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: | Evan Teska |
|---|---|
| Email: | evanteska@gmail.com |
| Location: | Southeastern Wisconsin, US of A |
| Day Job: | Wealth Management Advisor |
| Designing: | Five to ten years. |
| Webpage: | www.earthfiregames.com; www.meatsweatsgame.com |
| Facebook: | @Earthfiregames; @meatsweatsgame |
| Instagram: | @Earthfiregames; @meatsweatsgame |
| Find my games at: | Meet up at Protospiel Madison and Milwaukee. Nothing published yet, keep your eyes open in 2020! |
Evan Teska
Interviewed on: 11/20/2019
Next week a fast card game called Meat Sweats will be hitting Kickstarter. Evan Teska is part of the team that designed the game. He also has a number of other games that he's working on. So if you'd like to learn more about Evan and his current projects, read on!
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 originally co-designed a RPG with a friend, and after our gaming sessions with the larger group got farther and farther apart it was down to just the two of us. Our first collaborative effort was turning our RGP into a board game that 2 people could play.
What game or games are you currently working on?
Meat Sweats: The Game, Argilkin: World Builders, Argilkin: Ages
Have you designed any games that have been published?
Not yet!
What is your day job?
Wealth Management Advisor
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
At home, or by a friend’s house.
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?
Depends on the group. Most often I play with more casual gamers if it’s more than just 2 people. In that case we tend to play Tokaido, Ticket to Ride, Celestia, Code Names and more recently Planet.
And what snacks would you eat?
Taco dip is always a great choice.
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
Not typically.
What’s your favorite FLGS?
There are a few local shops I stop in, really depends on when the inspiration hits me to stop somewhere. I’m not a big "in-store" game player, but I love to support the smaller guys when I can.
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Current favorite game? Century Golem Edition Least favorite that you still enjoy? Well, I’ve never won a game of Ticket to Ride, but still love to play it; does that count? Worst game you ever played? The Vampire Diaries Game (Don’t ask)
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Favorite game mechanic? Deck Building Least favorite? Roll to Move, though sometimes it works well.
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Bloodborne: The Card Game
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, Miniatures Games, RPG Games
OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
Occasionally. I do not own it, but with the right group I can be persuaded into a late night round or two.
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’s almost always a theme, then the mechanic. I like the challenge of making the mechanics feel thematically purposeful.
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Entered yes, won…no.
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
I’m a fan of Dan Cassar. I know he had a big hit with Arboretum last year, but one of my favorite all time duel games is still The Blood of an Englishman.
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
No secret formula. They come from real life events, dreams and occasionally a few too many cocktails.
How do you go about playtesting your games?
Working with a co-designer provides a natural playtesting routine, I find that we challenge each other to become better, and work well to complement each other’s play/ design style.
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I come up with game ideas quite often by myself, but mostly work with my co-designer, Ryan Ziegler of Earthfire Games to bring those ideas to life.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Completing a project, the inspirations for MORE new games it hard to quiet sometimes in my brain.
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
It’s a long process. You may have a working prototype of a game in a single night, but it might not be “done” for years.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Work on something you're passionate about, it makes the work more enjoyable.
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
I'm planning to crowdfund:
Meat Sweats: The Game – December 13th, 2019
Games that I'm playtesting are:
Argilkin: Ages
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are:
Argilkin: World Builders
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are:
Of the Cloth
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
The Boardgame Group, Art & Graphic Design for Tabletop Games, Protospiel, Midwest Tabletop Game Design
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 as a mixer, Pepsi as a standalone, VHS
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
I'm a singer.
What is something you learned in the last week?
I’m sure there was here was something, but I’ve already forgotten it.
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
I have an eclectic taste in music. My all-time favorite is Pearl Jam, but recently I have enjoyed Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. If it’s on, I’ll mostly like listen to it…Hard Core Rap need not apply, that’s not really music, just a sad mix of noise and mumbling. (Wow that makes me sound like an old man.) I enjoy fantasy books. I enjoy spending time with my family watching the Marvel and Star Wars movies.
What was the last book you read?
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Do you play any musical instruments?
Not really...
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I sing classical music.
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I jumped off of my friend’s roof. It was a one story house, and I was like 16. If I tried something like that now I’d end up in the hospital.
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
I fell out of a kayak on a river once as I was going over a waterfall. I have a pretty awesome story about walking UP the waterfall to retrieve my oar. (It was a small waterfall, but still a waterfall!)
Who is your idol?
Not sure I have just one. I admire people who pursue something they are passionate about and make their living off of it. It’s a crazy mix of dedication, opportunity, sacrifice, commitment and luck.
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Stop the creation of the Teletubbies…and that stupid cat meme that is ruining the internet right now. (buying a winning lottery ticket is a given, right)
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
A little bit of both, but I learn toward extrovert.
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Wolverine.
Have any pets?
We have a dog, Bailey. And my daughters just got 2 hamsters last week, Apollo and Chewbacca.
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 that I’m able to save my 1980’s version of Lawn Jarts, I think they’ll stick into the ice nicely!
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):
Jim Burzelic. If not for you introducing me to Battlelords of the 23rd Century, a LONG time ago, I might not have ever discovered my passion for games.
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
I’m blessed to be married to the love of my life, we will be celebrating 15 year of marriage this coming June. We have 2 beautiful daughters who also have the gaming “bug”.
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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