Matrix Games

Episode 11 of The Hot Seat, aired on June 24th, was a special one. Having one guest, Romain de Wubert, CEO of Amplitude, and a different host, Paolo Paglianti Head of Comms and our tabletop expert, this episode has been a fresh perspective on our favourite topic: strategy games. 

The Passion for Strategy 

In this interview, the CEO of Amplitude discusses his journey from tabletop gaming enthusiast to game designer and eventually CEO. He explains that he never aimed to become a CEO but focused on making games, starting his career on Battlefield 1942 before creating strategy titles like Endless Space.

He emphasizes that strategy games should be easy to learn but offer deep gameplay over time. He also highlights the importance of storytelling, arguing that players care more about their civilizations and characters when games include strong narrative elements.

A major topic is Humankind, which he describes as Amplitude’s most ambitious project. The game’s key innovation is allowing players to change civilizations throughout history, reflecting how cultures evolve and mix over time. Although this feature was difficult to develop and initially divided players, it became one of the game’s defining strengths.

The interview concludes with a discussion of France’s growing strategy-game industry and the challenges facing the video game industry, particularly recent layoffs caused by overinvestment and market correction.

The Tabletop Corner Highlights 

This episode also featured a new segment of The Tabletop Corner with recent announcements. This episode covers several major tabletop gaming news items and reviews:

The biggest news is the release of the new Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition starter box, Armageddon, which includes new Space Marine and Ork miniatures. The episode also highlights new free army formations released by Battlefront, allowing players to download and use additional historical units and divisions without extra cost. In card game world, Magic: The Gathering is expanding its Marvel collaboration with new sets featuring characters from the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, following the earlier Spider-Man-themed release. Also, Mantic Games has extended its partnership with the Halo franchise and is preparing to release new Halo tabletop expansions, beginning with Battle for Zeta.

The episode then reviews the Mass Effect board game, which is based primarily on the events of Mass Effect 3. Designed for solo play or cooperative groups of up to four players, the game has players explore a crashed spacecraft on a distant planet while making decisions that influence the story. These choices reflect the moral decision-making found in the video games, creating branching missions and different outcomes. It’s an accessible game that sits between a traditional board game and a miniature wargame.

Another featured game is Zombicide, a cooperative zombie-survival game packed with miniatures. Players work together to complete objectives while fighting off endless waves of zombies rather than simply defeating all enemies. The game includes over eighty zombie miniatures, twelve heroes, straightforward rules, and a noise mechanic that makes loud weapons attract more zombies, encouraging strategic play. 

Finally, the episode examines a new Italian Folgore Paratroopers starter army set for Bolt Action. The box contains more than forty paratrooper miniatures, support weapons, and much more to field a complete army. The accompanying army book covers Italian forces throughout the war, including the period after Italy was divided between the Allied-backed south and the German-aligned north

Watch here The Hot Seat Episode 10 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8w2d5qs65Y