While attending WBC in July 2022, we met up with a new designer named Christopher Moeller and discussed a few of his games, one called Brothers at War: 1862 from Compass Games, which has since been published and we played and reviewed the game, and another that he was still working on called Burning Banners. Burning Banners has now progressed and is ready for its launch on Kickstarter. We reached out to Christopher to get some inside information on the game and he was more than willing to talk about it.

If you are interested in Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link (campaign starts June 13th at 10:00am): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/compassgames/burning-banners?ref=discovery&term=Burning%20Banners

Grant: What is your new upcoming game Burning Banners about?

Christopher: Burning Banners is a fantasy wargame, with an emphasis on immersive artwork, exciting storylines and opportunities for role-playing.  Roleplaying in a war-game? What does that mean? It means that players’ imaginations allow them to become immersed in the game’s alternate reality. They can identify emotionally with the characters they command, and they care about what happens to them, whether good or bad. I don’t want players to be thinking about mechanics, or even just about winning strategies. I want them to get excited that they finally have enough gold to place a Storm Giant on the map, being careful not to have him destroy their own towns as he stomps around the map.

Grant: What does the subtitle Rage of the Witch Queen refer to?

Christopher: That’s a reference to the history driving the storyline of the game: Lilith, called the Witch Queen by human chroniclers, is a powerful undead sorceress. Five hundred years ago, she attempted to summon Scyx, the goddess of the underworld, into the physical world, during an event called the Abomination. When that failed, Lilith was exiled by her enemies. Being a vampire, she was able to lurk in remote mountains until all her enemies were dead. She gathered her strength, recruited allies, nursed her hatred of the living until the time was right to launch her second attack on the world.

Grant: What is the setting and world mythos of the game?

Christopher: Burning Banners is set in a world called Kalar. The map in the game focuses on the eastern continent of Kheros, which was colonized by the human Eastern Empire (an extension of an older Western Empire across the sea). Over the years prior to the game, the Empire has fallen on hard times, losing its northern provinces to a rebellion (resulting in the kingdom of Fiordland), its eastern marches to the Orcs, and its southern provinces to a plague (creating a matriarchal kingdom called Mara Mitai). Magic is a significant player in this world. Sorcerers on Kalar long ago discovered that there is a mirror world called Meji, a reflection of Kalar, bound to it by a flow of creation energy called the Silent Tide. Tapping into the Silent Tide is what allows mages to cast spells…the more powerful the spell, the more current from the Silent Tide must be diverted. Depending on which way the currents used are flowing, powerful spell casting can cause damage to Kalar or Meji, by preventing creation energy from reaching its destination. Storms, plagues, disease may all be caused by spellcasting in either of the two worlds.

Between the worlds is a realm of gods, powerful beings who exist within and alongside the Silent Tide and guide its currents to the places it is needed. Struggles for power between these beings can influence what happens to the tide, and to the twin worlds that it nourishes.

Grant: What was your inspiration for the game? What other fantasy wargames did you study in preparation for this effort?

Christopher: I discuss this in the designer notes: there was an amazing fantasy war-game that I played in the seventies called Divine Right published by TSR. It blew my mind as a young gamer. It accomplished what I discussed in my answer to your first question. It was a war-game that encouraged roleplaying. While I still play Divine Right and love everything about it, it does show its age mechanically. I wanted to create my own game that could fill the Divine Right niche for modern gamers.

Grant: How has your past experience with other fantasy properties such as Magic the Gathering helped you in this effort?

Christopher: My illustration career with Magic as well as lots of different roleplaying games, grew out of my love of high fantasy. I grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons, reading Lord of the Rings, Dune, and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels. I’ve always been intrigued by deeply considered alternate worlds and histories. I wrote and painted a series of science fiction graphic novels during my illustration career, which allowed me to do some of that kind of world-building. Burning Banners takes it a step further. Now I can build a fantasy world from the ground up. Not only can I create it visually, through illustration, I can create everything else as well…the magic system, the history/timeline, the heroes and armies and monsters. It’s all integrated into one unified vision. That’s a super exciting challenge to attempt.

Grant: What different units are available to players?

Christopher: There are two basic unit types: Armies and Heroes. Armies are rated by combat and movement ratings and have a number of abilities: Ranged (for armies with bows or breath weapons), Stealth (allowing armies to ambush their enemies), Flying (self explanatory, but allows armies to fly over enemy-occupied hexes and terrain obstacles) and Regeneration (allowing weakened armies to regain health). Heroes are spell casters with special powers and are unique to each kingdom. To use the game’s magic system, a player needs to have heroes on the board. They allow magic cards to be played which can influence combat and movement in powerful ways.

