Interview with Carl Paradis designer of Battle Commander and more

I have the pleasure of interrogating, sorry, interviewing Carl Paradis about his latest efforts and wargaming and design in general.

1.Now that we have you safely strapped into the chair, I hope the straps are not too tight yet. As you can see, we have a very well-appointed dungeon. We have thumbscrews, heated pincers, a new rack, and the equipment for strappado. It is unfortunate that the Iron Maiden and the Pear of Anguish are actually newer fakes. We try to be as historically accurate here as possible. So, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got trapped into the money pit that is wargaming. Or will we be forced to use the 'Comfy Chair' on you?

LOL! Oh, I’m not scared, at all, I think… +20 years in wargame design has me pretty much inured to most bad happenstances that could befall me; that and my +35 years in Engineering… Bring in the pain! C’est la guerre!

As for Dungeons, I started as an AD&D Dungeon Master in 1977, so I might have a trick or two, or more, that I can teach you amateurs!

2.There now, just breathe and we will continue. Your designs seem to cover a large swath of history. Is there any era of history that you enjoy the most?

Sure, but be careful what you ask for, gentle sir: my “Dragon Breath” spell always needs to be practiced now and then; DM professionalism and all that.

BUT, excellent question: I definitely enjoy WW2 a lot, as it’s part of my family’s history. Still, my favorite period is Napoleonic, bar none. I also like Naval and Air Warfare games; albeit for the latter that are not that many designs published, but this is rapidly changing. In fact, most of the other periods also interest me in a way or other, like for my recent American Civil War interest. They are all so fascinating! The only exception would probably be modern-era conflicts: hits too close to home, I guess.

3.Here you go, just take a sip of water before we turn the rack one more tiny little crank. Please tell us more about your new game Battle Commander.

Thanks for the water, it’s a little bit stale, but hey, way better than some vintages I tasted. Care to add a bit of lemon to it, please? Or Vampire blood? Always good for complexion. As for your rack: surprisingly comfortable I say, was more than reading some badly informed gamers’ reviews about my designs for sure!

Battle Commander? So much to tell! And you have already said lots already. Let’s just say that I started the project by accident, at the demand of a publisher, and it was supposed to je just a tiny mini-game with just one battle (Marengo) but Napoleonic's being my favorite topic it quickly ballooned out of proportion and became a series, and I have to find a new editor: Sounds of Drums happily obliged. So, this will be, hopefully, a huge series of black-powder era battle games, each featuring a dozen battles or so. Painted-on wood blocks, event cards, no dice, mounted boards, 3D player mats, all super deluxe, the works! It’s all in chronological order for the Napoleonic series. Check it all on BoardGameGeek, where I’m very active, and on Sound of Drums’ website.

4.Can we force you, pardon the expression, to discuss any additional games in the Battle Commander line?

I’m now doing the Napoleonic wars in chronological order. Napoleon’s 1st and 2nd Italian campaign battles were covered in Vol I, with an expansion pack added, and a second expansion coming later this year. Volume II is almost ready, and will feature Battles of the Second and Third coalitions; so the Pyramids, Austerlitz, Novi, etc… Then the Fourth coalition1806-1807 battles for Vol III, like Iena Auerstadt, Eylau, Friedland. Then in Vol IV we’ll travel to the Spanish Peninsula, where the Emperor’s English foes will make a splash appearance.

Ah yes: I’ll soon start some Volumes for the American Civil War, with lots of expansions. The first will cover an eclectic mix of fights, like First Bull Run, Pea Ridge, Antietam, South Mountain, and many others. The rules will be simpler than the Napoleonic series, as I need less “special Stuff” to make it all work correctly. If customers answer the call, we can soldier on to other epochs, like the 30 years wars, American Independence etc. We’ll see soon enough!

5. Thank you so much and I hope that this experience was as engaging for you as it was for me. Do you have anything else to add?

Well, first a big thanks for looking at my little games! I’m a player first, game designer second, and I make designs I want to play. If other gamers like what I do, so much the better (plus it gets me published!). I push for playability, historical pageantry and realism, always with the best possible game components.

If I may, some parting words of advice:

“To be a good soldier* you need: heart of a lion, the feet of an hare, and the appetite of an ant.” Napoléon

* or a good game designer. LOL!

Vive l’Empereur!

Carl Paradis

Québec Canada