En hier de antwoorden van Matt.
Hij heeft er helaas voor gekozen niet alle vragen te beantwoorden maar ik denk dat we toch tevreden kunnen zijn met zijn antwoorden. Stiekum hadden we er ook nog een paar extra vragen aan toegevoegd die Matt gelukkig wel beantwoord heeft
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4. Can we expect more games from your hand in the near future?
I'd love to be designing more games. These days most of my creative energies are being channeled into a new startup company.
5. How big was your influence in developing the theme, artwork en product design?
I was heavily involved in the theme, artwork, and production design for all three games (Pandemic, Roll Through the Ages, and Forbidden Island). We tried on a few different themes for Forbidden Island before deciding that one worked best. For the other games, the theme was an integrated part from the start.
6. Who are your favourite gamedesigners?
I'm a huge fan of Reiner Knizia's work -- the sheer breadth and quality of his portfolio is breathtaking. I'm also impressed by the wide variety of ideas generated by Vlaada Chvatil and Friedemann Friese.
7. Do you have any useful tips for people who would like to start developing a board game?
Stop being so paranoid. Show your work and get feedback from a variety of people. Iterate relentlessly. Also: don't expect that the idea alone is what will attract a publisher. There's no shortage of ideas out there.
8. Are there any expansions planned for Roll Through The Ages?
I've always wanted to do expansions. Nothing to announce yet.
9. How does game design fit into your life? Is it a hobby or a job? Did you want to design games or did you have the ideas first?
Game design is currently a hobby -- and one that I don't get a chance to practice as often as I like. I find it's much easier to design (often impossible not to design) when I have ideas for a new game. They often just want to claw their way out.
11. Is 'cooperative games' a genre you particularly like to play?
Yes, I'm quite fond of cooperative games. I like how they can help pull new people into the hobby since they're easier to teach and everyone is on the same side.
Extra vragen:
12. Which game did you design first, Pandemic or Forbidden Island? Or, in other words, is Forbidden Island an easier take on Pandemic or is Pandemic a more difficult take on Forbidden Island?
Pandemic was designed first.
13. Do you think Forbidden Island will help the board game community to ‘create’ more gamers? I mean, Forbidden Island could be the rung for people to start playing Pandemic, and Pandemic could be the rung for people to start playing more difficult games.
Sure, I can see that. Gamers who like Pandemic often talk of playing Forbidden Island with new players or with their kids. I think the games are complementary.
14. What makes Forbidden Island such a great game in your opinion?
Sure: got lucky with this one. It's easy to set up, easy to teach, has low downtime and short play length, an integrated theme, it's non-confrontational, has incredible value at its price point, has attractive and sturdy components, good replay value, and has meaningful decisions.
15. Which part of Pandemic do you like best?
My favorite part of the game is when players think everything is hopeless then everyone puts their heads together and comes up with some sort of "that's so crazy it just might work" plan that plays out, saving the world in the nick of time.
16. What inspired you to design Roll Through The Ages?
I loved the old Avalon Hill game, Civilization but never had time to play it. I wanted to see if I could bottle everything I loved about the game into a 40-minute game with very few components. The trigger to start came from some friends who put together a "game design challenge" that challenged each of us to design a civilization-themed dice game in one month. I was happy with the result and developed it into Roll Through the Ages.
17. Have you ever expected the success you had with your games so far?
Pleasantly surprised!
18. Do you consider yourself a ‘hardcore gamer’?
No. I manage to only squeeze in about 3 to 4 hours of gaming each week these days.
19. What’s your challenge when you design a new game?
The biggest challenge these days is finding the time!
Tot zover Matt Leacock. We hopen jullie binnenkort weer een nieuwe Q&A te kunnen aanbieden.
