Seljuk: Byzantium Besieged, 1068-1071 Interview: Justin Fassino

Seljuk—Volume VI in Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign series—brings players into the challenges of medieval logistics and maneuver across Asia Minor during the clash between Orthodox Christian and Muslim power in the lead-up to the climactic Battle of Manzikert. Players will assume the role of either the Eastern Romans or Seljuk Turks as they seek to make their mark on this historic land. Asymmetric victory objectives and new and unique additions to the Levy & Campaign system mean a dynamic game of cat and mouse between these two great powers.

The rules and images shown here are not final.

You can find it in P500

-Who are you? What are your favorite wargames?

I am Justin Fassino, from Seattle, Washington USA. I am an avid wargame player and SELJUK is my first attempt at designing a game myself. Thanks to Volko’s amazing Levy & Campaign system, I was able to realize one of my favorite periods of history at the operational level, which is the medieval Eastern Roman Empire. There too few games on Byzantium, and I am hoping to change that in some small way.

Some of my favorite wargames include Twilight Imperium, Virgin Queen, Wilderness War, A Distant Plain, and Barbarians at the Gates.

-What are the main differences compared to other titles in the series? Do we have different
 mechanics?

Yes, SELJUK adds a collection of new mechanics and rules that reflect the unique nature of the setting and time period. First and foremost is the way each faction in the game, Seljuk or Roman, earns victory points. The Romans earn VP in the pretty standard manner: conquering strongholds and ravaging enemy territory. The Seljuks, on the other hand, do not earn VP from conquering (though they still may want to do that for its other mustering advantages). Instead, they have a yearly victory goal that forces them to Ravage, Ruin, or Conquer a certain number of spaces on the map each year, and each year that requirement grows. If they fail to meet the goal, they lose VPs. They can also score VPs by bringing Loot back to the Seljuk Sultanate during the winter phase of each year. So there’s a careful dance both sides have to do around (and oftentimes through) each other to get the advantage.

On the Roman side, they have to make use of their Themata, which are stationary frontier troops that operate in limited areas. The Romans can use them as garrisons for their cities, or they can be used to try and prevent Seljuk ravage attempts. But once the Themata are eliminated, they are permanently gone from the game.

The scale of the game has been zoomed out from previous entries: the campaign game takes place over four years, but each turn is a full season (90 days) rather than the standard 40. And since we’re talking about the arid highlands of Anatolia and mountainous regions of Armenia, winter is a non-campaign turn where scoring and reset happens.

Additionally, there are new units in the game, like the Roman Tagmata and Varangian Guard, or Turkic Horse and Ghulam cavalry for the Seljuks.

Finally, some Lords on either side can be bribed away with Coin to switch sides during certain random events.

There’s a lot more to the game that tweaks and plays with established Levy & Campaign conventions, and I am excited for people to explore those when they play the game.


-Can you tell us about the factions?

One player will play the Eastern Roman Empire. Most of their Lords are based in Constantinople, which is actually not on the map and is a long way away from the frontier conflict zone. This will require them to march a long way at the start of each year to carry out the defense of the empire, and much of their eastern forces are made up of small bands of Norman mercenaries, whose loyalty is questionable. The Roman units tend to be more heavily armored than the Turks, but do less damage in Missile combat. They also don’t have intrinsic garrisons in their fortifications, instead relying on local Themata levies to provide for the defense of their territory. They are capable of gathering these troops from all over the empire, but this makes them slow and hungry, so finding the sweet spot of manpower and mobility is key.

On the other side, you have the Seljuk Turks. Some Lords come from the Fatimid Caliphate and feature standard infantry units backed up by elite armored Ghulam cavalry forces. Some of the Seljuk Lords come from the Eurasian steppe and are mainly large groups of Turkic Horse, which are very fast movers and extremely deadly in Missile combat, but don’t have much armor and can’t melee very well. The Seljuk players will have to make sure they are keeping the alliance between these factions happy by making progress against the Romans every year; failure to bring back enough Loot or decimate Byzantium will result in a loss of VPs. Some of the Seljuk Capability cards allow them to enlist non-combat allies, like the Marwanid Dynasty of southeast Anatolia, to make their job a little easier (as long as the Sultan keeps the financial investments into the region flowing by spending Coin). The Seljuks can also win if they can conquer the city of Aleppo and hold it through the winter, but that is a tall order as the city’s famous hilltop citadel is resistant to all but the largest siege operations, and the rulers of the city may decide that an alliance with the Romans would better serve their needs…

If there’s one thing I wanted to highlight, it was the asymmetry between the two sides’ military goals and how they historically thought about achieving them.

-The Levy and Campaign series has many titles. Why should we buy yours?

Well, for one, how many other games about the medieval period of the Eastern Roman Empire are there? Not many, and when I set out designing this game, I wanted to make sure that the history was given the spotlight and justice it deserves. Thankfully, Levy & Campaign as a system is perfectly equipped to tackle the challenges that armies in Anatolia and Asia Minor faced during this period.

Secondly, many playtesters have commented that the game is very playable, about a half-step easier than Nevsky. With Carts as the only transport asset, the logistical burden to campaigning is lighter, and the focus is more on the maneuver and exploitation of opportunities afforded to each player by their events and capabilities.

Finally, the Battle of Manzikert was one of the most important events in the medieval era: it directly led to the First Crusade, and its impact on the settlement of Anatolia by Turkic peoples is why we have the nation of Turkey today. Who wouldn’t want the ability to go back in time and see if they could prevent the disaster from unfolding for the Romans on that fateful day?

I am very appreciative of everyone’s excitement and support in the short time since the game went on P500. We’re more than halfway there already! Looking forward to sharing more about SELJUK: Byzantium Besieged in the coming months!