Steven Thomas (Balagan)

The Wargame Library Speaker Series continues with Steven Thomas, author of the incredible Balagan blog and independent game designer of countless titles. To learn more about his games, check his blog.

When you started developing a fast-play WSS game back in 2001, what was missing from available game systems at the time?

I actually wrote it about 1996 before I had a website.  Sadly, that file no longer opened and I deleted it! Truth to tell, I knew nothing about the War of Spanish Succession or the commercial sets available at the time.  I just liked some of the rule mechanisms in Stephen Simpson’s "Rules for the Mid-Eighteenth Century”.  I wasn’t interested in that period, so I moved on to something that did interest me … the biggest battle of the The First Peninsular War (i.e. the Battle of Almansa on 25 April 1707).  I wasn’t looking for a general set of rules. I want a set of rules to use for one specific battle. I also had pretty specific design goals in mind, which you captured in the PDF. Simple – one or two A4 pages. Quick, fun and exciting. Only use d6. No book keeping. Use elements. Cost effective with 6mm figures.  Without doing any research I figured other rules wouldn’t meet those design goals.  

For wargamers who may not know about this period, what are the critical aspects a historically-minded game has to emphasize to capture the essence of the age?

I think it boils down to four things: 

• Brigade-level command: Use brigades (3–4 foot battalions or ~10 cavalry squadrons) as the primary tactical unit to enable grand-tactical play without drowning in regimental micromanagement.

• Four distinct arms: Clearly differentiate horse, foot, artillery, and dragoons. Dragoons are neither pure cavalry nor infantry—they ride for rapid deployment but dismount to fight, making them versatile mobile reserves rather than shock troops or line infantry.

• Linear formations & successive echelons: Units deploy in open line to maximize volley fire, while armies operate in multiple lines (first line, second line, reserve). Victory rewards timing reinforcements, preserving depth, and avoiding overcommitment.

• Extreme range disparity: Muskets are only effective at ~50 yards; artillery dominates out to ~800 yards. This dictates the battle’s rhythm: cannon softens from afar, infantry must close rapidly under fire, and the decisive exchange happens at very short range.  

I think that’s it.

Your humble blog post eventually led to the game Twilight of the Sun King. What are a few of the key differences that evolved between the blog post and the published version?

Well, different game designers focus on different things.  I want to thank my friend Andrew Coleby. He got the rules into paper (nod to the Pike & Shot Society) and most importantly added the name, "Twilight of the Sun King”.  I had originally called it the rather uninspiring “Fast Play Rules for the War of Spanish Succession”, i.e what became the byline, and “1700 Rules” for short.  

Andrew also added the rather nifty threat by cavalry. Nick Borrell gets the credit for adding scale and ambition. He expanded into the Great Northern War, the 17th Century and mid-18th Century.  I wasn’t directly involved in those projects so can’t really comment on specific rule changes.  For myself, my own thinking on game design has evolved since I wrote those the rules back in the mid 1990s. I would write them quite differently now. In fact I have, but that version is currently unpublished on my hard drive. I had to write them as a precursor to writing, Twilight of the Britons. These much more closely reflect my current game design aspirations. 

You're clearly a big fan of the classic WW2 Crossfire rules. Many scenarios appear on your blog. Why do you think that game has such a devoted following decades later?

WW2 Crossfire is just different. And that means it is a very ‘marmite’ game, if you pardon the use of a British phrase. Gamers either love Crossfire or they hate it.  Personally I love it.  For me Crossfire gives me two things: a game that focuses on the commander choice and a cinematic experience of battle. While playing Crossfire I’m am neither buried in rule mechanics, nor forced to watch my troops wearily trudge across the table into contact.  I like rules that encourage action. Launch the armies, and hence the players, into the action as fast as possible.  Crossfire does that and I hope my own Tilly’s Very Bad Day also does. Twilight of the Sun King is, I confess, a wee bit arthritic by comparison. 

You've experimented with using the basis for Twilight of the Sun King for other periods. Have you seen players adapt the game for unexpected eras?

Thirty Years War, 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, Fall of Rome, mid-18th Century. You name it.  And of course Nick Borrell has published full scale versions of the rules in many of those periods. For myself, I wanted to see how my fast play version of Twilight of the Sun King would work for the Age of Arthur, hence Twilight of the Britons which folks can find on my website.