People Behind the Meeples - Episode 173: Anthony T. Riddick

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Anthony T Riddick
Email:	atyrone30@gmail.com
Location:	Washington, DC USA
Day Job:	Truck driver
Designing:	One to two years.
Webpage:	www.quietstormgames.com
Blog:	www.quietstormgames.com
Facebook:	ATR Designs
YouTube:	AntMan6791
Instagram:	@atr-designs
Find my games at:	I post print and play options on my site www.quietstormgames.com

Today's Interview is with:

Anthony T Riddick
Interviewed on: 1/11/2019

This week we get to meet Anthony T. Riddick, and artist and game designer who has only been designing games for a bit over a year, but has quite an impressive collection lined up already. To learn more about Anthony and Quiet Storm Games, read on!

Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.

How long have you been designing tabletop games?
One to two years.

Why did you start designing tabletop games?
I've always been an artist and love to express myself in many forms. I decided to create a boardgame for my family for Christmas 2017. They all loved it and from that point I got into board game design.

What game or games are you currently working on?
I have 3 full prototype board games finished. I am currently working on a card game with a little educational element for young kids but anyone can enjoy.

Have you designed any games that have been published?
No

What is your day job?
Truck driver

Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.

Where do you prefer to play games?
Home and or friend's home

Who do you normally game with?
Family and friends

If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
I would like to try anything new that I have but also open to anything

And what snacks would you eat?
Chips and possibly pizza.

Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
Not so much. Might get a little distracting

What’s your favorite FLGS?
Labyrinth Games in Washington DC

What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Current favorite is Star Realms. My least favorite is probably Monopoly and I don't believe there is a worst game I've played. Maybe a few mobile games.

What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Dice roll. I love the randomness

What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Hard to say right now. I have plenty favorites but no problem in playing them.

What styles of games do you play?
I like to play Board Games, Card Games, Video Games

Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design Board Games, Card Games

OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
Yes

You as a Designer
OK, now the bit that sets you apart from the typical gamer. Let's find out about you as a game designer.

When you design games, do you come up with a theme first and build the mechanics around that? Or do you come up with mechanics and then add a theme? Or something else?
Its vice versa but I try to stick with a theme first or just follow my imagination.

Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
I have recently entered my first one. SaltCon 2019 in Utah

Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
No not really

Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
I take inspiration anything. I've been an artist since I was 6 years old so creativity is no issue.

How do you go about playtesting your games?
I usually ask family and friends to try first. They have no issue pointing out any flaws.

Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I usually work alone but I go to my best friend Bobbie for any suggestions she may have.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Promoting has always been my biggest challenge.

If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
I can't give an answer right now

What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
That designing is the easy part. Publishing is a hard game all in itself.

What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Never be afraid of doing something you enjoy even if its been done before. You can always add your own twist to something. No one owns a game mechanic. Also create something you yourself would enjoy.

Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
I'm planning to crowdfund: Twist of Life: Out of Your Control, Crash Fury
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are: Takedown, 1 Up Double Up
Games that I'm playtesting are: 1Up Double Up
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are: Maze Master

Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Yes I'm a member of a few Facebook groups for game design. Break my game, art and boardgame design, game design speed dating for example

And the oddly personal, but harmless stuff…
OK, enough of the game stuff, let's find out what really makes you tick! These are the questions that I’m sure are on everyone’s minds!

Star Trek or Star Wars? Coke or Pepsi? VHS or Betamax?
Star trek, coke and VHS

What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Working on my jeep, off roading, learning to rock climb

What is something you learned in the last week?
California gets a lot more snow than I thought

Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Pop, rock and r&b, Harry Potter is my favorite movie and book

What was the last book you read?
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Do you play any musical instruments?
No but I still want to learn

Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I've been hit by a car 3 times but never any major injuries. One incident was on mother's day by a car my mom was in.

Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
When I was a kid I rolled across a busy street four times one night

Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
March 2018 my 94 Ford explorer flipped over while crossing a bridge. Declared totaled. Afterwards my next and current vehicle is a a 2 door lifted Jeep Wrangler. My dream vehicle. Never thought I would own one.

