GMT's New Board Game Features Vijayanagara Empire (image: twitter.com/SaverioIV)
Vijayanagara: The Deccan Empires of Medieval India, 1290-1398, published by GMT games, is the first game in its new Irregular Conflict Series (ICS). The game offers an unique exploration to India”s medieval past and transfer the players back to the eponymous period of the Deccan Plateau.
In ICS game, conflict is presented either due to circumstance, nature, or type of conflict. In this game, players partake roles in the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Kingdom, and the Vijayanagara Empire and they compete to write their version into medieval Indian history.
Saverio E Spagnolie, a mathematics professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, has curated the board game along with three other designers, Mathieu Johnson, Cory Graham and Aman Matthews, and developer Joe Dewhurst.
In the gameplay, participants fight for supremacy over the Deccan Plateau and for that they construct forts, epic temples, and qasbahs, and assembles local rajas and amirs for their purposes. The game was built bases on rigourous research through books, articles, and conversations with South Asia historians.
Offering an immersive experience, the board game has already sold 1,020 copies and has sparked curiosity among India”s popular historians. Sharing the news of the board game on X handle, Anirudh Kanisetti, author of Lords of the Deccan: Southern India From Chalukyas To Cholas in 2023 wrote: “How delightful to see a boardgame about my beloved medieval India—love that cheeky reference to Lords of the Deccan and to @UnamPillai”s Rebel Sultans in the game cards. Many congrats to @SaverioIV and team, and I can”t wait to play this!”
How delightful to see a boardgame about my beloved medieval India—love that cheeky reference to Lords of the Deccan and to @UnamPillai “s Rebel Sultans in the game cards. Many congrats to @SaverioIV and team, and I can”t wait to play this! https://t.co/unrDAYhZ8u
— Anirudh Kanisetti | ಅನಿರುದ್ಧ್ کنسٹّی (@AKanisetti) February 6, 2024
Earlier, GMT has released two games inspired by the history of India. In 2008, it published Chandragupta, designed by Stephen R Welch and in 2017, it released Gandhi: The Decolonization of British India, designed by Bruce Mansfield.
(Input from agencies)
