An Interview with Lance Hill, Designer of Kings of Israel

Today we're having a chat with designer, Lance Hill, who is currently running a campaign for Kings of Israel, a co-op game set in ancient Israel.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us!

Thank you for having me!

First, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Lance and I am a full-time stay-at-home dad for our three small children, and part-time game designer. In my previous life I was a systems analyst for small businesses (IT guy). I've been a gamer all my life, and the family game growing up was multi-player solitaire. The game misses the nuance of most euro games, but does allow for more trash talking.

You have a new game on Kickstarter called Kings Of Israel. Tell us about that game.

Kings of Israel takes place during the reign of kings in Israel, which is about 3,000 years ago. Each player takes the role of a line of prophets that, together as a team, are trying to keep evil out of Israel while building the needed altars to win the game. Every turn evil spreads and good or bad events occur, depending on whether the team is living during the reign of a good or bad king. If the players run out of sin cubes or idols, or if Israel is destroyed by Assyria before the altars are built, then the team loses.

Did you set out to make a religious game, and then add the gameplay elements? Or did you first set out to create a fun game, and then add the religious theme?

My original goal was to make a fun game that I could use to teach geography to the teen Bible study I was leading. During the summer session we didn't have a set plan to follow for our studies so I wanted to integrate a game into the studies, but I hit a wall. There are very few biblical-themed games that are actually fun to play, and with the few that are enjoyable the theme is usually light and has nothing to teach. I tried using Settlers of Canaan with pasted-on labels for important locations in roughly the right area, but it was way too abstracted and not very useful. I did have one student go out and buy Settlers of Catan right after the game was done, though! So I decided to start working on my own game to teach geography. Originally it was going to be a resource-delivery game, and I probably still have all my notes of what resources are where in Israel. But then I started to lean towards a "12 tribes of Israel" game with each player taking on a tribe or two, but it started to feel a little bit too cutthroat for a game that's to be used in a Bible study. Then I finally started to think about the spread of disease in Pandemic and started to think how that mechanic could be adapted as a way to show the spread of evil in Israel.

And so Kings of Israel was born! Eventually!

Is this a gamer’s game? A family game? A nongamers game? All of the above?

I would say a family game is the closest category, but I tried to make Kings of Israel scalable to the type of group you are playing with. Playing with teens or a family who has never played a real strategy game before? Start them off with either the Basic or Easy version, depending on time and mental constraints. Playing with a group that enjoys gateway games? Play the normal version of Kings of Israel. Group of gamers? Play the Expert mode with the false prophet to grind the team down.

One of the “accusations” leveled against you is that this is just Pandemic with a religious theme. What makes Kings Of Israel unique?

I believe the spreading mechanic in Pandemic should be put in the same category of mechanics as deck-building and worker-placement games. It is a brilliant design that lends itself to many purposes.

Evil spreads in a way similar to Pandemic but it varies in many ways. Instead of needing three cubes before something spreads, an idol is needed for evil to spread in Kings of Israel. Idols can be created when a third (or more) sin cube is added to a location or as the result of a bad event. This causes two issues in-game. First, two cubes in one location is a dangerous spot since it's one away from an idol, and idols are harder to remove than sin cubes. Secondly, since the idols can appear because of bad events, the players cannot depend on just certain areas being the ones to hover around. There is a lot of movement in the game.

There are also dangerous regions on the map based on their proximity to outside nations. Nation cards within the location deck can cause one card to hit multiple areas with sin cubes at once if that nation is connected to those areas. A single area can be hit multiple times in a turn if its location and an adjacent nation are drawn together.

Building altars to win the game is not their only purpose. Altars can be used to make sacrifices if you have the proper resources. A proper sacrifice can remove multiple cubes of sin in a region with one action, and the team cannot win without properly timed sacrifices. Good placement of altars is very important to win the game.

Additionally, the resources needed for altars, and other purposes, are not given to you each turn as it does in Pandemic. Instead a player must use an action to draw a resource card. This big difference alone, I believe, really adjusts the feel to the game. Instead of waiting around for the cards a player needs to win the game, they can go out there and get them! But if a player uses too many actions to acquire those resources instead of removing sin cubes and idols, then they can quickly become overwhelmed and lose. There is a bit of push-your-luck to Kings of Israel in knowing when to try to draw that card you need to do something, or when to just remove that troubled spot that might explode the next turn.

There are many other differences! There is no limit to how many cubes can be in one spot—I've seen six reached at one point. The difficulty can vary each turn depending on the king and how many good or bad events have occurred. Traveling is different, reshuffling the deck occurs but not seeded the way it is in Pandemic, and so on.

Do you think this game would still appeal to atheists? Why or why not?

I think Kings of Israel is also a fun game for atheists. One of the big concerns I imagine an atheist would have is whether Kings of Israel preaches to the player, which is common in biblical-themed games. It does not. If the player likes to sacrifice their children to Molech, then maybe it does talk down a little to the player, but that's about it. There are Bible passages used on the cards but they are flavor text that are applicable to what the card does. To try to alleviate some concern by atheists, I decided that one of my reviews should be done by an atheist, as a “neutral party,” if you will. Richard of “Rahdo Runs Through…” mentioned at one point in a Geeklist that Kings of Israel might be interesting to check out. After confirming he was an atheist I asked him to review a copy of the game, and he agreed! He ended up enjoying Kings of Israel and encouraged others to try it and not be put off by the theme. That review is available on Youtube here if interested.

How did you first get into modern Euros?

I was always interested in gaming and about 10 years ago I came across Boardgamegeek. I knew I had to try some of the highly ranked games, and I did have a roommate that was interested too, so I went to the mall and purchased the best two-player games that I could find. I believe my first Euro games were Alhambra, Attica, Lost Cities, and Settlers of Catan: The Card Game. And it just exploded from there!

What are some of your favorite board games?

I do enjoy a good worker-placement or area-control game, so my top 5 at the moment is probably:

• Agricola
• Die Macher
• Dominant Species
• Through the Ages
• Le Havre

Are there any other games you’re working on?

I do have a couple ideas going around in my head, one of which is far enough along that I am playtesting it right now. It is a little different from Kings of Israel in that it is a game about building pre-fab homes called “Prefabulous!”

Just like us, you’re involved with youth ministry. So what’s the craziest youth ministry story you can share with us?

Hmm, tough call on that one. I do remember the time another chaperone and I took our youth group camping for the first time in mid-February. I decided that, since we're from Wisconsin, we could survive the colder season in Texas just fine and that everyone would just bundle up. Well, turned out it was going to be one of the coldest days of the year, and it was going to freeze overnight! So we went out camping with all of the poor Texans bundled in layer-upon-layer of clothing. It all went fine until we had to move away from the campfire into our tents. It was around 3AM when I woke up to the sound of the guys next to me shivering. I ended up giving them my blankets while I went outside and walked around until the sun came up!

Now it’s time for the lightning round: 5 questions; 1-word (or phrase) answers.

Favorite Muppet?

Beaker

Favorite Old Testament Prophet?

Elisha

Last great book you read?

In Cold Blood

Name you would have given your son Isaac if he’d been a girl instead?

Johanna

Favorite sports team?

Packers

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, Lance!