Who is your idol?
Honestly my mother has always been my biggest idol. She has always been a person I can look up to and learn from.

What would you do if you had a time machine?
Travel back in time to prevent the titanic from sinking but then the 1997 movie wouldn't exist.

Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Introvert

If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Superman

Have any pets?
Yes a cat named Lucky

When the next asteroid hits Earth, causing the Yellowstone caldera to explode, California to fall into the ocean, the sea levels to rise, and the next ice age to set in, what current games or other pastimes do you think (or hope) will survive into the next era of human civilization? What do you hope is underneath that asteroid to be wiped out of the human consciousness forever?
I hope my games survive of course in addition to Star Realms and red 7. Maybe Twister too because it was fun growing up and the God of War video games. Uno and monopoly can disappear.

If you’d like to send a shout out to anyone, anyone at all, here’s your chance (I can’t guarantee they’ll read this though):
Special thanks to all that have supported me and all who will. Fans do make q difference.

Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?

Art is my life and bringing joy to others with is my goal

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Thank you for reading this People Behind the Meeples indie game designer interview! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples and if you'd like to be featured yourself, you can fill out the questionnaire here: http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html

Did you like this interview?  Pleasse show your support: Support me on Patreon! Or click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

Eye on Kickstarter #66

Welcome to my Eye on Kickstarter series!  This series will highlight Kickstarter campaigns I am following that have recently launched (or I've recently discovered) because they have caught my interest.  Usually they'll catch my interest because they look like great games that I have either backed or would like to back (unfortunately budget doesn't allow me to back everything I'd like to).  But occasionally the campaigns caught my attention for other reasons.  Twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Fridays, I'll make a new post in this series, highlighting the campaigns that have caught my attention since the last post.  In each post I'll highlight one campaign that has really grabbed my attention, followed by other campaigns I've backed or am interested in.  I'll also include links to any related reviews or interviews I've done.  Comments are welcome, as are suggestions for new campaigns to check out!

You can also see my full Kickstarter Profile to see what I've backed or my old Eye on Kickstarter page that was too unwieldy to maintain.  Also, check out the 2019 Kickstarter Boardgame Projects geeklist over on Board Game Geek for a list of all the tabletop games of the year.

Support me on Patreon!

So, without further ado, here are the projects I'm currently watching as of the fourth Friday of May, 2019:

Live Campaigns from Past Eyes:
Matryoshka
Crystallo
Starving Artists

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HIGHLIGHTED CAMPAIGN
The One Hundred Torii

• People Behind the Meeples Interview
• While I enjoy deep, super intense strategy games that really make you think, those rarely hit the table due to time and player constraints. What usually hits my table is middle weight, family friendly games... gateway games or just a bit beyond. These are fast, fun, and easy to teach and learn, but still have a depth (sometimes a hidden depth) that keeps them interesting even for more experienced players. The One Hundred Torii looks to be an instant hit in that category of games. The artwork is gorgeous, the gameplay is simple, yet deep, and you know the quality is going to be awesome because the project is spearheaded by Edo Baraf and his Pencil First Games.

Life's a Journey, Not a Destination - Find your path through a beautiful Japanese garden. Step into tranquility as you pass through the torii gates, traveling from fountains to flowers to shrines while meeting vendors, poets, and even samurai along the way...

Traveling through the Garden - Earn the most journey points by expanding the garden and walking to landmarks through the torii gates. You will interact with people in the garden gaining additional advantages as you play.

• Lay tiles to create paths in a gorgeous Japanese Garden.
• Smooth, streamlined rounds - a delightful combination of tile laying, set collection, and unique character abilities.
• Beautiful components, easy to learn and teach, The One Hundred Torii is a joy to play.

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Big Easy Busking

• People Behind the Meeples Interview
• This is Big Easy Busking's second shot at Kickstarter and this time it's a success. With an interesting take on area control and resource management, this game about street musicians in New Orleans is as brightly colored as the city in which it is set.

