Representatives from historical war game developer Matrix Games have announced that the company has acquired the rights to the PC online board and card game-specific Vassal Engine from Vassal Engineering, with the intention of improving and supporting the technology as a new platform for game publishing.
The Vassal engine enables designers to create individually branded, commercial standalone applications that moderate any turn-based game for human vs. human play. The engine was originally designed to provide a quick and easy way to play board games online against similar players around the world. Most games currently playable via Vassal are based either directly or indirectly on existing table top war or CCG games, with titles currently being played including
War of the Ring and
HeroQuest, though it seems that the partly open-source engine is currently used for many 'unofficial', unlicensed versions of games.
David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said, "We believe Vassal offers a great way to bring board gamers together over the internet, while also offering designers a new avenue to reach the gaming public. In many cases, the investment required to turn each design into a printed and distributed game is beyond the reach of many designers and publishers. Vassal offers a way to reach gamers with new and exciting designs that would not otherwise see print as well as allowing existing board gamers to find a community for their favorite game online."
