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: | Jim Kavanaugh |
|---|---|
| Location: | New Jersey |
| Day Job: | I work in sales and marketing within the flavor and fragrance industry. |
| Designing: | Five to ten years. |
| Webpage: | azurehorizongames.com |
| BGG: | AzureHorizon |
| Facebook: | Azure Horizon Games |
| Twitter: | @AzureHorizonGMS |
| Other: | https://www.indiegamealliance.com/members/member.php?id=3857 |
| Find my games at: | Kleos is on TTS and on Kickstarter |
Jim Kavanaugh
Interviewed on: 7/19/2020
Jim Kavanaugh has been designing games ever since he was a kid, but just started taking his hobby seriously. Now he has his first game on Kickstarter. Kleos is already funded and working on stretch goals, so be sure to check it out today!
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've always had a passion for creating games and game content. In middle school and high school I used to design new D&D classes and alternate rule-sets for games like Magic: the Gathering.
Somewhere around the age of 16, I created my first game. It was a pen and paper rpg that allowed you to play as a mech pilot (Gundam style), with a system that allowed you to act as the pilot outside as well as inside the mech. My friends and I ran a campaign lasting 6 months and it was an absolute blast!
I created a couple of games in my 20's for fun and made expansions/alternate rule-sets for other games I loved. In my early 30's I decided to make game design a serious hobby. I am in the process of taking my first project to Kickstarter.
What game or games are you currently working on?
Kleos launched on Kickstarter on Tuesday, July 21. You play as a Greek god competing to become the patron god of a rising Greek city-state. It combines the card play of your favorite collectible card games, with action management and a 'troops on a map' board game. The theme is built into every aspect of the game, with beautiful art, and stream-lined gameplay.
I have a couple other projects on the backburner. One is a quick play mint tin card game tentatively named "Chronoseum," where you play as different tropes from across time and realities, all pulled into an inter-dimensional Roman-style coliseum for the amusement of a superior race.
Have you designed any games that have been published?
Not yet, but Kleos will be the first!
What is your day job?
I work in sales and marketing within the flavor and fragrance industry.
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
At my house or a friend's house. A relaxed atmosphere with friends.
Who do you normally game with?
A wide variety of people at the moment. The Kleos community has weekly games, and I love playing games that others are developing on TTS. With the recent lockdowns, I play a lot on TTS at the moment. It is so amazing to play with people from around the world, and try new games that others are working on that I never would have seen before publication otherwise. Also played through the entire Gloomhaven campaign with a friend via Skype during lockdowns.
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
I typically have regular game days with friends. Most recently we played a couple games of Marvel Champions, which is a lot of fun. Typically we start with a light, fast entry game like King of Tokyo, and then get into the mid-weight/heavier games which could include Arkham Horror, Mansions of Madness, Sentinels of the Multiverse, Dark Souls, Inis, and a wide variety of other games. My choices at the moment would be Legends of Novus, Marvel Champions, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion.
And what snacks would you eat?
Pretzels and cool ranch doritos!
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
We typically don't listen to music, but the LOTR soundtrack and Castlevania music could work well.
What’s your favorite FLGS?
Fantasy Games in Mahwah NJ
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
At the moment, Gloomhaven and Clank Legacy are my favorites. I really enjoyed playing through the campaign of each.
My least favorite game that I still enjoy...that's tough...at the moment it might be Magic: the Gathering! Mostly because I have played a lot of it over the years and enjoy trying new things.
The worst game I ever played was a mech-based Kickstarter game I backed several years ago. It seemed very cool and was what I always wanted in a mech game, but it was horribly unbalanced and the decisions did not really matter. There was only one viable strategy.
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
I would say that games with action/resource management are among my favorites. You generally have multiple ways to win and a variety of strategies to employ. I also love 'take that' style games. I am not typically a fan of most traditional Euro games, though there are exceptions!
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Scythe (one of the Euro exceptions...)
What styles of games do you play?
