In Memoriam: Vince Zampella.

 

Its been several days since it happened. Global news have delivered a dry statement: Vince Zampella, an American video game designer has died on 21 December 2025 in the car crash. He was only 55 years old. 

Several decades ago, it would be just another sad new. But now I realize that he was Master of his craft, akin to artist of Renaissance. That his work affected more people than most politicians or religious leaders ever dream of. Vince Zampella had a vision for his games, and he understood the simple truths of those games he brought to life. He innovated and brought life to the pixels on screen. He made player care for the game he played.

May be that is why he had to fight for it, so many times against the corporate bloodsuckers, who see games only as a soulless compilation of metrics and gamers only as wallets to drain. Innovations are unpredictable, making worst kind of fear for them.

He and his team gave birth to incredible first person shooter games that put player in the middle of historic events like Normandy landings or Stalingrad defense. Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, became the staples of FPS genre, despite Battlefield excellent graphics. 

His third, the most difficult album, was Titanfall. A unique approach to FPS game, where player is already better than most of AI enemies on the map, since he is a Pilot, a unique warrior with heightened reflexes, jet pack and ability to fight during parkour stuns. Then during the same match, player would face a Titan, both his and opponents in incredible fight of tactics, speed and skill. 

Since Titanfall 2 release in October 2016, no a single other game was able to replicate or come close to its adrenaline fueled formula. It would be understatement to say that Titanfall was an instant success. Both games had its flaws and could use more development time. Being deliberately placed between two flagship releases didn't help.  But that is not the developers fault, but the stupidity of EA's marketing.  

Despite setbacks with first Titanfall and mediocre success of second part, Zampella and his team knew what they created: a world where people wanted to play. They noticed rise in popularity of "Royal battle" games, and took the best parts of Titanfall into Apex Legends. 

This game a has became a formative game of entire generation, like Doom in early 90's, Counter-Strike and Halo in early 2000's and Battlefield in 2010's. 

Apex Legends is one of most popular games in existence. But it also, unique spin to the genre: players work in teams of 3, the map is much larger, the cohesion between character's abilities is as important as teamwork, and pick up in the filed are game changers. New re-work of characters abilities is still too fresh for me to comment, but it shows that game is alive and growing in popularity and complexity.

Zampella's Respawn Entertainment has made another unexpected game: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, an incredibly fun and story rich and engaging adventure in tune with classic Star Wars made by George Lucas. While Disney was doing everything to alienate its core audience, to destroy everything what made a Star Wars universe so loved, and popular, Respawn made a good game that brought hope to the fans and lots of good times to those who spent time with it. That alone, is a great achievement, especially set on the background of cultural war raging in America.    

 Latest revival of Battlefield 6 has became a swansong for Vince Zampella. His talent and dedication has turned a game that abysmally failed in both quality and popularity and brought it back to the roots. 

He brought it back to the players as engaging, fun and immersive experience. Players answered with millions of purchases and universal praise of the game.

But now he is gone.

If you looked at some his photos over the years in the gaming industry, you could see an eyes of wise warrior. The eyes of a man who had fought hard to get his ideas to players, who has suffered injustice and overcame it, who has seen far too many deadline and crunch hours. But despite all that, he never lost his love for his art, never lost his childish enthusiasms for games. 

Rest in Peace, Vince Zampella.

My thoughts and prayers are going to your family and loved ones.    

    

 

Vostoryan Firstborn 306th Infantry Regiment

I must thank Peachy Tips for this.

 Eventually. His video on kitbashing models for Trench Crusade has inspired me to look at the mass of the grey plastic and make something out of it. Not for some game, rulesset or even. Just for the sheer enjoyment of creating. Yeah.

When you locked between day job and writing rules for a hobby, your creative juice is used up very quickly. 

Vostroyans are regiment in Warhammer 40k universe, thats unique due incredible ability to get reinforcement from its homeworld. This creates a strong military tradition, and allows veterans to pass both tactical expretise and superior weapons to a new generation of soldiers. 

Thats a story in essence. Visually, regiment memebers stand out with their iconic bear hats, baroque weapons and carapace armour. 

