Michal: Hi Vukasin and welcome to The Boardgames Chronicle blog! Please tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for a living, and what games do you play? Also, what is your role in the design and publication of this title?
Vukasin: I work as a legal adviser in insurance company in Serbia. I love to play war board games, especially with miniatures. History is my field of interest, so I enjoy playing games from different eras. ‘The Battle of Khalkhin Gol’ was joint effort by my brother Janko and me. We both love to play and design games.
Michal: Now, as for the game, what inspired The Battle of Khalkhin Gol? I believe not many readers know and are familiar with that huge but forgotten conflict.
Vukasin: After ‘Freezing Inferno’ which covered The Winter War, also lesser known conflict, we wanted to continue in the same way and cover another not so well known theater, so after several options we decided to do ‘The Battle of Khalkhin Gol’. It was quite a journey, reading and learning about this important battle which many believe has shaped the course of WW2.
Michal: What are the key components of the game?
Vukasin: It is hex & counter wargame, so the main components are as usual, the board and 20mm counters. What is new and interesting is the Calendar Cards which help player learn more about the history of this conflict and also bring some effects to the game. My personal favorite are modified D20 dice which allow the player to choose the level of luck involved in the combat.
Michal: Can you elaborate a little about the game mechanics?
Vukasin: The game has two major game mechanics. The ‘Air Superiority’ system and ground combat system. The battle of Khalkhin Gol was fought on relatively small area so using the airplanes in the way we used them in ‘Freezing Inferno’ (with range in hexes) was not a good solution since the range of the aircraft of the time was far bigger than the battle ground and they would cover the whole map easily. This is why we decided to go for abstract system where air power was not presented on the main game board, but as a separate mini game you play at the beginning of each round.
The second mechanic is a ground combat mechanic we first introduced in ‘Freezing Inferno’ which turned up to be a very good solution. We have a lot of players saying that they love the innovative moment it brings to wargames. Units have their strength (stack of counters) to which you add their attack/defense value, then you cross reference it in CRT and you get your result.
Michal: I had the pleasure of playing Freezing Inferno. What changes did you have to implement in comparison with that earlier design?
Vukasin: As I mentioned before, the biggest change was taking the air units out of the main gameplay and placing then in separate mini game. Also, Headquarters in this game are led by Generals with specific abilities when commanding a certain type of units which brings new layer of strategy to the game.
Michal: How do players determine victory in Khalkhin Gol?
Vukasin: There are three victory conditions:
- Victory Condition No.1: In order for the USSR to win, it must occupy 5 of the 9 checkpoints on the disputed territory (marked with a white flag) and hold them until the beginning of the next round, while also controlling at least 4 of its 6 checkpoints on the Soviet territory. If this is not achieved by the end of the 8th round, the winner of the game is the player who controls Japan.
- Victory Condition No.2: If the Soviet player takes control of the Nomonhan and holds it until the beginning of their next turn, the Soviet player wins the game.
- Victory Condition No.3: If the Japanese player takes control of the Tamsak-Bulak and holds it until the beginning of their next turn, the Japanese player wins the game.
Michal: Now, as for The Battle of Khalkhin Gol itself, what makes this game unique?
Vukasin: I am torn between ‘Air Superiority’ mini game and General’s special ability. ‘Air Superiority’ system has several modes, from basic to advanced, which allows players to decide how much time they want to spend deciding which player has air superiority in the upcoming round, while commanding abilities of the Generals brings a completely new level of strategy. I guess players will have to decide for themselves.
Michal: How are publishing the game, and where can players interested in the project get more information?
Vukasin: The game is published and available in the USA and Europe. If you need more info about the game you can always visit our page princepsgames.com where you will find pictures of components and reviews of the game. Also, BGG page is always helpful.
- Europe: In progress.
Michal: What are your future plans? Any new designs or games in preparation?
Vukasin: So many ideas and so little time… But yes, we are working on a new project ‘Iron Squad’ and we hope to start a crowdfunding campaign in the Q4 2025. Here is the link to our Kickstarter page so you can follow up if you like what you see:
Michal: Thank you very much for the interview!
Vukasin: Than you Michael for this opportunity. I hope we will talk again soon about our new project!
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