An Interview with BrutalPin of Kremlingames, developers of “Crisis in the Kremlin” and the upcoming release, “China: Mao’s Legacy”.
May 22, 2019
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with BrutalPin, one of the devs on Kremlingames new title, “China: Mao’s Legacy”. As I am a big fan of previous Kremlingames titles (Crisis in the Kremlin, Ostalgie: The Berlin Wall), I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the thought process and motivations that go into making these unique and engaging games.
A conversation with BrutalPin of Kremlingames:
Rashcroft: Tell us a little about yourself.
BrutalPin: I am 21 years old, I live in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. I participate in game development and testing. But mostly I do public relations.
Rashcroft: And in regards to Kremlingames, how big of a team is there?
BrutalPin: Two permanent co-owners, part-time developers and several non-permanent members of the team, it all depends on what kind of project we are talking about.
Rashcroft: Is it fair to say that the work process at KremlinGames is more of a collaborative project within the team as opposed to following the direction of one person?
BrutalPin: Rather yes, we are collectively discussing our future plans for the games and, in the spirit of democratic centralism, we are making a decision.
Rashcroft: (laughs) “Democratic centralism” spoken like a true political gamer!
BrutalPin: The basis of our games is politics.
Rashcroft: Very true. In my personal experience, partly why I enjoy political games like the ones you produce is that I have a significant interest in politics both domestically (in the USA) and internationally. I also have very strong political views. If you are comfortable sharing, does the team have a certain political point of view? Or is it just a mix of different ideologies?
BrutalPin: Different members of the team have different political views, but all agree on the basis of socialist ideals.
Rashcroft: Is it fair to say that, in general, the team is made up supporters of communism? or democrat socialism? Maoism? Leninism?
BrutalPin: Our task is justly to highlight the undeservedly forgotten period of the cold war. And to show the perspective of the socialist camp. As I said, different members of the team support different currents of socialism, but we unanimously share the left ideas.
Rashcroft: Understood. I completely agree that this era is “undeservedly forgotten”.
Rashcroft: Alright, starting with Crisis in the Kremlin…what inspired the team to develop the game?
BrutalPin: We played a variety of political games, but could not find reliable political games about the USSR, not to mention the fact that the games themselves on political topics is extremely small. Our main inspiration can be considered the Crisis in the Kremlin (1991) and Hidden Agenda (1988).
Rashcroft: Two excellent DOS gems! Much of the influence that a player had over policy changes in Crisis in the Kremlin and Ostalgie were done through a choice-based format. Should we expect Mao’s Legacy to follow in their footsteps?
BrutalPin: The event system is our main feature, in many political games there is a lack of response to the player’s actions. In the Legacy of Mao, this system will be improved and more integrated into the gameplay, we also listened to the comments of players and now you will know how much money you will spend in certain events. We try to combine the genre of political strategy and text-quest.
Rashcroft: In terms of time passing in-game, will Mao’s Legacy (or ML moving forward) have a similar system to Ostalgie?
BrutalPin: The game will be in real-time, if that’s what you mean.
Rashcroft: Any new features or game dynamics you would like to share about ML?
BrutalPin: The system of the three worlds. And to be more precise mechanics of world influence of the USSR, USA and China. One of the main features will be the struggle for influence in the second and third world. And you playing for China will be the third force, you can both impose their influence on other countries, and will unite with both Pro-Soviet and Pro-American forces. A system of local and global wars involving superpowers will also be introduced.
Rashcroft: Am I correct in seeing that the player have to manage the loyalties/concerns of government ministers? And if so, could you explain a little of how that works?
BrutalPin: Yes, the party hierarchy will play an important role.
Rashcroft: Ok, so this will require a balancing act on the part of the player?
BrutalPin: The system of politicians will be based on relations with you as the leader of the country, and on their interaction with each other. Party officials will try to move up the career ladder, make alliances and quarrel with each other. You can use certain methods to influence this by supporting or Vice versa lowering politicians down the career ladder. Appoint them to positions and issue Ministerial portfolios. In short, if you do not follow the hierarchy, you can expect the fate of Kennedy at worst, and the fate of Khrushchev at best. That is, you will either be killed or you will be removed from office at the next party Congress.
Rashcroft: Moving forward from ML, does the team have a sense of direction in regards to which historical period or conflict they would like to create a game about?
BrutalPin: Yes, we are already developing the concept of the next game. The economic and political crisis of the former Soviet Republic in short, I can not say more.
Rashcroft: Ok, I will not push you on that any further. BrutalPin, thanks for taking the time to talk.
BrutalPin: My pleasure.
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China: Mao’s Legacy is slated for release on May 24, 2019. It can be purchased here.
Rashcroft is the founder of “Political Simulators Unite!”, a community of political and historical simulation gamers. You can visit Political Simulators Unite! at the Steam Group page here.
