Sirlin Games Week - Day 1 - Interview

Hello everyone and welcome to a very special week on How Lou Sees It! This week I will be reviewing and discussing all David Sirlin games; Yomi, Flash Duel, Pandante, and (spoiler alert) my favorite - Puzzle Strike. I will be posting something everyday this week and I was lucky enough to get David Sirlin to do a little Q and A interview to start us off! 

I also want to let you know upfront that I was provided free review copies of these games. While I will try and cover the basic rules or gameplay of the games, my video reviews will focus more on what I think of the games. I highly recommend checking out the Watch It Played series on the complete How To Play for these games, but hopefully you can get a good feel of how the games play and can consider if you may or may not like the games yourself.

Also, during this special review week, my Featured Kickstarter is currently an expansion for Pandante called Light and Dark. I would invite you all to check out the Kickstarter sometime during this week - link provided on the right of my blog under the Featured Kickstarter section, or by clicking on this Kickstarter Link.

Let it be no secret going into this week that I really enjoy all of these Sirlin Games, and I am excited that I have the opportunity to review these games and introduce them to you now. I am very impressed with David Sirlin as a game designer and I can't wait for the future of Sirlin Games - come on Codex! :) 

Let's get the party started! You can read my interview with David Sirlin regarding his recent Kickstarters, updating his games, and more below!

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Lou- 
Thanks for agreeing to do this question and answer session! I'm very excited to kick off my Sirlin Games Review Week. I have really enjoyed your games and I love that I have the opportunity to review them in succession over this next week.

(For those unfamiliar, you can check out www.sirlingames.com to learn more about his games and keep updated with the latest Sirlin Games news. You will see quickly that Sirlin has done something pretty awesome and that is that pretty much all of his games are linked through the use of the same characters - all part of the Fantasy Strike universe. There is Yomi, Flash Duel, Puzzle Strike, and Pandante. You can play most of these for FREE online at www.fantasystrike.com to try them out!)

I really want to commend you on taking feedback from those playing your games and taking action to tweak and revise your games. I feel many game designers don't seem to have the humility (or perhaps the funds or resources) that it would take to do what you have done. I really appreciate that. With the updated revisions of your games, I do feel like there are some questions raised that I would like to provide an opportunity for you to answer.

Not too long ago, you had a Kickstarter for a previously published game of yours, Yomi. This revised some of the rules, layout of the cards, and balanced a few additional things. You now have a Kickstarter for an expansion to Pandante and a revised edition to that base game as well.

My first question is really a two part one. Why make all these changes? And can you describe the events or that decision making process that lead to these revised editions?

David-
For Pandante, after demoing the game to various new players and getting feedback from players out there in the world, I wondered if there was any way to improve parts of it. Originally, I was very focused on making sure the game actually worked correctly and was rock solid enough to work even when played for money by super experts. I think I actually succeeded there, but in order to do that, I had to had various band-aids and exceptions here and there. For those who know the game, it's stuff like "can't fold during the splash," "highest claimed hand that folds must buy breakfast," "tied players receive challenges in reverse turn order," and so on. All this stuff was needed, but I started thinking more outside the box, like are there ways to change some core rules such that these exceptions aren't needed anymore? Those are all fixes to problems, but could some deeper change make there be no problem to fix in the first place?

At the same time, a couple of my play-testers suggested the idea of "casino cards" that change the rules each gambit. That sounded fantastic. So I started working on that as an expansion and I tried out all sorts of very different core rules. I finally found a set that removed all those exceptions I said, and removed a significant portion of waiting around time that happened during games, so they played faster. I liked it so much that I knew I had to somehow get that out to the rest of the world. I decided to develop even more new content in addition to the casino cards in parallel to adjusting the core system, so that we could make a fantastic new product that was both even simpler, yet also offered more content to those who wanted to add more elements to the game.

For Yomi, the first release of the game is seriously some kind of miracle of balance. The "best character" in the first release has to be the weakest best character of any game I've heard of. All 10 characters were incredibly closely balanced and I repeatedly asked people to find a competitive game with 10+ sides with that level of balance, and I still never heard of one. So my point is, it's not like I made adjustments to Yomi because it was bad or something.

There's a few things going on with the new version. One is that I added 10 new characters so that it has 20 total, just like Flash Duel and Puzzle Strike (the SAME 20 characters). That was the plan all along. And in doing that, some of the older characters had to be adjusted in response. For example, Jaina's block damage on her normal attacks prevented BBB from every working properly until we slightly adjusted Jaina's block damage. Next, I thought that changing one core rule might make the overall dynamics more fun or more interesting: when your normal attack wins combat or is blocked, draw a card. This makes normal attacks matter more, and because it results in people playing normal attacks (which tend to be slower than special attacks), it increases the total range of speeds played. In other words, a wider range of move speeds become relevant. Also, you overall have more cards so it allows for slightly more combos, and that's a good fun factor. Finally, I like the dynamic that blocking gets you cards in Yomi, and it's still the best way to get cards, but having at least some backup plan of doing a normal attack gives you more outs sometimes, which I think is good. So after extensive testing of that rule and slight variations of it, I went ahead with that system change. That requires slightly adjusting balance here and there to compensate.

Next, there's just standard iteration. Even though Yomi's balance was very good, anything could be a bit better. Also wording could be improved here and there, and I went on a crusade to greatly shorten the text wherever possible. I added niceties like timing tags that say exactly when every ability triggers, just because I thought of it while playing. Likewise, I added reference cards that show every move a character had because that's helpful too. And I fixed a few flavor issues like how Jaina the reckless fiery character actually played way too controlly and non-risky in version 1. So while the beginning of this whole mission was "add 10 characters, also change one core rule," while I'm working on something I tend to see many, many other ways to improve things, so I did.

