Making a game that centers around a Confederate squad might be considered controversial for some because of the historical context of the Confederacy basically defending slavery. How do you respond to these concerns?

Matt Zimmitti: One of the most striking (and now familiar) facts about the United States Civil War is that more Americans died in this conflict than any other. Of course our nation's Civil War era wounds run deep, and even 150 years later there is still controversy about why the war was fought, what the meaning of the Confederate flag is, and of course the legacy of slavery as you've mentioned. But that's not what this game is about. This game is about soldiers, their experiences in war time, and a brilliant and charismatic individual that led them. A few glances at some historic photos of the men who fought and died in this conflict, on both sides, stirs nothing but deep respect for their bravery and courage. Mosby, like many of his neighbors, put aside much of his personal politics and signed on for military service in defense of his state, on the principle of state loyalty alone. What Mosby did was create a zone intended to disrupt Union operations as they passed through Virginia and in that he was successful. That's what the game focuses on, because that is what Mosby focused on. This is a game about an exceptional tactician whose story deserves to be told.

What can you tell us about the gameplay for Mosby's Confederacy? Is it fair to say that this is a more traditional RTS game and less of a city-village building sim?

Matt Zimmitti: Well, it's really neither actually. I should say up front that, as always, we are striving to make a game that is both intuitive and innovative, so it's tough to draw direct comparison to existing games (ours or others').

In Mosby, your interactions with towns plays out like a strategic, turn-based board game really. The towns on the Confederacy Level aren't "yours" in the city-building sim sort of way, but you want to improve them for your purposes throughout the campaign. Each turn you focus your resources on individual towns: giving speeches, setting up field hospitals or a weapons cache, etc. These actions are all generally limited by each town's level of support for your operations, which in turn can be affected by what happens to you and your men from that town in combat.

Before going into combat, you choose which soldiers, from which towns, you will take with you. These men are all that are available to you throughout that combat mission. There are no troop producing buildings that you plunk down to get more guys to fight with once you've embarked on the mission. In that sense it isn't so much an RTS as a real-time, tactical game once you enter a mission. This back and forth transition from strategic planning to tactical combat is really the crux of the gameplay. Of course, increasing experience by keeping these men alive and returning them to their towns, has strategic ramifications as well.

What kinds of battles and situations will play out in the game?

Matt Zimmitti: Over the course of the campaign the Union is continually sending troops and supplies through the area known as 'Mosby's Confederacy' (which was just thirty miles from Washington D.C.). Each mission can be focused on gaining munitions, gaining more horses (Mosby generally had to take from the Union rather than requisition these from the Confederacy) or eliminating an enemy presence. Some missions are a mix of these elements. There will also be key historical missions that pop up from time to time which give you the opportunity to gain a lot of renown- the primary 'currency' in the game.

Something unique about the missions is that you can essentially choose how much of the mission you want to complete. Your units can individually exit the mission at any time (assuming they can get to the appropriate exit points). So, for example, if one of your best rangers takes a near lethal wound you can choose to have him hobble off so that he can go home recuperate and fight another day.

The focus here is on reconnaissance and tactics. In order to succeed against larger numbers of forces you'll need to lay ambushes, use the right units for specific tasks and strike targets at weak points or you'll likely just get rolled. Often Mosby sent more Union troops running than he actually killed. Surprising enemies at key moments can force them to flee or surrender which, when the safety of every one of your men is paramount, is often a better way to go than a straight up fire fight.