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 |
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment