Tuesday, December 31, 2019

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 204: Chris Romansky

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!


Name:Chris Romansky
Location:Minneapolis, MN
Day Job:Civil Engineer - mostly designing rail transit systems around the US.
Designing:Over ten years!
Webpage:sporktopiagames.com
Facebook:Chris Romansky
Twitter:@sporktopia
Find my games at:The Game Crafter and my website.
Today's Interview is with:

Chris Romansky
Interviewed on: 8/14/2019

This week's interview is with Minnesota designer, Chris Romansky. Chris just finished up a campaign for his first game to be published outside of The Game Crafter this past October. Hamsterdam is a family friendly tower defense game. He also has a number of games available on The Game Crafter, some of which he plans to also bring to Kickstarter. Read on to learn more about Chris and his current projects!

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 was a mix of trying to improve upon some of the games we liked to play as a group and trying to come up with something new and fun.

What game or games are you currently working on?
Refining Apocalyptic Attraction, a dexterity social deduction game and playing around with a few thoughts on the scrap heap leading up to Protospiel Minnesota.

Have you designed any games that have been published?
I successfully funded a Kickstarter for Hamsterdam, a family-friendly tower defense game. Self-published and a very fun experience.

What is your day job?
Civil Engineer - mostly designing rail transit systems around the US.

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

Where do you prefer to play games?
We usually vary our game nights around my group of friends. When at my place we play on my custom-made DIY game table.

Who do you normally game with?
Friends and family

If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
We vary it quite a bit, but lately it's been Root, Captain Sonar and Ponzi Scheme.

And what snacks would you eat?
We'll usually rock a pack of Oreos and if we're doing dinner, pizza or Portillo's.

What’s your favorite FLGS?
I usually hit up Games by James, but there's so many great ones in the Twin Cities area.

What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
My favorite game is Dominant Species, it's so brutal for a euro and the rule book is rock solid. My least favorite that I still enjoy is King of Tokyo. It's a common one for our group and I tend to be horrible at rolling, but it's still fun. Worst game I've ever played, let's just say if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
My favorite mechanic is generally seeing the boundaries pushed by a mechanic, but if I have to pick one, I do like area control for the main reason that it generally allows the ability to organically cede one victory path to attempt another. A lot of times other mechanics will rigidly allow for a few paths, but area control generally has flexible paths to victory. My least favorite mechanic is co-op. There are a lot of issues with one dominant player taking over the game decisions or there's a lot of blah decisions where the game doesn't ratchet up the stakes because if the team loses the game ends.

What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Innovation. It's brilliant in its simplicity and there's nothing like beating people over the head with Agriculture. Just one of those games where I'm super excited, but doesn't have the glitz of some other titles out there.

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?
I usually have a killer mechanic I want to try and then the theme comes later on, although I've had some run counter to that and those turn out pretty alright as well.

Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
I have entered 15 game contests on The Game Crafter. I've won a contest to build an Adventure Game with my world-builder platform video game spoof 2-Bit Bandits and I've also won a contest to build an escape room game with my game Casino Heist. I judged TGC's Legacy contest as part of a prize for winning their previous contests.

Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
My best ideas come to me when I have a chance to to just clear my head. One fun trick I use to come up with ideas is to have a discussion with somebody else and just kind of throw some wacky ideas at the wall. Then one tends to stick and it ends up as an interesting game.

How do you go about playtesting your games?
I start out solo, then when I get it where I want it I bring it to friends and family and after that I hit up the protospiel scene.

Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I typically work alone, but I do enjoy having design discussions with others and chat about game design in general with whomever wants to chat.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
My biggest challenge is developing artwork that makes my designs pop.

If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Futurama

What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Get your game to the smallest viable product. Always good to trim the fat in a game and realize what is the fat in the game. You can make a lot more elegant and cheaper designs that way.

What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Fail fast and get on to the next design. If it isn't working don't spend a ton of time perfecting something that isn't working.

Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Published games, I have: Hamsterdam self-published through a Kickstarter, Self-Published Print-On-Demand: 2-Bit Bandits, Block Friday, Casino Heist, Comeback City, Contested, Pink Slip, Disc Golf: Birdie Blitz, Duck, Duck, Grey Duck, Kingpin, Presidents and Sanity Holes, Sanity and Skyscrappers
Currently looking for a publisher I have: Rumble Rally
I'm planning to crowdfund: Possibly: Apocalyptic Attraction

Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Card and Board Game Designer's Guild, TGC Designer's Discussion, Board Game Design Laboratory, BoardGameGeek Crowdfunding Group, Protospiel, and Grey Duck Lodge - Social Retreat for MN Game Designers

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, Pepsi, VHS

What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Disc Golf, Politics, Aquariums, Road tripping around the US.

Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Classic Rock, Stephen King, Mostly comedies, but the collection of horrible SYFY movies are great from time to time.

What was the last book you read?
Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama

Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I make treat boxes with 36 different flavors of Rice Krispie Treats squares from scratch every year around Christmas for family and coworkers.

Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Got Throw, Throw Burrito delivered from the Kickstarter, played it a few hours later and managed to get a concussion dodging a burrito. I ended up being okay and the other gamers we're telling of how epic game night was that blood was drawn.

Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Introvert

Have any pets?
Two dogs and a bunch of fish

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?
Survivors: Baseball, Primanti Bros. sandwiches, all the games, I'll take running water, sanitation and a nice bed to sleep in too. Wiped out: Student loan debt, diseases, mosquitoes, days where the windchill drops below -40 degrees.

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 my wife Rachel and son Andy. Love you guys.


Thanks for answering all my crazy questions!




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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Friday, December 27, 2019

The 11 Best New-To-Me Games of 2019

The 11 Best New-To-Me Games of 2019
Plus 18 honorable mentions (and 1 disappointment).
Support me on Patreon!

Here we are at the end of another year.  It's been a super busy year for me.  My sons are getting older and involved in more and more extracurricular activities, meaning I have less and less time for games.  I still managed to get in quite a few new games though.  I played 70 new-to-me games this year, down from 95 last year and over 100 in previous years.  This is a result of both less time spent playing games (unfortunately - my interest hasn't declined, just my free time) and the fact that every year I've already played more of the classics and modern gems that were new to me when my immersion into hobby gaming was much newer.

Of those 70 games, however, there have been some incredible standouts.  I actually didn't have too much difficulty picking out a top 11 this year - there were very few games on that border for me, but it was difficult choosing the honorable mentions.  I played a lot of really good games this year and though my favorites were easy to pick, almost everything else I played I really enjoyed.  Except for one game in particular.  It was a much hyped, new game for 2019 that I was super excited to play, but it fell very flat for me.  If it wasn't such a popular title it wouldn't have made it anywhere near my list for 2019, but I felt obliged to include it in this year's overview to explain where I think it fell flat.  Maybe you've guessed it already, but I'll list it after the honorable mentions.

As usual, this list only contains published games that I've played for the first time this year (although a couple I played previously in their prototype form).  So, without further ado, here are my Top 11 New-To-Me Games for 2019, including 18 honorable mentions (and 1 Disappointment), so that's 29 excellent games for 2019!

Also, check out my lists for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014 as well as The Best Kickstarter Previews & Prototype Games of 2019.

Honorable Mentions in Alphabetical Order:

5 Minute Dungeon (2017) - I'm not usually a fan of speed games, but I played 5 Minute Dungeon at my 24 Hour Gaming Marathon for Extra Life and had quite a bit of fun.  I liked that it's cooperative, so even though it's a speed game your teammates can help make up for the slowness of newer players.

The Adventurers: The Pyramid of Horus (2011) - This was an interesting press-your-luck adventure game with a fun theme.  I definitely wouldn't turn down a game of this.

A Feast for Odin (2016) - This is a favorite amongst several members of my game group.  It's among the heavier games we played this year, and while I really did enjoy it, I felt it just crossed the line of being more complex than fun.  There were so many choices that it was very hard to see and determine any kind of strategy, especially for a first time player.  I'd gladly play again, but feel there are more elegant games that scratch the same itch without taking three hours.

Arboretum (2015) - This card game has some interesting bluffing and deduction elements combined with clever hand and tableau management.  I really enjoyed the two player game I played, but when I played with four players we were so focused on not playing cards that would help opponents that the game became too take-that (and it's not supposed to be a take-that game) and scores were super low.

Cosmic Encounter (2008,1977) - This is a classic that I was happy to finally get a chance to play.  Unfortunately it fell a bit short of my expectations.  I think this is a love it or hate it type of game and my group prefers more logical strategy than social alliances and manipulation in games of this size and weight.

Evolution (2014) - Here's another modern classic that I finally had a chance to play this year.  I quite enjoyed the aspects of building a species and want to try this again.  I felt like there was quite a bit of luck, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing in a game about the evolution of lift.

Forbidden Sky (2018) - I only managed to get this to the table once this year and really want to try again now that I have a little more familiarity with the game, but have't managed to convince my game group to give it a shot yet.  Out of the Forbidden series though, I liked this least and also found it the most challenging.  Building the circuits and laying the tiles adds an additional level of complexity that I thought was maybe just a bit much, but I'm hoping to give it another try.

Gem Rush (2013) - Gem Rush felt like the name sounds.  It was hectic and crazy and fun.  It relied heavily on luck, but in a way that made the game light and energetic.  There's not a whole lot of strategy, but there are plenty of choices, and the mechanic of digging through a deck to find gems was a lot of fun.  I liked how sometimes you'd dig right past gems that an opponent needed and it was all publicly visible information.  So the disappointment of not getting the gems you needed was tempered by the fact that you're blowing right past all the gems your opponent(s) needed!

Harbour w/High Tide expansion (2019) - Harbour is one of my favorite small box games.  I really like the market mechanics.  The High Tide expansion adds some fun new elements to the game, including the ships for hire and some interesting new buildings.  You can read my review of the expansion here.

Kobayakawa (2013) - This is a game I had on my shelf for a few years before I finally sold it because I couldn't ever get it to the table.  Then I had a chance to play it at Gen Con this summer and found it quite interesting.  I really liked the way a simple collection of cards and a hand of one card is used for a very interesting bidding and bluffing mechanic.

La Viña (2019) - I picked up La Viña to review, so that'll be coming soon, but in the meantime I'll let you know that I enjoyed the game's theme and mechanics, however I felt there were a few bits that were unbalanced.  I think a few minor tweaks to the game could make it more balanced, but there are other games (including one of my top games this year) that do similar things better.

Startups (2017) - I picked up Startups for just a few bucks in our Charity Auction Fundraiser to support Extra Life this November, so I haven't had a chance to play it much, but I enjoyed my first play.  I think it'll be better with a few more players though (we played with 4).  It was fast and pretty simple, but had some interesting interplay between players.

