VBAM Games Announces Second Edition in the Works

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Tyrel Lohr
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VBAM Games Announces Second Edition in the Works

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


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Phone: (307) 334-3190
Email: shop@vbamgames.com
Website: http://www.vbamgames.com

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VBAM Games Announces Second Edition in the Works


LUSK, WYOMING, USA, February 20, 2009 – Victory by Any Means Games, Inc. (“VBAM Games”) is excited to announce that development has officially begun on a new edition of the company’s eponymous flagship strategic campaign system. This new line of campaign products, to be released under the VICTORY BY ANY MEANS SECOND EDITION label, will update the venerable Victory by Any Means Campaign System with a special emphasis on both integrating additional content released after the initial CAMPAIGN GUIDE; and streamlining the overall gameplay experience.

“In approaching a Second Edition, nothing is sacred,” says Tyrel Lohr, one of the developers working on this new project. “We are taking a fresh look at the campaign system, and asking ourselves which rules we as players consider fundamental to the game experience. We will then make sure that these core gameplay elements form the foundation of the new edition. While many elements are still up in the air, players can expect some major changes going from First Edition to Second Edition.”

A new edition of the CAMPAIGN GUIDE will function as the cornerstone of the new Second Edition release. This new core rule book will provide the player with all of the rules necessary to play a strategic campaign using the Victory by Any Means Campaign System. To this end, the CAMPAIGN GUIDE will integrate many of the advanced or optional rules that were previously found in other VBAM Games campaign products.

Lohr says, “It is our desire to make the new CAMPAIGN GUIDE as complete a release as possible so that players will only have to buy a single book to gain access to rules that were originally spread across several books in the previous edition.” For example, the advanced star system generation rules from the CAMPAIGN MODERATOR’S COMPANION will be included in the CAMPAIGN GUIDE as integral system generation options.

This new edition will also address one of the acknowledged weaknesses of the existing campaign rules: the lack of an integrated technology and ship construction system. The tech system included in the new CAMPAIGN GUIDE will allow powers to research dozens of technologies in order to improve the quality or capabilities of their ships, fighters, and ground forces. The use of fixed unit lists, with availability based on “in-service dates,” will become an optional rule in the new product.

But why a Second Edition? “This previous year, we have all come to terms with the fact that it is time to revisit the campaign rules,” says Jay Waschak, President of VBAM Games. “The rules have existed in one form or another for over five years, and the campaign system itself has come a long way since the initial CAMPAIGN GUIDE release in 2004. VICTORY BY ANY MEANS SECOND EDITION will allow us to address criticisms of the existing version of the campaign system, while also offering an opportunity to improve the organization and integration of our campaign product line.”

Existing customers, especially new players that only recently purchased campaign rules, will wonder how the announcement of a Second Edition will affect them. “Obviously, we don’t have any plans to release any additional First Edition products,” Waschak says. “However, VBAM Games remains committed to its established customer base, and we will be making ‘update packs’ available for existing customers that will allow them to take advantage of the new features that will be included in Second Edition. For example, the redesigned Campaign Strategic Combat Resolution (CSCR) module for Second Edition will be released for free to our existing fans prior to the release of Second Edition, along with updated force lists for our existing First Edition campaign supplements. This will allow First Edition players to enjoy some of the new features from Second Edition without having to purchase a new set of rules.”

VBAM Games expects the new edition of its CAMPAIGN GUIDE to be released sometime in Q4 2009. A number of additional VICTORY BY ANY MEANS SECOND EDITION campaign products have been tentatively scheduled for development in parallel with the CAMPAIGN GUIDE, and these products will be released in the months following the initial release of the CAMPAIGN GUIDE. These campaign products include:

CAMPAIGN MODERATOR’S COMPANION (SECOND EDITION): As in the previous edition, this product will include advanced optional rules for use with the Victory by Any Means Campaign System. However, this book will also provide additional insights into how to run a successful campaign.

THE MENAGERIE (SECOND EDITION): This new edition to the First Edition favorite will introduce some fundamental changes to how alien species are depicted in campaigns. Six orders of life (Carbon, Silicon, Exotic, Hydrogen, Synthetic, and Transcendent) will be introduced, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. New and updated traits will further differentiate these species, ensuring that no two empires will play the same.

ENGINEERING MANUAL: While the CAMPAIGN GUIDE will include the fundamentals of the planned tech system, this product will provide an expanded look at the strange and alien technologies that players can encounter or develop over the course of a campaign – from cloning armies to deploying wormhole weapons.

THOSE WHO SERVE: This book will include the Second Edition rules for elite officers and crews, and provides an interesting synthesis of the rules previously found in the CAMPAIGN MODERATOR’S COMPANION, TERRAN CIVIL WAR, and FIRE AS SHE BEARS EDITION.

STAR CHARTS: At long last, an atlas of nearby space – with star maps and system data – will finally see release. This product will make playing campaigns in the solar neighborhood that much easier for moderators and players alike.

While it has been mostly silent for the last two years, VBAM Games is committed to keeping players informed about Second Edition’s development. Between now and the Q4 2009 release date, the Second Edition development team will be posting weekly updates to the VBAM Games blog (blog.vbamgames.com). Each of these updates will contain not only a general update of the status of various projects, but each week developers will discuss specific changes that are planned for implementation in Second Edition. This will give customers an opportunity to track what is happening in the new edition and offer feedback prior to release.

“Fan response and interaction is very important to us,” says Lohr. “Most of us started off as fans of the system before we became involved on the development side, and everyone brings a unique perspective to the table. It always amazes me how we as players can collectively collaborate to create new content for the game system. In fact, I think it is that kind of creative energy that has fueled the campaign system from the beginning.”