And thank you!

Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed this interview with Lance Hill! Please check out Kings of Israel on Kickstarter, RIGHT HERE! And don't forget to subscribe to the blog over on the right!

Oh, and did we mention there is still time to get in on the Pixel Lincoln Contest? There is! Just click HERE!

An Interview With Warfields Designer Chris Green

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Chris Green from Menaveth Games. He’s got a Kickstarter campaign running for his new design, WarFields. Chris, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks Scott for giving me this opportunity to talk about myself and WarFields.

I've been playing games for as long as I can remember. Some of the first games I played were on the Apple II. As I grew up, there was always a game console in the house. I must have logged hundreds of hours for each game we owned.

After high school, I went to school and studied graphic design and digital media, graduating in 2011. I married my beautiful wife in 2009 and our first child was born in 2012. Now I buy my own games and look forward to when my son can beat me.

How were you first introduced to modern board games?

I was at my best friend's wedding, and while us groomsmen were waiting for the time of the wedding, someone randomly pulled out Settlers of Catan. We had about an hour to kill so we all starting playing. I had never played before so I just stood and watched. The game looked like a lot of fun and I really wished at that moment I could have joined in. I had played video games that had similar game mechanics, such as resource gathering and building, and loved those games. I knew I would love Settlers the moment I'd get a chance to play. I wondered at that moment what other games like this I had been missing out on. I then got the chance to play Dominion with a few friends and was instantly hooked to board games.

I wish I could say I have a huge game collection, but I don't. But don't count me out just yet! I'm still working on it!

So how does a graphic designer become a board game designer?

It took a long time to figure out what I was passionate about...

I've always loved to draw. I was fascinated by comic books and manga, not for the story, but for the pictures. I'd try to draw that style and thought I'd be an animator when I grew up. I took a class in high school on web design and was first exposed to Photoshop 6.0. I loved the creative freedom that it brings, and decided to go to college to study design.

When I started playing Minecraft, I didn't play it to "beat the game," I played it to create. When I learned people could create adventure maps (adventure maps being a created story and adventure that could be downloaded and played by other Minecraft users) I jumped all over that. When I had made about five different adventure maps, I realized this is what I enjoy doing the most: creating games.

I dabbled in a few video game engines, but creating a video game is a ton of work for one person. So I went for a simpler route just to get my feet wet. I created a Chess adaptation with achievement cards. The game was called Rooked! I had so much fun making the cards and play-testing the game, I decided to go big and started working on WarFields.

WarFields—at first blush—sounds similar to some other card-based tactical games, such as Summoner Wars. So what makes WarFields unique in this genre?

I would be dishonest if I didn't say the games are strikingly similar. I was aware Summoner Wars existed, but I created WarFields without the knowledge of how to play Summoner Wars. Even with that, there are great differences between the games.

The way combat is done in Summoner Wars is that you roll a die for a hit or miss, basically. In WarFields, combat is taken to a whole new level. First you have choice. Most characters have two types of attacks of variable strength and ailments. One attack is usually stronger, but the weaker attack costs less. That’s just for the attacking side. For the defender, each character has a Defense number and a Health number. The attack hits the defending character's defense first. If the character withstands the attack, no damage is done to the health. But the offense may have more characters to attack.

In Summoner Wars, you have a small deck you can burn through pretty quickly. In WarFields, both players draw from the same deck, leaving no room for a distinct advantage. The deck is also 90 cards. In all of the rounds I've played we left cards in the draw deck, making each game unique. There is also no deck-building or card-burning. Everything is driven by gold.

Gold is collected by workers and selling cards. The more workers you have in play, the more you have to work with each turn. At the beginning of each turn, you'll collect the gold from your workers and have the option to sell one card from your hand. Gold is then used to recruit characters into your army, used in their attacks, or used for powerful scrolls.

Where did you come up with the idea for WarFields?

I started out with the idea of fields. I wanted characters to have a starting position that was separated from the standard combat zone. So I started with four fields, but quickly learned that wouldn't work if I wanted ranged attacks. So six fields became the standard.

At the same time I was making that decision, I chose the theme of Fantasy for several reasons. The first is I love the fantasy genre. My favorite movie is Lord of the Rings and my favorite game is Skyrim. The second reason is that it is well received by the gaming community.

Once I had made those two decisions, the ideas about characters, attacks, power ups, and every other idea just flowed naturally out of that.

What is you favorite mechanism in the game?

My favorite mechanic is the fields. There are six fields in the game and that opens up a wide variety of bonuses and obstacles for each game. But the reason I like it the most, is because the opening fields are separated so you and your opponent start out far away from each other. What makes that even better is, when characters are played they still have the ability to move, and even attack, in the same turn.

What’s your favorite Character in the game, and why?

My favorite character would have to be... the Summoner and Necromancer. I know I'm supposed to pick just one, but both these characters open the door to more than just human characters in your army. The Summoners can add beast creatures, and the Necromancer can add undead characters. These two characters are also balanced so that neither is better in any way. So I can't choose just one, but I can choose these two.

Any expansion ideas kicking around in your head?

Absolutely. I had so many ideas for different cards, there was no way I could throw them all into one game. Since this is a game where the owner of the game decides how they want to play, and since so many other cards could be made in the future, adding expansions to make the game their own is a must.

What are your three favorite games right now?

My three favorite games right now are Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Skyrim. You didn't say they had to be board games. :P

Here’s the 5 Questions with 1-Word Answers section!

Favorite board game designer?

Donald Vaccarino

Favorite beverage?

Mountain Dew

Favorite science fiction show ever?

Firefly

What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?

Ender's Game

Band you’re ashamed to admit you like?

Caramell

Chris, thanks so much for talking with us. And thank you for reading! Make sure you check out the Kickstarter campaign for WarFields.

Michael Coe Founder of Gamelyn Games - an Interview

We’re very excited today to have a chat with Michael Coe, founder of Gamelyn Games, and designer of Dungeon Heroes, about the newest title scheduled for release from Gamelyn Games, Fantasy Frontier!

Michael, thanks for chatting with us!

So, tell us a little of the Gamelyn Games story; how did you arrive on the gaming scene?

Gamelyn Games is a rapidly growing games and toys company based out of Arizona. My wife Brittany and I started Gamelyn Games shorty after I transitioned out of Crash Games, the publishing company I had previously founded with Patrick Nickell. Brittany and I are both family focused individuals and we actually just started a family of our own! We truly share a passion for providing families and friends with awesome games and toys. We both grew up as gamers and little inventors and I’ve had a burning passion all my life to create games and share my ancient ideas… yes, I’m getting old, so we set out to make our dreams come true!

We’ve started to hear the buzz coming out of Gencon about Fantasy Frontier, but for those who don’t know the game, can you give us a quick overview?

Absolutely! Fantasy Frontier is a 2-4 player euro game that delivers an epic airship experience! Players compete for victory points by creating geographic patterns, building settlements and through aerial combat. The game boasts a synergetic package of tile placement, pattern recognition, worker placement and resource gathering.

What inspired the creation and design of Fantasy Frontier?

