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: | Hameed Moore |
|---|---|
| Email: | mooregames19@gmail.com |
| Location: | Norway |
| Day Job: | Student |
| Designing: | Two to five years. |
| Facebook: | Moore Games LLC |
| Twitter: | @MooreGamesLLC |
| Instagram: | @MooreGamesLLC |
| Other: | UnPub 9 |
Hameed Moore
Interviewed on: 7/16/2020
This week’s interview is with Hameed Moore, a designer working on his first game that will be making its way to Kickstarter this October. So keep your eye out for Vendarla, and read on to learn more about Hameed and his other 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?
From new Lego designs to fantasy RPGs, I’ve always had a passion for designing stuff ever since I was kid. I really enjoy history and fantasy subjects and tabletop design gives me that platform to bring those subjects to life in a format of a game.
What game or games are you currently working on?
Press your luck (Vendarla), Worker placement, Co-op deck builder
Have you designed any games that have been published?
Not yet
What is your day job?
Student
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
In a house
Who do you normally game with?
Wife, family, and friends
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
If we have 7 people then 7 Wonders always! Less than 7, Orleans, Valeria Card/Villages, Mansions of Madness, Dice Forge, Terraforming Mars
And what snacks would you eat?
Chips and nuts
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
It depends on the theme of the game. If I was playing a civilization themed game then I would play music from a civilization soundtrack.
What’s your favorite FLGS?
Games Unlimited in Pittsburgh, PA and Outland in Bergen Norway
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
My favorite is 7 Wonders, Least favorite but still enjoy Dwarven Smithy, and worst game is Quests of Valeria
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Favorite is worker placement. Least is trick taking
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
I don't have that problem but if I have to pick one it would be Through the Ages.
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
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?
Mechanics first then the theme.
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
No
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
No
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
From ancient history and fantasy works
How do you go about playtesting your games?
I set up private game nights for a selected group. Eventually I will take my prototype to any board game meetup events to find new testers.
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
With a team, my wife is a UX designer so she helps me with some ideas and all of the design layout.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Marketing your game.
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
I would like to design a board game similar to World of Warcraft.
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
How to market your games through social media and other platforms.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Have fun and be open-minded to people's comments about your game.
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
I'm planning to crowdfund:
Vendarla - a competitive press your luck resource management game.
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are:
Vendarla
Games that I'm playtesting are:
Worker placement city building game
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are:
Co-op deck builder adventure game
And games that are still in the very early idea phase are:
Civilization style game
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Yes, Board Game Reviewers & Media, BG Design Lab Community, BG Geek Crowdfunding Group, BG Revolution Community, BGG
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-zero, VHS
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Reading, PC gaming, traveling, and hiking
What is something you learned in the last week?
Getting people to subscribe to a newsletter early on in the process is really important.
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Favorite type of music - Classical
Favorite type of books - Ancient history, medieval history, science-fiction/fantasy
Favorite type of Movies - Historical, action, comedies, science-fiction/fantasy, romantic comedies
What was the last book you read?
Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell
Do you play any musical instruments?
No
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I can be shy at first
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
Attended a random person's graduation party with some friends.
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Can't think of anything
Who is your idol?
Roman Emperor Aurelian
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Visit the Roman Empire during its Pax Romana
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Introvert until I get to know the people
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Silver Surfer
Have any pets?
No
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 we can find a way to stop the next asteroid from hitting Earth. Board games will survive because we have been playing board games since the times of the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians.
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
Game on!! I plan on launching the Kickstarter campaign for Vendarla in October 2020.
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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Nice
ReplyDeleteVery intresting. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interview.
ReplyDelete