When i chose them as a source of inspiration i divided them into three groups: 

Grey beards: thats veterans with other 10 years of service in regiment. Mostly bald and bearded, they take on specialist and advisory roles. Some remain in command positions. 

Bear hats: these soldiers have served over 5 years or have distinguished themselves in combat to be elevated into veteran status. 

Shiny tops: the new generation of soldier, mostly used as footsloggers before the baptism of fire and eventual promotion. 

They are distinguished by Adrian style helmets and optional gas masks. 

Once the roles were established it was easier which parts i would use. 

Most of Shiny tops were built using Anvil industries Adrian helmet with gas mask, trench coat torso and trenchers legs. 

For arms i used parts from Atlantic games expendable troopers, they had the most Warhammer look. Details like grenade, bayonets and flasks came mostly from US infantry, as well as some of the bagpacks. 

Bear hats were more tricky. First of all they did not work well with trenches torsos. Luckly i had a choice between Atlantic games Raumjager ( space fallshimjager), Old Grognards (space napoleonics) and Space Viking Dwarves. Combination of those kits gave birth to iconic visial of high bear cap with lasgun, sword, flamer or radio. 

 

Greybeards were probably easiest: i simply added some unified elements like lasguns and backpacks. Their helmets already looked similar to others, so i keepopted to use fur coats provided in the kit to the "bear" theme going. 

I started with a plan for 6 soldier, but eventually got carried away into a group of 20. Almost a full platoon, with missile, plasma, flamer, grenade launcher and sniper option. 

Next step is painting. Wish me luck. 😉

Number 5.

By the time i finally gathered my thoughts on the subject it was dark. Sun got tired of scorching the city, and the only thing burning hot was my cup of coffee, sitting next to STALKER the board game on my table. 

 It was good.

But this game wasn't my design. It was created by team of Awaken realms, and designed by Pawel Samborski.

That brought a taste of sadness to event. Making a game about Stalkers was my big wet dream. I started designing It when i felt that i needed a knew challenge in life. 

But what do you do when you have an idea of a game, but no knowledge of how to design, produce and develop the game?

You learn. 

So, I did. I've read everything i could find on designing and producing board games, but most notably Quirkworthy's blog, Burger games blog and Jerry Stegmaier blog. It helped to understand how massive undertaking i was looking at. 

But you also need practice to understand what kind of games and thier differences exist. So I played everything i could get: from Warhammer 40k , Lord of the Rings skirmish to GMT games about World War 2, several RPG titles, euro style boardgames and countless others. That gave me solid understanding of maths behind the dice rolls and variety of options to make game challenging and interesting. 

But by then Ville Vourella has released his magmun opus, his Stalker RPG set in classic Strugatsky brothers world with 5 zones across the globe. It was something unique. He developed a diceless system for an RPG, where everything worked on advantages or disadvantages known to Game Master. 

But,  I kept working on my Stalker. By this time it was a hybrid between skirmish and role-playing game. My first ever playetest showed that i needed to learn how present my game to the players. So refreshing course in sales was in order. 

Follow up session showed that players struggled mostly with understanding what type of dice they shoud roll. Initial system used a ladder from d4 to d12 to represent the quality of skill. For those used to DnD one d20 roll, such complexity was too much. 

Then i decided to review my project, and return to original board game format. Approximately at the same time Zona was relased. That game was a masterpiece of telling an adventure story set in Exclusion Zone, but without the official licence. Clever. 

Next step in project was to simplify the dice pool and allow the skills to affect the not only dice rolls but position on the table. Eventually Patric Todoroff has wtitten and developed a Zona Alpha, light and versatile skirmish rules set in the same setting. 

I should have stopped by now. But i didn't. I kept working on a game that by now, more that 8 years in development was bringing tears into my eyes. Its a project that you must complete, but every time you progress you seem to fall behind. 

Recently I ve backed a project called The Zones. Its an book about customised Zone creation for any setting, but focused on classic Stalker troupes. 

I look at the huge box of Stalker the board game. I must find time to play it. May be it will help me to revive my old love. 

Or may be i should stop wasting time and scrap it? Use all the development for something new? Stalker taught me a lot. May be its time to let it go?

Sun was about to reappear in the grey sky above. My coffee has gone cold but was still bitter and strong. Just what I need after a long night of solace.