Apologies
The How of Happiness Review
People Behind The Meeples - Episode 205: Aaron Franco

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers. Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before. If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!
| Name: | Aaron Franco |
|---|---|
| Email: | aaron.franco@gmail.com |
| Location: | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Day Job: | Museum exhibition designer |
| Designing: | Two to five years. |
| Webpage: | www.aaronfran.co |
| BGG: | Aaronaut and Hunker: Fierce Friendship, Frosty Fortitude |
| Facebook: | Hunker Board Game |
| Twitter: | @hunkerboardgame |
| YouTube: | https://www.youtube.com/aaro79 |
| Instagram: | @hunkerboardgame |
| Other: | I'm an IGA member! |
| Find my games at: | The Game Crafter |
Aaron Franco
Interviewed on: 8/15/2019
Coming in February, to Kickstarter, is a new game from Aaron Franco. Hunker will be Aaron's first published game, although he has several others he's working on. If you've ever wondered what it might be like to be a woodland critter preparing for winter, you'll have your chance! Read on to learn more about Aaron and his other projects.
Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.
How long have you been designing tabletop games?
Two to five years.
Why did you start designing tabletop games?
I loved games, but some of the games I wanted to play hadn't been designed yet. :)
What game or games are you currently working on?
These days I'm primarily working on Hunker, a friendly-competitive game about woodland animal friends preparing for winter. It features asymmetric player characters, action points for lots of freedom, a friendship mechanic that encourages players to interact with each other for bonus points, impassable snow tiles that make the board feel increasingly claustrophobic as the game gets closer to the end, and multiple paths to victory. It's also simple enough to play as to make it a good gateway or family game, but with enough hidden depth to keep veteran players engaged (I really respect Pixar's ability to multi-layer their movies for different audiences).
I'm also working on another in the same universe, though it is not nearly as far along. It's called (tentatively) Scamper, and is about the great mammalian migration across the Serengeti, as animals chase the water. As it stands right now, it is a "side-scroller" design where players move across map boards that can be added at the front and removed from the back. The animals are asymmetric, which adds some fun as well.
Neither of these are published, though Hunker is very close. Planning to crowdfund in February 2020!
Have you designed any games that have been published?
Only one: self-published, available at a print-on-demand site. Not sure if that counts! :)
What is your day job?
Museum exhibition designer
Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.
Where do you prefer to play games?
I like playing at coffee shops, actually. And I'm late to the party, but cons are so great for meeting new people and playing new games.
Who do you normally game with?
Immediate family usually, though in my previous town I had a good core gamer group of friends I could count on.
If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
Depends on the group, but I really like worker placement games and coop games. If I had my wish, Pillars of the Earth followed by Pandemic.
And what snacks would you eat?
I actually like chili for my game nights, served with cinnamon rolls if at all possible (a Nebraska thing I guess?).
Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
Something lively but that can fall to the background a bit. I like Sanseverino a lot. He's super upbeat and sings in French, which means the lyrics won't be too distracting. :)
What's your favorite FLGS?
Having lived all over the place the last few years, I have several favorites... Gauntlet Games in Lincoln, Nebraska, The Portland Game Store in Portland, Oregon, and Labyrinth Games in Washington, D.C.
What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
I am super excited to play Root first chance I get. Least favorite that I still enjoy? Maybe Catan, but mostly because I've just played it so, so much (that said, I got the chance to play it the other day and still had a good time). Worst game? Haha, Hunker during its very first playtest probably (my wife was playing, and actually fell asleep mid-game)! ;) I think any game that made it through the publishing gauntlet has merit for at least some folks, so it's more accurate to say games I don't enjoy aren't bad games, but just have a different target.
What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
I really like action selection, whether it be simultaneous or otherwise. Take that! is probably my least favorite.
What's your favorite game that you just can't ever seem to get to the table?
Pillars of the Earth!
What styles of games do you play?
I like to play Board Games, Card Games, RPG Games, Video Games
Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design Board Games
OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
No
You as a Designer
OK, now the bit that sets you apart from the typical gamer. Let's find out about you as a game designer.
When you design games, do you come up with a theme first and build the mechanics around that? Or do you come up with mechanics and then add a theme? Or something else?
I like starting with theme, then starting my design inspired by that. But over the design process I find I bounce back and forth between theme and mechanics, each informing the other. I've found that spending significant energy on theme facilitates learning the game, because the mechanics and systems of the game are bound in reality and are thus somewhat common sense.
Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
I've entered a few. Was a finalist for Cardboard Edison's design award in 2018, and won a Showcase spot at Boston Festival of Indie Gaming that year as well. I actually enter mainly for the feedback, which usually comes as part of the deal. I also work well when I have some pressure on me, so they make for some nice self-imposed deadlines.
Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
I really admire Ryan Laukat's ability to do basically everything. I'm a designer, but I'm no illustrator. His games are just so thematic, and the art and gameplay combine to make really memorable experiences. I also admire Elizabeth Hargrave a lot. She and I were in the same game design group near D.C., and all the success that's come to her in the last year is just so well deserved. Couldn't happen to a kinder, more genuine, just super talented person.
Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
My ideas usually come from observing the world around me. The inspiration for Hunker came while I was a grad student wandering around campus, and saw this super chubby squirrel. I think I actually called out, "Wow, you are winning at winter!" because clearly she had enough food, a warm shelter, and enough stored-up energy to be out and about in the snow. Later, I thought, could this be a game? I think it could! Wait, why isn't there a game about this yet??? The inspiration for my lone published game, Ideal Candidate came as I was on the job hunt. I thought, maybe there's a roll-and-move that could be developed about a job-seeker trying to navigate through a crowd of Other Applicants to get to an interview. My profs in journalism school always said to "write what you know," so I'm just repurposing that for games. :)
How do you go about playtesting your games?
Primarily, game design groups. Wherever I've lived, I've found these groups. Some are more active than others, but they're always a great way to connect with other designers and people who want to play new, in-development games. Cons are great, but I don't get to as many as I'd like.
Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
I work alone, primarily, which means I need to be disciplined with my design time and really observant during playtests. That said, I do have some trusted friends I like to bounce ideas off of; they have a tall task to keep me grounded and focused sometimes, but they do an admirable job at it.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
Sometimes you get attached to an idea or a mechanic, but it just doesn't fit the game you're trying to shoehorn it into. Being able to let go of (sometimes long-held) systems or mechanics can be really important to stay true to your game's spirit. "Kill your darlings," as the saying goes.
If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
My brother-in-law and I had dreams of co-designing a G.I. Joe game. It'd be pretty rad, but it's just absolutely never ever happening.
What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
Designing a game can take a LONG time, especially if it's a hobby. If you can learn to enjoy the process, then no matter how long your game takes to be published (or even whether it's published or not!), you won't have wasted a single minute.
What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Playtest, playtest, playtest, and playtest some more! It's the only way your game will improve. And while we're on the topic, if you have an idea, just work up a prototype with paper/markers/handwritten text and get it in front of some folks as soon as you can. It'll be bad, perhaps remarkably so, but you can't start making it better until it's out there.
Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
Published games, I have: Ideal Candidate (self-published)
I'm planning to crowdfund: Hunker: Fierce Friendship, Frosty Fortitude
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are: Scamper
Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker's Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Break My Game in D.C., Stumptown Game Crafters in Portland, OR, and Spielmasons in Omaha, NE, and yeah, every facebook group that would let me join. :3
And the oddly personal, but harmless stuff…
OK, enough of the game stuff, let's find out what really makes you tick! These are the questions that I'm sure are on everyone's minds!
Star Trek or Star Wars? Coke or Pepsi? VHS or Betamax?
Ha! I can actually say a few words in Klingon, so… ^_^ Hang on while I put on my santa beard and go hang out with some animated polar bears. Betamax was the superior format and I will die on this hill.
What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
I love biking, running, and composing mediocre new-age music on my piano.
What is something you learned in the last week?
I learned how to extrude objects into 3D in After Effects and play with their spatial positioning on the timeline! Kinda niche, but fun nonetheless. :)
Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Anything upbeat!
What was the last book you read?
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I was late to the party, but man, what a trip.
Do you play any musical instruments?
clarinet, piano
Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I am six years cancer-free. I feel extremely blessed.
Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I once was dirt-biking with a neighborhood friend, and I tried an ill-advised jump and knocked myself unconscious.
Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
Joining journalism class on a whim in high school, probably. I made lots of great friends along the way, and it set me up for some amazing experiences much later on, including meeting my wife in our journalism graduate degree program.
Who is your idol?
Fred Rogers.
What would you do if you had a time machine?
I'd go back and shoot some pool and do some baking with my dad.
Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Definitely an introvert, although I can pretend to be an extrovert for limited periods of time.
If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
I'm often late to things, so if I had super-speed that'd probably cut down on that a bit… so I guess Flash?
Have any pets?
a little tuxedo cat named Maggie
When the next asteroid hits Earth, causing the Yellowstone caldera to explode, California to fall into the ocean, the sea levels to rise, and the next ice age to set in, what current games or other pastimes do you think (or hope) will survive into the next era of human civilization? What do you hope is underneath that asteroid to be wiped out of the human consciousness forever?