Lou-
Like I said before, I think it is fantastic that you are not afraid to evolve your games and make them better. What about all those who own the original versions? The original games are great (in my opinion), but with these revised editons are those who have the old versions going to feel like if they want the new and improved version they have to buy in essence the same game twice? How did you address this issue with Yomi and Pandante?

David-
That's a real tough issue. The simplest way to handle manufacturing is to make a new thing and that's it. These print runs are really small, so splitting them into even more tiny print runs inside a print run to make an incomplete product that is like "part of the new product" has not been economically feasible for me on most products. Also, I think these products are worth paying for. Or at least, to the market I'm aiming for, they are. In some games, a competitive deck costs $300-$500. In Yomi, it costs $10. So buying a new set of Yomi decks years later when they come out, I actually think that makes sense in supporting the development of the game, especially when it's still radically cheaper than the CCG model. It's common to buy a new video game version too.

That said, I did offer a set gameplay-changed cards for Yomi v1 players who ONLY want gameplay changes and not any of the many niceties in art and design. $10 to upgrade the entire set of 10 decks with just gameplay changes (not art or other niceties). It was a hassle to create that set, it has issues like the difficulty of getting the card-backs to match the older versions (they do match but...it turns out there are slightly different looking older versions, so maybe they match player A's Midori deck but are barely a different color than player B's.) It means some of your abilities will have timing tags and some won't. I actually recommended that people not even buy them because I think it's just a subpar experience. I'd almost rather they just use errata if they don't want to buy new decks (which is fine).

For Pandante, anyone who has the previous game can buy the expansion. You can use your existing deck and chips and get all the new content. I could have just made that and been done, but I really wanted new players to have an even better experience, so I made a new standard base set and new deluxe base set that contain all the new stuff stuff as well cards and chips, so they'll get the expansion baked right in.

This issue remains a challenge though. Players want to buy a part of a game, and depending on which game we're talking about, it's not always feasible. If players really believe that a game is "the same game over again" so they don't want to buy it, it means they don't value the work I'm doing with these editions, which is really unfortunate. Players seem fine new editions of video games, and it's actually very similar. When I bought Guilty Gear #Reload, I was incredibly excited to get it, even though it was "the same game over again" from Guilty Gear XX with various improvements. When "various improvements" make me go from "enjoy a game" to "enjoy it even more" that's worth a huge amount to me. Not less than usual, but actually more than usual because making a good thing great is pretty rare to me. So I hope some players see it that way, though I will continue to explore issues in how to handle this. As you see, it's not much of an issue for Pandante and it's cheap expansion (and free rulebooks: www.sirlin.net/rules)

Lou-
You also have a new revised Flash Duel available with your currently running Pandante Kickstarter. Am I right in saying the changes there are much smaller than the changes made to Pandante or Yomi?

David-
For Flash Duel, when the game is played at a high level, it's actually incredibly computation-heavy and mathy. It looks nothing like what you'd imagine. In case that sounds good, it's not. Thinking through a large tree of moves knowing that somewhere in there is a 100% guaranteed win means you're forced to do a bunch of work to play and that when you reach that point, there's no strategy left, just computation. Too much of the game was that at high level.

I tested a variant a long time ago to address this. It was successful at making the game play more like you'd imagine it would, as a thing where you bluff here and there and use intuition. Some computation, sure, but no more lengthy turns leading to checkmates 10 minutes later. This is supposed to be a fast game. Anyway after about year, someone thought of a way to streamline my variant even more. Even simpler logistics to set it up. Great!

The other system change sounds radical, and it's the removal of the "last hits" mechanic. That's where you check if you hit the opponent right after the final buzzer in the case where time runs out from drawing the last card. The game revolved almost entirely around this, and a) that is a weird thing for it to revolve around, b) that heavily contributes to the overly mathy nature and strategy-less guaranteed endgame situations, c) is the most complicated thing in the game to explain and d) happens too frequently in that you feel like you should have had more chance to win before time ran out. Finally, someone asked why we even have this mechanic. It was to make there be more to go on in tie-break situations than simply who advanced farthest on the field, but it really backfired. I removed it and the threat of knowing you will definitely lose if time runs out and you're too far back on the board forces you to act before time runs out and actually make some action happen. It's just simpler and smoother without last hits, and even though everyone was worried about this change, it seems no one misses it.

Oh, and we made the deck bigger now so that time out happens less frequently. The irony is that more turns until the deck runs out sounds like it would take longer to play, but it actually doesn't because people don't need to think for 10 minutes to compute checkmate situations anymore.

Finally, while we're at it, I did a bunch of balance changes based on how the game has played out over the past years. Even with the system changes, we have a good handle on how each ability is used. I also updated a whole bunch of wording to be clearer to address various questions people have asked about how this card interacts with that one. I also made all the language gender neutral, so no more "he" and "his" in the ability text when referring to a player.

Lou-
With all these new editions of past games, do you also have an update to Puzzle Strike in the works?

David-
I don't. I'm not currently working on that.

Lou-
Not surprised there! I LOVE Puzzle Strike. 

It seems to me that you have taken a lot of time to ensure the quality of your games and much of your visible work has been to revise Yomi and Pandante. Is there any new Sirlin games in the work you can or would like to tell us about?

