In part two of my exclusive interview with WAR FOR EDADH publishers WarriorElite, we get a little bit more into the game itself and the unique style that really sets it apart from other fantasy games. Once again, I bring you the Pyne family.

WAR FOR EDADH has an unusually well-developed fantasy setting, yet it is far removed from the usual “orcs and elves”, post-Tolkien kind of clichés we see in games all of the time. I really get a sense that you are trying to tell an original story with the game, and that is something I definitely appreciate. What can you tell me about the origins of Edadh and what were its influences?

Nigel: We originally created the world of Edadh as the setting for an RPG we designed way back in the early ‘90s. We just wanted an alternative to the type of high fantasy that was prevalent at the time and as the guinea pigs for that RPG really got immersed into the setting we continued to develop Edadh alongside developing the game.

Although Edadh is different it has many, many influences. Hell, there are some things that you’ll definitely recognize – such as the serpentine race – and others you won’t. We haven’t totally reinvented the wheel but given it a different spin. So as we divulge more about Edadh I’m sure you’ll recognize its influences from traditional mythology, high fantasy concepts, superstition, oriental ideas on the supernatural and how to combat it – see ‘Mr. Vampire’ – Lovecraft and Errol Flynn’s ‘Robin Hood’ – for the swashbuckling style of combat you’ll get in a future release – and the list goes on. What we have done, though, is give you a different package with an underlying story that unravels as the expansions roll out. We’re excited about it and we think the gamers will too!

I didn’t really see the MR. VAMPIRE or ROBIN HOOD references…but I’ll take your word for it that the One Eyebrowed Priest and Basil Rathbone will turn up in a future expansion. There is definitely an Asian feel to it without getting into junky pseudo-Anime stylings. I appreciate that and I think it lends some originality.

Lloyd: We wanted an original gameworld – no elves, orcs or balrogs. And eventually no humans either. We started by throwing ideas onto a map. This species, that culture, etc. and proceeded to refine it over time.

We came up with a good basis for what became the RPG. We then proceeded to add further depth, but all the major elements were there by that time. After that, it was a case of continuous refinement. At one point, we sat down and went over the whole history and mythology to ensure that anything we had in the world had a damn good reason for being there. Some things changed, some didn’t. It gave the world depth.

Around that time we looked at the cultures and demanded that each be a culture we’d want to have a character originate from. If it didn’t quite appeal then we’d refine it. We wanted continuity in the look of the world so we had a thorough look at the history. We scrutinized the exact cultures that would be around in that era, in what form, what their customs were, their architecture, religion, politics, costume . . . you name it. As time passed and cultures influenced each other, we determined what new influences could be introduced and what that would mean in terms of customs, costume, language etc., for each culture in that particular age. Eventually the look and feel of all the indigenous and visiting factions in Edadh in its present age was codified, down to the little nuances. When the Edadh games reach the RPG, this will be more apparent.

Deb: Talkative little chap isn’t he?

That he is. But in that monologue alone he laid out more world-building concepts than we see in a lot of feature films or fantasy novels. There’s a real sense of time and place that this “historical” approach offers, an originality of theme that I think is lacking even in some of the best games out there. Given that so many of today’s hobby gamers ignore theme and favor “clever” mechanics and non-confrontational and uncompetitive gameplay over the kinds of stories, settings, and narratives that your game lends itself to, do you fear that some of the world-building work is going to be lost on gamers who are coming to Edadh from Eurogames?

Lloyd: Nope. Fear leads to the dark side and we wouldn’t want that now would we?

Yeah, yeah, and yeah. Fear leads to suffering, suffering leads to pain; pain leads to mathematical efficiency exercises. Or do I have that all backwards?

Nigel: I certainly don’t fear it! If it’s lost on them then so what? You can go as deep as you want to in the world. We certainly didn’t put the time and effort in to the world-building to convince gamers that they had to appreciate it – they all like to get into it their way. We created Edadh for the gamers that do like to get into theme. If theme isn’t their thing then fine, but it certainly wouldn’t prevent getting a good gaming experience with War for Edadh.

I can get with that. I think the game is interesting enough even removed from all the world-building so that even the people who only see algorithms when they play a game would enjoy it.

Lloyd: WFE is very adaptable. A player can play it quick and simple; they don’t even have to touch on the expanded rules if they don’t want. Or they can play the skirmishes and the battles, then build up to campaigns, send parties on quests and eventually revel in the fullness of the world as revealed in the Mysteries of Edadh game. Basically, WFE caters for all kinds of gamers and play preferences. It’s up to the player how far they want to take it.

And that’s something I really like about it, that it is really kind of a set of modular rules. I’ve played some of the simple skirmish games and I thought it was a good, quick game but the larger “modes” offer a lot more game if you’re willing to invest a little more time. I want to get into the look of the game some…when I first got in touch with you, you totally busted me for publicly criticizing that first image we saw of the cover, depicting the Huaos-Dzaa warrior. I thought the illustration was kind of amateurish and crude, but when I dug around on your website and finally saw the game I thought it totally worked in the larger context of the game. I’ve really come to appreciate the muted, pale color palate and the almost eerie, somewhat vague illustrations. What can you tell me about the decision to go with this particular visual style and design concept?

Deb: The style just takes a little getting used to is all. There seemed little point in replicating what was already being done so well by other people. Nigel and Lloyd’s vision for the world of Edadh was darker than other games and through the course of the design I developed an aversion to the more brightly depicted characters, they just seemed too vivid for Edadh, I felt that it needed a more ‘veiled’ style to ground it in the reality of that world. Thematically, the art and design is true to Edadh.

I think it’s really significant that there is enough of a game world there so that a statement like that has actual meaning. It does look very true to the setting, and that’s a pretty subtle thing that a lot of folks wouldn’t appreciate. It just looks right. However, I do think some of the icons, although unique and definitely Edadh-ish, are kind of hard to identify and I’ve already heard a lot of complaints about the monochrome style and typesetting. Have you had a lot of complaints?

Nigel: A lot of complaints is pushing it. Yes, there has been some criticism but it’s minimal and having surveyed this with existing gamers and the overwhelming response was that there isn’t a problem. We decided to go with this style to stand out amongst the crowd. Edadh as a setting is actually quite dark so we wanted that to carry through the design of the cards. Muted colors then also suited that criteria plus the in your face style has been done to death! The overwhelming feedback has been positive on this but with any aesthetic you’re never going to please everyone so why try?

Lloyd: Only cool people don’t have a problem with the cards.