Grant: What are the different kingdoms?

Christopher: This game is about alliances. Up to six players can play, but they are always divided into two sides: an invader side and a resistance side. During the Great War, the resistance consisted of the Eastern Empire (a powerful but politically unstable human kingdom), Fiordland (a northern empire roughly modeled on Viking culture: sea reavers, berserkers and forest rangers), and the Oathborn (a coalition of dwarven mountain kingdoms). The invader kingdoms are the Army of the Night (a small group of vampiric sorceresses, controlling swarms of wild animals and undead ghouls), the Goblins (weak but numerous mountain tribes, including armies of plague flies and regenerating Trolls), and the Orcs (kin to the Goblins, but more powerful individually). Because Burning Banners has a fully fleshed out history, there are pre-war scenarios in which Fiordland fights the Oathborn, or the Orcs fight the Goblins.

Grant: What asymmetry is found amongst the different kingdoms?

Christopher: There are a number of elements that make playing each Kingdom a unique experience as every kingdom has its own armies, heroes and special rules. For example, the Empire has a significantly larger economic base than the other kingdoms, but it has special rules that cause its settlements to revolt during the game, harming its economy. The Empire can ignore the revolts, but if they accumulate unaddressed, they will wreak more and more havoc with the Empire’s income. On the other hand, the Shashka Kingdoms (Orcs and Goblins) are unique in that they have no economy at all! They must loot enemy towns and cities in order to get money, so their posture must be one of constant expansion. They must literally conquer or die. The Army of the Night is small and stealthy. It can establish secret covens in enemy settlements, making them vulnerable to attack and giving the vampires additional income.  

Grant: What is the counter anatomy?

Christopher: Counters are 1” in size (and the hexes on the map are equivalently large as a result). This is primarily because of the roleplaying emphasis: I wanted the isometric artwork on the counters to be detailed and evocative. Every Army has a movement rating, a combat rating, a build cost and may have one or more of the abilities listed above. Armies may also have characteristics like Feral (an army of wild creatures: wolves, insects, bats), Huge (a Giant or a Dragon), or Fragile (a one-step army that dies if it takes a single hit).

Grant: Can you share with us a few pictures of the counters?

Christopher: Here is a look at a few of the units including a Hobgoblin Army, Feral Army (Swarm of Rats) and a look at an Orc Scouts Army which is fragile.

Grant: How are units built? How do players acquire gold to pay these costs?

Christopher: Each turn has an income step during which the active Kingdom receives a set amount of gold (established at the beginning of the game and changing as settlements change hands). Kingdoms may gain additional gold by looting, exploring monster-infested lairs or through card play. One unique element of the game is that units may be built at any time during the active Kingdom’s turn, so an army could loot a town, then build an army using the looted gold. So, you’re often unsure when exactly your turn will end, because if you can scrape together some gold, you can build additional armies that can then act and maybe gain more gold.

Grant: What are Leaders? How does each differ?

Christopher: Leaders are called Heroes, and they are part of the advanced game. They are primarily spell casters, but each hero counter also has an accompanying card which outlines the hero’s unique powers. Heroes generally stack with Armies, enhancing their combat ability, giving them additional abilities and spell support.

Grant: How does combat work in the design?

Christopher: Combat is fairly straightforward. If you’ve played my previous design Brothers at War, you’ll recognize it. Each army is rated for a number of dice. This can be expanded by the play of magic cards, heroes, defensive terrain, etc.….Both players roll a handful of dice looking for successes. Each success rolled negates one of the opponent’s successes. Rolls which aren’t negated score hits. One hit will weaken an Army (flipping it over). A hit on a weakened army eliminates it.

Grant: How are both 8-sided and 6-sided dice used?

Christopher: Like in my previous game Brothers at War, all dice score successes on rolls of 5 or higher. The twist in Burning Banners is that there are two different kinds of dice: white 6-sided dice (called Light Dice) and black 8-sided dice (called Heavy Dice). Obviously, an 8-sided dice has a greater chance of rolling a 5 or higher than a 6-sided dice, so armies rated for Heavy Dice are more powerful in battle. An additional twist is the possibility of scoring Critical Hits. If a die roll results in a 7 or higher, it scores a Critical Hit. That means it scores one success plus another roll of a 6-sided dice. If that additional roll also scores a success, the critical hit results in two successes instead of one.