David-
That's a good question, I see you realize I must be doing a lot that you aren't seeing. ;) So Codex is the #1 thing. It's my take on the CCG genre, doing things way different and opposite of everyone else. I've been working on that 10+ years on and off and I'm really looking forward to finishing it after the Pandante kickstarter is taken care of. Codex has an RTS theme, and you can think of it a bit like Warcraft 3. You have heroes who cast spells (you need a hero to cast a spell!) and tech buildings that can produce units. Because your heroes and tech buildings are on the field, able to be attacked, you have to protect them or you'll lose the ability cast certain spells or produce certain units. It's highly interactive because of that, and you get access to more cards than just a deck: you get a Codex of cards. That means your bag of tricks runs deep enough that no matter what your opponent does, you probably have an answer.

Also, you build your deck as you play. Think of it this way: the cards in your Codex are analogous to ALL the units of an RTS race (like all Protoss units, or all Orc units). That's more than you'll use in a particular game. It represents everything you could possibly do. Each game, as you play you build your deck from that set. So you use different cards each time to enact different strategies, and which way you go depends on which way your opponent is going. It's kind of a dance. It works out so well, it's just delicious.

I'm also working on fighting game themed card game called Flowchart in collaboration with designer Tim Fowers. It's absolutely nothing like Yomi, and it's pretty mind-bending, yet easy to teach. Finally, I'm tinkering with another prototype of a fighting game themed thing that takes some concepts from Yomi, but that has distance and a linear board. Flash Duel has that, but Flash Duel doesn't really work like Yomi does. So this is a much more detailed game than Flash Duel. I can't say if it will work out, but preliminary tests look good so maybe it will!

Lou-
Wow. I am VERY excited about Codex - can't wait to see more on that! I really enjoy Tim Fowers' Paperback game, so it will be cool to see what the two of you come up with for Flowchart.

What was your favorite game to design and which is your favorite to play (of your games)?

David-
I think Pandante might have been my favorite to design. It's a "smaller" game than my others in that it doesn't have a million abilities so it's easier to fit it all in my head and focus on how the system works, and how to tune it. Also, the "high fashion" art style makes it easier to work with graphically, so I feel like I had better control over it as a whole.

My favorite game to play is Codex. I used to love Magic: the Gathering, and Codex is like my fantasy of how such a game could work. No losing to the randomness of drawing resources, more emphasis on cool characters, more tools available to you during a match than just a deck of 60 cards, and a lot of other good properties. I'm really into it and always enjoy playing it. Even though I've played it for years, after every match I feel like I could have done better in this way or that, which is what always kept me coming back to any good competitive game.

Lou-
Really really really can't wait for Codex - even with the little that you have described, I see Codex being one of my most anticipated games.

You have 20 amazing characters that are so well developed and offer very unique game play and strategies. I think Master Midori or Jaina Stormborne are my favorites.  Do you have a favorite character from your games?

Daivd-
I don't really have a favorite. They all kind of exist independently in my head, like different aspects of a personality, or different sides of a story. Thematically, my favorite is probably DeGrey and his struggle against Quince when it comes to truth vs deception. I can relate a lot to DeGrey. Gameplay-wise, I've always liked grapplers, so Garus Rook stands out to me there.

Lou-
Maybe a few other fun questions to get to know you better:

What is your all-time favorite game?

David-
I feel like I should say the Street Fighter 2 series. Portal is up there too though.

Lou-
If you could meet anyone and have dinner with that person, who would it be and why?

Daivd-
Richard Feynman. I feel like I could ask him how the universe really works and he'd give me the most straight dope answers.

Lou-
Favorite superhero?

David-
I've probably given Batman more thought than other superheroes, so I'll go with that.

Lou-
Nice choice indeed. I would like to thank you David again for answering all these questions! :)

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Thank you for joining me during Sirlin Games Week! Tomorrow I will be posting my video review of Yomi. See you all tomorrow!

Luchador!

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Luchador!Mexican Wrestling Dice
Interview with Game Designer Mark Rivera
Game Published by BackSpindle Games

Hi Mark! Thanks for taking the time to answer just a few questions. Hopefully they will help everyone get to know you and the game you designed better.

Q - First, can you tell us just a little about yourself, your background, and when you started designing Luchador? (Is that cheating? Is that technically 3 questions?) :)

A - I'm an expat American living in the UK for quite a long time. I'm a Learning and Development professional during the day. I'm a Mormon 24/7.

I've been gaming since I was very young with my family (the usual... Monopoly, Game of Life, etc.) and was probably around 12 when I discovered war games (1862 by Parker Brothers and Battle Cry) and D & D. Late teens and I got into war gaming seriously playing Avalon Hill Games and subscribing to Strategy and Tactics Magazine so I was a gamer during the first golden age of war gaming (yes, I'm that old). I even went to the 2nd (I think) Origins Convention sponsored by Richard Dunnigan's SPI war games company. My interests expanded into Warhammer 40K and American style games.

About 4 years ago I started the Boardgames in Blighty blog writing reviews and news pieces.

Interestingly, I started designing war games in the late 80's but with moving to the UK, it all took a back seat. A few years ago, I collaborated with Michael Fox of the Little Metal Dog Show and designed Ace of Spies which was published by Albino Dragon and about 18 months ago, I submitted my design for Luchador to Backspindle Games.

Q - Now that we know when, how did you come up with the idea and what was your inspiration?

A - I blame the awesomely "Bance" guys from the Flip the Table Podcast. They simply tweeted one day that it would be great if someone would design a good wrestling game and we tweeted back and forth a bit and thought, "well why not have a go?"

Q - I really don't know much about the game and I bet some of my readers are in the same boat. I just keep seeing pictures of what seems like a really fun dice game. Can you give us all a low down of your smack down successful game?