I like to play
Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures Games, Video Games
Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design
Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures Games
OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
Not for more than an hour and not that often!
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 tend to work off the theme and having the mechanics make sense thematically is very important to me. I typically build the game up, making it more and more complicated, and then strip away all the unnecessary elements to make it stream-lined and only keep the key features.
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
I entered the BGDL Annual Competition this year and made the second round. That was the first contest I ever entered.
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
I admire what Isaac Childres did with Gloomhaven. There was so much amazing content in that game and so many cool surprises as well! Gabe Barrett as well for everything he has done for the design community.
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
Immersing myself in the theme and related source material, or going for a walk in nature.
How do you go about playtesting your games?
Get it on a table as soon as possible, see what breaks, see what's fun...maximize the fun and fix the issues. I usually test it myself first, then with close friends, then with strangers. Sometimes you may only test a single turn or mechanism rather than a full game.
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I work alone, but it is important to work within a community. You can get so much amazing feedback from groups like BGDL and Board Game Revolution Community on Facebook. It's especially great to have community support that covers your weaknesses and blind spots...which we all have! I have been working with the artist for Kleos for 2.5 years now. I also work with a graphic design team, and have a great online community that offers feedback and ideas to make the game better.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Writing rulebooks! It took probably a hundred iterations or more over the course of 1.5 years to have the rulebook in a near final state. I am happy with where it is now, but wow...it was very challenging!
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Castlevania would be very fun! Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms would be as well. I am a big RA Salvatore fan.
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Engage with a community early on. It will accelerate your learning and provide support when needed. Also, then you can share your knowledge as you learn, and it will give you new ideas and inspirations.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
It is very rewarding and a lot of fun! If you are considering board game design as a hobby, the hardest part is getting started. The only way to get started is by making games! Come up with an idea, make your first prototype, and play it. Play it with others, don't be afraid to share your ideas. Your first game will probably be bad and that's okay! You will improve it over time, or learn something that you can use to make better games in the future. Accomplished designers may only take 1/10 of their prototypes to show publishers or bring to the market. Each game you make will get better, and the main thing is to have fun in the process.
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:
Kleos launched on Kickstarter Tuesday July 21. It is my first game going to publication by my company, Azure Horizon Games. To learn more, feel free to visit https://kleosboardgame.com.
Games that I'm playtesting are:
The first expansion to Kleos. : )
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are:
Working Title: "Chronoseum" - a simple mint tin card game where you play as a warrior from anywhere in space and time and battle other warriors. Think Roman Gladiator v. Ninja v. Sorceror v. Werewolf. You equip yourself for combat, upgrade your items and beat each other down!
Barbarian Kingdoms of the Frozen North - You play as a barbarian clan in the frozen tundra, trying to survive the harsh wilderness and bring prosperity to your clan. It is a dice drafting and management game. You hunt monsters, and as you level up and kill them, you get new dice. You choose which dice in your pool are active. When dice are rolled, you combine their results to use powers and abilities specific to your class and equipment.
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are:
A Metroid-vania style board game where you traverse unknown rooms to find treasure and take down the main boss.
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Board Game Design Lab
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, Pepsi, VHS
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Indoor rock climbing, tennis, reading
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Fantasy and sci-fi fiction books. The Red Rising series, Name of the Wind, and the Legend of Drizzt series are among my favorites.
What was the last book you read?
Iron Gold
Do you play any musical instruments?
Nope
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I went cage-less scuba diving with a tiger shark in the wild.
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Made a last minute decision to go with a friend to someone's birthday party I didn't know too well, and ended up marrying the birthday girl 5 years later!
Who is your idol?
Roger Federer - I admire his class and composure in both victory and defeat, and how much of his time he dedicates to charitable causes.
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Get me a dinosaur egg, bet on some sports and then invest the money in a long-term interest account to collect in the future.
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Yes
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Thor seems to have it pretty good!
Have any pets?
Yep, two kitties - Jace and Aria
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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