Sounds like there'll be lots of inside time, so I hope I'll manage to keep a handful of my favorite games. Pandemic, Letters from Whitechapel, Scythe, Pillars of the Earth, and Codenames. That should cover any other survivors' favorite genres and keep us occupied for awhile. Can the asteroid be targeted at the data centers for the student loan companies? That'd be neat.
If you'd like to send a shout out to anyone, anyone at all, here's your chance (I can't guarantee they'll read this though):
To the late James Mathe. We never had any direct interactions, but through your blog, website, and facebook group you did so much to help budding designers navigate the confusing and sometimes treacherous path to publication. Thousands of people will use and benefit from your work even many, many years down the road. Thank you for all your work in making this field so much more accessible.
Just a Bit More
Thanks for answering all my crazy questions! Is there anything else you'd like to tell my readers?
Whatever we can do to expand this amazing hobby that's so good at bringing people together, we should do. We need specifically more women, more people of color, more diversity in age. There are loads of games outside of the typical fantasy tropes just waiting to be designed. And the people who will design them might not be gamers, let alone game designers, yet. One small way we can invite people in is by, you know, literally inviting some new folks to your next game night. Or running a playtest at the local retirement home. Or inviting your niece or nephew to help you design your game. Or bring a light board game to the local coffeeshop and set up a sign that says, "Wanna play?" We need compassionate fellowship with other folks more than ever right now, and games can be the medium. Let's get on it!
Thank you for reading this People Behind the Meeples indie game designer interview! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples and if you'd like to be featured yourself, you can fill out the questionnaire here: http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html
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. And be sure to check out my games on Tabletop Generation.PUBG Mobile Erangel Map Is Getting A Redesign
About Erangel map:
Reasons behind the update:
1. The increase of bugs and glitches in Erangel map.
3. The sudden crashing of the game while playing in Erangel map.
4. Famous loot locations like Georgopol, Sosnovka military base etc. have very few loots now.
Understanding the problems of PUBG players, PUBG developers have taken a big decision. They decided that Erangel map will be redesigned to improve such errors. They are working on the development of Erangel map. They added that this could take a few months time to finish.
Since loot locations are lacking loot so they assured that the new updated Erangel map will have proper loot locations. They mentioned that some parts of the Erangel map may be changed to make it more interesting for players.
The PUBG team have also decided to work on bugs and glitches and lagging of servers and to improve gameplay.
Which parts will be updated?
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| Source: Imgur Erangel map update locations |
Release date:
Op Compass Game 7 - Sandstorm
Lumbering Matildas slowly crossing the Desert whilst sand swirls around the troops as they advance into the unknown, would adequately describe Game 7 of our ongoing Op Compass Campaign and what follows is the Scenario and AAR.
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| Italian troops wait for something to emerge from the Sandstorms |
https://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/opcompass-1940-resource-page.html
The games are based on an excellent book by Robert Avery which is available from The Toofatlardies, there is a direct link to purchase the book on the Resource Page.We use 28mm figures with this scenario taking place on an 8 x 6 table using a home brew set of rules, based on Iron Ivans Disposable Hero's.
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| Ratty and Mole discuss their latest adventures |
Its the 10th December 1940, the previous day (see our recent games) the Italian Forts at Tummar fell, the British Forces moved onto the Sidi Barrani position. Part of the force was detailed to take a small hamlet known as Alam el Dab.
The weather was appalling, a high wind whipping up sand and dust into a constantly changing fog / sandstorm, visibility rapidly changing minute by minute. As the British advanced the cloud of dust lifted long enough for the Italian Artillery to destroy the approaching lorries, the British Infantry helpless, only able to watch as their lift home disappeared.
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| Italian 75mm Field Gun |
Table Set Up and Terrain
This battle is fought over an 8 x 6 table. The game begins with the Italian positions hidden.
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| Table Set Up |
The following Special Rules are in force (see Resource Page for full details),
Difficult Going and Breakdown.
New Rule - Variable Visibility - to represent the fluidity of the distance troops could see in this battle Visibility is limited to 9" plus 1d10 inches. Visiblity is determined once at the start of a new turn and again on the turn of an event card, giving a maximum of 3 and a minimum of 1 change in Visibility per turn. Whilst in force all firing is considered to be at long range.
Spoiler - The Brits have a secret objective, the game ends when they take all three gun positions, the British players should not know this until the game ends.