A - Well, at its core, its a dice game set in the world of LUCHA LIBRE where 2 players face off, roll wrestling dice against each other at the same time (yes, you can knock each other's dice out of the ring) scoring Hits, Blocks, Counter-blocks, Pins, and Misses. Unblocked or Uncountered Hits allow players to roll their Hit Die scoring damage against their opponent. Hits range from chops and elbows to Chair and Table smashes. 2 Hit results on their wrestling dice can be traded in to roll the special move the big chunky Luchador! die which can cause more damage but risks causing injuries. BUT, its glorious!

Players that are weakened enough can be pinned by rolling the Pin die. If a Pin result is rolled, the opponent has to survive the referee's 3-count or lose the match.

The game can be learned in 5 minutes and games last 10 - 15 minutes. There are rules for 4-player Tag Teams which makes it all even crazier.

Luchador 1st ed is designed for the widest possible accessibility so its an easy game to learn and play.

Luchador 2nd edition, now on Kickstarter, adds more complexity with individual strengths and weaknesses for the Luchadores, 2 new Luchadores, a 3-D ring, individualised Killer combos that call for more decisions, and new match types.

Q - What does a typical turn or round look like?

A - Typically, each player rolls their wrestling dice, only dice that stay on the board count, results are compared, results applied, hit damage is scored and Pins rolled for and applied if the targey opponent is "pinnable".

Q - What is your favorite thing about the game?

A - The smack talk which is hilarious and referee 3-count which is very tense and loud and has the potential for reverse Pins.

Q - This was a successful Kickstarter already, why Kickstarter again for version 2.0? 

A - Actually, 1st edition went straight to print so Backspindle Games could deliver for Essen 2013. 2nd Ed needs Kickstarter to raise the funds to publish. Backspindle is a very small company and see Kickstarter as a great way to raise capital.

Q - Who is your favorite wrestler?

A - Have to say The Rock and Rey Mysterio

Q - What is your favorite board game?

A - Tough call. Currently its Memoir 44.

Q - If you had to recreate the game with same mechanics but using a different theme other than wrestling,  what would it be? (Space, Midevil, Western, just for example)

A - Probably Horror/Scifi Wrestling

Q - Is there something more you wanted to incorporate into the game, but had to leave it out or one reason or another (maybe too pricey, or it didn't translate well into the board game medium)?

A - Well there are limitations in terms of what translates to the dice game. Some matches are too difficult for instance. It would be cool to have an actual Cage for Cage matches but too costly... A ring made of wood or heavy plastic but costly... Minis are very much a nice to have and not really necessary...

Q -  If you could play your game with one famous person today, who would it be and why?

A - Rey Mysterio. I think he would like it.

Q - One word to describe you?

A - Charming

Q - One word to describe Luchador?

A - Crazy

Q - Anything else you would like to add?

A -  Luchador started out as a game for wrestling fans but it turns out all types of gamers and non-gamers love it. Lots of families have really enjoyed it, so winning the Best Family Game Award at UK Games Expo last weekend was especially gratifying.

Please check out the Luchador! 2nd Edition Kickstarer project!

Well Mark, thanks again for your time and for answering my questions! I hope that I can get my hands on a copy one day soon! Best of luck on the Kickstarter!

If you are interested in learning more about Luchador! or how you can support the project, head on over to their Kickstarter page and until next time, that is How Lou Sees It!

You Say Pigeon, I Say Pijin

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Pijin

Interview with Game Designer Travis Feldman

Travis, thanks for doing this interview. And thanks for creating a word game where I don't need to know how something is properly spelled (never one of my strong points). Pijin is currently 100% funded on Kickstarter!

Q- Tell us a little about your background Travis and what lead you to create Pijin?

Awesome, thanks for talking with me, Landon!  I have a PhD in Comparative Literature and have been teaching English since 1999.  I've been making games and electronics projects on my own since I was a kid, and in 2012, during a slump in the academic job market, I decided to try a Kickstarter campaign for a musical instrument that I invented, and I launched Molecule Synth in September 2012.  

Since then I've been teaching workshops on interactive electronics and DIY electronic musical instruments all over the place.  This past summer I put together a DIY electronic music festival in Portland, OR, where I live — I called it the Battery Powered Orchestra Workshop, BPOW!! It brought all kinds of creative people together for a full weekend of building, hacking, coding, circuit-bending, and performing.  That weekend got me thinking about what I was doing with workshops, and the connection between experiencing a (musical) performance and learning in a classroom. Most importantly I had a direct experience with the way that these things relate to playing games, especially tabletop games.  With board or tabletop games there’s an inimitably social environment that gets created when the game is really buzzing along — everyone's talking and sharing ideas in the moment, keeping track of the game’s progress, and yet, everyone’s also doing their own thing.  We had more game nights in the weeks that followed, and although I have other projects going at the moment, I felt like it was time to work a bit more on my own games.  I had been working on Pijin in various forms for about a year already at that point, and so I got more serious about it’s design, and got it into shape within a couple months, and….started forcing all my friends to play it, of course!  

Q- Do you really like Pigeons? Why the title?

The title is from the word “pidgin” - a pidgin is a spoken language that often takes shape in places like port cities where people meet and do business and have to get things done, but don’t speak each other’s languages.  I like the association with birds, too - the bird sort of brings to mind the ancient phrases like “winged words” and the images of messengers or message-bearers in myths and stories.  It’s sort of evocative of a bunch of things at once, so I just went with it!

Q- What is your dream job?

My dream job is being an inventor.  I want to create cool, inspiring stuff that improves some portion of everyone’s experience, and I see that as an artistic as well as a scientific exercise.  I am kind of doing that these days, but not really making enough money to call it a “job”… it’s more “dream” and less “job” at this point -haha.

Q- What is your favorite word game besides Pijin?

Anomia is brilliant for its mix of pattern recognition and word association, but I love the speed and open-endedness of Apples-to-Apples/CardsAgainstHumanity (I see those as twins joined at the head).  

