Games People Play:
An interview with Conquest Gaming
Conquest Gaming is an up and coming game corporation based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that specializes in developing and producing surprisingly compelling historical-based military strategy games. At the helm of Conquest Gaming are three young men who are bursting with enthusiasm for this remarkably entertaining and quickly growing sport. Recently, Graphic Dispatch Monthly had the opportunity to interview one-third of this ambitious trio- Russ Rupe.

GDM: How did Conquest Gaming get started?
CG: Three guys wanted to build a game that incorporated the best parts of several of our favorite strategy board games such as Axis and Allies, Shogun, and RISK.

Kyle Ken Russ

GDM: Three guys, huh? Who are these guys?
CG: Kyle Battle, Ken Griffin, and Russ Rupe

GDM: You have a guy in your company named "Kyle Battle"?
CG: Yes, I [Russ] am the only one without a cool last name.

GDM: Yea, I know what a Battle and a Griffin are, but what is a Rupe?
CG: A good Irish name.

GDM: So, for as cool as "Battle Griffin Gaming" would have been, you had to mess it up by having a good Irish name, huh?
CG: We spent quite a long time discussing our war game company's name, actually. We tried many combos of our last names, but nothing ever clicked for us until one of us said we need a strong word like "conquest." Of course, this was after we had shelved our first game, Warlords of Europe, which is exactly what we designed it to be: the best strategy war game ever. Unfortunately, Warlords remains on the shelf until we can fund getting pieces made. Each game requires 600 plastic miniatures. So, a little put off by the high cost of plastic injection molds, we began designing expansion games for Axis and Allies and RISK. We have 4 expansion-type games. We then were able to put together two complete games with their own pieces, so we currently have six for sale.

GDM: How long has Conquest Gaming been in existence?
CG: The copyright to Operation Barbarossa is 1998. We formed the Company in 2000. We became a LLC in 2002

GDM: So, you guys have been doing this a while.
CG: We've been selling games for a few years. We've been playing them all our lives.

GDM: I know that strategy war games like the ones you just mentioned are very popular, and seem to have wide spread appeal. Why is that?
CG: Many people like the challenge of conquest without the blood of actual fighting. Historical war games appeal to the "armchair quarterbacks" as well. Simply put, many board games don't require a lot of thought and are largely luck and not so much skill based.

GDM: So, strategy war games have a long history?
CG: I suppose chess is the oldest war game I'm aware of. I have a copy of RISK from the 1950's. Chess and checkers are probably the oldest strategy games still played today.

GDM: Is RISK the "grand daddy" of them all?
CG: I'm really not sure on that, but I know A&A came quite a bit later.

GDM: You're talking about Axis & Allies?
CG: Yes. It really is the standard for the genre. RISK is far too random. It's a strategy game for "newbies".

GDM: Earlier you used the term "expansion game." Explain to me what an expansion game is.
CG: Simply put, you provide your own pieces. We design the game using our own A&A set or RISK set or Shogun set or some combination of the three. We only sell the extra stuff. In some cases, it's just a map and rules. In other games, we include markers or a deck of game cards.

GDM: So, you are basically souping up an existing game?
CG: Not really. We're building a new game that uses units that happen to fit well with pieces from another game. This is most evident in our RISK expansions, which require the modern version of RISK containing Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry pieces, yet none of our RISK expansions play anything like RISK. They just use those types of units. Currently, both our RISK expansion games are built around the US Civil War period, however, most of our A&A expansions do use a modified A&A combat system, so A&A experience is a must.

GDM: So, is Conquest Gaming a part of a larger expansion game trend?
CG: There have been several other expansion game companies before us, and we also resell someone else's new A&A expansion on our website. Some of the others do come with extra pieces that are similar to A&A pieces. Some don't.

GDM: It sounds like you guys are not letting your lack of slick packaging and unique game pieces stand in the way of your producing games.
CG: We started off with printing our own games and laminating them by hand. Most of them sell in a poly bag. We have recently gotten one of our expansions, Conquest of the Pacific, printed and boxed professionally.

GDM: So, when do most of your ideas for new games come to you? While napping in church?
CG: Close. Most come when lying in bed awake. Insomnia is inspirational…that's how I got involved, actually.

