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Michal: Hi Clem and welcome to The Boardgames Chronicle blog. Really glad to meet you! May I ask you to tell the Readers about what you do for a living, what are your interest, hobbies and what games do you play? Also, what is your role in the design and publication of the Operation Overlord?

Clem: Hi Michal. What do I do for a living? I am fortunate enough to be able to make a living from my passion, which is designing games and creating graphics for the board game industry. I work a lot, I have been in the gaming industry for a long time now, and I live in a small town in Brittany, in western France, where the cost of living is really low, which helps a lot. I play board games, not only wargames, build Gundams, and enjoy my time with my girl friend and my friends. I’m the game designer of Operation Overlord, a game I started working on six or seven years ago. I didn’t do anything with the publication, Vuca did all the job and they did it good!

Michal: Now, let us get back to the roots of the game. What historical events inspired Operation Overlord? And what the game is about?

Clem: As the title suggests, the game focuses on the Normandy campaign, from the June 6 landings until the end of August, when the roads to Paris were opened.

Michal: Can you tell us a bit more about two main antagonists in Operation Overlord – i.e. Allied SHAEF and Oberbefehlshaber West? What are their strategical situation, strengths, unique characteristics and special abilities? 

Clem: Both sides have different objectives and different ways to achieve their goal. The German player is, of course, in defense while the Ally player has to attack. So, one must slow down the other as much as possible. That’s a classic situation, but i added some twists to make it interesting.

Michal: What are the key components of the game?

Clem: The blocks, definitely. They’re the master pieces of the game and the reason i did this game. I wanted to create a block wargame!

Michal: Can you elaborate a little about game mechanics?

Clem: It’s an alternate activation system. One player activates units in a sector, then the opponent does the same. The fights are resolved by adding or subtracting combat values and various bonuses/penalties, and the combat and event cards bring the chaos of the battle. The German player has specific mechanics, such as a spy gameplay where they gamble victory points to cancel the benefits granted by the Ally’s objective cards. They also may spend victory points to convince Hitler to send more reinforcements. The Ally player has to plan their objectives, in what order and when. And so many little things but i don’t want to spoil the entire game.

Michal: I was intrigued by the mention of events, which allow for blending historical and alternative outcomes. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Clem: Yes, I added historical events in the cards to show the world that i did my homework 😉

Michal: How players can surprise each other? What kind of hidden information the game features? 

Clem: The event cards and the Ally’s Special Objective Cards have a surprise effect on the game. The units are hidden until they enter combat. There’s also a little gambling mechanics for the attacker where bluffing can be an option. 

Michal: How do players determine victory? Looking at historical situation, I believe we will have asymmetric victory conditions.

Clem: They score victory points determine the winner. And based on the outcome, I wrote different conclusions about the consequences this campaign would have had if the Germans had significantly slowed down the Allies or if the Allies had advanced more quickly toward Paris.

Michal: From what I saw, the game will feature several scenarios. What will they cover and how do they differ?

Clem: They cover the three months of the campaign, from June to August. One month, one scenario. Each setting is historically accurate and propose different challenges. And you also have the campaign if you prefer a longer game.

Playtesting

Michal: Now, as for Operation Overlord itself, what makes this game unique?

Clem: I really don’t know. I’m not the best person to answer this question.

Michal: How are you going to publish the game and where the players interested in the project can get more information?

Clem: VUCA publishes the game, every information are on their website, along with the pre-order of the game:

Michal: What other games / designs you are working on currently?

Clem: A lot! A Grendizer game, I worked on, was released in November, i’m currently working on the return of Heroes of the Pacific, I’m helping friends on a Waterloo game, and we’re finishing another game about the battle for Saint Lô, also published by Vuca. And other secret projects 😉

Michal: Thank you very much for the interview! Any last word you would like to add?

Clem: You’re welcome, i hope you’ll all enjoy playing Operation Overlord. And stay tuned, this year is a very busy year for me!