Q- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Indonesia would be pretty amazing.  There’s incredible language diversity there, fading fast as modern technology spreads across traditional cultures, and its got incredible bugs, crazy landscapes, great food, and all kinds of wild stuff happening in the music and performance cultures.  

Q- Hungarian is a pretty cool language as it is almost a perfectly phonetic language. Do you speak any other languages? What language would you like to learn?

That’s really funny about Hungarian, i hadn’t thought of it that way.  I speak a little German and read Spanish and French. I studied Ancient Greek and Latin in grad school.  I’d like to learn Japanese… I’m eager to check out the recently Kickstarted card game for that!

Q- What would be your favorite word? Favorite letter?

Favorite word: Nostalgia.  “the pain [algos] you feel for home [nostos].”
Letter: I like Z, zed.  

Q- Can you name the famous Sesame Street character who has a pet pigeon? (Bonus points for the name of the pigeon.)

Haha - oh man, I love Sesame Street, and we had great fun putting an Electric Co piece in the Kickstarter video, but….nope, don’t know which character that is.  

For anyone curious - and the pigeon's name is Bernice

Q- I think this looks like a really fun game and one where my bad spelling wouldn't hinder me one bit! Tell the world why you think they should back Pijin and let us know anything else we should know.

Well, first of all, it is a super fun game - you’re gonna love it!  The world should back the project because what we plan to bring into existence is a new experience of language and an empowering way of viewing speech.  It’s game that could find itself being the center of a loud party (we’ve had several of those!), or it might be the center of lessons in an ESL classroom that has students moving between several languages, or a fourth grade class that’s working on reading…  The future of the project will include customizable boards, expansion card sets, and an ever-growing number of possibilities for gameplay — backing the Kickstarter is simply the best way to be a part of that, to participate in deciding how the game will look and feel, and for staying up to date as we grow the project.  

Thank you for the questions and for taking the time to meet with me — if anyone has any questions at all, please send me a message through our Kickstarter, since that’s where my attention is focused for the next few days :)   THANKS!!

Thanks Travis for sharing with us how you see things! If you are interested in backing Pijin, head on over to its Kickstarter page to find out more.

Creating Your Own Epic Odyssey

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Terrene Odyssey

Designed by Chris Solis

Published by Game Salute

Interview with Game Designer Chris Solis

I have recently reviewed two different strategic card games (Lords of War and Pixel Tactics) and so when I noticed Terrene Odyssey on Kickstarter it just seemed natural to feature it on my blog and see if I could interview the designer. Terrene Odyssey has some really unique and cool gaming elements. One thing that I particularly like is the fact that from your 30 card deck, you get to start by choosing 4 characters, 4 items/commands, and 1 terrain card. This way each player has 9 cards already in play and the players can quickly get to the action. The terrain cards, tokens, and the ability to level-up characters are just a few other cool things of note. Enjoy the interview I had with Chris to learn a little more about the game and its designer and then head on over to the Kickstarter page to find out more!

Lou:

Tell us about yourself using 10 or less single descriptive words.

Chris:

Game Designer. Tournament Organizer. Competitive Gamer. Life long gamer.

Lou:

How did Terrene Odyssey come about? Or in other words tell us the origin story of Terrene Odyssey.

Chris:
It started with a conversation I had with my friend. We missed the old TCG days when we used to play Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering. Unfortunately, maintaining a presence in those communities became too expensive of a hobby and we dropped out. We asked ourselves, what is it that we really liked about those games? It boiled down to big combats and deductibility of the player’s options. From these ideas I began to develop Terrene Odyssey which makes a strong point to immediately highlight both of those mechanics.

Lou:

For you, what is the most important game element in any game (artwork, theme, player interaction, balance, luck, strategic game play, etc.)?

Chris:
Player Interaction: Player vs. Player psychology. In order for the player’s to feel like they are fighting each other as opposed to simply playing the game well, a player’s need to make decisions based on deducing the other player’s needs and wants. Terrene Odyssey has finite hidden information for this reason. This is how I made Terrene Odyssey feel like true a battle.

On top of this we chose the art direction, and theme of the game and we also worked the amount of luck we want in the game on top of the that.

Lou:

What are the big highlights of Terrene Odyssey?

Chris:

The core mechanic of Terrene Odyssey is the Starting Party Composition. Players can choose 4 characters, assign them Items / Commands, and pick a Terrain all on turn 0 of the game. The game begins with these cards hidden and are revealed over the course of the game. This lets  the game jump straight into an intense battle but also keeps your opponent guessing on what your overall strategy will be. This original mechanic will keep even the 20th game of Terrene Odyssey from the same 30 card deck fresh and interesting.

Lou:

I'm a big fan of 2 player games. Besides Terrene Odyssey of course, what is your favorite game when playing with just 2 players?

Chris:

Super Smash Bros. Is this cheating since it’s a video game?

I love Smash Bros, because it is the embodiment of excellent design and no one knows it to the point that the internet argues “Is this a fighting game or not?” The designer was very clever at making easy controls, and adding party elements but yet, designing a deep combat system deep inside. They simply never tell you about it. They let you discover it after the casual features bring you in. Discovering those features feels great and you feel like you are ‘above the game’ or that you’re ‘breaking the game’ when really it’s part of its design.

I’ve been very adamant about making Terrene Odyssey feel this way. You’ll discover the rules are very simple but there are many clues that will lead you into improving your game naturally over time. To be clear though, Terrene Odyssey can be played with up to 4 players. =)

Lou:

I am very impressed with the artwork and layout of the cards. The artwork or overall visual appeal can really make or break games. Tell us a little about the artist and idea behind the art.