Steampunk Rally (2015) - I've been interested in Steampunk Rally since it first came out in 2015 and I finally had a chance to play it this year.  I definitely enjoyed it, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.  I think the machines we built were a bit more abstract than I had hoped.  There were interesting dice allocation mechanics though that I did enjoy.

Tesla vs Edison: War of Currents (2015) - I backed this on Kickstarter a long time ago and it had sat on my shelf until this year.  I'm glad I finally got a chance to play.  It's a solid stock manipulation game with a theme that I love.  There seemed to be just a few minor balance issues, but I'd love to play again.  I've heard the expansion brings the game up another notch, so I'd love to play with the expansion some time.

This Belongs in a Museum (2017) - The Drawn and Quartered series from Rather Dashing Games is one I love to introduce to new gamers.  It's fast, fun, and pretty simple.  This Belongs in a Museum is probably the most complex of the three games, but I found it enjoyable, even if we did have a few rules wrong for the first half of the game.  I'll definitely be playing more of this one.

Twice as Clever (2019) - I had heard great things about That's So Clever and Twice as Clever, two newer roll and write games, so I picked up Twice as Clever at the beginning of the summer.  I really like Qwixx and thought Twice as Clever would be a great roll and write game a step up in complexity from Qwixx.  And it definitely is, maybe a bigger step up than I expected.  I like it enough, but I'm not sure how you can play a game in the 30 minutes stated on the box.  The games I played went much longer than 30 minutes.  If it played quicker it probably would have made the top games list.

Unbroken (2018) - This may be the most controversial game on this list.  Not because it's a bad game, quite the contrary, but because of the way its Kickstarter campaign has been handled and the things that were uncovered as a result of this game's popularity.  Unbroken is a pretty good solo game about delving through a dungeon, having encounters, fighting monsters, and leveling up your character.  Mechanically and thematically I think the game is incredible.  I've felt it relies a little too much on luck in some cases, but for a pretty fast, solo dungeon crawl, it works very well.  Unfortunately it's connection to Golden Bell Studios has severely tainted its reputation in the board game world.  If you are one of the lucky few who have actually received their Kickstarter pledge, however, don't toss this one aside because of a shady company.  Give it a few plays and experience a pretty fun game!

Villagers (2019) - I played this once and enjoyed it, though it seemed like it had a limited amount of strategic variety and relied pretty heavily on getting the right cards at the right time.  I've heard that there's an expansion coming out to add a bit more variety and strategic choices, so I'd love to play it again with the expansion someday.

One Disappointment

Tapestry (2019) - I wasn't going to mention Tapestry at first, but it was such a hyped up game this year that I felt obliged to mention why it didn't make my top games list, or even my honorable mentions list, even though it seems like it would be right up my alley.  First, let me preface this by saying that Tapestry is a good game and there are some out there that love it, but for me it fell way short of what I wanted and expected from it, so much so that I have no intention of playing it again.

I love civilization themed games, euro games, and thematic games, and Tapestry purports to be all of those with beautiful, overproduced components.  I love Scythe (it's still one of my favorite games) and I was really looking forward to a civilization game from Stonemaier Games.  Then I had the opportunity to play Tapestry and was incredibly disappointed.

Let me talk first about the things that I did like.  It really is a gorgeous game, mostly.  The pre-painted miniatures are beautiful, the component quality is wonderful, and the artwork is, for the most part, great.  I also love the idea behind this game.  Building a civilization from antiquity to the near future is a theme I really love.  Combine that with some area control and exploration mechanics on a central map shared by everyone and I thought this was going to be a game that I would love.

Unfortunately the rest of the game disappointed me immensely.  Art on some of the components was great, but the board art and graphic design were very lackluster.  I found the theme to be very superficial (why is it possible to develop time travel or radio before a granary or nails?) and the civilizations to be unbalanced.  The mechanics of the game worked well, but the random bits felt unbalanced and everything felt disconnected with the theme and experience that I had expected.  In the one game I played I got dealt a lousy starting combination of cards and civilizations, as did one other player, and we were never able to dig ourselves out of the hole we started in.  One player started with a great combination of cards and no one could even come close to catching him.  I don't think it's the way we played (this was the first time playing for everyone), since no one could see any obvious mistakes (in rules or strategy), it was just an uphill battle the whole way.  I don't mind getting trounced in a game (I've only won Scythe twice in all my plays), but I like to feel like I have a chance and I never felt like I was in the game from the very first turn of Tapestry.  I don't feel like if I played again that I'd be able to do something better, other than hope for better card combinations, better dice rolls, and just better luck overall.  Bad luck in Tapestry seems to have a snowball effect with little to be done to mitigate it.

Then there was the asymmetrical game end.  I'm not wild about games where the end for one player can come significantly before the end for other players.  This happens in player elimination games, like Risk, where it's expected, but Tapestry isn't a player elimination game.  In Tapestry, one player can finish their game quite a while before other players.  This is essentially the same as player elimination, but not due to combat or even poor strategy due to the luck factors mentioned above.  In the game I played, I was finished more than 20 minutes before the game officially wrapped up.  I ended up leaving the game night to get home and then found out that the game went on for another 25 minutes or so after I left, ending with two players with more than 100 points more than me.  I have a problem with the asymmetrical ending in Everdell, too, but it made my top list anyway because of awesome gameplay and a great, thematic experience, things Tapestry lacked.