It all started when I was about 5 years old with The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin! I say that jokingly but maybe there is some truth to it. I did absolutely love the airship toy and I had the whole crew! I’d be lying if I didn’t say that ever since then I had an affinity for airships. It seems every time one showed up in a new video game that game quickly became my favorite; Mario Bros. 3, Final Fantasy 2, Chrono Trigger, Warcraft 2 and many others.

In addition to my love for airships, I love map making. I began playing D&D at eleven and once I had a turn at being the DM I was hooked. I would create my own worlds vast with adventure. I’d spend hours creating maps of the worlds and their key areas and then bring them to the table for players to explore.

Fantasy Frontier is a product of my dreams to create a game of airships and cartography!

What is the “hook” for Fantasy Frontier? That is to say, what one thing about the game sets it apart from other games?

The emphasis on map making from atop a fantastic airship sets Fantasy Frontier apart! Also, the theme; as much as people have been calling it steampunk (and I take no offense to that) it is actually high-fantasy. Naomi Robinson has done a magnificent job capturing that theme.

Lastly, the integration and execution of a euro game with optional take-that elements.

Like so many indie (and established) game publishers, you’re funding this title through Kickstarter; you’ve also had plenty of success in the past bringing games to market through crowd funding. What bit of advice would you give an up-and-comer looking to kickstart a project?

Create a complete project plan that includes a pre-production schedule, marketing strategies, a production schedule, and a post-production plan. Do your research about Kickstarter, taxes, production and shipping costs, marketing costs etc. Sound overwhelming? It can be, but remember a wall is built one brick at a time.

Your BGG bio says you’re also a professional actor! Whoah! Do you still act, or are you just making games for a living?

I haven’t acted in some time, but I still love it! I plan to return to acting once I am able to make games full time. I work an average of 80-100 hours a week between my day job and Gamelyn Games. Once I can cut out my day job, I’d love to return to acting.

Hypothetically speaking, if you were trying to impress someone at a party or social gathering while talking about your acting career, whose name would you drop when listing off folks you’ve worked with?

Kathy Bates, Kate Mara, Gregory Smith, Chris Pratt… I’ve been very blessed to have worked with some really awesome and really talented people in the acting industry.

What are some of your favorite games to play right now? and why?

Board Games: Chess, Carcassonne, and Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small. I really enjoy many others but these are recent visitors to the game table. Chess for the epitome in strategy and tactics that it is, Carcassonne for capturing medieval landlording in an approachable package, and Agricola All Creatures… for the breeding…lol =D

Video Games: Legend of Zelda (NES), Adventures of Link (NES) and Pilot Wings (SNES)… why? Because it they make me feel like a kid again alright, you want the truth? There it is!

Word on the street has it that Eric Vale, of Dragon Ball Z fame, will be doing (or has done by now) the voice work for the Kickstarter video of Fantasy Frontier. Any other cool surprises you can tell us about coming during the campaign?

The coolness of Eric Vale doing Fantasy Frontier is a hard act to follow. I am working on some fun ideas for the campaign stretch goals but can’t let the cat out of the bag quite yet.

We’ve had some conversations offline about the review we wrote for Dungeon Heroes. We wanted again to thank you for understanding our point of view. We’re also very curious if there are any plans for the future of Dungeon Heroes? Dungeon Heroes has a very bright future! The game has been received tremendously and the stores can’t keep it on the shelf. This is all fuel for the 4 player version I am currently working on. I’m also exploring additional expansions to the current 2 player system. So, lots of good stuff in development. Dungeon Heroes lends itself well to expandability and my well of creativity for it is deep.

So what does “down time” look like for the Coe family? Or do you get much of that? I make time for “down time” because that is the time I get with my wife and daughter, the two most meaningful aspects of my life. We spend time going to the park, the mall, going out for dinner and even sometimes the arcade, Jolene (my daughter, 10 months old) loves going out and meeting other kids and seeing the wonderful world we live in. We also spend good quality time at home just relaxing and playing with Jolene, teaching her new things. She just took her first two steps the other day! Good times!

Okay...5 Questions/5 Words (or very short phrases) to answer them! Aaaand GO!

• Favorite dirigible? Ooo… that’s tough… I’m going to cop out and say that I love them all equally. They are all my babies after all. =)

• Favorite urban legend you wish was actually true? LOL! I don’t wish any were true! That’s just macabre! There are lots of fairy tales I wish were true though.

• Best part of an Oreo—Cookie or Stuffing? The 10 year old me would have said the stuffing, but the current me has grown an appreciation for the synergy that the stuffing and cookie have together.

• Favorite toy when you were a kid? Wow, that’s a hard question. I was big into toys as a kid, but I think I loved my Ninja Turtles and Jurassic Park collections the most.

• Name of your first RPG character? Jolene, a Paladin in D&D advanced 2nd edition. Also, the name of my mother and now my daughter. ROFL… wow I’m a geek, bad!

Michael, thanks so much for taking some time for us, and congratulations on all of your success so far!

For more information on Fantasy Frontier you can follow this link RIGHT HERE to the Kickstarter campaign, or visit www.GamelynGames.com.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube AND now on our very own podcast!

An Interview With A Duel Betwixt Us Designer Laurence Honderick

For today's interview we're joined by Laurence Honderick, who co-designed A Duel Betwixt Us, a unique card game up on Kickstarter right now! As our baby gift to the Royal Couple, I've left in all of his charming and superfluous British "u's." Laurence, thanks for taking some time to chat about A Duel Betwixt Us!

Before we talk about the game, tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Margate, Florida. I spent a lot of time on boats when I was younger and over the years I’ve survived a few shipwrecks. I went to art school but left early to co-found a technology startup, which moved me all over the States but eventually landed me in London.  After the company went bust, I began freelancing as a motion graphics designer, and now work full-time at a London agency creating motion graphics for television broadcast (mostly on the BBC). I never have enough time, but I do have a wonderfully supportive wife who I couldn’t do all of this stuff without.

How did you get into gaming in the first place?

The original idea-man behind the game (Rob Fitzpatrick) turned me on to Magic when we were in grade school, and hobby descended quickly into obsession. I have so many memories of us deckbuilding  in the middle of a bedroom where cards covered every visible inch of the floor...  We never really stopped playing MTG—we still do drafts occasionally and my highschool deck is proudly displayed in a place of honour in my living room.

So your new game is A Duel Betwixt Us: Tell us a little bit about it; what sets it apart from other 2-player combat card games?

Mechanically, the most unique thing is that you build your weapons and armour piece-by-piece for a specific outcome when you take it into combat, but the absurdist sense of humour which permeates the game as well as the super-stylised look and feel also go a long way in setting it apart.

You and your co-designer have known each other since you were infants... Tell us that story!

Actually, our friendship pre-dates infancy.  Our mothers met in Pregnacize class when we were in the womb (I believe Rob’s mom was actually the instructor).  He was born several months earlier, and when I followed, I think they just chucked me in the pen alongside him.  All of my earliest memories of friendship revolve around him, and we were definitely each other’s biggest cultural influences growing up.

What are some of the challenges you encountered codesigning a game?

Getting our schedules to line up was a real issue—we’re both consumed by our different careers in different ways, and free time to work on something as huge as this is hard to find as individuals, let alone as a pair.  Consequently, a lot of stuff had to be divided up and designated to one person or the other, so most of our time together which wasn’t spent playtesting was taken up by talking about stuff we’d done (or were going to do) while apart.