Want to join the discussion about VICTORY BY ANY MEANS SECOND EDITION? Visit us online:

VBAM Games Forums
http://forums.vbamgames.com

VBAM YahooGroup:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/VBAM/


COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
© 2002-2009, VBAM Games, Inc. VICTORY BY ANY MEANS, the VICTORY BY ANY MEANS CAMPAIGN GUIDE and all related indicia are © VBAM Games, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Charles Lewis
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Post by Charles Lewis »

This can also be seen on The Miniatures Page
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Post by MadSeason »

I look forward to it, guys. Love the system but some of the changes you are talking about will also be welcome.

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Post by Tyrel Lohr »

MadSeason wrote:I look forward to it, guys. Love the system but some of the changes you are talking about will also be welcome.
In establishing a general outline of the new rules, one thing that I can see that will be very nice is integrating the more popular rules from the Companion back into the main book. Reorganization is also going to help make the book easier to read. For example, all of the rules pertaining to colonies and colonization will be moved to its own chapter.

If you have any "wants" for 2E, be sure to post them over in the Second Edition Discussion forum. We want to make sure we address everything that players have had problems with so far in 1E.

-Tyrel
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Post by murtalianconfederacy »

Going to have to try and save up then...

I can see three must-haves, two might-haves and one optional goody. CG, CMC and MN are the must-haves, EM and TWS the might-haves and SC I'm not that bothered with, but will get if I can.

My wallet isn't liking this...:)
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Post by MarkG88 »

Guys, I like the new logo for the 2.0 VBAM line. 8)
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Post by MadSeason »

I second the comment about the new logo!
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Post by wminsing »

Looking forward to seeing the system updated! I love it, but it definitely has some rough patches.

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Post by Tyrel Lohr »

wminsing wrote:Looking forward to seeing the system updated! I love it, but it definitely has some rough patches.
That's putting it lightly. Jay and I both found sections of the old rules that are more than slightly obtuse, he when writing Federation Admiral and I when working on my own Astronomicon personal project. There are even a few sections in 1E where we are still referencing miniatures being on a map (oi!).

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Post by gambler »

I'm definitely looking forward to this, and would be happy to help as far as 'editing'. My real job has some technical writing requirements and I think I'm a decent editor (of other people's writing, not my own!) I would certainly recommend sending it out to at least a few people besides yourselves for editing, when you get that far.

One of the things (besides too many other interests and activities!) that has kept me from pursuing a solitaire campaign in VBAM was the rules, which while very intriguing and innovative, are obtuse in parts and poorly organized in others.

DEFINITELY create examples (and make sure those are gone over with a fine tooth comb, nothing confuses more than when an example is wrong). If it's a space issue, perhaps offer some of the more 'comprehensive' examples as a PDF file.

If possible, 'link examples', so that each one is part of the same 'sample game' (I believe this may have been done in Edition 1). The one nice thing about examples in a large rulebook is that it breaks up the flow a bit and makes things easier to read. Examples should also be separated from the main text, whether by shaded boxes, or some other manner (they may have been, but for some reason I'm not sure if they were).
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Post by Tyrel Lohr »

gambler wrote:I'm definitely looking forward to this, and would be happy to help as far as 'editing'. My real job has some technical writing requirements and I think I'm a decent editor (of other people's writing, not my own!) I would certainly recommend sending it out to at least a few people besides yourselves for editing, when you get that far.
Once we get a first draft put together, we are probably going to find people interested in editing and playtesting and get the ball moving. I am not sure if we have decided for sure how we are going to run things, but there is the possibility that we might do like we did with the Menagerie and just throw an early draft out there and see who has time to test and edit while we work on doing our own internal work. Then, those who provide good feedback and edits would be the ones that get newer edits emailed to them.
gambler wrote:One of the things (besides too many other interests and activities!) that has kept me from pursuing a solitaire campaign in VBAM was the rules, which while very intriguing and innovative, are obtuse in parts and poorly organized in others.
The original structure of the rules can be very hard to decipher. The new structure compartmentalizes concepts into their own chapters. For example, you will have a single chapter about Colonies, with all of the rules about how to create them, what the stats mean, etc. all in one place.

As for solo campaigns, I hope to write quite a bit more guidance as to how to run a solo campaign. That will appear either in the Companion or as a cheap electronic-only release, depending on how voluminous I am when I start writing :) I think there are enough topics to cover that I could probably write an entire book focusing solely on solo campaigning.
gambler wrote:DEFINITELY create examples (and make sure those are gone over with a fine tooth comb, nothing confuses more than when an example is wrong). If it's a space issue, perhaps offer some of the more 'comprehensive' examples as a PDF file.
I hope to end up creating linked examples, as you mentioned, and maintaining a consistent narrative or frame a reference throughout the book, all of which would tie in to the sample source materials included in the book. That should increase consistency within the rules, and also help to reinforce the subject matter.

Comprehensive examples, such as a long-form explanation of the CSCR, probably would have to be moved into being web-only player resources, simply because they can get so long and wordy, especially if you have to start adding lots of charts and tables. Charts and tables really are the bane of layout as far as I am concerned; you have to have them, but they take up a lot of space. That is part of the reason that I have been really pushing for the VBAM 2E unit stats to start looking more like stat blocks from a traditional RPG -- harder to compare/contrast values, but easier to display on the page, and the tabular versions can be included as resources elsewhere outside the interior layout of your rules document.

Finally, as for separating out examples, I plan on having all examples be slightly inset from the column margins and in a different font. That way, examples will be instantly obvious as your eye scans the page.
gambler wrote:The cake is a lie
Perhaps the lie is a cake, and you've simply not noticed how moist and delicious it is until now?

-Tyrel
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