TANKS Q&A with Andrew Haught

Hello All

With TANKS released at the end of the month it seemed like a good idea to find out a little more about the game. A quick email over to BF HQ and Andrew Haught very kindly answered a few questions about the game. Here is our little Q&A.

Where did the idea for the game come from?

The game started off as a small project with a very basic plan but once we started the project most of thestudio took notice and joined in the creative process. In the end, we ended up with a game so much bigger than we originally planned and it now required a much different release plan.

 What influenced the game design?

So many things influenced us; we basically made the game that we in the studio really wanted to play. We were inspired by games like Flames of War, Wings of Glory, X-Wing, World of Tanks, Warmachine and Attack Wing along with other media, the movie Fury had recently come out and we drew from that. Those are just the tip of the iceberg since so many of us in the studio worked on the project the list of things that inspired us is massive.

 How does the game play?

The rules of the game itself are simple, and it’s easy to get started right away. The thing I love about TANKS, it’s quick in all senses of the word, it’s quick to build your army, its quick to set up a game, and the gameplay is quick. This is the sort of game you can play on your 30 min lunch breaks.

 What’s the idea behind the Organized Play kits?

As players ourselves, we asked ourselves what we like about these sorts of games and what we wanted to add to the genre. We came up with a unique organized event structure that is centred on a mini-campaign structure that will reward players for more than just playing games but for the hobby aspect of the game as well.

 Each month will have a unique mission themed to the campaign, each mission will also have some new terrain that can be used In that mission or core missions from the rulebook. Each month has prizes and each season has overall prizes.

 How much do we need to get started?

The starter set is enough for two players to play some basic games, adding 2-3 tanks to each platoon and some upgrade cards will get each player to 100 points games. 

 Briefly, can you describe how each nation plays and their strengths and weaknesses?

Yes, each nation in the game has a unique trait given to all their tanks.

Germans gain extra movement in the Command step, this allows them to get objectives faster and secure cover before their opponents can. To use this ability they need to give up the option to repair themselves so later in the game you might have to make some tough choices.

Americans are really deadly on the move, their first movement each turn does not penalize their own shooting, so they tend to be constantly moving. Moving though means they give up the option of re-rolling their attack dice.

British tanks are really good when they remain stationary; they get a better stationary shot than anyone else. This means they a likely to have less defensive dice so return fire is more likely to hit them.

Soviets are great when they stick together and focus on single targets, they get +1 attack when targeting a tank that has already been shot by another friendly soviet tank within close range.  Of course this means they are likely to be bunched up and all heading somewhere together.

 What is your favourite point’s level?

My personal favourite point level is 125 points, I  just like bigger games. As a Studio, we agree the game seems to work well at 100 points as it makes for quick and interesting games. 

 Which nation did you enjoy playing the most?

It’s hard to choose one; I will end up playing all of them. As for playstyle, the Americans fit my personal playstyle best, that and I love the Super Perishing.

 What can we expect for the future of Tanks!?

Right now we have a lot coming out, four countries and loads of tanks. As for Organized Player Seasons, we have the first four seasons (each season is 3 months) planned out.

 We are currently playtesting the next wave of tanks but rest assured as new plastics come out for Flames of War you can expect them to appear in TANKS.

A big thank you to Andrew for answering the questions. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on TANKS, so keep an eye out for an unboxing very soon.

Ben