Chatting with Volko

 Today Volko, once again, stops by to talk to us about wargames.

Let's start from the beginning. Where did the idea of ​​creating the COIN series come from? Can we consider Labyrinth as a prequel?

Indeed, Labyrinth was a direct precursor to the COIN Series. The premise of Labyrinth, design in 2009, was that the so-called “War on Terror” was a global insurgency, a conflict over the loyalties of multinational populations, using a combination of terror, guerrilla warfare, and soft power to establish the legitimacy of either to two competing ideologies—liberal democracy or fundamentalist Islamic rule.

With Andean Abyss, COIN Series Volume I, I wanted to focus in on national-level insurgency and, for greater historical fidelity, expand from 2 opposed roles to 4 factions—each with a different vision for the future of their country, in this case, 1990s-2000s Colombia.

How did the series evolve?

 

My initial intent was a series of 4 volumes, each depicting a modern insurgency in a different part of the world: Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. I expected to design all these treatments, visiting Colombia, Angola, the Philippines, and Iraq. But before Andean Abyss was even out, and got a better opportunity when Jeff Grossman stepped forward with the idea to take the system to the Cuban Revolution. And with that, I was co-designing, developing, and finally just distantly overseeing new volumes that I had never foreseen – nor could invented on my own.

We can say, without a doubt, that the COIN series is a bestseller. Did you expect this when you released the first game?

I certainly did not. Early pre-orders for Andean Abyss were quite slow. I knew that I would have to pull every trick I could think of to lure players to the realm of modern insurgency—multiplayer, 2-player, and solitaire options; attractive and easy to understand components, clear as possible play aids, and lots of tutorial and historical background material in the box. Gene Billingsley of GMT Games, once he played a prototype, thought the players would really enjoy it. And, as GMT is now delivering the COIN Series’ 12th volume, with more to come, I suppose he turned out to be right.

We know that the series attracted so much attention that it decided to release its own games, many of which are published today. What is your role as the creator of the series? Do you have the task of judging which games make it to the market, which ones aren't suitable, etc.?

I actually no longer play that role, even though new designers come to me with ideas all the time. GMT’s extraordinarily capable development chief Jason Carr has the tiller on what new volumes might join the Series. So I am in the conversation. But I have a new series called Levy & Campaign covering an entirely different kind of conflict (medieval warfare) with its 5th volume to be printed shortly and at least that many more in development. Beyond that, I am seeking to begin yet another series that concerns intelligence and reconnaissance, the first volume of which is Coast Watchers, soon ready to go into art.

Did you ever feel that the COIN label was being used for games that didn’t fit into the system? Many people have been in favor of the new Irregular Conflicts label because they felt that COIN was losing its essence.

I did not feel that, though I can understand the sentiment. I have written in C3i Magazine about my guiding philosophy of game series design: “familiar but not samey”. It means that I see a contract with the fans of a series, that each new volume should justify itself – its purchase on top of all previous volumes – by offering something substantially new. At the same time, series fans should be confident that there will be payoff to their investment in learning a game system – that each volume will be easier to learn and provide similar fun for anyone who has tried and enjoyed an earlier volume.

As long as those elements of the “contract” are met, I am happy with a new volume. Already by COIN Series Volumes V (Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection) and Volume VI (Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt against Caesar), we were using the system to explore how conflicts outside the guerrilla wars of the last 100 years might be functionally similar to or different than 1990s Colombia or 1960s Vietnam.

What can we expect from Irregular Conflicts' new label?

The developers at GMT think of the Irregular Conflicts Series as “COIN-adjacent” designs. As in Vijayanagara and Gest of Robin Hood, ICS intends to deliver COIN-Series-like dynamics of play and conflict simulation, but with streamlined rules, typically fewer players for faster play, and an even broader reach across historical situations.

What do you think about the series being used in a sci-fi game? I think this introduction of the fantasy and sci-fi genre, both in COIN and ICS, could be a great idea to attract new players since the mechanics are relatively simple and the multiplayer games fit into any library.

As I write, GMT is delivering copies of Red Dust Rebellion, COIN Series Volume XII, to players. This design, set in a classic insurgency on Mars, 225 years in the future, enjoyed unparalleled preorder support—well over 3,000 orders in the P500 system. I’m proud to say that I was involved very early on in development. But design and development team has put deep labor into this project, so I am excitedly optimistic that it will not disappoint. The strong interest in the title suggests that it will draw many new players to the COIN Series – and from there perhaps to other historical boardgames as well!

Do you hope to see more non-historical games added to the series?

Absolutely! Some of my favorite conflict simulation boardgames depict fictional settings. I have talked (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPii0Ey6n0s&t=4s) about why and how well-built worlds in science fiction and fantasy – and therefore in games that depict them – draw from human history and so can teach us about real-life human dynamics. Moreover, every new fictional conflict simulation spreads the possibility of crossover to historical games, as I mentioned for Red Dust Rebellion. May 1,000 flowers bloom.

I would like to thank Volko who takes the time to answer questions and knows that he is always welcome here.