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Mammoth

• I first saw Mammoth at Gen Con last year and have been watching for it ever since. The game has some very interesting tile placement mechanics and comes with awesome mammoth figurines. I hope it's a huge success and those baby mammoth figures can get unlocked.

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Bites

• One of my dreams is to come up with a very small, simple, and elegant game that has meaningful decisions and great player interaction. Bites has actually been around for a while (previously a purely abstract game called Big Points. Now the game has been expanded and rethemed to ants at a picnic. And check out those awesome components! Ant meeples, a 3d ant hill, and awesome dual layer tokens!

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Monkey

• GJJ Games Review
• In 2016 I reviewed the Game Crafter only game Monkey, by Birdlight Games. Since then the game has been picked up by publisher Gyrating Hamsters and given new artwork. The gameplay is still the same (very casual and highly random but fun for families and casual gamers), but the look and quality have improved drastically.

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Space Invaders - The Board Game

• Space Invaders is a classic video game from my childhood. I used to be able to play it for hours on my Atari 2600. When I pulled out that old system a few years ago, Space Invaders quickly became a favorite of my sons, too. Two years ago Renegade Games released FlipShips, which I describe as a board game version of Space Invaders. Well, now there is an actual Space Invaders board game, so I guess I'll have to stop describing FlipShips that way. Space Invaders isn't a dexterity game though. Instead it combines deck-building with the theme and feel of the original arcade game. Some of the 40th anniversary exclusive elements look awesome, too, if you're into collectors items.

Press Release: Greater Than Games acquires Cheapass Games

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE St. Louis - May 24, 2019 - Greater Than Games announced today that it has acquired Cheapass Games. The acquisition of Cheapass Games is the culmination of several years of friendship between the two companies. Cheapass Games has created richly-themed black and white games since its inception in 1996, with the introduction of full-color games, such as Tak, Kill Doctor Lucky and Unexploded Cows, in later years. “I’m thrilled to have Greater Than Games take over publishing current and future Cheapass Games titles, and I look forward to working with them on a variety of projects,” said James Ernest, exiled leader of Cheapass Games. As we undergo this transition, Greater Than Games looks forward to supporting the Cheapass Games product lines, demo staff, and fan base. The Kickstarter campaign for the Cheapass Games in Black and White book, which took place during April 2019, was the first public partnership between Cheapass Games and Greater Than Games. Greater Than Games will be fulfilling the Cheapass Games in Black and White Kickstarter later this year. Look for Cheapass Games products in the Greater Than Games booth at these upcoming conventions: UK Games Expo, Origins, Dice Tower, GenCon and PAX Unplugged. ### About Greater Than Games, LLC Greater Than Games, LLC is a leading tabletop game developer and publisher based out of St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 2011, Greater Than Games is well-known for delivering engaging, richly-themed, highly-replayable tabletop games. Look for Greater Than Games titles in major markets worldwide. Note to Editors: Engage with Greater Than Games across social media via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch. Weekly Sentinel Comics Podcast, The Letters Page, is available via iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and RSS. To sign-up for updates, email marketing@greaterthangames.com. On the web: https://greaterthangames.com/ ### About Cheapass Games Cheapass Games is a small game company in Seattle Washington, specializing in quirky tabletop games. They produce deluxe games, cheap games, and free games, all of which can be found at their double-secret website cheapass.com. James Ernest has been designing games for more than 20 years, with over 150 published titles including Kill Doctor Lucky, Give Me the Brain, Button Men, Lords of Vegas, Pairs, and Tak: A Beautiful Game. Press Contact: Maggie Clayton Social Media and Marketing Manager Greater Than Games, LLC maggie@greaterthangames.com Downloadable PDF

Copyright © 2019 Greater Than Games, LLC, All rights reserved. Press Releases Our mailing address is: Greater Than Games, LLC 1344 Baur Blvd St Louis, MO 63132

Did you like this press release?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

Quick Review - Harbour: High Tide expansion by Tasty Minstrel Games

Harbour: High Tide
Designed By: Scott Almes
Published By: Tasty Minstrel Games
1-4p | 30-60m | 14+

Quick Review - Harbour: High Tide expansion by Tasty Minstrel Games
Disclaimer Support me on Patreon!