How did you land on the gentlemen’s duel theme for the game?

Rob had originally pitched the idea to me as a series of duels between medieval knights, but we ultimately thought it would be funnier to set such absurd acts of violence in a time where people considered themselves truly proper and manners & etiquette ruled supreme.  With knights who lived in more barbaric times it was maybe just a little too believable to be absurd.  Also, I could do funnier moustaches with a 19th century theme, which was a major plus.

Not a question, but I would just like to say that your Kickstarter video is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It also sounded like I was watching an episode of Danger Mouse, so thank you for bringing back fond memories.

Ha!  Thanks so much.  It was a labour of love, that video. It warms me to hear that it evoked memories of such a spectacular property!  The voiceover, which no doubt cued that particular connection, was performed by my brother Charlie, who was himself a Danger Mouse fan as a kid.

Is A Duel Betwixt Us your first attempt at game design, or are there others we should be getting to the table?

Rob and I had been prototyping games of one kind or another since college, but ADBU was the first one which really, really clicked enough for us to follow through.  It’s a huge amount of work to put together a game like this, and this was definitely the first which really deserved all of that love, time and energy.

What can you tell us about your plans for the future of A Duel Betwixt Us? Will there be expansions down the line?

Ultimately that will depend on how the kickstarter does, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought up one or two neat expansion themes.  Time will tell!

How would I keep a codpiece of solid gold from falling down constantly? Wouldn’t it be incredibly heavy? Wouldn’t I be so distracted by trying to keep it where it belongs that I’d be vulnerable to a dastardly fish-slap from my opponent?!

Surely you aren’t suggesting that you aren’t MAN enough for a SOLID GOLD CODPIECE?!

What’s your favorite thing about A Duel Betwixt Us?

Honestly, at this point my favourite thing about the game is the community of people who have come out to support us since we launched the video.  We’ve had so many great suggestions, questions, comments and well-wishes from backers who one week ago never even knew we existed... I’m so incredibly thankful for everything they’ve brought to the experience, I’d have difficulty verbalizing my gratitude.

What are your five favorite games right now?

Because of how demanding of my schedule the development of ADBU was, I haven’t had enough time to play many other games over the last couple of years, but Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Gloom would be my favourite at the moment:  Settlers for its balance, Dominion for its strategy, and Gloom for its humour.

Five Questions/One-Word Answers (Or a very short phrase, but seriously, don’t push us on this because we’ve had a long week...)

Weapon of choice in a real-life duel?

fisticuffs

Favorite mustache style?

handlebar

Favorite mustard style?

spicy french

Favorite song from the Labyrinth soundtrack?

Chilly Down

Favorite fictional character?

either Jack Crabb from Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man, or Thomas Cromwell from Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall novels.

Thanks so much for joining us, Laurence! You can check out the Kickstarter for A Duel Betwixt us right here!

And thank you for reading!

A Special Interview w/ Unicorn City Director Bryan Lefler

Today we’re once again playing a bit against type,  as we have a little sit-down with Bryan Lefler, Editor, Writer, and Director of the film Unicorn City, which is a wonderful and funny movie about gamers.

Bryan, thanks so much for taking some time to chat with us! Did we get all the credits right? Or did you have any additional roles/jobs on the film?

I’m going to correct you on the title of writer. I was a co-writer, having written the script with my brother, Adrian. My father, who was one of the executive producers, was instrumental in the writing process as well. He’s the one who would read our stuff, say that it didn’t make any sense, roll his eyes and say it was lame, and push for more weighty issues instead of making it all about people just fartin’ around in a forest.

When you’re talking about an independent movie you end up signing on for all sorts of extra jobs, whether you planned on it or not. I did storyboarding, concept artwork, and a myriad of other things.

So take us back to the beginning: What spawned the idea of Unicorn City? Were you a gamer growing up, or were you drawn to the genre because of the awesome level of geeky awkwardness within the gamer culture?

This is a multifaceted question so I’ll answer it in a kind of brain-barfy way.

The idea of Unicorn City didn’t just pop into our brains. My brother and I had been writing, or rather, trying to figure out how to write, for about 6 years. We had written about 3 scripts. The first one was awful. The second script had dark subject matter and we decided we didn’t want to go there. Basking in the dregs of society isn’t where we wanted to be for the next 2 to 3 years. We wrote another that was just way too big in terms of budget. When they say “don’t limit yourselves when writing” I think they’re smoking. My experience is that you have to have budget in mind. If you’re going to be low budget then treat it that way and embrace it.

So, we knew we had to do something very, very low budget. So low budget that we could finance it by mortgaging our homes...or at least convince my dad to mortgage his. Adrian approached me one day and said, “I got it. A modern day Don Quixote by Cervantes. It’s all about imagination vs. reality, but with gamers.” We grabbed that idea and started working on it. In the meantime I ran into a friend at the LA airport that Adrian and I went to school with named Cameron Dayton. We were catching up before our flight and I mentioned that we were working on a script about gamers. Cameron had a similar idea about the creation of a utopia and the title “Unicorn City.” We met up afterwards and worked together on the story until Cameron left Utah because he got a job with Blizzard Entertainment. At that point we all agreed to move on. Adrian and I kept writing for years after that, about 4 years to be exact, until we had something we felt comfortable in pitching. Writing is the hardest part of filmmaking. Everything else is cake when compared to writing.

In regards to whether or not I gamed growing up; no I didn’t. Adrian played some D&D for a while for not long. Whenever I had a spare moment I was drawing. When it came to Unicorn City Adrian and I joined a guild and gamed for about 8 months. However, even during that time I wasn’t interested in the gaming, or how the game worked, but rather in the people and the relationships around the table.

An additional aspect of myself is that I’ve worked in the video game industry for over 12 years, and still do. Many of those I associate with are gamers and are some of the greatest, most intelligent, and gentle people I know. When Adrian and I started in on the film we really wanted to break the stereotypes of who a gamer is. Everything we saw had them has nerds with glasses. When in reality we had friends in high school who were stars on the football team who gamed religiously. We had a lot of fun doing that and, oddly enough, it’s gamers who write us negative reviews because we busted some of those stereotypes. Kind of funny.

You’re an artist by trade, so how did you fall into making a feature film?

I’ve always drawn. My mother claims all responsibility for my talent because she allowed me to make a mess with my food. My grandmother, who is a neat freak, would be disgusted at the messes I would make in my highchair. My mom would say “Oh, he’s just

painting.” But I share a very deep love of illustration and film. I like to think I “make pictures” and qualify both under that definition.

In grade school I was set on working in the SFX industry. I loved Stan Winston, Dennis Muren, Richard Edlund, Phil Tippett and wanted to do what they did. I would go to the library and copy entire magazines of Cinefex and go over and over them. I realized soon that the director had the ultimate say in the decisions and grew to love the idea of being in charge of the entire story.

