Kanluwen wrote:
Also:

Corvus Belli wrote:Attention! Every participant at Interplanetary tournament will be able to purchase a copy of Operation:Icestorm. Only participants and only 1 unit. If you're interested, please send an email to interplanetary[at]corvusbelli.com

 Usashi wrote:
I'm actually much more interested in the yu jing board in the background. It would be nice to see more close ups for that one as well.

 -Loki- wrote:

It's a gorgeous display peice, but it would be super irritating to play on.

 motyak wrote:
I'm kind of bummed about this new box and the preorder etc. I mean, on one hand, I want it because Infinity. On the other, I remember that my Caledonians haven't made it out of the box in months because no one at the store plays. I think the pubhammer spot on Sundays has started though, so maybe if I can find time to go there I can justify it...

Luthon1234 wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Also:

Corvus Belli wrote:Attention! Every participant at Interplanetary tournament will be able to purchase a copy of Operation:Icestorm. Only participants and only 1 unit. If you're interested, please send an email to interplanetary[at]corvusbelli.com

Does this mean that you have to be participating in the tournament to be able to purchase a copy of OP: icestorm? Or are participants guaranteed a copy?

David, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your job at Corvus Belli, and how long have you been working there?

Spoiler:

Well… that’s a hard question to answer, because I’m one of the “Bards” or Geek Speak for Jack-of-all-trades at Corvus Belli. I don’t usually sing or weight tights though, but I do play D&D In my main role, I’m one of the Game Designers, the Organized Play Manager and the Layout Designer. But I also help with marketing, merchandising, programming for the current website, customer service, event support, and the WarCors program. I’m also the one that brings the afternoon coffees to the office.
I’ve been working at Corvus Belli for two years and a half now, since January 2012. I did some freelance work before, like the website or some consulting, but in 2012 Infinity became my full-time job.

For Infinity, I like to play all of the factions, but if I have to choose a favourite faction, it’s the Nomads. Fluffwise I’m in love with Tunguska, but I also really enjoy the gameplay for Corregidor and Bakunin.

Of all the miniatures, its hard to pick one favourite as a standout, but four I like most in no particular order are: Shinobu Kitsune, the Hafza with crossed arms, the Prowler with Spitfire, and the Oznat.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Spoiler:

Knowing that so many people enjoy what we do. Also, I’ve always wanted to be a Game Designer, and As Dr. Pulsipher who is a real inspiration to anyone interested in Game Design says, “My favourite game is that of designing games”.

What makes Corvus Belli such a great place to work at?

Spoiler:

We make Infinity miniatures! Also, my coworkers are really awesome, funny and talented people. I sit next to Fer Liste, the CEO, so I’m the one constantly “enjoying” his “jokes” with my face of “What just happened? I can’t even…”.

We always hear a lot of info about Infinity, but it would be good to hear about Corvus Belli. How many people currently work for Corvus Belli, and what sort of job roles do people have there?

Spoiler:

There are 30 full-time employees at Corvus Belli. Most of them, like my wife, work in the workshop/warehouse making, packing and delivering the awesome miniatures we all love. Then, we have Fer (CEO), Bego (Sales Director), Carlos “Koni” (Community Manager), David “Daf” (Production Manager, Programmer and Painter), Jesús “uVe” (Game Designer and Lead Programmer) and myself whose workstations are setup on a little wooden platform sitting above the warehouse floor, known as the “Administrative Area”.

Finally, there’s the “Artists Den” where you can find Carlos “Bostria” (our Showman Extraordinaire, Graphic Designer and Concept Artist), Carlos Torres (Art Director, Game Designer and Concept Artist), Alberto “Bran Do Castro” (Graphic Design Director), Ángel Giráldez (Master Painter), Jose Luis Roig (Scupltor), Fausto Gutiérrez (Sculptor) and Alex (Mould Artisan and Scenery Artist).

Gutier, the Game Design Director and Writer of all the background doesn’t usually work at Corvus Belli’s offices, but from a nearby coffee shop. He comes to the office three times a week to attend Game Design meetings while he eats his daily banana.

