A tactical gameplay video for Burden of Command.

loading...

World War II Tactical Leadership RPG

More information at: https://burdenofcommand.com/

Visit us on Steam at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/887490/Burden_of_Command/

The latest dev blog for Burden of Command focuses on building empathy.

[...]

In 11Bit Studios' This War of Mine, you also have pieces - a group of refugees - and a board - the fictional war-torn city of Pogoren. However, because of the way that the game builds empathy between the player and the characters they control, the player can't sacrifice their "pieces" to win like they would in a game of chess. The question of how to achieve the win state (surviving until the end of the siege) becomes more complex because the player begins to identify with the characters, thinking not only of their own victory, but the well-being of these beleaguered, relatable, but ultimately fictional souls.
The player might find themselves weighing the emotional cost of forcing a character to visit suffering on others for the sake of obtaining much needed medicine or putting their characters at risk to "be a hero". The nature of the win state itself changes. Is winning a matter of pure survival? Or is it better that they make it out with clean consciences that will let them live with themselves afterward?
The player begins thinking less like someone playing a game, and more like those who are trapped in a ruined building in a city filled with chaos.

Burden of Command is This War of Mine seen from the other side. Building bonds of empathy towards the characters under the player's command serves to turn them into more than little olive drab men on a map. In return, as the player starts to empathise with their company, they begin to feel responsible for their well-being. They begin thinking of the win state not only as a matter of taking the objective, but as a matter of bringing as many of their boys home as possible.

They begin thinking like a Company Commander.

The question for a writer then becomes which characters to focus on building empathy with. Generally speaking, the average player can maintain empathic bonds with anywhere from half a dozen to a dozen characters. Anything more and things get dicey - after all, these characters have to compete for attention with a player's real family members, friends, loved ones, and co-workers. Anything beyond those dozen characters, and players will start forgetting names, faces, and uttering the eight words no writer wants to hear: "I don't care what happens to these people".

A US army rifle company in 1944 had a total paper strength of 193. Realistically, we couldn't make every single one of them into an empathetic character - players would lose track. We had to decide who we would build our core relationships around.

[...]

Rock Paper Shotgun interviewed Luke Hughes - the project leader of the leadership RPG Burden of Command:

The Flare Path: Emotionally Authentic

Because Luke Hughes has a master’s degree in neurophysiology and psychology from Oxford, and uses terms like “emotional authenticity” when talking about his upcoming “leadership RPG” Burden of Command, I reached for my little tin of Big Questions when preparing today’s interview. Amongst the sensitive subjects discussed below: the glorification of war through video games, swearing on virtual battlefields, and why players of XCOM resemble seagulls.

RPS: How are you hoping to achieve “emotional authenticity” in Burden of Command?

Luke: By making it first and foremost a human experience rather than a tactics and strategy experience. Thanks primarily to permadeath, death has real significance in Burden of Command.

Permadeath matters not just because your player character might die but because as a leader you have to think about your NPC lieutenants and enlisted men’s deaths. You will have to consciously send men you’ve grown to like and respect into harm’s way. If they don’t come back, you can’t just reload and bring them back. Time and again vets on the team, including ones with combat tours behind them, have emphasized the importance of this aspect of command. What we call Men versus the Mission. This War of Mine, Darkest Dungeon, XCOM and of course more traditional roguelikes have employed this mechanic, but here we use it to make you think about the virtual lives you hold in your hands, not just your own.
[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Burden of Command has a new blog update. This one explains some of the decisions you will have to make in a tough flashpoint situation.

Crucible

It's a miserable day in the fall of 1943. Your company has just taken a muddy hill in Southern Italy. Suddenly, you hear the clank of Panzers rolling up the slope towards your men.

Decide

Your company doesn't have enough bazookas. If you stand and fight, your men might be slaughtered. If you give up the hill, you might expose other friendly units to a flank attack.

What do you do?

Different Styles/What will yours be?

One commander might try and hold the hill because they were ordered to do so. Another might refuse to sacrifice their men and withdraw. A third might even be relishing the idea of a fight against the vaunted Panzerwaffe. These are the different leadership styles we are trying to translate into gameplay mechanics.

Hello, we're Allen Gies and Paul Wang, the writers behind Burden of Command. If you have seen our two minute teaser, you know that this game is about leadership. How do you create RPG mechanics which can faithfully depict the thought processes of someone who leads soldiers into battle?

Our answer is something called Mindsets.

In Burden of Command, Mindsets are a character's attributes. Instead of measuring strength or agility, Mindsets reflect how a character thinks and sees the world around them. In addition, each Mindset also affects tactical combat. A Zealous officer is more effective when leading assaults, while a Compassionate officer will suffer fewer casualties.

All officers start with a Primary Mindset, which represents the way that character thought in peacetime. But war changes a person. As an officer is exposed to the realities of combat, their personality develops as a result. They gain certain new Mindsets, or reinforce existing ones through events we call Crucibles.

Take the following example:

[...]

Daveyd spotted the turn based tactical leadership RPG Burden of Command with Chris Avellone credited as a Senior Advisor:

Burden of Command Official Teaser Trailer

loading...

World War II Tactical Leadership RPG - Coming 2018.