I drew and drew through middle school, high school, and when I went to college tried to double major, but the school wouldn’t let me. At BYU I minored in film because I could still get my hands on the equipment and not have to do most of the classes and then majored in illustration. Before leaving school I got a job working for a game company and I’ve been in the games industry since. I currently work for Avalanche Software in Salt Lake City, Utah. Disney is the mothership and we’re currently finishing off “Disney’s Infinity,” which is going to blow peoples minds. It’s a great game (shameless plug).

Some people are calling Unicorn City "Napoleon Dynamite set in a gamer’s world"; how do you react to that comparison?

It’s a compliment. The actual quote that we slapped on our movie poster we got from a fan at our second screening. We showed it at Gencon and after the screening a guy came up to me and said “...that’s like Napoleon Dynamite meets Monty Python’s Holy Grail...” We never had a Peter Travers or any top critic review our movie and give us a quote, so we used this fan’s and indicated that the quote is by “Some dude in Indiana.”

I don’t know if you are aware of this or not but I went to film school with Jared and Jerusha Hess and I was the storyboard artist and script supervisor on Napoleon Dynamite. I never set out to copy it, however there are things that happen in making low-budget that cast a similar glow. For example, you only have so many setups, you only have so much time, comedy plays best in the wide—in a Buster Keaton or vaudeville way. So I share many things in common, stylistically, with Napoleon Dynamite but in terms of story and character I don’t see anything that is really similar. Well, we also have a bus and Jon Gries. But if people want to say that about Unicorn City then go right ahead because I hold both films very dear to my heart.

Using the DM as the film’s villain is sheer genius, and Jon Gries’ portrayal of Shadow Hawk is so sinister I hated him through the whole film! So, be honest: This guy is totally one of your DM’s from the past, isn’t he...?

No. Actually, he’s Shakespeare. Adrian and I made Shadow Hawk's alter ego as William Shakespeare and he’s never been able to fall out of playing that part. The only thing that slides in and out of character is Shadow Hawk’s accent—which I love. We thought it would be funny to have the DM think of himself as the greatest story teller and, of course, that would be Shakespeare. We even gave Jon hair and costuming that reinforced that; the facial hair and beard, pony tail, and those big, poofy shorts and tights during the battle of wits.

So typically when a film or TV show tries to inject “gamer” games or terms into the story, it might make some sort of Catan reference, but the scenes in the game shop have a pretty all-star selection of great board games. Did you have some input on getting your favorites in those scenes?

It wasn’t a matter of finding a favorite but a matter of finding a backdrop. Adrian worked tirelessly, writing tons and tons of emails asking for permission to show them. Most of the companies were very generous and allowed us to display their games.

So when we see the interactions between Voss and his brothers, are we really seeing a window into your relationship with your own siblings?

I don’t know of any relationship between brothers where there isn’t some sort of pecking order. Our neighborhood growing up was full of these types of familial relationships. You can pound that crap out of your brother but no one else can, and if they do you’d pummel their head in. It’s a really weird way that brothers say, “I love you.”

How were you able to walk the fine line of making fun of a culture, while also showing a great affection for that culture?

I think you do that by showing their pain. We’re all attracted to different things. What’s normal to one person is bizarre to another. I could have made a film about people who love fantasy football, or paintballing, or competitive knitting. It doesn’t matter. You show great affection to a culture by making them human and we know they’re human because we relate to their successes and failures. We all know what it feels like to fail and hurt inside. So regardless of what that person is suffering from, whether we think it’s bizarre or not, we’re still tapping into something familiar. If it’s Voss sitting up at night and looking over a miniature landscape and feeling alone and wondering if he even belongs on this earth, then we get it. As long as we’re treating his pain in an honest way. Making fun of something is easy. You just hold a microscope over a culture and not give their ups and downs and equal billing. It comes down to empathy for me.

Aside from some very mild language, and extremely awkward necking, the film is very family friendly—that is to say, there’s nothing overtly violent, sexual, or crude about it. What motivated you to keep the film clean? And how hard was it to maintain that standard?

It’s more difficult to make something that is kind than it is to make something mean. Just as it’s easier to tear down than it is to build up. I took making the film clean as a personal challenge and as a calling card. I had some issues with some of the actors wanting the film to be edgier and some other conversations about how it needed to be aged up, but I felt strongly in making it an experience that everyone in a family could enjoy. I wanted to label myself as a writer and director who embraces family. Interestingly, one of the actors that I'd had this “edgier” conversation with later came to me and basically gave me his genealogical pedigree of everyone he invited to see the film, from his parents to, aunts, uncles, grandma, and kids. He described exactly what I was wanting to achieve, which is that they all went to the movie and enjoyed it together. That’s how I remember films of the 80’s. They were fun for everyone.

The best was when I ran into Chris Metzen, Vice President of Creative Development at Blizzard Entertainment, at Pixar. I was there for my work and listened to a lecture he was giving with other heavy hitters in the game industry. At one point during his lecture he talked about gamers being like a family unit. Which was my philosophy going in to make Unicorn City. I saw gamers sitting around the table gaming as nothing more than a family sitting around the dinner table. They share stories, talk about personal issues, argue, eat, laugh, and enjoy each other. Well, I introduced myself and told him that I wanted to give him my film and that I thought he would love it. Before I could finish he cut me off and said “Unicorn City!!!” He had already seen it, loved it and then paid me the best compliment. He told me that he watched it with his kids and laughed through the whole thing. He said “...good for you, man.  Making a film that I could watch with my kids; that doesn’t happen very much anymore.  You should be proud of that...”

Did Wizards of the Coast not find the screenplay amusing, or was it easier to just allude to them without using their actual name?

We sent Wizards of the Coast a script to see if they would allow us to display their products on film.  The person with whom we were talking was interested and told us to get back with them when we were about ready for production. We did what they asked but when we tried to contact that same person they wouldn’t allow us to talk to them and then said “...absolutely no...”  So we made sure we didn’t use their products and made double sure we didn’t use their name. Then, in the middle of filming, we realized we never had given a name to the company that Voss wanted to work for. Devin McGinn and Adrian approached me in between takes one day and Devin pitched “Warlocks of the Beach.” I laughed so we went with it.

So what do you want someone to walk away from Unicorn City having learned—or felt?

I wanted people to feel good after having watched it. The visual in my head was people leaving the theater with a smile on their faces. I wanted them to laugh and have an experience that I had when I was younger. Which is seeing a film with the entire family and not feeling like you needed to go home and repent for watching the thing. Now that’s the ideological answer. I also wanted to make enough money that I could quit my job and make films full time, or at least have enough money to concentrate on one job. Making a film while you’re working full time, supporting a family, have church responsibilities, work with the scouts, and have a bunch of fruit trees is excruciating. I would have to work on it after 10:30 pm until 1:00 and then get up at 5 am and get another hour and a half in. I did that for years through the writing, then pre-production, and then the post-production/editing phase. I never wanted to do that again, but I will be. Why? Because sitting in the back of a theater and listening to people laugh is an addiction I’m happy to have.

Will there be more films in your future?

I sure as heck hope so. I’m working on other ideas currently. I think I have one that will be a lot of fun.

A sequel to Unicorn City, perhaps?

I don’t see one in the near future, but who knows.

Or are there other stories you want to tell?

I’m dabbling in stories from Western to Science Fiction. I really would like to try all genres, minus horror and porn.

