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: | Omar Tarancon |
|---|---|
| Email: | omar@taranconboardgames.com |
| Location: | Miami, Florida |
| Day Job: | I make I.V.s for newborn babies at a hospital. |
| Designing: | Over ten years! |
| Webpage: | http://taranconboardgames.com/ |
| BGG: | Omar818 |
| Facebook: | Omar Tarancon |
| Twitter: | @omartarancon |
| Instagram: | @safariturbo |
Omar Tarancon
Interviewed on: 1/12/2019
Omar Tarancon plans to self-publish his first game, Safari Turbo. Safari Turbo is a game about a race across a magical island where each character has special powers and abilities. Look for it on Kickstarter soon, and read on to learn more about Omar and his plans to bring Safari Turbo to your tabletop!
Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.
How long have you been designing tabletop games?
Over ten years!
Why did you start designing tabletop games?
It blew me away when I found out as a kid that I can create fun by drawing a few lines on a cardboard.
What game or games are you currently working on?
Safari Turbo.
Have you designed any games that have been published?
Not yet, Safari Turbo is almost there.
What is your day job?
I make I.V.s for newborn babies at a hospital.
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
At a game store.
Who do you normally game with?
Maritza Garneff, she is my muse when it came to creating the Safari Turbo.
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Tokaido, King of Tokyo, X-Wing Miniatures, Safari Turbo, Pandemic, Time Stories.
And what snacks would you eat?
Chips
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
80's
What’s your favorite FLGS?
Coolstuff Games
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
My favorite game, you guessed it . . . Safari Turbo! I couldn't find what to play one day so I decided to create what I wanted. A racing adventure while playing as a character who has powers and abilities on a magical island. Least favorite would be like a Monopoly of some kind. I can't remember any "worst game".
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Roll and move, but you have to have some kind of control; otherwise, the game is playing you. My least favorite would be group voting of some kind during the game.
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
X-Wing. For some reason nobody around me likes it, I love it.
What styles of games do you play?
I like to play
Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures Games, RPG Games, Video Games, Other Games?
Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design
Board Games, RPG Games, Other Games?
OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
Never played it.
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?
It kinda happens at the same time for me.
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Never entered.
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
No
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
When I'm by myself, it just comes to me.
How do you go about playtesting your games?
First by myself. Then with friends. Then with strangers.
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I have to work with illustrators and other graphic designers. They are much more talented than I am. I feed off of their illustrations.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Getting a non-gamer to realize that $50 for a game is not expensive.
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
I created a great Battlestar Galactica Game when I was a kid (yes I know there is already one out there), the one I made was "different".
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Start as soon as you can, don't wait until you have money.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Make the game that you like. Although constructive criticism is helpful, don't get swayed by everyone's idea of how they think it should be.
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Games that will soon be published are:
Working on Expansion Packs for Safari Turbo.
I'm planning to crowdfund:
Yes, Safari Turbo will be back on Kickstarter again.
Currently looking for a publisher I have:
I'm self publishing - Tarancon Board Games.
Games that I'm playtesting are:
Command Center - It's a military game.
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are:
I have several but don't have names for any.
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Almost all 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 (removing The Last Jedi from my mind), Coke, VHS
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
I play a game that I've been playing since I was a kid, it's called Galaxy 818. It's a space battle that is drawn on paper. Basically all the forces of evil against the forces of good. In other words, all the evil spaceships against all the good. I have solid rules, it plays with 2 Dice (D6).
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
I love all types of music. My favorite song is Dancing Queen. I have some Sci-Fi books and of course the BIBLE. My Favorite movie of all time is Superman (1978).
What was the last book you read?
Currently reading the Silmarillion - Tolkien
Do you play any musical instruments?
I wish I did.
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I'm not a heavy gamer. I like games that are more on the simple side, not "Candy Land" simple but not too heavy.
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I can't go there.
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Can't think of one at the moment.
Who is your idol?
My Mother.
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Go back in time and try to prevent historic tragedies. Yes, it would violate the "Prime Directive", but i'm not in Starfleet so it's ok.
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Introvert, but seem to be the vocal one when action is required.
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
"Duplicate Boy". It's someone I made up when I was a kid. He could turn into any super hero. Can't think of no one better.
Have any pets?
Not at the moment, used to have three dogs.
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?
Hold on a second while I look up "caldera" . . . .
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):
Andy
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
If they are still reading at this point then I thank them for giving me their time.
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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