Grant: How are cards used in the design?

Christopher: Magic Cards in Burning Banners come in three flavors: Spells (these come out of a collective deck and are available to all players), Blessings (unique to each Kingdom, emphasizing their special rules and army types) and Treasures (gained when armies explore Lairs). Hero Cards are similar to Blessings. They come into play when a Hero does and may only be used by that Hero.

Grant: Can you share a few examples of cards and tell us how they are used?

Christopher: Sure, let’s look at a Spell, a Blessing, a Treasure and a Hero Card.

Spell: Mage Arrows

There are a number of pieces of information on this card.  Let’s start with the symbol beneath the title “Mage Arrows”: that’s the Cantrip symbol. A Cantrip is a magic card that can be played when another kingdom is active (most spells can only be played when the caster’s kingdom is active). So, Mage Arrows is a spell that can be used defensively when one of your armies is being attacked.  Next, on the left side of the card is the mage symbol (the blue star in the white circle). That means that a unit with the Mage ability is required to play this spell. The unit chosen is the spell’s “caster”. Below that symbol is the notation “2 Range”, which means that the target of the spell (in this case the target is described in the card’s text as a “unit, monster or garrison”), must be within 2 hexes of the caster. Finally, there is the text box which contains a description of the effects of the spell. The bold italic “Battle Magic” means that the spell may only be played during combat. The rest of the text explains that the target of the spell will add 1 light dice (6-sider) to its combat rating, and gain the ability Ranged. The italic text in white is flavor text.

Blessing: The Deep Paths

Blessings form small 10-card decks, available only to the indicated Kingdom. This blessing is available to the Oathborn, as indicated by the Oathborn’s crossed hammers symbol on the left-hand side of the card. In this case there is no Mage symbol on the left-hand side of the card, and no range, so a caster is not required to play it. The text box tells us how to use it. The card refers to a stack, which is a term introduced in the advanced game to mean an Army, Hero or Army plus Hero. Any Oathborn stack may be targeted by this card. It changes its printed movement ratings to 5 (quite high for Oathborn units) and may move through hexes which are usually prohibited (Lairs and enemy hexes). It does not pay any added movement costs for terrain in the hexes it moves through. The only limitation is that the movement must either begin or end in a Mountain hex. The Oathborn have a number of blessings like this, which emphasize the fact that they are a subterranean culture.

Treasure: Wizard Staff

Treasures are magic cards which are received as rewards when lairs are successfully explored. Unlike other magic cards, which are discarded when played, Treasures become “owned” when played. Owned treasures are placed in a pile next to the owning kingdom’s playmat. When magic cards are drawn during play, one owned treasure may also be retrieved (returned to the owner’s hand). In this way, treasures are magic cards that may be used multiple times, making them very powerful. This treasure has the cantrip and mage symbols, telling us that it requires a caster, and that it may be played during any kingdom’s turn. The text tells us that when the casting unit’s hex is defending against an attack or a strike (which is a special kind of attack), this card may be played to draw a Spell from the Spell Deck. Text on magic cards must be read carefully… for example, the Wizard Staff may not be played if the casting unit is attacking another unit, it may only be played when defending.

Hero Card: Cronax the Berserkir

Cronax is a Fjordland Hero. When his unit enters play, this Hero Card is placed next to the Fjordland playmat, and its power becomes available to Cronax. Hero Cards have the same type of information as Magic Cards. In this case, Song of Slaying is a cantrip, so it may be used during any Kingdom’s turn. A Hero power is always cast by the Hero whose card it is, so in this case, the text box tells us that an Army in Cronax’s hex will add 2 black heavy dice (8-sider) to its combat rating. Cronax will then be eliminated. The mage icon in the upper right corner of the card shows what Abilities Cronax has (in this case Mage, meaning that he may cast spells, blessings and treasures that have the Mage requirement).

Grant: How many maps are used? What are some the terrain types and their effects on units?

Christopher: The game includes four mounted maps that fit together to form one large map of the entire continent. These are not geomorphic maps that can be fitted together to form any number of random battlefields, they define a specific region. One of the ways I hoped to support the roleplaying element in Burning Banners was to treat the game as if it were a historical wargame, simulating a “real” history. That adds plot constraints, and a rich storytelling quality that would be lost if the maps and units were handled with less specificity. Terrain includes Wilderness (Forest, Mountain and Swamp), Sea, Coastal, Rivers (a hexside barrier) and Major Rivers (a hexside barrier plus a hex type, which may be navigated using ship movement). Settlements include Fortresses, Magical Fortresses, Wilderness Settlements, Towns, Cities and Ports.