Maybe a future expansion will address some of these issues - I've seen plenty of other people raise similar concerns.  I'm not sure even an expansion will make me want to play again though.  There was too much I felt was missing from the game that it would have to be a completely new game to overcome those faults.  I had such high hopes for Tapestry, but I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for my next civilization game fix.

And Now for the Top 11 New-To-Me Games of 2019

* Indicates I played first as a prototype and then a completed, published version in 2018.

11. Everdell (2018) - Starling Games - Like Tapestry, I wasn't thrilled with the asymmetrical endings in Everdell.  However, the rest of the game was great, and working your engine so that you can keep playing long after others have run out of things to do is oddly satisfying.  I felt bad for the other players, but didn't want to stop my engine before it was ready to quit!  I really enjoy the combination of worker placement and resource management with tableau and engine building.  There is a bit of luck, but there are so many strategic choices that you have plenty of ways to mitigate the card you want not coming up.  On top of that, the artwork and theme are wonderful.  That three dimensional tree construct may be a bit gimmicky, but it makes for incredible table presence and the rest of the components are really top notch, especially those in the collector's edition.  I'm glad I got to play this a few times this year, even if it does run a bit longer than expected sometimes.

10. Ubongo! Fun-Size Edition (2018) - Kosmos - I won Ubongo! Fun-Size Edition in a giveaway earlier this year and figured I'd give it a try.  It looked simple and fast to play, so I played my wife when we had a few minutes.  I was pleasantly surprised by the game and it's become a favorite to bring out on camping trips or when I need a fast filler game.  It's not for everyone since it's heavily reliant on spatial puzzles, but my family really likes it.  I understand it's a little different from standard Ubongo, but I like its simplicity.

9. Sunset Over Water (2018) - Pencil First Games - I have to admit, at the time of writing this I've only had a chance to play this as a two player game, but I quite liked it.  The theme and artwork are wonderful and the gameplay is fast and simple, but, as my wife put it, also very frustrating (but in a great way).  Each turn is a puzzle of trying to maximize your ability to collect the paintings you need, but also to do that before other players get what you want or need.  The game can be a little swingy, but there are plenty of options and ways to mitigate that sometimes.  It's fast enough to squeeze into just a few minutes (20-30 minutes) and has enough puzzle and strategy to make it feel like you've accomplished something in that time.  Kudos to Steve Finn for knocking out another excellent filler!

8. Heroes Welcome (2019) - Monkey Jump Games/Pencil First Games - Here's another game in my review queue that you'll be seeing on my site soon.  This is a worker placement game with a couple of unique twists.  Mechanically, it's worker placement, however everyone controls the same worker!  Thematically, it's a great twist on a traditional dungeon crawler.  I've seen tons of games where you are the hero fighting monsters to collect treasure, quite a few where you're monsters fighting off the heroes, and even a few where you're the heroes bragging about your adventures.  But in Heroes Welcome you are the merchants in the town, buying and trading for the treasures the heroes bring back from their adventures, selling them new supplies, and crafting magical weapons that you'll supply the dungeon dwelling monsters with!  Yup, you're working both sides of the war.  The only problem I had with the game was at the very end.  After the last item is crafted for the boss monster there's very little you can do to gain any more points, even though you may still have a couple of actions left.  This makes the last round or two of turns a little anti-climactic.  It's a very fun game though, so I'm willing to forgive this slight hiccup at the end.

7. SHŌBU (2019) - Smirk & Laughter Games - SHŌBU is a game in my review queue, so I won't go into a whole lot of detail here, but suffice to say it's a wonderful two-player abstract strategy game.  It's brand new, but has the feel of a game that's been around for a thousand years.  The wood, rope, and stone components are perfect for that ancient aesthetic.  This is another game that I love to keep in my game bag for when I need a quick two-player game, although, like most two player abstract strategy games, the length of the game really depends on the comparative strategic skill of the players.  Most of my games have been 15-20 minutes, but I had one that went almost 40 minutes!


6. Reef (2018) - Next Move - Reef is an incredible game!  It's fast, simple, and elegant.  You can teach it in about 5 minutes, even to newbie gamers.  Turns are fast and simple, with only two options, but the strategy is pretty deep.  There's not a whole lot of player interaction beyond drafting the cards, but, like Azul or Sagrada, the joy comes from using the big, chunky pieces to solve your own, personal puzzles.  This is a game I don't see myself ever getting tired of!

5. Rurik: Dawn of Kiev * (2019) - Piecekeeper Games - This is the first of two games on my list designed by Stan Kordonskiy.  I was part of the playtest team for Rurik, although I only got a handful of plays in.  The game was pretty solid the first time I played, but went through some balancing and minor mechanical changes over the year from when I first played until its current iteration and over that time every single minor issue I had with the game was resolved and turned a good game into a great game.  Add to that incredible art and wonderful components and now you have an incredible game.  The auction programming mechanic is very unique and adds a lot of player interaction.  The miniatures are gorgeous even though this isn't really a minis game (they're more like the minis in Scythe or Hyperborea where they're more for thematic immersion than essential to the gameplay).  So, while Rurik looks like a dudes-on-a-map game, it's really an intriguing euro.