GDM: How's that?
CG: Ken and Kyle started Warlords of Europe, and I test played it once; went home and couldn't sleep, and laid awake thinking up better rules for it. I got up and wrote them down, and after a few more gaming sessions, they asked me to join them if they could market it.

GDM: So, you joined the crew later. You're sort of the Ringo Starr of the group then?
CG: Right. Kyle lived a year or two in southern Texas. That's where he came up with the Barbarossa concept. When he got back, he and I really hammered it out, then toward the end, he and Ken put the finishing touches on it.

GDM: It sounds like you fellows have a real passion for what you do. Do the three of you have other jobs while you're waiting for Conquest Gaming to grow?
CG: It would be safe to say that our goal is to grow Conquest Gaming LLC to the point where we can make gaming our full time jobs, but in the mean time, we have day jobs. Ken is an elementary school principal. Kyle is a professional pilot. Russ is a computer network administrator.

GDM: Sounds like a diverse group. Do your games have similar wide appeal?
CG: The strategy game genre has a fairly wide following. We have also ventured into the children's market with T-Rex.

GDM: Tell me more about T-Rex. That's a dinosaur game?
CG: It's billed as a child's first strategy game. Much of the game is based on die rolls, however there's a lot more going on than just racing from one side of the board to the other. Each player takes turns moving the T-Rex who can "eat" the other dinos on their journey to the warmer climates of the south.

GDM: These are kids who are going to grow up and buy your other games someday, right? That's thinking ahead!
CG: We sure hope so!

GDM: Well, kids love dinosaurs.
CG: Yep. Like I said earlier, it really is a pretty fun game for adults to play along with their kids.

GDM: How is developing a children's game different? Seems like getting inside the mind of a kid would be an interesting challenge.
CG: We mostly just designed a game around the concept of using dinos and the T-Rex specifically as a special "unit." Then we play tested it with several groups of kids.

GDM: It seems like so many children's games are so pointless.
CG: Either pointless or totally random. Sometimes you should just each roll a die and call the high roller the winner and don't bother wasting the time playing the actual game.

GDM: As an elementary principle, does Ken have special insight into the children's game sector, and are there more plans for additional children's games?
CG: He certainly has access to several groups of play testers. The children's market seems to be one that is very large. It wouldn't surprise me at all if one of us got inspired to create more kid's games.

GDM: It sound like your guys have really struck up a winning combination. What are each of your roles in the company, and what do each of you bring to the table?
CG: Kyle handles fulfillment of orders. Ken and Kyle handle production since I've moved to Ohio. I handle the web page and our e-commerce solution. As far as game development, we all have created games almost single-handedly, and we have also collaborated entirely on the creation of games. It's interesting that both methods have worked.

GDM: OK, here's a loaded question: I understand that this is largely subjective, but what makes for a good game?
CG: Balance. Both sides need to feel like they can win if they play well, not just roll the dice well.

GDM: The right mix of strategy and luck?
CG: Yes, most games do have random elements, however strong play in the long term should overcome bad luck in the short term. The feeling that you can re-write history is also the stuff of great games. In Operation Barbarossa, perhaps you as Germany can take Moscow?

GDM: Sounds like actual history and geography plays an important role in most of your games.
CG: Many of our games are "inspired" by history, but don't follow it to the letter. The same can be said of our concept of geography. We have always taken the attitude that a fun game is more important than historical or geographical perfection, and a lot of the geography simply has to be changed to be playable. Hawaii, for instance, has to be fairly large to "hold" all of the troops on it that need to go there. This makes it much larger on our map than on a true globe.

GDM: OK, if you were going to be stuck on a desert island for a while, what games would you take with you (assuming the monkeys can learn how to play and don't just shove the dice up their noses)?
CG: If we're talking board games, then I'd take Warlords of Europe, Settlers of Catan, A&A, and Empire Builder. There are a handful of card games I'd want, and of course a few computer games (the monkeys can run in a little wheel to generate electricity).

GDM: You've sold nearly 1000 games in just a few years as a very small gaming company, which is impressive. Why do people like your games so much?
CG: Our games are completely original, very challenging, and extremely well balanced.

GDM: Staying power?
CG: I think so. Knowing you have a good chance of winning if you play well, and knowing you will likely get a very different game every time is what keeps people playing them.