Harbour was the very first hobby game I backed on Kickstarter, way back in 2014.  It was delivered two months early and was my very first unboxing post on this blog.  It quickly became a favorite game, especially for solo gaming, and still hits the table as both a solo and multiplayer game occasionally.  I really enjoy how the market fluctuates and how the one-worker, worker placement mechanic drives player interaction.  So when I heard that, after over 5 years, there was going to be an expansion for Harbour, I was super excited to be able to try it out!  So, is the High Tide expansion going to elevate Harbour to new levels or leave you with wet feet?  Read on to find out!

Harbour: High Tide is available right now for just $10 (or less).  Ask for it at your FLGS.  It contains 30 cards and rules in a tuck box.

High Tide is a small expansion that you can get for $10 or even less from your FLGS now.

Overview:

High Tide doesn't really change much about the overall mechanics in Harbour; the overall gameplay is still the same with you moving your goblin worker from building to building, gaining resources, and selling them at the right time to buy buildings for yourself.   The only major mechanical change in High Tide is the new Ship cards, although the new two-story  buildings and other new building actions add some interesting new decisions, abilities, and interactions.

New buildings and fun ships add some new elements to keep Harbour interesting.

In each game there will be several ships available for hire instead of taking a building action.   To hire a ship you'll need to spend some goods.  However, unlike shipping all your goods to buy a building, goods used to hire a ship are adjusted on your resources track 1 to 1.  When you hire a ship you'll place it in front of you.  Later, you can return the ship to the table to get a $4-$6 discount when buying a building.  These ships are great for giving you extra options for spending goods when the market changes are not in your favor.  They also make some of the more expensive buildings a bit more accessible (and there are several expensive buildings in the expansion).  They also serve to speed up the game slightly since they let you buy cheaper buildings easier, too.  There are 9 ship cards included, 5 of which will be available in a 4-player game (4 for 3-players and 3 for 2-players).

When you hire a ship you'll get a discount for purchasing a future building.

In addition to the  ships, High Tide includes 21 new building cards that have some interesting actions.  One minor change in the mechanics is in how buildings get added to the building row.  Adjacent matters for some of the new building abilities, so their order matters.  The building row works like a river now, with new buildings being added to the left and the rest sliding to fill any gaps when a building is bought.  When you buy buildings they go in front of you from right (your start building) to left.  This spreads things out a bit of you are used to squeezing things in when you have limited space.

A whole slew of new buildings have new abilities that use the ships, new adjacency rules, interesting scoring, and more!

On  the new buildings are two new symbols.  A bright green emblem with a ship symbol on it indicates a small business.  When you buy these you may buy them like a standard building, or you may purchase it at a $2 discount and use it as a second story for a building you've already bought.  When used as an upper level business they don't count toward the buildings that trigger the end game.  The other symbol is a pink emblem with an arrow on it.  When you buy one of those buildings you'll get to move your goblin worker to another building and take another turn.

The green icon lets you build this as a second story (yes, you can have cows living upstairs). 
The pink icon lets you take another action after buying the Dairy Farm.
Dairy Farm also has adjacency rules (you get livestock when someone uses an adjacent building)
You also get bonus points if someone owns the Cheese Shop.  The Dairy Farm has it all!

Some of the new buildings also give variable points at the end of the game.  Depending on various criteria the buildings will be worth a different amount of points.  For example, the Dairy Farm gives you seven points, but if someone owns the Cheese Shop you'l get an extra 2 points.  Or, the Dock Builder gives you 3 points for every boat that is still out for hire by anyone at the end of the game.

Dock Builder gives you a bonus when ships have been hired and extra points if ships are hired at the end of the game.

That's all that's new in the High Tide expansion.  It's a small expansion for a small game, but it's enough new stuff to breathe some life into an old favorite.  I really like the ships and how they provide an alternate strategy.  And some of the building abilities are pretty interesting.  Like the Escape Room that may trap you there for several turns, but gives you a big boost of you are lucky enough to get out quickly.