What sort of process is involved and how long does it generally take for Corvus Belli to take an idea like the upcoming Infinity 3rd Edition Rulebook from the basic idea to the finished product?

Spoiler:

We’ve been working on N3 since May 2012.

Game Design is an iterative process. At first, we planned the first changes we thought the game needed, submitted those changes to the internal play-testers. After initial feedback, we changed the texts according to the results and play-tested again… We repeat that process until the core mechanics were solid. We then added a new batch of changes to the system and repeated the process over and over again. It feels a little like cooking: you add the main ingredients and taste it. Spice it a little, stir, and taste again. Repeat until it’s perfect, or you added so much spice you have to throw it away and start again.

After that, when we think we have reached a really good level of polish, we sent the play-testing documents to the external play-testers and repeated the whole process again with their feedback. It’s been hard work, but also really interesting.

What are the aspirations for Corvus Belli? Does CB intend to remain a more niche and focused company centred on just Infinity, or does CB aspire to grow substantially and diversify into other games/systems?

Spoiler:

Our main concern is Infinity. Every effort right now goes to the present and future of Infinity: a new edition, new expansions, more miniatures, etc. But there are always other plans in the works, or at least in our minds.... Other than conquering the world of course

Where do you guys see CB in the next 2, 5 & 10 years time?

Spoiler:

In two years we will be in a place very similar to the one we’re in today: releasing re-sculpts and new profiles at the same time, and adding a new expansions to provide you with new profiles and exciting game-changing (like Link Teams & Objective-based missions) rules to stir up your heads and your list-building meta.

In five years we plan to have a huge global community of players, with a massive Organized Play Program far greater than the ITS we all know today, with formats designed for both highly competitive gamers and casual/narrative players. We might also release a new game/system by then.

I can’t even imagine what Corvus Belli and Infinity will be like in ten years... Besides adding Robot Ninja Nazis riding Zombie Mutant Dinosaurs who fight against Sexy Monkey Pirates wearing Stetsons to Infinity, of course.
Technology is changing the world we know on a daily basis, and our industry has remained almost the same for more than a century. When I think of what technologies like 3D printing have to offer, I see the hobby as we know it changing a lot in the coming years. Not towards videogames, but to something new.

How do you guys decide on which models to sculpt and when they are to be released?

Spoiler:

It’s a rather complex process, involving some animal bones (normally left over chicken wings), blood (fake stuff made from red currant jelly) and debauchery (like eating Cheetos & drinking soda at the same time).

Jokes aside, it’s really hard to decide what goes next. We have a plan for the next two years of releases, and we’re constantly reviewing and updating it depending on a LOT of factors (like sales, game needs, awesome design ideas that strike us suddenly like wild pokemon, etc.

Does CB have any plans in the future to release a rule set for TAG only combat, like that of the Titanfall computer games?

Spoiler:

I would love to work on that kind of ruleset, for sure! I think the Infinity universe has a LOT to offer besides the current spec-ops skirmishes, and I’d really like to let the players explore it in new ways.

Are CB open to licensing the Infinity universe and IP out to other companies like computer game developers, writers, etc?

Spoiler:

Sure, but it’s really difficult. Infinity has a really high quality standard, and we’ve found that for a lot of potential partners it’s really hard to reach it when it comes to licensing Infinity. I don’t lose my faith, though, and I’m eager to see the day when we announce something like an Infinity videogame or an Infinity novel.

CB has done an awesome job with a very unique ruleset and universe in the sci-fi genre. Given the amazing quality of the miniatures and CB’s dedication to a well balanced ruleset, does CB have plans for a future high fantasy styled skirmish game?

Spoiler:

That’s something we talk about every now and then, particularly after one of us has seen a new episode of Game of Thrones, or someone has been reading Discworld, or run a game of D&D, or.... well you get the picture. Right now though, all our efforts are focused on Infinity.

I understand you are one of the key staff behind the creation of the upcoming Battlebox. What where you required to do, and what length of time did the Battlebox take to go from an initial concept to a finished product?

Spoiler:

Operation: Icestorm has been my main project besides N3 for the last year. One of the main objectives of N3 is to make Infinity easier to learn, and Operation: Icestorm is our main weapon to accomplish that objective, along with Electroshock Therapy if that doesn’t work.