5-questions, 5 words to answer them (okay, you can use a phrase if it’s appropriate):

Favorite RPG race/class combo?

Clarbadong. Just made that up.

Favorite seven-letter word?

Unicorn

Favorite science fiction television show of ALL TIME!?

Greatest American Hero, Voyagers, or Star Trek

Favorite vacation you’ve taken?

My family kidnapped me from going to work one day during a very stressful time.

Favorite minor character in a major film?

I have a few that come to mind:

Argyle in Die Hard

Blain in Predator

Hudson in Aliens

Skinhead (Elias Koteas) in Some Kind of Wonderful

Anthony Qunn in Lawrence of Arabia (not really a minor character)

Bryan, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today!

Unicorn City is currently available on Netflix instant streaming. You can also get your own copy of the film on Blu-ray and DVD on Amazon right here!  You can also find more about the film at UnicornCity.com, and on Facebook.

We really enjoyed the film, and the sincerity in which the gaming culture was handled. This film has a lot of heart! And it's funny!

Thanks as always for reading our little blog; if you like what's happening here please subscribe over on the right. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V7BZy-dCyc&w=560&h=315]

Sooie!! An Interview with Pigpen Dev Team Kevin Kulp & Jason Tagmire

Today we're once again joined by our good friend Jason Tagmire. You may know him as the guy who designed Pixel Lincoln and Maximum Throwdown, but today he’s wearing a different hat: developer of a new game by Kevin Kulp, titled PigPen. And look! He’s brought along designer Kevin to talk about PigPen, and the roles that each have had in preparing the game to get it to market.

Jason, Kevin, thanks for joining us today!

So first of all, tell us about PigPen!

JASON: PigPen is a family friendly card game about pig-penning and pen-destruction. Each player is a farmer trying to contain his pigs, but his neighbors will do everything they can to prevent it from happening. He puts up a fence; they pull out a saw. Eventually the pigs come out and score points.

Kevin designed and self-published it a few years back and I always thought it deserved a larger audience. With Island Officials, I was able to help it make it to Kickstarter, and hopefully soon enough it will reach that audience.

Kevin, how did you land on a barnyard-competition theme for the game?

KEVIN: While in college and deciding to make a go of commercial game design, I realized I wanted to make board games.  I also realized I would need a diverse offering of game designs.  The family game eluded me it seemed, until walking around Philly one day waiting for an IGDA meeting.  As my mind sometimes doesn't stop thinking design, I really put my mind in to coming up with a family card game.  I had just played "There's a Moose in My House" and it got my mind thinking of its simplicity.  So I started with wanting an animal-based game, then thinking of what would be a simple goal for players; once I settled on pigs and pens the game came together rather quickly.  It also helped that I grew up around working and non-working farms, and had an aunt who loved pigs.

Jason, we know you have a thing for sausage link whips, and meat-based conflict resolution...beyond that, what drew you to this project?

JASON: Initially it was the way that it brought Kevin's family together. I saw them all at a convention selling the game and I was there alone showing off a game filled with puking turtles made of pixels. It was the complete opposite and something that I wanted to accomplish personally. My kids were very young at the time, but it stuck in my mind.

Once I played the game, it was closer to what I was doing than you would think. Silly sayings, meat references, etc... but behind that a really fun little game. With it consisting of just standard sized cards, it was a great candidate for the tabletop side of Island Officials.

Beyond your own titles, what recently released/upcoming games are you excited about this year?

KEVIN: Oddville, actually just picked it up. I got to play it at Metatopia and really loved how much game they packed into a small package.  There are games that really get my mind going toward design, and this was one of them. I love how the game mechanics work together. I can't wait to play this at my local gaming group.

JASON: There have been a few things on Kickstarter lately that I've been excited about. Council of Verona is a wonderful little gem of a game. The Agents looks like my kind of game and I'm really itching to try the print-and-play. Outside of Kickstarter I want AEG's Trains, more Smash Up factions, and Cube Quest from Gamewright.

Jason, you’ve been the designer on several titles recently; tell us about the difference between developing vs. designing?

Developing a game is really interesting. It's very different from designing in that it's less emotional. You are less tied to the things that you creatively fell in love with, and more willing to make changes that will better the game.

With Pigpen it has been a lot of clarifying rules and card types, testing out variations in the numbers on the cards, and seeing what breaks the game or makes it too long, too short, too easy, too hard...etc. These are things that I also do when designing, but it's nice to be limited to those roles for once. I'm able to focus on fine tuning the game without having to be the everyman that I am when designing.

So, how did you guys meet?

KEVIN: When I was college my game design professor pushed us all towards to IGDA meetings as part of our education.  It was in going to the meetings that I was introduced to Jason by Ryan Morrison (Island Officials). Jason was one of the only (that I knew of at the time) who was working on board games.  I remember having a discussion about what to do to start and Jason went down a list of sites and places to check out. From there we would see each other at IGDA meetings and really got to know each other through another friend and designer, Alex Strang.

JASON: I think the first time might have been at Too Many Games about 3-4 years ago. Kevin had his self-published copy of Pigpen for sale and his whole family behind the booth (which was really nice to see at a video game convention). We chatted for a little while and eventually ended up seeing each other around a lot more after that.

Is there a Mad Max-related card in the game—perhaps a Master Blaster...?

JASON: We probably don't want to give kids nightmares. Or adults. Or me.

Kevin, did you approach Jason about coming on board as developer? How has the game changed/improved due to having a developer?

KEVIN: I never asked him to publish my games, it was more of showing and telling him my vision for the games.

Alex Strang and Jason had started a monthly game night where I was going and we would pull out our game designs. Game designers, myself included, like challenges, and Jason or Alex challenged me to complete one full game in a month. My first month I made two games, one of which might be published by Island Officials next year. In particular, when it came to Pigpen, we played it one-on-one at a game night over at Alex Strang's house. We played, then I explained where I wanted the game to go, my vision and such.  From there the conversations started and Jason informed me Island Officials wanted to publish the game and possibly more.

When it comes to having him as a developer, the game has only gotten better.  He helped streamline the game and put a focus on continuity in gameplay. His experience of having some successful projects under his belt really came through in the final development phase of the game before kickstarting it this week.

Guys, tell us what is unique about PigPen when compared to other family style card games.

KEVIN: The humor and theme really set the game apart. I know playing it with my children they are always checking out the pigs, picking favorites, and always laughing at what they can do in the game. They love picking on me and doing their best to make sure I don't get the pigs. I saw this in playtests with adults also. Before Jason took up development I had it at Metatopia and this epic game occurred between two couples who had a great time playing the game. There was so much laughter and silliness in that game, that it convinced other players to sign up to play the game, the next day.

JASON: It brings out the life of the family. Many family style games are a little stiff, and Pigpen is the complete opposite. When your quiet little sister takes a hammer to your brick wall, sending your pig right into her fort of a pen...you can only laugh about it (and hopefully destroy that fort). Kevin also took the approach that this game should be enjoyable for all ages. The child/adult line is a very hard line to blur and Kevin did a great job with it.

Kevin, do you have any plans to expand the game, or will we find out more about that as stretch goals are met within the Kickstarter campaign?

