Steve from WWPD does Battlefront NZ!

Steve (from WWPD) does Battlefront NZ!  Hey everyone!  For those of you who don't know, I was asked to come down to the BF HQ in Auckland New Zealand to have a look "behind the curtain".  I've interviewed just about everyone in the studio to talk about everything from rules writing and playtesting to manufacturing and printing.  It's been an enlightening experience that I can't wait to share with you all.  We have hours upon hours of footage to sift through for videos, as well as some good podcast material.

I think you all will be interested in this unprecedented look into the inner workings of a large game company.  You can follow along with some daily progress over at WWPD.net although the majority of the content will require a few weeks to be sifted through and edited.  Visit WWPD.net here... ~ Steve.

Battlefront TV Visit the Battlefront TV channel on YouTube here... Discuss the WWPD Video Series here...

Steve Visits The Studio In November of 2012 Steven MacLauchlan, from WWPD, spent a week at the Battlefront Office in Auckland, New Zealand.

Meet The Studio In this video Steve introduces the team and finds out how they discovered wargaming.

The Design Process: Part One In this video we see how the book creation process begins and the studio talks about research, concepts and deciding who gets to do which project.

The Design Process: Part Two In this video we see how the book creation process comes to a close and the studio talks about the end-of-project crunch.

Playtesting In this video we Steve talks to the team about how the playtesting process works.

Game Design Principles In this video we hear from Phil what principles shaped the original design of Flames Of War and influenced its evolution.

Studio Gaming In this video we find out what some of the studio member's favourite armies are and the guys lament their lack of gaming time.	Regional Differences In this video we hear from the writers and game designers about how different parts of the world play Flames of War differently.

Errata In this video we get a glimpse of Battlefront's plans for future erratas and FAQs.

Special Rules In this video we hear from the writers about the thought process they use when it comes to Special Rules for armies.

The Early Days Of Battlefront In this video we hear from a couple of the old boys about the origins of Battlefront and Flames Of War.	Tell Me About... In this video we hear about some of the other aspects of the business from several members of the studio. Wargames Illustrated, the Website, YouTube Videos, and Battlefield in a Box are all given some time in the spotlight.

Version Three In this video we hear from the writers about the process of writing a new version of Flames Of War and get an insight into how and why rules change.

Adapting Flames Of War In this final video we find out what the studio staff would do if they could adapt Flames Of War to any era or genre.

WWPD: News From The Front Steve reports back to the gang after arriving back in the good ole' US of A in episodes 48 and 49 of News From The Front. Listen to Episode 48 in which Steve talks to Battlefront Production Manager Jeff Brooks… Listen to Episode 49 in which Steve talks to Maria Chapman, Battlefront’s Print Broker…

Below: The Battlefront Studio.

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Below: Mike and Wayne at their desks.

Below: Part of the reference library.

Below: Phil's home-made work-station.

Below: Wayne, Chris, Phil and Mike discuss the latest project.

Below: A studio meeting in underway.

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Below: James and Mike setting up the studio in preparation for my interviews.

Below: Mike with the Bastogne church.

Below: The photography area.

Below: Taking photos.

Below: Studio armies.

Below: Early / Mid-war Italians.

Below: The playtesting area.

Below: The playtester are briefed.

Below: Playtesting miniatures.

Below: Playtesting underway.

Below: The D-Day table.

Below: The warehouse (the boxes on the left are the long awaiting Australia & New Zealand shipment of Open Fire!)