GDM: Are those common themes in all your games?
CG: Yes. A scripted outcome is the most common fault of pre-set strategy games like A&A. Even RISK or Monopoly have very predictable outcomes: someone is going to get a key trade in on cards...someone is going to hole up in Australia...someone is going to get a grip on the orange and red properties around Free Parking which will likely turn the tide for them.

GDM: Do you have certain guidelines for good gaming that you try to incorporate into all your games? In other words, do you have an overall philosophy that guides your game development?
CG: Creating balance in every area is probably our underlying theme. Balance between one side of a conflict and the other, and balance between attention to geographic/historical accuracy and fun game play are probably our most easily recognizable themes.

GDM: So you can't wait to play again, even if you lose?
CG: That's the idea. Because, "if I just did X differently, or if I had guarded Y better...I would have won."

GDM: I think you just hit on a key component of your game development strategy.
CG: You're right about that.

GDM: What kind of feedback to you get from folks who play your games?
CG: Very positive.

GDM: Have you ever modified the rules of a game based on feedback from the public?
CG: Not specifically, but we've taken some of it and some house rules and posted it on our website. In general, people wanted rules for artillery added in when the new A&A:Europe set came with artillery pieces, so did we.

GDM: Seems like "house rules" and rule variations are pretty common in just about all games.
CG: Yes. Most people don't even know the real rules to Monopoly.

GDM: Like, you don't put money on free parking?
CG: Right. Free Parking gets you no reward. Property not bought when landed on is put up for auction. When you get out of jail on the 3rd roll, if you don't roll doubles, you have to pay $50 anyway. Despite all this, we still play with $500 on Free Parking.

GDM: Well, sure, to do otherwise is un-American. When you think about it, Monopoly isn't a very good economic model.
CG: No, and it usually ends up based largely on luck of the dice, similar to RISK.

GDM: Yea, and who builds four green houses every time they want to construct a red hotel?
CG: Good point.

GDM: It seems like an important mix for a good game is a certain amount of plausible reality.
CG: I'd say so. People like to make believe, but they do need some framework of plausible reality.

GDM: Well, you guys at Conquest Gaming have really stuck with it over the years. What advice would you give someone who is thinking about pursuing his own gaming ideas on a shoestring budget?
CG: All it takes is a decent printer to produce expansion games, so anyone is potentially $500 away from being the next game designer. Those are expensive shoestrings, though.

GDM: But it sounds like you guys are in it for the long haul, and not necessarily expecting an immediate large pay off.
CG: Certainly. We know it will take time for word of mouth to build about our games. There's really only so much we can do. Ultimately, good games sell themselves. Take Settlers of Catan for instance [a game Russ and I love, by the way]: I've sold at least 5 of those things and I know you've sold a bunch too…

GDM: Sure, perhaps 10 or 15 between us.
CG:…right, and I can think of 3 other people who learned the same night as me who bought sets, so the guy who introduced me easily has 20-30 children/grand children sets.

GDM: So, I suppose it's conceivable that some of your games could really jump in popularity, given the right exposure.
CG: I'd like to think so. Many of our games do suffer from their "home made" look. It will be interesting to see how the new boxed Conquest of the Pacific does. Also, the rule of thumb for any game is that your production cost needs to be 1/8th to 1/10th the retail price.

GDM: Ah. Interesting. So, as you sell more games, your margins will get better. Well, many products have spent several years in the garage before moving to the assembly line.
CG: Yes, let's hope that ours don't spend too much longer there.

GDM: How much do your games cost?
CG: Between $10 and $30

GDM: So, for less than the cost of a dinner out or a couple of movie tickets, they can purchase years worth of engaging entertainment. Sounds like a bargain.
CG: That's the way I see it. Get a Conquest Game and a frozen pizza and stay in rather than go out and you've just about paid for it.

GDM: One last question: Ginger or MaryAnn?
CG: That's a tough one because the obvious answer is MaryAnn. But since everyone else would choose her, I could have Ginger to myself.

GDM: Now I know why you're so good at strategy games! Well, Russ, thanks for your time. I really learned a lot, and good luck to you, Ken, and Kyle.
CG: You're welcome…glad to do it.

To learn more about the world of military strategy games, Conquest Gaming, and how to purchase their games for yourself, visit them on the web at www.ConquestGaming.com

© Copyright Graphic Dispatch Monthly 2003