I designed the base product and then the rest of the team transformed it into something perfect. It’s hands down the best product ever released for Infinity. Period.

I can’t stress enough how wonderful it is to see how people as talented as my coworkers take your ideas and add their own to evolve it into something better. The more final content I saw from Operation: Icestorm, the more excited I was. The miniatures are amazing. The new techniques developed by our sculptors have allowed us to make the miniatures easier to assemble while keeping all of the awesomesauce.

The new art is inspiring and vibrant, as you have seen in our previews. The booklet is packed with graphics, diagrams and sidebars that will make our basic rules easier than ever to understand. And of top of it there are the “extras”. The faction dice, the new templates, the markers, … I’m really, really proud of what Operation: Icestorm has become

In a previous interview, you indicated that the booklet included in the box was a sort of introduction to the 3rd Edition ruleset, with a narrative campaign to play between the two small forces included. Will the narrative campaign be useful from a demo perspective, and if so, is the campaign the recommended way to teach people Infinity 3rd Edition?

Spoiler:

Of course! Operation: Icestorm is the ultimate Infinity demo toolset. The campaign introduces the basic rules little by little, from a very basic skirmish between a handful of Light Infantry units to a complete battle with all the miniatures in the box. And there’s even a guide on where to go from there!

The new artwork that we have seen for the Battlebox looks amazing. Is this the style of artwork we can look forward to for all future releases??

Spoiler:

Of course! If you like the art shown so far, you will drool over what we have for N3... But please do it at home, in your bathroom and without witnesses. Others might find it disturbing.

Can CB provide an approximate price point for the Battlebox?

Spoiler:

All I can say by now is that it will cost less than 100€... and more than 1€.

Are CB able to confirm the contents of the Battlebox?

Spoiler:

It will have 14 metal miniatures (15 if you take advantage of the pre-order offer); a Booklet both in English and Spanish with the Introductory Rules, the narrative campaign and an introduction to the Infinity Universe; 6 custom faction dice, 3 for Nomads and 3 for PanOceania; all the markers you may need for the miniatures included inside the box; a redesigned circular template; the first N3 Silhouette template; a movement ruler; and a pack of scenery ready to play.

Why did CB decide to start working on Infinity 3rd Edition?

Spoiler:

Infinity’s player base has grown exponentially for the last few years, at approximately 75% growth per year, with all signs indicating that it’s just the beginning. With the constant influx of new players, we wanted to deliver an easier way to begin in Infinity and make the gameplay experience even better for veteran players too.

Is there much in the way of fundamental design changes to the Infinity 3rd Edition rule set, compared to 2nd Edition?

Spoiler:

The backbone is still the same. Most changes are in the wording, the structure and the layout. Of course, some parts of the game have been completely redone, like Close Combat and Hacking (I absolutely love the new Hacking Rules), and some other parts have been tweaked, like Loss of Lieutenant and Retreat, but the core mechanics are still the same.

From a design perspective, what is the purpose of 3rd Edition? What were CB’s goals for 3rd Edition?

Spoiler:

We decided to release N3 when we felt we needed to strengthen the core of the game, with clearer wording for the rules, and a better layout/design of the book. That’s what we knew Infinity needed most. We also wanted to lower the entry barrier and make it easier to access the Infinity universe for new players.

Do you have any photos of some tables in which play-testing has occurred on?

Spoiler:

This is the only one I had in my phone:

Are CB utilising native English speaking play-testers for the English translation of the game to try and prevent any unclear wording, which has proved problematic for some of the 2nd Edition rules?

Spoiler:

Yes. We have people from different countries (USA, UK, Canada and Australia) reviewing the texts and play-testing the game. Also, we have a new approach for the rules wording & structure that is helping a lot.

That’s it for now folks. A big thanks to David Rosillo Lizana (aka Palanka) for taking the time to answer some questions for us here in the Infinity Australia Facebook Group. Good luck with Operation: Icestorm & Infinity 3rd Edition.

 Chemical Cutthroat wrote:
Loki. Really? Not playing factions good at hacking? Dude we play Haqq! We're the best!