KEVIN: There is one expansion already on the Kickstarter with the UFO. I can't say yet, but have another one we'll be adding to the Kickstarter soon. I have more ideas for the game, and depending on how well the game succeeds I'm sure we'll see the ideas coming out over the next couple of months.

Jason, how are your many other projects coming along? Anything new you can share with us at this time?

JASON: Pixel Lincoln is out! Haha, it's been a long time coming and finally in the hands of the Kickstarter backers and working its way to stores. It's been really awesome chatting with everyone about the game and the feedback I've gotten is very positive. So, I'm working on more Pixel Lincoln stuff. I've been communicating with Game Salute about how to get more cards out there on a regular basis and I should have some news about that soon at the all-new PixelLincoln.com.

Also working on a few other projects, but nothing that's far enough along that it would be interesting. I should have some prototypes at GenCon along with the release of Maximum Throwdown there. Can't wait.

Kevin, we get to see your lovely family at the end of the Kickstarter video for the game; are they all gamers too? Or is PigPen an attempt to bring them to the table?

KEVIN: I will have to admit they are more digital gamers right now; they love Minecraft, Terreria and Roblox.  I'm slowly breaking that down and exposing them to board games all the time. And having children is a great excuse to convince the wife those game purchases are for the family and not me. ;)  They of course get excited with any game I make and always ask me what my next game is.  Lately with Redakai being on sale everywhere I picked up a couple starters and we are playing that; also Jason introduced me to the Mega Man CCG from a decade ago and the kids have shown interest in that one.  Also Ticket to Ride and Bang is a big favorite for everyone, including my wife.

5 Questions - 5 Words (to answer them)

Who did actually let the dogs out?

KEVIN: John Moller's mind-altering pancakes.

JASON: My allergies.

Let’s say you are Old MacDonald, and you could have one science fiction based piece of machinery... So as the song goes: “And on his farm he had a....?”

KEVIN: Thermonuclear powered diamond blade chainsaw.

JASON: Flux Capacitor.

Your reaction to hearing there will be new Star Wars films?

KEVIN: Joss Whedon commits fanboy sin.

JASON: Childlike excitement.

The Green Goblin, or the Hobgoblin?

KEVIN: Green, he made the money.

JASON: Hobgoblin's got style.

Favorite iOS app?

KEVIN: What is this IOS thing?

JASON: Super Hexagon.

Thanks so much for joining us, guys!

We've received prototype review copies of the game and will be posting our extensive Double-Take Review of the game soon! But until then you can check out the Kickstarter campaign for more information. 

Don't forget to subscribe to TOG over on the right! And look for us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!

Thanks for reading!

An Interview With Nightfall Designer David Gregg

Today we’re thrilled to have David Gregg—designer of the hit deck-builder Nightfall—join us for some Q&A. David! Thanks for agreeing to talk to us!

Thanks for having me!

So first, tell us a little about yourself.

I like to take long walks on the beach... I mean >.>

I'm currently 28, married for 10 years with 2 daughters who are both in middle school now. I love technology and Japanese culture, so my hobbies usually revolve around some combination of those two. The company I work for now doesn't have an official IT department, but I basically spend my time doing IT-related things with a large focus on developing in-house Web-based systems. Lately I've been training to run 5K's and have also gotten into racquetball at my local YMCA. We recently moved to a larger home as we plan to foster-to-adopt in the near future, but also want the space now as we started participating in the foreign exchange student program as of last year. I used to be big into MMO's and other video games, but wanted to increase my time spent with the family, so have swapped over to board gaming (with the occasional computer-based game tossed in).

Your bio says, “Having kids brought me to Christ.” Would you mind sharing that story?

My parents never got along as I grew up, and I had developed a strong dislike for my father’s personality. Entering my teens I had decided that whenever I had kids of my own that I would vow to be a better man. (Sorry for the dark story, but you asked, lol...) Anywho, when my girlfriend and I found out we were pregnant, I knew I had to figure out how to be a good dad and assumed I’d find some good pointers in the Bible. Ended up finding much, much more than I had bargained for, reading the whole thing through that year.

How did you get involved with Euro-type games?

I had played your standard Wal-Mart fare of games for years, especially classic card games and chess. Late in high school I got heavily into Magic: The Gathering as well as the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG. Having kids, however, made those too expensive for me. Fortunately someone had the genius to create Dominion AND I was lucky enough to find it. The fact that such a great game existed outside of Wal-Mart got me hunting for where else I mind find great games like that, which led me to BoardGameGeek.

What are your five favorite games right now?

That’s a hard one. I keep a tight rein on my collection—only keeping games that both my family and I enjoy, ensuring they all get played. As for my personal favorites? Guildhall and The Resistance are easily the top 2 right now, with 7 Wonders, King of Tokyo, and Go probably being the ones to round out my top 5.

Does your family play games, or is this just “Dad’s weird hobby...”?

Oh they’re thoroughly converted—well, most of them anyways. My youngest daughter has entered full-on geek-mode, frequently requesting game time. The wife also really enjoys all the family time that gets generated, though prefers lighter games. My eldest daughter is probably the least interested in games, but still humors us from time to time.

So Nightfall. Did the lycanthropic theme drive the mechanics, or vice versa?

Neither actually. I’m a huge fan of fantasy, especially magic, dwarves, elves, etc., and had originally designed the game around that, with the chain mechanic being the way that the players weave their spells. AEG was really wanting to capitalize on the whole vampire/werewolf trend in general media however, so we swapped out the theme.

As a Christian, have you received any flack for the “ghoulish” theme and “sexy vampires” in the game?

Very little actually. Most of my family is too proud that they know a game designer to really fuss over the little details like that, though I have encountered the occasional person who dislikes the theme.

Yours is still one of the only direct-conflict deck-builders out there. What made you decide to go that route?

Even though I really enjoyed the deck-building mechanic introduced by Dominion, I sorely missed all the interaction from my Magic: The Gathering days. That’s when I decided to try my hand at mixing the two.

You and AEG recently announced an Eastern Skies expansion. What can you tell us about that one? What unique thing does it bring to the table?

This is a new base set and will likely be the set I begin recommending as the new starting point. Its complexity is somewhere between Martial Law and Coldest War, so shouldn’t be too hard for new players who have some deckbuilding background. As for the new stuff, this one introduces a new Link mechanic that ties into the existing Chain mechanic as well as new starter minion and a new wound effect. This set also continues the Summon mechanic introduced in Crimson Siege, though the Combat mechanic didn’t make the cut in any of the 24 new order cards.

Are there any other designs kicking around in your head—or even upcoming! Or are you mostly focused on NIghtfall expansions?

I’ve not begun work on any more Nightfall expansions, but have kept busy with new stuff. I have a time-travel-themed co-op I've titled Just In Time, which is mostly ready for publishing and just collecting dust as I wait to hear back from publishers. I’ve posted several images, as well as most of my process of creating it, over on BGG. I’m also working on another card-based game I’m calling Emerging Mystics, where the players are student mages who are learning how to harness magic and learn their first spells. The game uses a Mastermind-like deduction mechanic to generate mana, a puzzle for converting mana to what you need (racing the other players for purchasing priority), and then a scoring system similar to the science cards in 7 Wonders based on how highly you manage to level up the various spells you learn.

