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: | Adam Rehberg |
|---|---|
| Email: | adam@adamsapplegames.com |
| Location: | Minnesota - USA |
| Day Job: | Packaging Engineer |
| Designing: | Two to five years. |
| Webpage: | http://adamsapplegames.com |
| Blog: | http://adamsapplegames.com/blog |
| BGG: | arehberg |
| Facebook: | Adam’s Apple Games |
| Twitter: | @adamsapplegames |
| Instagram: | @adamsapplegames |
| Find my games at: | http://adamsaplegames.com/games |
Adam Rehberg
Interviewed on: 2/1/2018
Adam Rehberg is the founder of Adam's Apple Games, a new publisher out of St. Louis Park, MN. So far he's published two games, after successful Kickstarter campaigns - Brewin' USA was his own design and Truck Off by Ryan Lambert. Next week, his third campaign launches on Kickstarter for Swordcrafters, a really cool looking game where you get to build a three-dimensional sword! Read on to learn more about Adam, Adam's Apple Games, and the projects he's working on!
Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.
How long have you been designing tabletop games?
Two to five years.
Why did you start designing tabletop games?
I saw a great opportunity to merge two things I am passionate about. Board games and running my own business.
What game or games are you currently working on?
Swordcrafters coming to KS Feb 20th. You build a 3D sword that you hold as you play!
Have you designed any games that have been published?
Self-published Brewin' USA
What is your day job?
Packaging Engineer
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
Outside on the deck
Who do you normally game with?
Family and Coworkers
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Between Two Cities
And what snacks would you eat?
Cheese and Crackers
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
Yes, we let the google home roam.
What’s your favorite FLGS?
This one is tough! The Source in Roseville and Level Up in St. Paul are tied based on their open and accepting communities.
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Ra, Acquire, My latest prototype of a game called Dungeon Munchers
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Drafting, Memorization
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Lords of Waterdeep
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
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?
Theme and mechanics combined to make a rich experience.
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Entered and featured on Tabletop Deathmatch season 2 with Brewin' USA. 3rd place!
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
Vladimír Chvátil
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
When listening to a game design podcast.
How do you go about playtesting your games?
Family, then Coworkers, then meetups, then PnP, then KS and Publish.
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I like to work as part of a team. However I work pretty quickly so keep up!
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Managing both game design and development piece while also progressing and running Adam's Apple Games which is my publishing outfit. We have two games currently and working on our 3rd right now. Swordcrafters.
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Worms
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Tough question! Most of the advice I have heard has been true, but I wish I had followed it closer. The one that still trips me up is creating too many assets before having a game fully designed.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
A great sign you have a game, is when the first prototype finds the fun. When this happens, I usually move forward with the project and test the extremes of the current mechanics and balance. I open the flood gates to discover the answers to the "What If" questions, and then I close them when I'm confident which mechanics and balance feels best for the weight and audience the game is intended for.
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Published games, I have:
Brewin' USA
Games that will soon be published are:
Swordcrafters, Brewin' USA - Taproom Takeover
This is what I have currently crowdfunding:
Swordcrafters - Going live February 20th
Currently looking for a publisher I have:
None currently, but would look for a publisher if I create a game that does not fit within Adam's Apple Games audience.
I'm planning to crowdfund:
Brewin' USA - Taproom Takeover
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are:
Brewin' USA - Taproom Takeover
Games that I'm playtesting are:
Planet Unknown
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are:
Too many!
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Yes most of them.
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, Neither
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Brewing Beer, Golfing, hiking, soccer
What is something you learned in the last week?
How to drive in Mexico
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Rock music, Non-fiction, Documentaries
What was the last book you read?
I wear the black hat - Chuck Klosterman
Do you play any musical instruments?
Guitar, Drums, Piano, Trombone
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I'm afraid of goats.
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
Mudslide at a rock concert
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Swordcrafters tile design. It was initially designed as a 3-sided 3D object but it actually worked out really well as a 4-sided 3D object.
Who is your idol?
Sam Calagione
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Hmm... invest in bitcoin and open a brewery.
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Down the middle solves the riddle.
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Not really into super heroes myself, but I suppose Batman.
Have any pets?
3 dogs, two terriers and a weimaraner
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?
Abstract games
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):
Shout out to Rob Couch from building the game podcast... one of the inspirations to get into the hobby.
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
Go check out Swordcrafters live on KS Feb 20th! It's a game where you craft a 3D sword as you play.
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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