4. Lockup: A Roll Player Tale * (2019) - Thunderworks Games - Lockup is another game designed by Stan Kordonskiy, the second on this list and two on my Top Prototypes of 2019 list (including an expansion for Lockup).  The man is on fire!  When I first played a prototype of Lockup last year I was only mildly impressed.  It was good, but my reaction was just meh.  Then I found out we had a couple of rules just a bit off.  This summer I had the opportunity to demo the game at Gen Con and it really grew on me.  I love the combination of worker placement with bluffing, deduction, and area control.  As I've played both this and Rurik I've realized that they both have some similarities in how worker placement and area control are used to determine rewards for players, but both games area also very different and play great.

3. Crypt (2018) - Road to Infamy Games - I first played Crypt in January and it quickly jumped to the top of my favorite games list.  For a long time I thought it would stay at the top of my new-to-me list for 2019 since nothing else I played saw as much table time as Crypt.  I love how simple the game is, yet how much player interaction there is.  The mechanic for exerting workers is so simple it's genius.  I've played Crypt with both gamers and non-gamers and everyone both gets it quickly and loves it.  This is one I don't think I'll ever get tired of playing!

2. Parks (2019) - Keymaster Games - I included La Viña in my honorable mentions, and said I had another game on the list that used a similar mechanic better.  Parks is that game.  Both games have a path that you can move your pieces along as far as you like, but not backward, completing an action based on where you stop and a different action when your pieces reach the end of the path.  La Viña had a few balance issues, but Parks plays wonderfully.  I think Parks is a tiny bit more complex than La Viña, but it's still a relatively simple game, mechanically.  There is a depth to Parks though, that La Viña lacks.  On top of the wonderful gameplay, Parks has absolutely stunning artwork.  Showcased is artwork featuring scenery from each of the United States National Parks.  Both of my parents were teachers, so we spent summers traveling about the country when I was a kid.  I love looking through all the beautiful artwork, remembering when I was at many of the locations.  I get nostalgic for those days and hope that someday I can show my own kids even some of the stuff I saw as a kid.  On top of great gameplay, and incredible artwork, the component quality in Parks is amazing.  From the perfectly designed Game Trayz to hold everything snug, to the gorgeous metal first player token, to the wooden resources with twelve unique wild animal pieces, this game looks amazing on the table.  The price is a tiny bit on the high end for the type of game, but the components are definitely worth the premium price.

1. Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale (2019) - Thunderworks Games - I can't express just how much I have fallen in love with Cartographers.  It's an absolutely incredible game that I love, love, love!  For years now, Scythe has been my favorite game of all.  There are games that I temporarily enjoy more than Scythe, but I kept coming back to Scythe as my all time favorite.  I think Cartographers has changed that though.  I can't see myself ever getting tired of the game.  Even though I'm not playing it as often as I did the first few weeks after I first played it, it's still with me at every game night and a game that I'll pull out any chance I get.  I'd be happy playing it over and over, but I'm trying to pace myself and make sure to get other games some table time, too.  So what do I love about the game so much?  How about a bullet list:
  • It plays quickly - about 30 minutes, maybe an hour or so for new players.
  • It's easy to teach - I taught a family how to play a few weeks ago and their previous gaming experience was with Uno and Life.  They loved Cartographers!
  • It's tactile - drawing your own maps with your own pencils feels great.  I blinged out my copy with enough colored pencils for up to 12 players.
  • It's puzzly - figuring out how to fit the different terrains into your map to score the most points is sometimes a head scratcher, especially toward the end of the game.
  • Everyone plays simultaneously - it doesn't matter how many players you have, the game plays the same with 2 or 200 players and doesn't even take any more time!
  • Player interaction - there's just enough player interaction with the minion attacks that you don't feel like you're just playing a multiplayer solo game.
  • Solo mode - the solo mode plays great, almost exactly like a multiplayer game.
  • Souvenirs - the maps you create at the end of your game make fun souvenirs of your game.  They're fun little works of art and a reminder of the great land you helped survey.
I could go on and on about all the awesomeness that is Cartographers, but I do have to get this list posted someday.  Besides, the longer I take to write this up, the longer it'll be before I can play Cartographers again!

P.S. Here's a bit of Cartographers trivia.  In an earlier draft of the cover art there was an elf ranger standing where the fire is now.  So maybe that's not a campfire, but a smoking blaster crater (R.I.P. elf ranger).  A bit of sci-fi in this fantasy world?!

Image may contain: people sitting

Well, that's it for 2019!  I may not have played as many games this year as in the past, but man, there were some great ones!  I have a number of games that I know are great on my shelf of shame, like Terraforming Mars, The Manhattan Project, TMP: Energy Empire, Castles of Burgundy, Agricola, and more.  I got a few of my shelf of shame games to the table this year and I hope in 2020 I can manage to knock a few more out.  It's hard to do with so many awesome games coming out every year, limited time to play, and my own designs that I'm working on.  Here's to another great year of games in 2020 though!  

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.  Are there any games you can't believe I put where they are?  I want to  hear!


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.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 203: Rob McBride

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!


Name:Rob McBride
Email:rob.mcbride@sythergaming.com
Location:Arizona, USA
Day Job:For 2 years, exclusive to game design. I did however just last month get back into the financial services industry working with life and retirement programs
Designing:Two to five years.
Webpage:www.overbattle.com
BGG:Overbattle: The All War
Facebook:@SytherGamingCo AND @OverBattle
Twitter:@SytherGamingCo
YouTube:Syther Gaming
Instagram:@sythergamingco
Other:Indie Game Alliance = Syther Gaming
Find my games at:At the largest conventions near you (PAX, GenCon) and soon again on Kickstarter
Today's Interview is with:

Rob McBride
Interviewed on: 8/14/2019

You may have heard of a huge space themed war game called OverBattle: The All War. It was on Kickstarter last year, but failed to gain enough funding. But designer and hopeful publisher Rob McBride is working with his team to spread awareness of the game, visit conventions, and bring it back to Kickstarter this year. The game looks incredible! To learn more about Rob, OverBattle, and other projects he's working on, keep reading!

