Not an April Fool’s joke – it really is Battlechat number 50, and I want my first words to be a huge “Thank you” to all of my patrons for their incredible support during the last couple of years that has enabled me to reach this landmark. Here’s to the next 50!
And to mark this auspicious occasion, I am delighted to report that I was able to persuade one of the legends of the games design field to come on the show: Alessio Cavatore, whose career began as a humble translator in the Games Workshop dungeons, but who quickly rose to become one of the most highly regarded rules designers in the company. The apogee came when he was appointed “Ring Bearer” (the actual title on his business card!) for the entire Lord of the Rings project that catapulted both him and the company to levels of popularity that nobody could have imagined possible.
After involvement with many GW projects, including Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer 40K, Mordheim and Warmaster, and having made a particular impression on the army books for the Skaven, Vampire Counts and Empire, the time came for him to move on to pastures and challenges new. Again, who could have predicted just how prolific this man would prove to be?
Setting up his own company, River Horse Games, Alessio began by indulging his passion for highly abstract, chess-variant games like Shuuro and Turanga, but also his passion for historical games with the noteworthy Waterloo – Quelle Affaire! for which he commissioned the marvellous Peter Dennis to do the artwork. But the company really hit the big time as he developed a real talent for negotiating licensing deals, leading to coups like Terminator Genisys, The Hunger Games – Mockingjay and the biggest smash hit of all, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and Dark Crystal.
With such an envious reputation, Alessio and his team are regularly head-hunted to design and assess games for other companies, notable examples being Bolt Action for Warlord Games, Kings of War for Mantic Games and Conquest: the Last Argument of Kings for Para Bellum.
Our conversation wandered far and wide, taking in Alessio’s background, Italian cars, his journey from pushy, competitive tournament gamer to patient, philosophical games designer, and the many experiences he has had whilst involved in the creation of some of the most iconic branded games in the hobby. His wealth of knowledge covers both the miniatures and board gaming worlds, and in short, I am certain that you will find this couple of hours in Alessio’s company both highly informative and entertaining.
Enjoy the show.
Henry
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