It's not a perfect expansion though.  There are a few building abilities that aren't the clearest, and whether you physically replace buildings like the Ghost Ship without changing location or add the replacement building to the left of everything like you do other times a new building comes out isn't explicitly stated.  However, my biggest issue with the expansion is that it isn't compatible with the inland traders side of the market board.  This, by itself, isn't a problem, but the expansion cards have nothing on them to indicate they are part of the expansion.  So once you've shuffled the new buildings into the old deck, good luck ever separating them.  If you really like the inland traders variant you might want to consider marking the expansion cards before shuffling them into the deck.

Inland Traders isn't compatible with High Tide since the ships essentially replace that ability.

On the left is a card from the base game, on the right is Escape Room from the expansion. 
There's no graphical indication that Escape Room is an expansion card.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed the new elements that the High Tide expansion adds to Harbour.  I've played with both players that have the base game and new players and everyone enjoyed it.  It didn't add too much additional complexity to the rules and played just as fast as the base game.

High Tide adds just enough to Harbour to add some refreshing gameplay.  

I found that the whole thing fits in the original box of you  out all of the cards in the tuck box.  I have the Kickstarter version, so I think I have a lot more characters than the retail version (not sure though), and my box doesn't sit flush.  The tuck box lifts the lid about 1/8 inch, but it's serviceable.

Plenty of room for everything in the base box!

With the tuck box for the expansion holding all the cards neatly the box almost closes, but it's close enough!

The issue with the expansion not being compatible with the inland traders variant isn't a problem for me.  I enjoyed High Tide enough that I don't think I'll play without it and I never actually played with the inland traders, so I'm not missing it.  I'm super happy to have a revived Harbour and think this is a must have expansion for anyone who loves the game and wants a reason to get it to the table again.  If you are a fan of Harbour, then you'll definitely enjoy High Tide.  Call your FLGS and have them order you a copy today.  It's definitely worth the $10.

There's not much here, but it's definitely a worthwhile purchase if you enjoy Harbour.

Quick Rating: 8/10

Rating Scale

Did you like this review?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

GJJG Game Reviews are independent, unpaid reviews of games I, George Jaros, have played with my family and friends. Some of these games I own, some are owned by friends, some are borrowed, and some are print and play versions of games. Where applicable I will indicate if games have been played with kids or adults or a mix (Family Play). I won't go into extensive detail about how to play the game (there are plenty of other sources for that information and I'll occasionally link to those other sources), but I will give my impressions of the game and how my friends and family reacted to the game. Quick Reviews will only get a single rating of 1-10 (low-high) based on my first impressions of the game during my first few times playing. Hopefully I'll get more chances to play the game and will be able to give it a full review soon.

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 172: Steve Ng

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Steve Ng
Email:	steve.ng@capitalgainsgroup.com
Location:	Singapore
Day Job:	I am working full time as a Board Game Designer
Designing:	One to two years.
Webpage:	capitalgainsgroup.com
BGG:	StevenNgWX
Facebook:	Capital Gains Studio
Instagram:	@steve.cgs
Find my games at:	The webpage stated above, or one of my FLGS in Singapore.

Today's Interview is with:

Steve Ng
Interviewed on: 1/11/2019

Steve Ng is the designer of Cryptocurrency: The Board Game, which was successfully Kickstarted last September. He's currently working as a full time game designer for Capital Gains Studio, so keep your eye out for new projects from Steve coming soon, including Kaiju Exchange, a game about extracting and trading precious materials from behemoths!

Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.

How long have you been designing tabletop games?
One to two years.

Why did you start designing tabletop games?
December 2017

What game or games are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on a City Building game for the family crowd that involves tile laying and resource management.

Have you designed any games that have been published?
Cryptocurrency: the board game, published 2018 by Capital Gains Studio

What is your day job?
I am working full time as a Board Game Designer

Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.

Where do you prefer to play games?
Home, Friends' Homes, FLGS, anywhere with a good bunch of people and great games really.

Who do you normally game with?
Friends, strangers whom I meet at public board game sessions

If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Depending on the friends I invited, usually we'd start with something light and work our way up.