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?
To fill a niche that appeals to me and my interests

What game or games are you currently working on?
"OverBattle: The All War" & "OverBattle: Rise of Kings"

Have you designed any games that have been published?
I'm working on that now! :)

What is your day job?
For 2 years, exclusive to game design. I did however just last month get back into the financial services industry working with life and retirement programs

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

Who do you normally game with?
local groups

If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
I'm open to anything challenging and fun

And what snacks would you eat?
almonds (no greasy fingers!)

Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
Rock, quietly

What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Outside of my own of course, I'm an Axis and Allies guy, least would be any party game, worst would be any ill-prepared game that everyone gets for the FOMO and not relative to the value of the game.

What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Area Control fav, Team actions least

What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Twilight Imperium

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

Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design Board Games, Miniatures 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?
Balanced development with the idea of what we want to do thematically then make sure it works mechanically

Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
No

Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
Jamey Stegmaier

Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
Cons from player ideas during live play

How do you go about playtesting your games?
On site live with real players on a game that looks and feels as complete as possible

Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
Alone, and then managing artists

What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Breaking through!!

If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Star Wars

What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
The club mentality and how to get noticed on fair, quality design and game play and not on superfluous elements

What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Build games that look great from the beginning, invest in the look and feel as much as the mechanic. Its unacceptable to still be using blocks and cubes in any context in the year 2020

Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Published games, I have: Failed Kickstarter this year
Games that will soon be published are: 2020
This is what I have currently crowdfunding: About to relaunch
Currently looking for a publisher I have: Perhaps, I'll self publish preferably
I'm planning to crowdfund: Yes
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are: That's all done
Games that I'm playtesting are: Yes
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are: Yes
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are: ?? lol

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

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?
Trek, Coke, VHS

What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Fishing!

What is something you learned in the last week?
as a wordsmith, I learned new words!

Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
rock, none, I see 2-4 movies a week!

What was the last book you read?
the Bible on Sunday at church

Do you play any musical instruments?
Guitar

Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I'm a car guy, I love to cook and I'm a grandpa!

Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
Joined the Army for money for college

Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
begrudgedly getting a puppy and now he's an amazing part of the family

Who is your idol?
Steve Jobs

What would you do if you had a time machine?
Go back in time to many many places and stops along the way.

Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Yes :)

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

Have any pets?
fish, dog (we call him a "people")

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?
Poker survives, racism ends

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):
Kevin Cronin

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

Please support indie designers and publishers that are trying to push the game envelope forward. They need your help, the big guys are already big. Let's help others compete and we'll all win with better games, better ideas and better competition




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?  Please 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.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 202: Ryan Ziegler

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!


Name:Ryan Ziegler
Email:ryan@oakheartgames.com
Location:Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Day Job:I sell lumber and wood packaging.
Designing:Two to five years.
Webpage:meatsweatsgame.com,earthfiregames.com, and oakheartgames.com
BGG:stormnexus
Facebook:@meatsweatsgame, @earthfiregames, and @oakheartgames
Twitter:@meatsweatsgame, @earthfiregames, and @oakheartgames
Find my games at:Only one running on kickstarter right now: Meat Sweats the Game
Today's Interview is with:

Ryan Ziegler
Interviewed on: 11/21/2019

Last week we met Evan, part of the team that brought us Meat Sweats the Game (currently on Kickstarter). This week we meet the other half of that team, Ryan. Ryan Ziegler hails from Milwaukee (we've crossed paths at Protospiels before, but I don't think we've ever played games together), where he designs and plays board games with his daughters and Evan. Read on to learn more about Ryan and his current projects.

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 love how games can bring people together. I'm also a creative person by nature, and a problem solver. I'm often accused of Trying to fix things that are broken, because I always believe there's a better way. There’s always a better way, we just don’t know it yet.

What game or games are you currently working on?
I'm working on several games with my best friend through high school, college, and adult life... Evan Teska. We tend to work on games when we hang out with our families. Our most active project is Meat Sweats because we're looking to crowd fund this month (probably live during my interview) December 2019. Lots going on with marketing (not game design) right now, but it's still been hard to not work on games as we try to stay focused on this game launch.

We are also working on a number of games set in our Argilkin Universe. Argilkin are an ancient, immortal god-like race born from Origin supernova. They create stars, solar systems, worlds and galaxies... Adding sentient (often magical) life as they travel the universe. The first game in this series is called "Ages" and got so large and ambitious that we will break it into several releases of 2 player games that can be combined to allow for 3 or 4 player games as well, but with different magics, races, and terrains. The goal was to create an infinitely replayable game with many variables while maintaining fun and balance – we’re biased, but it’s our favorite game. We took a step back from that game to design a much lighter game called Worldbuilders. Independently, I have designed (not published) several abstract games, my favorites of which are Bolster and Emperor. I have also made great progress on a magical combat game working title, "Wizard Dice" that I've tested and improved at a couple of Protospiel events – it combines elements of hand management (spells that bend the rules), social manipulation (don’t attack me, attack him because…), and the use of dice as elemental resources, health, and attack/defense strength.

