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.
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| Name: | Callan Davis |
|---|---|
| Email: | callan@halfmonstergames.com |
| Location: | Brisbane, Australia |
| Day Job: | Board Game company director (also research assistant...) |
| Designing: | Five to ten years. |
| Webpage: | halfmonstergames.com |
| BGG: | Half Monster Games |
| Facebook: | Half Monster Games |
| Twitter: | @davis_callan |
| Instagram: | @halfmonstergames |
| Other: | https://twitter.com/halfmonstergame - Also, we recently started a discord server, anyone is welcome, here is the link: https://discord.gg/xB6Bj9 |
| Find my games at: | Our Website, Meeples and Dragons, The Game Crafter, BGG, Dice Box |
Callan Davis
Interviewed on: 3/8/2020
This week's interview is with Australian designer and publisher Callan Davis. Callan has designed several games that he's self-published through his company, Half Monster Games. He recently ran a successful Kickstarter for Trust Me I'm A Doctor and has a number of other titles on the horizon. Read on to learn more about Callan and his current projects!
Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.
How long have you been designing tabletop games?
Five to ten years.
Why did you start designing tabletop games?
I like design, I love the board game industry and I like the puzzle of figuring out interactions
What game or games are you currently working on?
Starblammo, Trust Me I'm A Doctor and Terrible Superheroes
Have you designed any games that have been published?
I have been one of the designers on Terrible Candidates and Animal Empire. Trust Me I’m A Doctor recently funded on Kickstarter, so it’ll be published soon!
What is your day job?
Board Game company director (also research assistant...)
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
At a cafe or pub event
Who do you normally game with?
My friends and people who come to board game events
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Animal Empire, Love Letter, Goo Nebula PANIC
And what snacks would you eat?
Whatever I feel like on the day, usually corn chips and dip or chocolate
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
I don't think about it much
What’s your favorite FLGS?
I’d rather play games at cafes and usually buy online through KS or direct from the designer
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Current Favourite: Starblammo, Least Favourite that I enjoy: Space Hulk, Worst game ever: Starblammo (It needs a lot of work....)
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Favourite Mechanic: Hidden goals/Limited resources, Least Favourite: Pausing or skipping turns
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Talisman (I enjoy it! whatever haters...)
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, RPG Games
OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
The mechanic is great, the themes and stereotypes are wrong. Bringing board games into the social era of 2000s is important
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 come up with mechanics first, the mechanics are then changed by necessity to fit the theme
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Never won, entered a few
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
James Introcaso and Jack Ford Morgan
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
After spending a lot of time talking to myself in the car
How do you go about playtesting your games?
I run regular game events through my company
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
Definitely as part of a team. I struggle to come up with anything alone
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Looking at a blank page and filling it up
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Elder Scrolls or Star Wars. Secretly huge worldbuilding
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Once you've got something on the page, each next step is much easier.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Don't be afraid to release something that isn't perfect. Actually getting a game to a point where it sells proves a whole host of skills and tenacity that will come in useful for making the next one bigger and better.
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Published games, I have:
Goo Nebula PANIC!, Still in Business, Terrible Candidates, Animal Empire Board Game, Animal Empire RPG
Games that will soon be published are:
Trust Me I'm A Doctor
Currently looking for a publisher I have:
In America or Europe? Absolutely
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are:
Animal World War
Games that I'm playtesting are:
Terrible Superheroes
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are:
Starblammo
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are:
Sunfall
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Tabletop Game Designers Australia, BP Boardgames & RPG, Board Game Design Lab Community,TIGDA
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?
Australian Football, Snowboarding, Playing with my son.
What is something you learned in the last week?
Plan your week
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
I love the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
What was the last book you read?
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Do you play any musical instruments?
None Well
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I spent 5 years teaching Kindergarten in Japan (not Eikaiwa)
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
Organised 3 events in one day including a convention game and art heist game
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Co-Founding a board game company
Who is your idol?
Harry Dresden
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Go 50 years into the future to see how they've solved the problems we've created, then come back and try to implement them
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Extrovert in the streets, introvert in the sheets
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Shazam
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?
Board Games (or some rudimentary form of that) and also storytelling will survive
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):
Jack Ford Morgan is the best game designer ever. Check out our company Half-Monster Games.
I love my son Alex
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
Please support your local indie designers or developers. Even if you just give them a moment of time or feedback but especially if you buy one game of them and tell them you're really excited to play it
I hope you guys are having an awesome week!
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
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