It’s time for One-Word Answers! It’s just what it sounds like: Answer these questions with just one word (or a short phrase is acceptable, too...)

Favorite Nightfall card?

Lean-n-mean

Favorite short story?

Cthulhu

What is your “guilty pleasure” band—the one you’d be embarrassed for the world to know you listen to...?

OMG <3 Deadmau5 (or dubstep in general)

Favorite Muppet?

Gonzo!

Favorite Proverb?

Twist: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom

Thanks for taking time to answer our questions, David! And thank you for reading!

Make sure you sign up to follow the blog, as we're giving away a copy of Boss Monster this week—all you have to do to be eligible is sign up to Follow the blog over on the right----->

(Sorry,the contest is only open to those living in the US and Canada.)

An Interview With Frontier Skies Designer Chris Castagnetto

Today we're pleased to bring you an interview with Chris Castagnetto. He's the designer of the just-put-up-on-Kickstarter game Frontier Skies, from Game Salute.

Hi Chris! Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions.

No problem at all. Thanks for your interest in Frontier Skies and for asking for the interview.

So, first, tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in southern California and have been a big gamer for most of my life. I started hobby gaming back in 1994 with the original Star Trek and Star Wars CCGs, and have been a hobby gamer ever since. Throughout high school I worked as a volunteer for a number of gaming companies, at conventions working as official representatives for their companies, and I also participated as a play tester for a number of their products. During college I got more involved in video gaming and MMOs while still maintaining weekly game nights for our local table-top crowd. After college I moved to the bay area where I was lucky to land a position at Gaia Online, an online game publisher where, over the past 6 years, I've had the unique opportunity to try my hand at everything, including game development, marketing, business development, licensing and many other elements of the gaming industry. In my free time I've been spending the majority of my time back in hobby gaming, both as a player as well as a designer and playtester. I worked closely with the designer of the Star Trek Deck Building Game as well as the Star Trek Continuing Committee where I also won the 2012 Continental Championship.

Have you always been a game designer of some kind, or was this a recent endeavor?

Game Design has been something that I have been involved with since 2007, both with designing and developing my own games, and working with other companies and designers to help design and play test their titles.

We’re unfamiliar with Gaia Online; can you tell us about that?

Gaia Online is the leading online hangout for teenagers and young adults. More than three million visitors come to Gaia Online every month to make friends, play games, and participate in the world's most-active online community. Gaia Online provides a fun, social environment that inspires individuality and creativity. With everything from art contests to discussion forums on poetry, politics, celebrities and more, to fully customizable profiles, digital characters and cars, Gaia Online is a place where you can create your own space and express your individual style. For more information, visit www.gaiaonline.com.

Frontier Skies is described as a “steampunk-themed minigame.” Is it a minigame from Gaia Online that’s been blown up into a full-fledged board game?

Exactly. In 2009 we had one of our most-popular mini-game events on Gaia Online, which was a steampunk-themed mini game called Frontier Skies. Ever since that event our fans have been wanting us to bring back the characters, fun, and adventure to Gaia. With all the feedback and popularity of the game we decided to take the theme, characters, and art from the game and bring the fun and adventure off the screen and into the living room and convention floor by creating the card game.

Does someone need to be familiar with the Gaia Online universe in order to appreciate Frontier Skies, or does it stand well on its own?

Frontier Skies is a completely stand-alone game. Although the characters, world, and art are the same as the online game they also stand along as a completely independent adventure game.

How were you introduced to “Euro-type” games?

I have always been a big fan of hobby gaming. When I was younger I was really into Magic, Star Trek, Pokemon and Ameritrash board gaming, but in 2006 when I moved to the Bay Area I was introduced to Euro Gaming and haven’t been the same since. No more Risk for me—now it's Agricola, Puerto Rico, Ticket To Ride etc., etc.

Looking at your Boardgamegeek profile, it looks like many of your favorite games are worker-placement games. What is it about those that you like so much? Are there worker-placement aspects to Frontier Skies?

I love the control that Euro Gaming provides, and especially worker-placement and role-taking games. I am not a fan of dice or randomness, so games with more user control and player interaction are the ones for me. Another element I love about Euro Gaming is how in most games all players have perfect information about everything around them and can strategize accordingly. In Frontier Skies, players always know where they stand when compared to the other players and it’s that perfect information that you have that helps guide your strategic choices to help put you ahead of your

opponents and block those crucial upgrades that they want to make.

As a Christian, what have been some of your challenges with staying true to your beliefs in while working in the video game world?

That’s a hard question. In the online gaming world there are a lot of companies and people out there who are always looking for a quick buck and a way to partner together to later take advantage of you. I would say the hardest thing to do is find good companies and people to partner with to create partnerships that are beneficial to both companies in a positive way.

Are there any upcoming game designs you can share with us?

I’m currently working on another game for Gaia Interactive that I’m really excited about. I can’t share much about the game or the brand or who will publish it, but we are all really excited at Gaia about this project and can’t wait to share more with the community over the next few months.

Here’s our One-Word-Answer section!

Favorite Disciple?

Peter

Favorite pizza topping?

Olives

Favorite game designer?

Uwe Rosenberg

Favorite episode of your favorite TV show?

Stargate SG1: "There But for the Grace of God"

Coke or Pepsi?

Cream Soda

Chris, thanks for joining us today. Make sure you check out Frontier Skies over on Kickstarter!

And make sure you subscribe for your chance to win sweet prizes!

Origins Interview with Smash Up Designer Paul Peterson

Jeremiah was able to catch up with game designer Paul Peterson at Origins, where he introduced us to a new version of Unexploded Cow, talked about Smash Up (including the Cthulhu expansion), and much more!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5_5fXuAxfs]

And don't forget to read our recently released interview with Paul, and Todd Rowland from AEG.

As always you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now YouTube!

More Origins Coverage with Dice Hate Me Games

We spent a considerable amount of time with the folks from Dice Hate Me at Origins this year. You've already seen our visit with Heartland Hauling designer Jason Kotarski, today we bring you, not one, not two, but THREE videos from the Dice Hate Me stable of designers, including a chat with Mr. Dice Hate Me himself, Chris Kirkman.

The buzz around the Dice Hate Me booth was real, and palpable, so much so, that  we had a few audio issues while shooting our chats. Hang in there they are only momentary and getting a look at these great titles and the folks who brought them to market is worth the interruption!

Chris Kirkman - We chatted with Chris about the convention experience this year and how it differed from last year's experience at Origins, as well as a quick look at the future of Dice Hate Me for 2013.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PvZMq4JbWY]

TC Petty III - TC shared Viva Java the Coffee Game, and an advanced look at Viva Java the Coffee Game the Dice Game! (And in the middle of it all you'll hear Jason Kotarski start to explain how to play Lucky Dice as he chases down a passer by)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWkrM3zi3kg]

Darrell Louder - We chatted a few months ago with Darrell about his game Compounded, today we get to see some prototypes of the very soon to be released title!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7tqxImyNTc]

Thanks as always for reading (and now watching!) we get all excited when folks subscribe to the blog by typing their email address in the box on the right! Also join in the party on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! And you can subscribe to our YouTube Channel too!