Ventura Battle System

Ventura Battle System™ is the name that Sir Chester Cobblepot has given to its new battle system debuting with The Fall of the King™, the first medieval wargame signed by Aldo Ghetti and Gianluca Raccagni. Top Hat Games will edit this project on Kickstarter with a campaign to be launched on July 7, 2020. Let's look at the features of the new game

Inexpensive and accessible

Ventura Battle System™ was developed with a few basic principles in mind. The authors wanted to offer potential players a preparatory and introductory product to the world of three-dimensional wargames, allowing future integration of miniatures and dioramas in order to lower both the economic threshold and skills required to compete with experts of this hobby.

The modern wargame

Wargames have built themselves a reputation of being complex and long games suitable only for a dwindling group of players. Digital adaptations, on the other hand, have shown that there is a wider market as long as the games recognise the needs of the players of the new millennium. Cobblepot has decided to use its experience in the field of board games to develop a project that meets these needs.

An Italian wargame personality

Aldo Ghetti has not only published Waterloo Enemy Mistakes and Su le Teste! with Sir Chester Cobblepot, but with his upcoming Arena Colossei he has clearly demonstrated that wargames can be simplified until they become enjoyable by anyone without losing their tactical identity. With Ventura Battle System™, this author from Faenza also rekindles an old love of his: the Middle Ages.

Italian excellence abroad

This Knight (Aldo was awarded the title of Knight the Italian Republic in 2019) is supported by Professor Gianluca Raccagni, lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh in Great Britain, a teacher who uses "toy soldiers" to evoke history. Thus, The Fall of the King™ was born, the first chapter of a long history of medieval battles, from Communes to Signorie, in which Free Companies fight valiantly on Italian battlefields.

What is Ventura?

In this game each army is called Company (from Compagnie di Ventura, Italian expression indicating free companies which is the origin of the battle system's name) and the player plays the role of its Condottiere leading, managing and manoeuvering their Soldiers in battle. Soldiers are represented on the battlefield by round tiles, but nothing prevents experienced wargamers from replacing them with bases and miniatures in 28 mm scale. But that's not all.

Cards and tiles

Each soldier has a round tile that moves and fights on the battlefield, regulated by a card that contains all of his characteristics. After learning a few rules, everything players need to know to play can be found on the cards. A practical, functional and effective system. But keep reading, we’re not finished yet.

Individuals, Groups and Formations

Soldiers can act individually, but it is expensive and inefficient, so your Condottiere can organize them in Groups or, even better in Formations, respecting some simple parameters. Tiles are grouped "in contact" on the battlefield and their cards are stacked in a pile, reducing the amount of information needed for maneuvers in exchange for precise tactical choices. How about that?

Nothing is truly random

This simplification will certainly make someone turn up their nose, but the benefits are many and relevant: movements and fights become quicker without losing accuracy, and a perfect "mathematical" balance allows you to efficiently perform the Soldiers' actions while giving players a surprising tactical depth. Playing well is what makes the difference, even if the obligatory die leaves some space to randomness.

Open field

The game features a free-form battlefield with no grid, so having some experience and being used to "seeing" battles unfold gives you an advantage: as in every good wargame, the more you play the better you become. The turn stealing mechanic is what makes Ventura Battle System™ stand out for originality. We suggest you turn off your phones during a game because a distraction can lead you to defeat.

Do you have leadership skills?

Each Commander has a Command Skill and therefore a number of markers modified by an Average die roll. At the start of each round you will use the markers to contend for Initiative to decide who will be the first player. Then, you will use the rest of your markers to decide which Actions your Soldiers should perform and possibly to steal the turn from the enemy at the key moment. Feeling up for the challenge?

How about a rematch?

Each round has only two phases, and each Scenario has a limited number of rounds. The games run so fast, the involvement is so high that you'll think "Is it over already?" The duration of the game varies depending on the Historical Scenario adopted and how long it takes you to think about your actions, but it still ends in an evening. In short, you will no longer believe that all wargames are difficult, expensive, boring and complex!