The setting of Headquarters: World War II is one where strategy, history, and comradery all come together. For every eager commander and inquisitive recruit, we've gathered your most pressing queries and delved deeply into the inner workings of the game to provide you the answers you've been looking for. [olist] [*] [b]Does Headquarters take inspiration from the Battle Academy series? What are the main differences between the two?[/b] Many of the old-school Slitherine community members are calling the game a Battle Academy sequel, and they are not too far from the truth. Headquarters: World War II has definitely been inspired by the Battle Academy series. Yet, it is not a direct sequel. We think the best way to easily describe it would be a “Battle Academy spin-off”. The key idea behind the Headquarters: World War II game is to keep the overall gameplay experience quite similar to the old Battle Academy titles, but also try new things. We want to make sure that the game would have enough complexity and depth for grognards, but at the same time have a lighter touch and be more attractive to the new players. It has a bigger emphasis on a fast-paced turn-based strategy experience and management of your units throughout the campaign. We want you to feel like you have dragged these troops, your band of brothers, through hell and back to achieve victory... and you stand tall at the end of a grueling campaign! [*] [b]Is it an easy game to learn?[/b] We have designed the game with the 'easy to learn, hard to master' approach in mind, offering a rewarding learning curve for players. - meaning that you can start playing quite easily, but as you play you will keep noticing new mechanics and things to learn about the game that would make you a better tactician as you progress through the game. This means you can start playing single-player without much trouble (still, playing a short tutorial is highly recommended), but you will have to learn the game for some time before you can start beating more experienced players in multiplayer modes. It would not take too long to learn the game, but it could take a while to master it, which is an exciting experience in itself - devising new unit setups, finding new synergies between units, and devising new surprise tactics for multiplayer - it is all really fun. [*] [b]Why the name Headquarters? How does it relate to the game mechanics?[/b] We wanted to highlight the importance of tactics and planning in the game, hence the name Headquarters. Although, you should not think of it as a Commander-in-Chief HQ, but rather as a Field HQ of a small military unit. As a commanding officer, you will be tasked with tactical objectives such as capturing a small village, crossing a river, holding defensive positions on a hill, etc. So, you will have to cope with the tactical level objectives with a small force, progressing from one engagement with the enemy to another. In terms of game mechanics, we have HQ skills that allow you to call for artillery support, air reconnaissance, naval bombardment, and so on. Another example would be the Officer skills mechanic that represents special tactical advantages your officer can learn and teach to your troops between battles. Last but not least, in skirmish and multiplayer modes you start at an HQ location where new units can be deployed. You can then try to beat other players, or even capture their HQs. [*] [b]What should I expect from the game?[/b] You can expect a reasonable tactical challenge with in-depth combat mechanics, various types of units, beautiful and realistic graphics with a destructible environment, narrative-driven gameplay in 3 campaigns, and very flexible skirmish/multiplayer setups that allow you to play the game in a number of different ways. The game is set during the Normandy landings, so everything happens in France during the summer of 1944 with 3 playable factions: the UK, US, and Germany. Apart from campaigns, you could play skirmish and multiplayer with up to 4 players both Live and PBEM, and even participate in PBEM tournaments. And the most important thing - you can expect lots of fun time playing the game! In addition to all these features, there's also a powerful Editor tool that lets you create your own custom scenarios. [/olist] Thanks for joining us with this first part. We're excited to let you know that a follow-up article will delve more deeply into game mechanics. Our community is driven by your thoughts and inquiries, so if you have anything further to ask or share, please do so, we’ll try to answer in the next article.