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: | Ruymán Peraza Romero |
|---|---|
| Email: | singularitysky@ddpgames.com |
| Location: | Tenerife, Canary Islands |
| Day Job: | I work on animation studios making movies & TV Series! |
| Designing: | Two to five years. |
| Webpage: | ddpgames.com |
| BGG: | Kjaha |
| Facebook: | Dragon Dawn Productions |
| Twitter: | @DragonDawnProd |
| Other: | I'm writing updates regularly on BGG Forum of Singularity Sky, I call it the Struggling Designer series. Check them out! Singularity Sky is actually Free on Tabletopia for any Tabletopia user to try: https://tabletopia.com/games/singularity-sky |
| Find my games at: | Singularity Sky is on Tabletopia: https://tabletopia.com/games/singularity-sky. Also find it on BGG. |
Ruymán Peraza Romero
Interviewed on: 6/2/2020
This week's interview is with Ruymán Peraza Romero, part of the Perdition's Mouth team. His current game is Singularity Sky, which is available to test out on Tabletopia. Read on to learn more about Ruymán and his 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?
It all began when I saw a post from DDP games looking for help to prepare a KS campaign. From there it gradually escalated till I became the lead designer of one of our games.
What game or games are you currently working on?
Singularity Sky
Have you designed any games that have been published?
For the Perdition's Mouth family I did design little rules, fixes and some cards, but nothing more beyond that.
What is your day job?
I work on animation studios making movies & TV Series!
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
Indoors
Who do you normally game with?
My partner, unfortunately for her
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Probably a game that's either 3+ or changes/add elements that are not available on the 2 player version
And what snacks would you eat?
I'd avoid greasy snacks to prevent stains on the games
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
The epic kind! If all players are into metal, let's go for it, otherwise OST do most of the times
What’s your favorite FLGS?
I'm a nomad, I don't have a game store I usually go to
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Challenging one... I think I'd still stick to my choice for Doomtown: Reloaded, although I lost track of its live expansions over a year ago, now there's even a new company behind it...) I also have no players to play it with lately, so... pity! I still enjoy HeroQuest! I can't tell about the worst game I ever played, because probably I forgot about it already...
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Making combos with my cards! I have this card which allows me to do this, but if I keep it then I can later on combo it with this other one to unlock this, then when I'd play it it will trigger this chain reaction and then... ¡Boom! Mind blowing :D The least favourite... I would probably go for dice placement. I either have a worker to place, or I roll some dice for an outcome, but both at the same time? Not convinced about that.
What’s your favorite game that you just can’t ever seem to get to the table?
Battlestar Galactica! 3+ players, long game, and requires some explanation to start
What styles of games do you play?
I like to play
Board Games, RPG Games, Video Games
Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design
Board Games
OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
Yes, but not really a game, is it? Mostly sort of an activity perhaps?
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?
In my case I was given a book and an already existing game to fix, so theme, world and mechanics were all there already
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
Nope
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
I quite like the works of Vlaada Chvátil and Corey Koniezcka
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
I follow that quote of "When the inspiration comes, it better finds me at work". So I just work on my ideas, thinking about the problem I'm facing, what it is that I don't like about it and ask myself many "what if...?". Then, one day, I find a possible solution I'm satisfied with. Now I will have to try it out
How do you go about playtesting your games?
Main issue about playtesting is that you need a (physical) prototype to test, clear enough for players to play it with. I've tried myself to create such a prototype but with my lack of graphic & design skills, I could only develop to a certain point. Now we're creating one as close to final as possible, with the hope to bring it to as many players as possible and gather as much feedback as possible.
Should you be interested in trying and playtesting Singularity Sky, let me know. Simply send us an email to singularitysky@ddpgames.com.
Singularity Sky is also free on Tabletopia to try: https://tabletopia.com/games/singularity-sky
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
A team of course! I wouldn't be able to create any game without an artist, a graphic designer, someone willing to try the first iterations out and give feedback even before it becomes an actual playable game.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
To get rid of words!
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Probably some good movie or TV serie... Money Heist?
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
It takes 100 times more time than you think!
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
It takes 100 times more time than you think!
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Games that will soon be published are:
Singularity Sky
I'm planning to crowdfund:
Singularity Sky
Games I feel are in the final development and tweaking stage are:
Singularity Sky
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker’s Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Only the Dized Content Creators, as I plan to have a Dized tutorial for Singularity Sky one day
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?
BSG, Beer, Full HD
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Music, hiking
What is something you learned in the last week?
Blender :D
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Heavy Metal
What was the last book you read?
I'm something like 10 pages short to finish Neimhaim, a fantasy novel about two brothers that... Well, I better don't spoil it, go check it out yourselves!
Do you play any musical instruments?
Yes, more than one actually, but none really at a professional level, I mostly enjoy guitar and bass guitar, but it all started backed in the day with the timple, a Canary Island's distant cousin of ukelele
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I don't have time to play games
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I joined a games company once... Can't remember how my life was before that
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Something too ideal or romantic to be useful... Like taking a plague vaccine and try to spread it during 1666, that kind of thing
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Mostly introvert actually, despite it quite doesn't look like
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Not sure, too many cool ones out there!
Have any pets?
2 leopards!
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
Should you be interested in trying and playtesting Singularity Sky, let me know. Simply send me an email to singularitysky@ddpgame&$46;com or find Singutaritr Sky is actually free on Tabletopia to try: https://tabletopia.com/games/singularity-sky.
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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