Chris:
When Terrene Odyssey was ready to be themed, we first chose the ‘random encounter of an RPG’. We didn’t want to to go with the gritty look and we didn’t want to use a traditional fantasy theme. Those areas felt over saturated to me and I wanted Terrene Odyssey to stand out. We decided to re-imagine races in our world. We wanted it to feel like a JRPG without going too much into the anime side. We ended up with Terrene Odyssey.

Megan Cheever was chosen as the game’s lead artist. She did early pieces and worked with the other artists to unify the art as much as possible. When an art style was too different but still ‘close’, we used different styles for cards that would suit that artists’ flair the best. For example, Rob Joseph’s character designs are very aggressive so we made it a point to have him draw the strongest characters in the game. There are other small details in the art direction some players may notice such as hidden assassin characters in the backgrounds of other cards. Players might even find a small narrative in the art direction.

The card layout has evolved massively. We knew from day 1 that we wanted to show as much art as possible. We experimented a few times before we found what worked for us.

The border of a card used to tell you what kind of card it was. We cut the border and communicated the game information with the character’s name banner. We also used color to communicate Trigger ability speeds and reduce text. In a way we used colors the same way most other games would use symbols. I guess you can say we are big on visual communication.

Lou:

OK, so this isn't the first time you presented the game for funding. Why are you going to be successful this go around?

Chris:

Last time we had a huge problem with our name Terreria Tactics. Unfortunately, there is a popular Steam game called Terraria and if you googled Terreria Tactics it would say, “Did you mean Terraria?”. We we’re not searchable and that really hurt our campaign. Now we are Terrene Odyssey, our game is asset ready and extremely well received. We expect a burst in pledges once our review copies get out there as well. The final challenge we face is that this is our first game. First-time published designers always have this hurdle to overcome.

Lou:

If you could be  any character in Terrene Odyssey who would it be and why? (Do my eyes deceive me? Is there an actual character drawn to your likeness? )

Chris:

Haha yes, Skylar the Determined does resemble me. When I was describing what Skylar should be like, Megan thought I was being vain when really it is the kind of person I have always aimed to be, even as a child. I guess I’m flattered Megan saw it that way and took it to the next level so the character actually resembled me. So I guess I would be Skylar the Determined - He’s full of unpredictability and is all about tricking your opponent into certain behaviors.

Lou:

What sort of replayability does Terrene Odyssey have when just considering a single VS deck?

Chris:

The beauty of Terrene Odyssey is that from the same 30 card deck, you have a ton of flexibility in how your game’s will play out because you can choose your starting party of characters. You can choose nearly any set of cards from your deck to start the game with and just changing one from  your Starting Party Composition can change the entire dynamics of the game. You’ll find yourself changing your party based on your opponent quite often. You’ll also find yourself revealing different parts of your party at different times based on your opponent’s behavior (all games begin with the starting cards hidden and the player can choose when to recruit their characters). In play testing, I have been issuing the same deck to 1st time players and I have never seen it played the same way.

Lou:

If you could have a famous person (living or dead) play your game, who would you choose?

Chris:

Living! I’d be honored to have David Sirlin play my game. He’s the designer of Yomi and I agree strongly with his design philosophies.

Lou:

Superman or Batman?

Chris:

Batman! Though can I say Ironman?

Lou:

How many games do you have in your collection?

Chris:

I have about 100+ tabletop games and 300+ video games. I even play games I may not like just to explore unique design spaces. I live for gaming!

Lou:

Favorite book, movie, and ice cream?

Chris:

My favorite movies are Pacific Rim and Inception.  
Ice cream? World Class Chocolate.
Favorite book? Hmm, does reddit count?

Lou:

Favorite deck from Terrene Odyssey?

Chris:

My favorite VS Deck from Terrene Odyssey is Jin’s. Terrene Odyssey is a skirmish game and the resource curve for the most part is static. Jin the Ambitious works well with Machine class characters that are able to create a secondary resource in the game called Energy. You can use energy on your machines to break the game’s resource curve, use powerful machine abilities, or you can simply attack with your energy to create free DEF decay. It’s very much a slow to start utility kinda build.

Lou:

Two ending scenarios. Funded or not funded. Tell us what's next for Terrene Odyssey given each scenario and what's next for Chris Solis?

Chris:

If Terrene Odyssey is funded, my dream will be realized. Since we’re asset ready, this will basically go to the printers within the month. I hope to have the game out there by the summer time.  In the event we are not funded, I will try again a few months down the line and try to figure out what is holding Terrene Odyssey back.  I know this is a game people enjoy and my greatest challenge is getting people to take a look at a first time designer.

Lou:

Closing remarks time! Anything else that you would like us to  know?

Chris:

Thank you for the interview! If you want to support Terrene Odyssey, check us out on Kickstarter. Also, follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I reply to all messages. Let’s get a conversation going!

Lou:
Thank you Chris. I really hope that you can get the funding necessary to produce this game and make your dream a reality.

If Terrene Odyssey looks like a game you would be interested in, head over to Kickstarter now. There are many different pledge options to choose from and lots more information to be had. This looks like a fun one to me and that is How Lou Sees It.

OTHER LINKS

http://www.tinyurl.com/terreneodyssey
http://www.facebook.com/terreneodyssey

http://www.twitter.com/terreneodyssey

http://www.facebook.com/cgcgrayfox

http://www.twitter.com/cgcgrayfox

Höyük Coming to Kickstarter

Upcoming Featured Kickstarter Interview

Höyük

Designed by Pierre Canuel

Publisheifd by MAGE Company

Interview with Alexander Argyropoulos, Michael Andresakis, and Pierre Canuel

OK, before we get started, let me go ahead and tell you what Höyük means (because, if you are like me, if I don't tell you now you will be spending the entire article thinking what does it mean).  Höyük is actually Turkish for hill or mound and is also used in naming many settlements in the area.  The houses of these settlements were built on top of hills and on top of other houses.  There were no streets between the houses and access to them was usually through the roof.  There is a lot of history behind these settlements, but let us focus on the fact that this once 'print and play' game is going to be on Kickstarter later this month (February 25th - mark your calendars) as the MAGE Company has decided to publish Höyük.