And what snacks would you eat?
No snacks

Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
No music

What’s your favorite FLGS?
Team Board Games

What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
My current favorite is Night Clan, a small area control japanese card game. Least favorite I still enjoy is Sushi Go! The worst game I ever played was Rats to Riches.

What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Favorite: Engine Building, Least Favorite: Stacking

What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Don't really have one, but a game that I find difficult to get to the table is Minute Realms.

What styles of games do you play?
I like to play Board Games, Card Games, RPG Games, Video Games

Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design Board Games, Card Games, Video Games

OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
No

You as a Designer
OK, now the bit that sets you apart from the typical gamer. Let's find out about you as a game designer.

When you design games, do you come up with a theme first and build the mechanics around that? Or do you come up with mechanics and then add a theme? Or something else?
I usually take a single mechanic that suits the overall theme that I'm working on and expand on it.

Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Once entered a 48 Hour Game Jam in 2014

Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
Current favorite game designer: Eric Lang, for all his really cool dudes on a map games

Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
I usually get ideas when my mind wanders during long bus rides.

How do you go about playtesting your games?
I usually playtest with friends or interested parties that are of the target audience group

Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I usually do game design alone, but would prefer a few artists to help me with the illustrations and graphic designs in the game.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
I feel that the biggest challenge is making a game for the crowd instead of making a game for myself.

If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
I would design a game using the Monster Hunter IP

What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Less is More

What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Have fun, but always keep your goal in mind.

Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Published games, I have: Cryptocurrency: The Board Game
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are: Kaiju Exchange: A game about extracting precious materials from behemoths and its trade.
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are: A couple of early game designs that have been shelved while I work on more pressing projects
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are: A City Building game with Resource Management and Tile Laying

Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Card & Board Game Designers Guild

And the oddly personal, but harmless stuff…
OK, enough of the game stuff, let's find out what really makes you tick! These are the questions that I’m sure are on everyone’s minds!

Star Trek or Star Wars? Coke or Pepsi? VHS or Betamax?
Star Wars, Coke, VHS

What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Watching comedy sitcoms, reading fantasy books.

What is something you learned in the last week?
Sometimes, Less is More

Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
I like any song that has a good beat. Books with alternate fantastical universes. Current favorite movie is King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

What was the last book you read?
If rulebooks count, it would be the rulebook of Night Clan.

Do you play any musical instruments?
Sadly, no. I'd like to learn the saxophone though.

Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I used to be a really good pop and lock dancer

Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
A bunch of guys and I dumped one of our friends into a trash can and he was basically a turtle with the trash can as a shell.

Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Can't think of anything

Who is your idol?
Jackie Chan

What would you do if you had a time machine?
I would go back and guide myself to be more socially active in my childhood

Are you an extrovert or introvert?
introvert

If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Anyone who could turn invisible

Have any pets?
None

When the next asteroid hits Earth, causing the Yellowstone caldera to explode, California to fall into the ocean, the sea levels to rise, and the next ice age to set in, what current games or other pastimes do you think (or hope) will survive into the next era of human civilization? What do you hope is underneath that asteroid to be wiped out of the human consciousness forever?
I would hope for good cooperative games to survive. Monopoly being wiped out of the human consciousness would be great.

If you’d like to send a shout out to anyone, anyone at all, here’s your chance (I can’t guarantee they’ll read this though):
Nah

Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?

Keep working on your passion, you'll never know when it pays off

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Thank you for reading this People Behind the Meeples indie game designer interview! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples and if you'd like to be featured yourself, you can fill out the questionnaire here: http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html

Did you like this interview?  Pleasse show your support: Support me on Patreon! Or click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

Press Release: Live on Kickstarter - GALACTIC SPACE EXPLORATION (Level 1) - New Board Game

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GALACTIC SPACE EXPLORATION (Level 1)
The space race is heating up with a new space-themed board game for kids aged 6-160.


Live on Kickstarter, Galactic Space Exploration - The Ultimate Space Exploration Game.
A fast-paced tabletop game that combines space exploration with savvy investing skills.

