Howdy folks!
This is the second installment of our first interview series with local gamers, designers and game shop owners. The first series is with members of the
Game Artisans of Canada, a homegrown Alberta group of boardgame designers. They are officially joining us this year at FallCon to showcase a lineup of their best prototypes. All of these games are fairly late in development, there are no raw designs, and some of these games have already been submitted to publishers! Now you have an opportunity to play the game and offer your comments on the game play…before it even goes public!
To drum up a little interest in the games and designers, we decided to give them an opportunity to address our FallCon readers through this interview series. There is a chance at the end of these interviews to ask the designers questions of your own; I encourage all of you to take advantage. The designers will be checking in on these interviews and will be responding to your questions and comments. You can also head over to our forums and chat it up there. This Interview is with Gavan Brown. By day Gavan is a not so mild mannered Graphic Designer and Software Developer. But by night, Gavan is an obsessive, insomniac Game Designer.
What are your current favorite three games and why?
1) Metropolys - WAY underrated game. Get it. NOW. I've never felt a greater level of intensity in a game with such simple mechanics.
2) Stone Age - The game that taught me that dice DON'T suck. Stone Age is one of the most innovative dice games I've ever played. It's also one of the most strategic.
3) Plants VS Zombies (for PC) - Games are Games. I'm not a slave to any medium in which the art of game design is offered. Plants VS Zombies is a revolutionary rendition of the tower defense genre, and will have you belly laughing frequently.
How long have you been playing games? Whats your earliest recollection of playing a game?
Games? my whole life. Euro/Modern boardgames? About 6 years. I grew up a hardcore videogamer. Like all children, I remember playing checkers and backgammon against my dad at a very young age. But the first awe-inspiring experience I had with a game was the first time I played Wolfenstein 3D. My keyboard shorted out from the litres of drool leaving my mouth, as I stared with amazement at a game that took you into the eyes of the player. And to top it off, you got to kill Nazi's with a giant machine gun. I remember actually placing my forehead on the 14" CRT monitor, so that the pixilated screen filled up my entire field of vision. No, I did not have a lot of friends, but my mom STILL says that I'm cool.
Have we heard about any of your games yet? What is the status of them?
Probably not, unless I've managed to con you into trying one of my prototypes. My first published game is called JAB:Realtime boxing, and is currently being rigorously playtested (thanks to the Game Artisans), so it can be ready for publication this Christmas. I will be holding a tournament for the game at Fallcon! For more information visit: http://www.playjab.com
How long have you been designing or tinkering with designing a boardgame?
That's an easy one. Just over 3 years ago, during World Cup 2004, also my honeymoon, I spent a large portion of time by the pool jotting ideas down about a soccer boardgame called Slide Tackle. And yes, we ARE still married.
What was the first boardgame you designed? What ever happened to the design?
Slide Tackle was my first serious design, which I dedicated 2 years to. It was in development until about February this year, when I decided that I was going to have to either a) kill myself or b) put the game away until I had some divine inspiration. All of the game's seven completely different renditions were playable. They were all missing that little something... fun. I will pick the game up again eventually and take another crack at it, because as they say, "Germany enjoys 2 things in this world: Soccer and Boardgames". Or was it "Soccer OR Boardgames"?... hmm, I may have to rethink this.
Where do you start the design process?
I think about any system, that inspires competition among humans.
What’s the creative spark that gets you excited about one of your designs?
I've always had this need to create things that people enjoy. Which is probably why I started a Multiplayer Videogame Center in 2002 called SwitchBox. My favorite thing in the world (other than my family), and what drives me to continue this sleep deprived obsession called game design, is having someone TRULY enjoy themselves while playing one of my games. That feeling came was a long time coming for me, when JAB came together.
What are your favorite game mechanics?
Anything I've never experienced prior. Which I guess could be categorized as: any mechanic that is so different, requires the BoardGameGeek administrators to add an entry to their list of mechanics. In other words, not any particular mechanic, but rather an instance of a mechanic that drives boardgame innovation forward.
What themes (if any) are your favorites?
I generally judge a game's theme not by how interesting I find the subject to be, but how well it integrates with the game's mechanics. Generally, when something this rare happens the players truly feel immersed in the game. When coupled with an innovative mechanic, the results are even more incredible. A good example of this in my opinion is Caylus, which really explored worker placement mechanics in a way no other game had before, but also integrated that mechanic perfectly with the theme. When playing Caylus I really feel like I am a part of that little medieval road.
Can you let us in on any designs you are currently working on?
JAB:Realtime Boxing - JAB is an insane real-time strategy boxing card game that melds the exciting action of a fighting video game with the physical interaction and strategy of a card game. JAB gives you direct control over your boxer's fists, providing an experience as close to real boxing as possible, without actually getting punched in the face.
Overboard - Historical economic game set in the north sea, where players try to catch fish before the impending storm rolls in. The game will feature a player driven economy, and a new mechanic that I've developed.
Firefight! - A realtime WWII game, inspired by my first Love: the RTS Videogame genre. Features unit "building", and a paper-rock-scissors damage countering system, multiple fronts and .... Oh ya... and it's real-time!
Thanks for the interview Gavin, good luck with your new designs and see you soon at FallCon!!
Peace
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