About Games
I believe that, as a game designer, there are few challenges more difficult than creating an exciting, original, and modern roll-and-move game. Jun Sasaki and Goro Sasaki did it. Deep Sea Adventure is incredibly thrilling, packed with small but clever ideas, and it offers a truly unusual game flow.
Playing it with children has been especially fascinating - they're far more risk-taking than adults, and in this game, their attitude heavily influences my own play. If I don't adapt well, I'll drown just like they do. It's one of those games that's really about understanding your opponent's play and managing luck - a rather frustrating combo. But I like it when a game frustrates me.
I've played it countless times, I teach it often, and it's part of the core material in every board game pedagogy training I run.
Nine Tiles Panic came to me as a form of payment. I had led a workshop but didn't want to accept money, so I said they should surprise me with a lesser-known but really good game. Well, they nailed it. What fascinates me most about this game is how much its game flow reminds me of my first published design (Space Smugglers). Making smart decisions under time pressure - I think that's a rare but incredibly exciting combination. Of course, it's a niche game, but when the niche and the game meet, it can be true love.
Smart card games are my weakness. And Scout is definitely a smart one. The last time I had a similar good feeling about a card game was probably with Bohnanza - it's amazing how tricky things can get from one tiny idea (you can't change the order of your cards, but you can hold them in two different ways).
I love playing cards, and I enjoy trick-taking mechanics, but it's not always easy to find the right partners. Scout, however, speaks the language of card games in a way that even those who usually shy away from this world find exciting.
Venice and Oink Games? I couldn't believe I could be this lucky. Once again, the roll-and-move mechanic shows up - but this time, the set collection comes with a clever twist.
What makes it especially exciting is how hard it is to actually see when the game will end - you mostly just sense it, even though timing is absolutely crucial. The more gondolas drift along the canals, the more chaos, the more thrill.
Deep Sea Adventure
Modern and good roll-and-move game? Yes, it exists!
Tools
2 special dice, 6 adventurer meeples, 48 treasure chips, 1 submarine, 1 oxygen marker.
Skills Developed
Tactical thinking, risk management, decision-making.
Nine Tiles Panic
Frantically rushing and thinking tactically at the same time? Yes!
Tools
26 Theme cards, 5 Order markers, 5 Alien markers, 45 Game tiles, 1 Scoreboard, 1 Hourglass.
Skills Developed
Visual perception, quick thinking, spatial awareness.
Scout
Can classic card game mechanics still offer something new? They can!
Tools
45 Cards, 23 Scout Chips, 30 Score Chips, 5 Scout & Show Chips, Starting Player Marker.
Skills Developed
Strategic thinking, number sequencing, risk management.
Souvenirs from Venice
Shopping peacefully? No way!
Tools
48 Souvenir Tiles, 5 Gondolas, 30 Money Chips, 1 Dice, 6 Cards.
Skills Developed
Memory, strategic thinking, set collection.
I'm pretty sure my Oink Games collection won't stop here - in fact, there's one I'm already pre-ordered for in a webshop. I honestly feel like these are the kinds of games I'd love to make myself: in both mechanics and design.
Before I got swept up in the world of board game creation, I had no idea just how hard it is to break away from the mainstream. Standard boxes, standard sizes, standard ideas. So when something dares to step outside of that, it's just incredibly refreshing. Thanks, Oink Games!