I’ve also designed a couple of games with my daughters that have only been produced for ourselves to play, but one day hope to reevaluate their potential.

Have you designed any games that have been published?
Not yet.

What is your day job?
Well, let me preface my answer with a game reference. When we play Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, I’m always a Druid – always. I’m a tree-hugging, druid in my heart of hearts, there is real beauty and magic in the natural world. I love trees and find myself at peace in forests. Redwood forests in particular amaze me – trees alive for thousands of years – we can’t begin to imagine what they’ve “seen”. So am I a conservation warden? A park ranger? A tour guide? What is my day job???

I sell lumber and wood packaging. Yes, you may question my sanity. I’m a tree-hugging druid that sells tree corpses. Ironically, I have found a place where my creativity and love of trees overlap because I redesign and sell wood packaging to manufacturing companies that need to send their heavy products around the world. This would happen regardless of my involvement. My job lets me find and reduce wood waste that would have otherwise gone on for decades, killing many more trees than if I had chosen a different career path. My favorite (recurring) experience at new customers is hearing “we’ve been doing it this way for X years” because I know that’s an opportunity to reevaluate, reduce, and reinvent a better way to ship their product moving forward (while killing less trees!).

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

Where do you prefer to play games?
At a table. Seriously though, my dad gave me a rustic, 2-player cherry, log board game table that he had been neglecting for years. I use it 1000% more than he ever did, and it’s seen hundreds of plays. It’s in the background of most of my Instagram photos @oakheartgames

Who do you normally game with?
My daughters and Evan (co-game designer), almost exclusively.

If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Pathfinder or Meat Sweats! When I get the chance to have more people around the table, I want to spend hours doing it.

And what snacks would you eat?
Alcohol, meat, and cheese. It’s like we’re from Wisconsin or something.

Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
Not usually. I'm a rare person that prefers silence to almost anything. Unless it's the sound of my own voice, of course.

What’s your favorite FLGS?
At the risk of being stoned, I tend to shop remotely… relying heavily on declared mechanics, theme, quality of the art, and reviews on BGG. I love Amazon and Coolstuffinc.com

What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
I love relatively quick games that can be replayed over and over. So games that offer variability are higher on my list. I love Imhotep, Tzaar, Acquire, and Sellswords to name a few – the setup and gameplay on those games are always new and different. I also enjoy social combat games like Bang the Dice game, cash and guns, and Good cop bad cop... But rarely get enough people together. Least favorite games that I still enjoy would be Neuroshima Hex, Dixit, and Mancala. I loathe Exploding Kittens, and Time Stories.

What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
I love social manipulation and abstract strategy games... Which are so very different, but equally enjoyable to me. I also enjoy rolling dice, but prefer the perfect information of abstract games. My least favorite mechanics would be roll-to-move, and any mechanic that involves math. Math isn’t fun. I also generally dislike cooperative games– that might not be a mechanic though.

What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Pathfinder. But with board games, probably Gloomhaven, which everyone knows and Catacombs. Catacombs is an RPG-like dexterity game for a handful of people – it’s really cool and you should check it out if you haven’t heard of it.

What styles of games do you play?
I like to play Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures 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?
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?
Games never seem to go in the direction I want them to at first. For example, Meat Sweats (live on Kickstarter) started out as a push your luck dice game. It turned into a take-that card game. Evan (co-designer) is usually my muse in that he will say something like “MEAT DICE, GO!” and I create the core mechanics and rules… then we play, tweak, repeat. The Ages game I mentioned was supposed to be a dice builder, I think… it turned into a meeple combat and card-driven 4X territory control game (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate). So in those two examples, I’d say we do a combination of both theme and mechanics, but the mechanics are more fluid than the theme if they don’t “work” with what we’re creating.

Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Evan and I entered a competition for an escape room game on The Game Crafter website. We created a group-memory game called “Trapped! Bermuda Triangle”. While we were finalists, it turns out we didn’t follow a couple of the rules. Oops, I never have been one for rules.

I also designed a game for the Hook Box contest with my daughter called “Infinity Plus One”, but was unable to submit due to a technical difficulty on the site. I ended up just printing it for our family and we still play it occasionally.

Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
I’m a huge fan of Kris Burm (GIPF Project).

Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
It would be a combination of Alcohol, down time, and my Muse.

How do you go about playtesting your games?
Usually playtest with my family and friends until it’s at a point we need real outside feedback, then we go to a local Protospiel event, or First Exposure Playtest Hall at GenCon.

Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
Technically, I’ve designed more games solo, but I have enjoyed designing games with co-designer Evan Teska more.

As far as artists go, we’ve worked with Lane Brown, whose art is unbelievably beautiful. He is doing all the art for our Worldbuilders and Ages games in the Argilkin universe. He was able to capture unusual races we held only in our minds and bring them to life in amazing landscapes. We worked with Matt Franklin on the current Meat Sweats game, which has been great simple characters for the unique character power cards as well as the various meats. I feel Matt’s art has really brought a fun addition to the game. I hope we get some takers on the custom character card reward level so we can work with Matt on some more fun art.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Focus, Time and Networking. I’m a highly creative person and ideas come to me regularly. I have to finalize and complete a design before moving onto the next three. I’d like to spend time designing, testing, and sharing… but family and work come first. Finally, I spend so much time networking in my real job that I’m networked out by the time I get to conventions and I just want to experience what is going on, rather than “work”.