Kickstarter campaign: http://bit.ly/30idImk

Determined to save humanity and take us to the stars, four space exploration companies - Space Explorer, Blue Origination, Bigelow Aeros and NASA, are now taking the space race to a whole new level, rapidly expanding their operations across the Solar System. Seeking untapped resources for sale on the interplanetary market they all have one goal - be the first to reach space beyond the Kuiper belt bordering our Solar System and begin truly exploring the Milky Way Galaxy.

In Galactic Space Exploration you are the CEO of a space exploration company and your goal is to master the market by making smart investments in “Innovation Exploration, Materials, and Energy” so you can build rocket ships to explore the solar system, and eventually fly out into the Milky Way Galaxy! Grow your capital, increase your fleet, and expand your holdings within the Solar System - but one false move, and your organization will be on the wrong end of the space boom.

Will YOU be the first to reach the stars?

Galactic Space Exploration is launching with 40+ hours of playtesting and the full art and design complete. The Kickstarter campaign will feature the game at $35 ($30 for those quick enough to get the limited early bird special). As well as, options for sending the game to a school of your choosing - as part of our School Space Program!  I want to help educate the current generation of children about the endless possibilities of space travel and the importance of smart investing along the way.

Shipping will be available worldwide at $22.13, and games are expected to start shipping on July 1st, 2019. Most backers can expect to receive their copies in the first two weeks of July.

Number of players: 1-4
Playtime required: 40-80 min
Recommended ages: 6-160
Visit the Kickstarter page to preorder now!

Kickstarter campaign: http://bit.ly/30idImk
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Space Entrepreneurs Wanted! 
GALACTIC SPACE EXPLORATION™  
The Ultimate Space Exploration Game!


What would you do if you had the chance to set off on a rocket fuel-powered adventure to explore the Solar System, expand your fleet of rocket ships, and make your mark on the Galaxy?

Galactic Space Exploration makes it all possible.

As the head of NASA, Space Explorer, Blue Origination, or Bigelow Aeros, it’s up to you to use your resources wisely, keep an eye on market conditions, and be the first to send your rocketship off into the galaxy!

Each player begins on Earth with one rocketship and 5 units. The player with the advantage of youth (whoever is the youngest) goes first, with turns moving clockwise from there. To launch your rocket ships from Earth, you’re going to need supplies. Your resources include Energy (EGY), Materials (MAT), and Innovation Exploration (INEX). To earn these resources, roll the dice and pick up the corresponding card. If you roll a Planet or Moon, you may choose 1 resource card for every rocketship you have on whichever one was rolled.

The value of your resources changes based on market conditions. After “working for resources” by rolling the dice, flip over a market card to find out what prices are like in the market during your turn. A key tip that will aid you throughout the game is to buy low and sell high, just like in the stock market. Buy resources when prices are 1 and 2, and sell when they’re 4 and 5. During your turn, you can buy or sell up to 5 resources.

After deciding what to buy and what to sell, you can purchase more rocket ships to build your fleet, or launch one of your existing rocket ships along one of the pre-marked flight paths. The costs of your options are as follows:

Rocket Ships:
- 10 units for one ship on Earth
- 15 units for one ship launched to any planet or moon you already occupy
Flight Plans:
-  5 units to fly between planets and moons
- 10 units to fly from Earth to Mars
- 15 units to fly around the Asteroid Belt to Jupiter
- 50 units to explore the Galaxy

The first player to reach either a planet or a moon gets an extra roll. Players cannot fly between moons yet, not until Level 2 - coming soon.

Your turn ends when you have worked for resources, purchased and sold resources, and bought and flown all the rocket ships you can. Refer to your player card if you ever need a refresher on the steps.

To win the game, you need to expand your fleet until you have:
- 3 rocket ships on Planets
- 8 rocket ships on Moons
- 1 rocket ship exploring the Galaxy

After a player meets the winning conditions, every other player has one final turn to try to meet them as well to tie the game - or lose.

Get Your Rocket Ships and Start Exploring! 

Did you like this press release?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.