Höyük was first made available as a 'print and play' (PnP) game back in 2006 where all the files (rulebook, printable game pieces) could be downloaded, printed out (or otherwise made), and then played.  Höyük received the 2007 Parthenay Game Designer's Trophee; where prototype games are judged by a jury and public with the winner being the highest combined rating.

I noticed the announcements from MAGE Company that they planned on publishing Höyük and the artwork really caught my eye.  One of my favorite games just so happens to be Carcassonne, another tile laying game based around building a past civilization.  So, from France to Turkey, Höyük looks like it will be another enjoyable tile laying game.  I had the great opportunity to ask Höyük's designer Pierre and MAGE Company's Alex and Michael a few questions regarding the upcoming Kickstarter project.

My first few questions are for Alex and Michael, the owners of MAGE Company:

Lou: 

Can you give us a short history of your company and how/why you got involved?

Alex and Michael:

Wow..way back. We started designing games back at 2001 in a box room with a messed up computer and year by year we were learning things about the industry and the million things we must know in order to deliver a finished product. In 2011 we finally created MAGE Company publishing our first two games and since then we have continued to publish and grow (and of course we continue to learn and become better). This is what we do and this is our life and we would start again from the beginning if we had to.

Lou: 

It seems like it would be difficult to determine what games to publish and which ones not to. Please tell us, what made you want to publish Höyük ?  

Alex and Michael: 

Some games shine, you know...you may see a game on a table and it is like it is talking to you. I know it sounds silly, but it is true. Höyük was one of them. Simple, easy (with some changes), for a wide range of ages, strong theme, and we were looking for a game with a theme like this - Neolithic Area, nice ideas for components, no texts in the cards, many people had already tested it as it was a PnP. So, what else could we ask for?

Lou:

As you mentioned, this was originally made available as a print and play back in 2006. Why use Kickstarter and why now (around 8 years later)?

Alex and Michael:

We did not know that the game existed since then. I know that some companies had seen it, but did not work on it. So, a couple of years ago we saw it and here we are. It is also a matter of the designer and how he handled this. Kickstarter is a great tool and makes you so visible to lots of people. We have worked hard, and we have already made games there and many people know that they can trust us.

Lou:

The released artwork is looking incredible. How did you choose the artist and how important is the artwork aspect to you personally or as a company?

Alex and Michael:

Automatic inspiration in combination with experience is how we chose an artist. We also have a variety of over 120 artists available, so it is easy to choose since we have worked with them in the past. Artwork reflects on how serious we see a game and we want people to understand that we do not follow the copy-paste tactic. We search for each game to reflect what it represents through its artwork.

Lou:

The Kickstarter is going to be starting February 25th. When can backers of the game expect the final published version?

Alex and Michael:

The campaign will end on March 31, so based on initial calculations... sometime in August.

Lou:

Will there be any stretch goals or Kickstarter exclusive content?

Alex and Michael:

A lot!! There will be lots of stretch goals to be honest. Not exclusive, but all will be upgrades to the basic game so that everyone can have the equal chance to enjoy this game.

Lou:

I don't want to get a head of myself but do you have something planned after Höyük?

Alex and Michael:

Our program has been arranged at least for the next few years, but each year we study the market for the next one and make some changes. But to answer your question, yes, we have other games on the pipeline...thankfully.

Thank you Alex and Michael for taking the time to answer a few questions. Keep the great games coming!

Now I get to pick the brain of Höyük’s designer Pierre Canuel. Pierre, I love board games and I am currently designing my very own game. So, it is always exciting for me to interview someone who has created a successful game.

Lou:

If you were traveling to the International Space Station where you would stay for months on end, what 3 board games would you bring with you?

Pierre:

Rather than bringing games, I would probably gather a few objects that would allow me to design the very first Zero-G friendly game ever. Could you imagine playing Carcassonne or Ticket to Ride with game pieces floating all over?

Lou:

Favorite hobby other than board games?

Pierre:

I like to walk in nature or ride my bicycle in town.

Lou:

Can you give us a little background about yourself and how you decided you wanted to create a game?

Pierre:

I was born in Le Mans, France (the 24hrs car race!), studied in Paris and lived 10 years abroad (Los Angeles and Northern Norway) with my wife and kids. Along these years I had many different jobs, and even self published a game about Polar Environmement while in Norway. We moved back to Paris a few years ago. I am currently working for "Les Jules", providing DIY services for businesses and consumers. What we do is help people with the small repairs they don't have time to take care of, like fixing shelves or curtain rods, repairing tap, etc. Our business is expanding fast throughout France, so I don't really have time for game design anymore...

Lou:

Tell us how Höyük came about. Was there any specific inspiration from other games, books, or personal experience?

Pierre:

The starting point of Höyük was really a small scale reproduction of ancient settlements that I would see in museums. I wanted to design a game where players would actually build a replica of ancient cities, in 3D with small pieces representing houses, buildings, workshops, etc. So, more than a game, it's a gaming object that I had in mind, that one could display in the living room, such as a nice chess set.

Lou:

Describe Höyük in one word. Two words. And three words.

Pierre:

Fun! Interesting Object! Build Prehistorical settlement.