Grant: How many scenarios are included?

Christopher: The Campaigns Book is divided into two sections: The Scrolls of Sandaria and The Chronicles of the Burning Banners. The Scrolls section includes 17 stand-alone scenarios called campaigns. These vary from one map to four maps, and from 2-6 players. They jump around in time, with several occurring prior to the outbreak of the war, and one occurring after. The beauty of the Scrolls is that you can find a game to suit nearly any situation: Do you want to play a quick game at your coffee shop? You can find it in the Scrolls: short duration, small footprint, 2 players. Do you want a big 4-player free for all? Campaign 17 was designed to provide that.

The second section, The Chronicles of the Burning Banners is divided into Chapters, each one year long, that cover the entire 12-year war. The Chapters use all four maps and all of the kingdoms that were involved during that year. Using the Chronicle, players can start at any time during the war, and follow its progress. This, again, falls under the concept of treating Burning Banners like a historical game. If this game were about World War II in Europe, you could play any portion of the historical war you wished, perhaps starting at D-Day and playing through the breakthrough at the Rhine. Or you could start with the invasion of Poland and play right through to the fall of Germany.  It’s up to you, but the entire war, or any portion of it, is available to you.

Grant: What are the differences between the Basic Game and the Advanced Game?

Christopher: The Basic Game sets aside Magic Cards, Heroes and Monsters, so that players are only dealing with Movement, Combat and Economic rules. There is no stacking to worry about. The Basic Game is designed to introduce new players to the game, but it is also a legitimate game in its own right. The Basic Game is particularly useful when playing large scenarios. These can have a sizeable footprint in the advanced game. If you don’t have sufficient table space or you want to shorten playing time, the Basic game offers a streamlined game that doesn’t take up much space. Obviously, the Advanced Game is the whole enchilada. Magic provides a powerful storytelling element in the game, as do the Heroes and Monsters.

Grant: How is victory achieved?

Christopher: Victory is campaign dependent. Sometimes it depends on controlling a certain number of Settlements, sometimes it requires forcing an enemy Kingdom into collapse. Because there are twenty-seven scenarios in total, victory conditions are quite varied.

Grant: What type of experience does the game create?

Christopher: As I talked about in the opening, I hope to create a fun, immersive, rich world for players to explore. Playtesters said several times that, when it wasn’t their turn, they would just lean in and see what was going on in their corner of the map. The forests and lakes have names, the landscape is alive with detail, there are interesting elements everywhere that reward close examination. It’s all designed to fire your imagination, tell a good story, make you cheer when you defeat the enemy, make you throw down your cards in disgust when an opponent pulls out a trick unexpectedly.

Grant: What are you most pleased about with the design?

Christopher: The sheer scale of this project didn’t really hit me until I was well into it. It ended up being much bigger, much more involved that I imagined it would be when I began. There is so much artwork! I’m supposed to be retired! But this kind of project has always been what I love. I used to spend one to two years writing and painting a single graphic novel. This feels like that… a vast, multi-disciplinary project. I began work during the pandemic, in the summer of 2020, that’s three years working on one design. I wrote, I drew, I designed, I tested… each of those was a different “hat” to wear. I loved participating in all those different ways, watching a world form slowly out of nothing into something grand and alive. I already miss it 🙂

Grant: What other designs are you working on?

Christopher: My next game is Brothers at War: 1861, which is a “prequel” to my 2022 volume Brothers at War: 1862. It will again feature four civil war battles: Bull Run, Carnifex Ferry, Wilson’s Creek and Belmont. Belmont is finished and Bull Run is undergoing testing. Since 1861 is the dawn of the war, most of the units in this volume are “green”, which makes for all sorts of interesting effects. I’m swapping out many of the Battle Cards to reflect the war’s more confused and fratricidal early period. It’s a quite different feel playing these battles versus those in the 1862 box. I’ll be heading out to Missouri in a few weeks to spend time on the Wilson’s Creek and Belmont battlefields. That’s always my favorite part of doing research for these games.

Thanks so much for your time in answering our questions Christopher and it was a great pleasure to meet you at WBC this past year! I saw this game at that time and am truly excited about playing Burning Banners. Maybe we can get a game of it in at WBC 2023 this summer?!?

If you are interested in Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link (campaign starts June 13th at 10:00am): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/compassgames/burning-banners?ref=discovery&term=Burning%20Banners

-Grant