending to and then it was just left to grind through playtesting to check for balance on each scenario. I had not recalled being that far along with the work, but his illness had pushed everything else off my plate and out of my mind.

Now that I am in a good headspace to take up working on his projects again, this one seemed like the logical place to start. We had always intended to expand the system to other formations and have a few more lined up after this one.

And I have been blessed to have our great friend John Foley agree to come back on this project with me! He had originally worked with Chad and I when we first started crafting the US 29th ID scenarios and he has been an integral part of our team on this project. So to have him back working with me to finish this up has been phenomenal.

JF – It seemed like it was finally time for us to complete the work together. It’s very energizing to work together on this project.

3-Can you talk about the mechanics? What sets it apart from other games in the series?

KJ – The core mechanics from the original Fighting Formations remain the same. The difference from the original game is in the way the units fought. The different costs on the matrix place an emphasis on certain actions and assets for the 29th ID that were different than GD’s way of approaching a battle. I think gamers will feel the difference when they play the new game.

 

4-What are the main differences with the first game?

KJ – As most of the scenarios outline fighting in France, we had to add bocage (of course) and bocage busting to the mix.

The 29th also ran up against tank ditches, communication trenches, a fort, concrete bunkers… all sorts of things that were not highlighted in the previous FF scenarios from the East Front.

In addition, as the 29th had access to more battlefield support than their GD counterparts, their card deck is tailored to that experience as well. The US player in the new game has access to more cards and at lower initiative costs, bringing artillery and air support to the forefront in a way we haven’t explored before.

JF – Kai emphasizes a crucial point, perhaps the main original design hypothesis by Chad – that the levers (units, unit structure, actions, assets, resolution tables, capabilities) for different fighting organizations will be revealed through the actual battle situations they faced. The scenarios, therefore, need to reflect the arc of conflict, learning, and evolution of the fighting unit. This is what we aspire to complete together – and it’s what Chad had always aimed for.

5-Scenarios and/or length of the game?

KJ – There are 12 scenarios covering fighting in France, through Holland, and into Germany. There are also 14 maps – one is a training map like what came with the GD version and one is a ton of bocage for those who want that “in the thick of things” feel for a design-your-own battle. Six of those 14 maps are large and the other eight are smaller (comparable to Combat Commander-sized maps).

The game is listed as “five minutes per turn” and I find that the smaller scenarios play out in about 2-3 hours. The larger scenarios, obviously, take longer but I don’t have a solid sense of the timing just yet. Further playtesting will give me a better feel for it but I would guess 5-6 hours is reasonable for a larger scenario. Of course, this all depends on your play speed and who you are playing with, so…

JF – The scenarios give the players the variety of the challenges faced by the 29 ID – facing strong defenders in confined, hilly terrain, and then in fortress fights in France, followed by mostly wide-open field terrain in Holland and Germany. There are a few exceptions, however, a player who plays the scenarios in order should experience the evolution of the unit.

6-Do you have another game/project in mind?

KJ – I am interested in keeping the Fighting Formations series going with other units to be highlighted. I have a personal list of units I would love to see and will be directing my research in those areas.

There are also other games that Chad left in progress that I will be evaluating to see if they are at a stage where my development skills can finish them up. 

And I don’t think I will ever be done with Combat Commander. I have had ideas for Battle Packs over the years but they always took a back burner to whatever current project Chad had going for us as he was always the driving force with our work.

JF – Kai knows that I am actively working on the third volume in the series. I value her capabilities and skills so much, that I am sure I’ll never complete this work without her partnership. She stands as one of superior developers in the hobby.