Lou:

Who will enjoy playing this game?

Pierre:

I believe Höyük can appeal to a large public. It's true its many components may imply it's a complicated game for advanced gamers, which may repel occasional gamers.

But it's quite the opposite. Very often people are surprised by its simplicity after their first game.

Lou:

I like to ask this question a lot. I love games where I can play with just my wife after the kids have finally gone to bed. How well does Höyük play with just 2 players?

Pierre:

Be careful it can be risky to play games with your wife ;).

With two players, I have the feeling that Höyük performs almost like an abstract game. Instead of placing black and white pawns on a grid, you lay colorful pieces directly on the table, with the same  simple choices and rich strategic options. But this reply is based on the PnP version of the game. As I know, MAGE Company is working on several changes right now.

Lou:

What is your favorite thing about Höyük?

Pierre:

Again, it’s the game object I really like about Höyük. The aesthetics.

Lou:

Anything else we should know?

Pierre:

If anyone could bring a copy of the game to Catal Höyük in Turkey, play a game, and send me a picture, that would be awesome!

Catal Höyük is the actual archaeological site that I got inspired from.  I even sent a copy of an earlier version of the game to the archaeologists to have them test it and send me their input. I don't think they were really pleased with it, but they took the time to answer me. I think the game was at that time a tiny bit too complicated, and they were probably expecting something closer to their preoccupation, that is more like a simulation of a settlement, with food gathering, farming and artifacts production. Höyük is really oriented toward the urban construction aspect (PnP version).

Lou:

What's next for Pierre Canuel?

Pierre:

Game-wise, I don't really know. I'm too involved in my job to save energy for any game design. Publishing Höyük after many years in stand-by could be a good incentive to start again. Many thanks to MAGE Company!

And there you have it.  Thank you again to Alex, Michael, and Pierre for taking the time to answer my questions.  You can check out some more information regarding Höyük here at its Board Game Geek Page and stay tuned for an updated link here in this blog post and to the right side of my blog to the actual Kickstarter project when it actually becomes active February 25th.

If this sounds like a game you might enjoy, feel free to visit the Board Game Geek page and download the available PnP files to try it yourself!  I'm excited to see more of Höyük soon and that is How Lou Sees It!

Hop on the Magic School Bus!

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Argent: The Consortium

Game Designed by Trey Chambers
Published by Level 99 Games
Interview with D. Brad Talton Jr. (Founder and President of Level 99 Games)

Argent: The Consortium, one of my current Featured Kickstarters, has less than 14 hours left and I had the great opportunity to ask Brad, the founder and president of the game's publisher a few questions.

I for one am very excited about this game. Thanks Brad for taking the time to answer just a few questions. The project is doing so well and it has almost reached its final posted stretch goal. Congratulations! Let's start into the questions.

Q - I am very excited about the theme of this game. As I first read about the theme of Argent I personally thought about my growing up years reading Harry Potter and most recently The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. What was the inspiration for the theme and did the theme come before, during, or after the actual game design?

Argent was actually where the World of Indines--the world of BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Disc Duelers--actually began. When I played Trey's (the designer of Argent) game at BGG.CON 2012, I knew that the game was a perfect match for the theme :)

Q - What one word would best describe Argent?

Vivid. The game really leaps to life, despite the stereotype of Euro mechanics. Everything you do feels like part of a vast conspiracy.

Q - If you were one of the professors or students at the school, what department would you be in?

My trade skill is computer science, so I'd probably be in the Department of Planar Studies.

Q - The game comes with so many goodies and I love that you already have an expansion ready too. How much will this thing end up weighing?

We're looking at 6 pounds, probably 7 with the Kickstarter bonus content we're planning (Summer Break).

Q - This game is chalked full of really interesting game mechanics and components.  Name and discuss 3 of your favorite components or game mechanics that set Argent apart from other games.

For me, I'd say:

1 - Secret Voters are the biggest one. Not knowing the victory conditions unless you do your homework, and not having VP as a pure gauge of progress is really refreshing.

2 - Spells are pretty huge. Having a tool belt of different powers and capabilities that will change in each game means that you have to adapt new strategies by what you have at your disposal.

3 - Variable Time Rounds really add pressure. In Worker placement games with removal, you usually play Chicken to see who will take the high-value spot first and get zapped. However, in Argent, the Bell Tower mechanic makes rounds end early, and means that you often have to seize opportunity while you can, or you won't get anything.

Q - Replay ability is a big factor for me and your Pixel Tactics games did such a great job providing huge playing variation that keeps each game fresh and always offering something new each time it's played. Does Argent have that same level of replay ability or more in your opinion?

I'd say Argent has more total variations, though two matches of Pixel Tactics probably feel more different than two games of Argent. With large games, you have to make sure the baseline is solid across multiple plays, so that skill and strategy have room to develop. But no two games will ever be quite alike!

Q - Artwork. Wow. I guess that really isn't a question. :)

There's an artbook/lorebook too! :D

Q - I really can't wait to see and play the final product, I think it is going to be epic. I really am in awe of this game and I can't stop thinking about it. It is doing so many things right. Any suggestions on what to do to pass the time between now and June?

Play BattleCON: Devastation! It'll be at your FLGS by the end of January!

I know many are excited for Argent to come out this year and can hardly wait, but playing Pixel Tactics or BattleCON as we wait doesn't sound half bad!  I hope to be able to provide you all with a review of Battle CON: Devastation! soon and I should be able to provide you all with a review of the final game come summer time when the final game is released. If you are interested in backing Argent on Kickstarter, you may only have minutes left! If you miss it, I'm sure you will be able to get a copy eventually, but why miss out on the great Kickstarter rewards and that is How Lou Sees It.