File this one under new and interesting looking games covering a pretty iconic part of our history in World War II. In my opinion, some of the best parts of the war was the interaction between the 3 major players amongst the Allies in England, the United States and Soviet Union. Their interactions, and their leaders, all had a very interesting drama play out over the course of the war that ultimately formed and set the course for the next 50 years in the Cold War. A few months ago, I started seeing Facebook advertisements for this game called Might & Fury WWII and I was very interested. Recently, the Kickstarter campaign launched and I reached out to the designer to get some more information. I am a backer of the project, but have no other connection here, but am just sincerely interested in seeing this game get made.

If you are interested in Might & Fury WWII, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/warchronicle/mightandfury?ref=discovery

Grant: First off Bradley please tell us a little about yourself. What are your hobbies? What’s your day job?

Bradley: I’m Bradley, residing in Little Rock, Arkansas, with my young family. Beyond my IT day job, we actively engage with our local church, building relationships with the underserved downtown. Personally, I’ve discovered the joy of connecting with new people through board games, especially those with a passion for WWII history. 🙂

Grant: What motivated you to break into game design? What have you enjoyed most about the experience thus far?

Bradley: Designing a game prototype has been a delightful experience. While war games offer rich narratives, they often come with steep learning curves. My motivation was to create a quick-to-learn, 60-minute WWII game that could serve as both a social and educational tool.

Grant: What is your game Might & Fury WWII about? 

Bradley: Might & Fury WWII centers around building military decks and strategically deploying them without revealing your full hand to the enemy. The game features Axis vs. Allied teams racing to complete routes before engaging in a decisive battle for victory.

Grant: What does the title of the game reference?

Bradley: “Might and Fury” loosely references Churchill’s quote: “The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.”

Grant: Why was this a subject that drew your interest? 

Bradley: WWII, being one of the most profound eras in human history, has inspired me through visits to museums, absorbing content, and exploring on-site locations like the topography of terror and Dachau concentration camp. These experiences have influenced various aspects of the game.

Grant: What is your design goal with the game?

Bradley: Might & Fury WWII aims to position players in the position as key leaders in the war, including Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Tojo, Stalin & Mussolini, requiring an understanding and strategic utilization of available assets to overcome the enemy’s strategy. The game also emphasizes the ability to rebuild after losses to maintain offensive momentum.

Grant: What other games inspired you in making this game?

Bradley: While many games have provided inspiration, if I were to attribute three, it would be Axis & Allies, Catan, and Ticket to Ride.

Grant: As a collaborative board game how do players work together?  

Bradley: One of the best parts of the game is the ability for players to play cooperatively with their allies and to strategize and plan their moves on the board. Players can engage in table talk, trade to bolster each other’s military, and strategically use tactical cards to manipulate battle outcomes. The game is best played by those who have the desire to collaborate.

Grant: Can individuals come out on top with a victory?

Bradley: Certainly, individuals must win battles to place victory markers and halt advancing enemy routes.

Grant: What are the three pivotal operations or aspects to the game?

Bradley: First off is Launching a Campaign where players will build an entry-level military deck to receive your classified route assignment.

Next is Route Completion where collaboration between allies is encourage to secure key strategic victories and outmaneuver the advancing enemy forces.

Finally, all things lead to the Final Battle where players will harness all available military resources to mount a decisive assault, bringing an end to the enemy campaign and seizing ultimate victory.

Grant: What type of cards do players have access to?

Bradley: There are 3 types of different cards available including Character Cards, Military Cards and Tactical Cards.

Military Cards consist of Axis and Allied-based Infantry, Sailors, and Pilots.

Tactical Cards are like events that provide bonuses or other benefits. These are key to making sure your units can carry out their assigned campaigns.

Grant: How do tactical cards support the military units? 

Bradley: There are 16 tactical cards which can be purchased and used to manipulate gameplay such as a ‘Medic’ to return lost military cards, a ‘Cyanide Pill’ to force a draw, or ‘Operation Fortitude’ where a team member fights the battle in your place.

Grant: How does the game use miniatures and 3D terrain? 

Bradley: A 3D board enhances the gaming experience, showcasing details like a desolate rubble town (Stalingrad) or a Japanese carrier under torpedo fire (Midway). Victory markers are inserted authentically much like staking a flag in the ground, and losing players place miniatures on battle locations during rebuild phases.

Grant: What different abilities do the characters possess?

Bradley: Each of the characters starts with a unique Tactical Card, such as Churchill’s ‘Radar’ or Hitler’s ‘Blitzkrieg.’ These provide the player with a unique and very useful ability that is key to their strategy.

Grant: What role do Top-Secret Folders play in the game? How does the process of deploying these work to create the fog of war?

Bradley: They lock in battle submissions, concealing attack strategies, and expose losing players’ cards while revealing winning players’ strategies.

Grant: How are battles decided?

Bradley: Battles are decided based on the number of infantries, planes, or ships at each location. For example, in Normandy if a player submits 1 pilot (1 point per card) 1 sailor (2 points per card) and 2 infantries (2 points per card) then their score will be 7. The player with the highest score wins the battle.

Grant: How is ultimate victory determined?

Bradley: The final battle combines all Military Cards from one team against the collective forces of the opposition team, uniting teams’ efforts for a climactic conclusion.

Grant: What parts of your project will use AI generated content?

Bradley: Military Cards and background imagery – Our graphic design lead has utilized image generation technology from Midjourney to generate the foundational imagery for the Military Card Deck, which then underwent additional refinements through internal editing. 

Grant: Why include any use of AI in this project? 

Bradley: We felt it was essential to increase the quality of the product while also passing through a meaningful reduction in price to backers.

Grant: What type of experience does the game create?

Bradley: It creates an experience where there is always a path to victory and new players have a decent shot at beating an experienced player with a well developed strategy. 

Grant: What do you feel the game design excels at?

Bradley: Forcing conflict. As the game progresses tactical nuances surface, revealing opponents’ strategies and creating opportunities to exploit weaknesses. The game’s evolving dynamics keep players engaged and invested in the unfolding narrative.

    I know that the campaign is about 30% funded with about two week to go so give it a look if you are interested and we will see what happens. I want to thank Bradley for his time in answering our call to do a designer interview and I wish him luck in the campaign.

    If you are interested in Might & Fury WWII, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/warchronicle/mightandfury?ref=discovery

    -Grant