If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Oh this is a great question. I would love to bring some of my favorite fantasy author’s worlds and/or characters to life in a board game. Working with a phenomenal artist and setting up some epic landscape-style games would be amazing. I love a beautiful game. I love fantasy worlds. In no particular order, I’d love to design a game for: Brandon Sanderson’s (anything) Stormlight Archives – maybe doing something with the Parshendi and the Plateaus/bridge crews territory control; Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Series is based in a cold world of epic gritty dialog and tragic characters the “north” would be a great game setting; Brent Weeks’s Lightbringer Series could be a remarkable color-based game of magical combat; C.S. Friedman’s Coldfire Trilogy could be an amazing exploration game with the unique planet Erna with its various Fae energies; and finally, I’d say Peter Brett’s Demon Cycle would make a great territory control game humans vs. demons – maybe even a two part series with the surface and the core – so many wards and symbols in this series could make for some interesting art and mechanics.

What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
I don’t know what they should have told me yet.

What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Don’t worry about publishing or making a career out of it if you’re having fun and making memories – even if your games are terrible (some of mine are broken heaps until I can return to them), let the creativity flow.

Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
This is what I have currently crowdfunding: Meat Sweats the Game (with Evan Teska)
I'm planning to crowdfund: All of the games listed here eventually.
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are: Argilkin: Spellbuilders (with Evan Teska), RPG Academy (with Evan Teska)
Games that I'm playtesting are: Argilkin: Ages (with Evan Teska), All the Gold (Daughter’s game), Wizard Dice (working title), Emperor (abstract), Bolster (abstract), Gladiator Arena (working title)
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are: Argilkin: Worldbuilders (with Evan Teska) – just took this one back to the drawing board.

Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Too many to name here.

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?
Coke with Bacardi Oakheart – Mountain Dew (Pepsi) with Captain Morgan

What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Travel, Hiking, Camping, Mineral collection

What is something you learned in the last week?
Always learning… too many things to list, and nothing interesting enough to share!

Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
I like calm and meditative music, Epic Fantasy Audiobooks, and comedies or action movies.

What was the last book you read?
Currently reading “The Challenger Sale” by Matthew Dixon, but my last completed book was “Shadowmage” by Terry Mancour – I tend to read between 30 and 40 “epic” books per year via audio in my car while I’m driving. Audible is the best thing to happen to my smartphone.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I can memorize and play songs on the piano, but my sheet music skills are pretty sad. I almost played a scale on a trumpet once. I taught myself enough chords on a guitar to play/sing many popular songs, but my strumming skills are terrible. I took 20 years off from singing, but I just joined the Milwaukee Bach Chamber Choir conducted by Christine Flasch. I sing Bass/Baritone.

Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
In highschool, I shared 50/50 the lead role of Billy Bigelow in a musical called Carousel with my co-game-designer, Evan Teska.

Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I once sled down a snowy 40’ tall spruce tree and survived.

Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
About 20 years ago I was sitting in my room when our house was struck by lightning. The lightning went down the chimney and into the ground, but for a split second, I could see through the walls as if they weren’t there. Having x-ray vision for about 1 second was awesome, but it has never returned.

Who is your idol?
Brandon Sanderson is an epic fantasy writing machine. He truly must have super powers. I’m also intrigued by Sadhguru, an Indian Yogi that created the Isha Foundation.

What would you do if you had a time machine?
As long as it was safe to do so, I’d jump back as far as I could and as far forward as I could, then I’d start filling in the gaps. I’d want to see what’s going on everywhere and everywhen. Seeing as the time machine would by its very nature manipulate the space-time continuum, it would also be able to take us to any place in space… so, the many planets in our solar system would all be fair game too. Sounds fun.

Are you an extrovert or introvert?
In highschool I was a 11/10 extrovert, in my late 30’s I’m more of an ambivert 6/10.

If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
I am Groot.

Have any pets?
We have a rescue dog named Baby. She turned out to be much older than we thought, but she’s been a sweet addition to the family.

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?
In this scenario, I hope I had time to show my kids Yellowstone first – the paint pots and geysers are pretty cool, and I hope there are some redwood forests to the east half of California that make it through the calamity. I’d probably set to making games out of sticks and stones like they did in ancient times. I imagine Chess and Go will make it through, but I’d personally be preserving my GIPF project games, and my collection dice, DnD and Pathfinder books. I’d hope that our addiction to screens would be wiped out of the human consciousness forever. You know, let’s just make that addiction in general that gets wiped out.

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):
Without Michelle, the love of my life and my wife of 16 years, I’d be lost with my head in the clouds probably in a forest monastery somewhere. Thanks for keeping me grounded and healthy- I just wished you like playing board games… any kind at all, really. Andrew, you’re the most persistent and capable problem solver at the things that interest you; thank you so much for your help with our Meat Sweats videos. I wish you too would play some analog games with your dad. Aveya, you’ve been my board gamer from the start. Thanks for pushing me to keep playing games, even when I’m tired after a long workday. I think you’ve gained genius level spatial skills from playing abstract strategy games with your dad since you were 3. How else could you beat me most of the time? Juli, you’re such an observant and smart little girl. You keep me young at heart playing Haba games when you should be sleeping (AM or PM) – We still need to finish that game of No Thank You Evil. Evan, my partner in boardgame collection crime, who’s not at all competitive – I have more games than you, and you’ll never catch up.

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

Please check out Meat Sweats the Game on Kickstarter.




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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