British Briefing
Italian Artillery has once again proven it's worth, take you troops into the mist and capture their positions. Be careful, the sand is soft, our tanks break down and visibility can change at any time.
Best suited for 3 players. Each Task Force has the following,
1 x Matilda Infantry Tank
1 x British Infantry Company consisting of,
HQ Section with 1 x Officer, 1 x Radio Operator and 1 x Sgt with SMG
Support Section with 1 x 2 man 2" Mortar Team and 1 x 2 man Boyes AT Team
3 x Infantry units of 1 x Sgt with SMG, 1 x Bren Gun and loader plus 7 Privates with Rifles
So 3 tanks and 111 men to get the job done. One TF will start in the centre of the table whilst the others will start equidistant from the centre tank and the table edge.
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| Advance into the unknown |
Once again you find yourself trapped in a difficult position with the seemingly unstoppable Matildas heading towards you. This time you have the advantage of cover and limited Visiblity, hold on as long as you can and cause as much casualties to the attackers as you can. Defend your guns to the last.
Your forces consist of,
1 HQ Section of Officer and Radio Operator
8 "Blackshirt" units each with 1 Sgt with SMG, 1 x 2 man LMG Team and 7 Rifles.
1 x 65mm Gun and 3 crew
1 x 75mm Field Gun and 4 crew
1 x 100mm Field Gun and 4 crew.
The above photo shows the layout of the Italian positions, only place the terrain and troops on table once they are visible, the Italian player chooses where in the line their three gun pits go.
The position was a series of fox holes rather than a formal trench system hence the use of barbed wire. The Italian positions are static and could easily be played by an umpire or as a solo game.
Italian Artillery can fire over open sights at any target they can see, if they have no target they will fire at random. Dice for one of the 12 squares on the British side of the table, take the centre of that square as the aim point and then randomly deviate by 2 x d10 inches, reroll for each gun.
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| Italian AT Gun pretending to be a 65mm Gun behind a Renaissance Gabion, it's all accurate |
Once again a good time was had by all, these scenarios really throw up some interesting match ups and with the randomness of the rules players are definitely kept on their toes. The Visablity rule worked really well and we all got the feel of a swirling sandstorm with targets frustratingly appearing and disappearing usually at the most inappropriate moment.
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| It's broke Sir |
The game settled down into a now you see it now you don't gun fight with the variable Visibility, the Brits taking quite a few casualties from the Italians in their fox holes and the randomly landing Artillery.
Things were going well until the tank Gremlin struck again, this time it was Mole in the centre of the attack, who broke down, it was fixable but with Italian small arms easily in range no one was getting out to fix it ! With the Artillery falling else where Mole quickly became a Pillbox, if only it had an AP round.
With the tank stalled, the British went headlong with fixed bayonets into the Italian positions. The Blackshirts held firm and held their fox holes, just.
But the fight drastically reduced the numbers of the defenders and next turn a fresh wave of British troops took the position.
The elation was short lived as the extra move forward revealed more Italians in the Hamlet.
On the British right the last mobile Matilda "Ratty" kept it's slow but seemingly unstoppable crawl towards the wire in front of it, rifles and LMG fire isn't much use against an Infantry Tank.
The Brits in the wire wisely decided to move away from the Hamlet and charged one of the Italian Gun positions, it fell but not without a fight.
The Italian Commander was busy on the radio, but no help came.
On the British left the tankless ("Hedgehog" smoking in the background) company had been wandering around blind for some time, the sandstorm preventing it from seeing anything of value, gradually the advance revealed that the Italian positions were not a straight line and the units moved to engage the flank positions.
The game built up to a nice close, the British had broken into the Italian positions in one location and a couple of others were holding on, however they had taken some pretty heavy casualties, three units had already been wiped out and it was touch and go if there was enough men left to do the job.
Everything came to a head in the final turns, on the right "Ratty" rolled over one of the Italian positions and with the gun position next to it taken that side of the table was taken.
In the centre there was another bayonet charge and again the first unit was wiped out at the wire whilst the remnants of the second one taking the position.
Whilst on the flank the British managed to roll over the 100mm Field Gun with hardly a shot fired.
The game ended when the Pillbox, sorry Matilda in the middle finished off the final Italian Gun and the British objective was complete, but not without considerable losses which were pushing 50% at game end.
So points wise I am going to give the Italians one (for the High casualties) and 3 to the British giving a Campaign Total of 18 to 10 in favour of the Brits.
Game 8 will be up soon, next time after a few games relying on the strength of the Matildas the British are back in the flimsy early Cruiser Tanks. But before then we will be playing on the fields of Edgehill and the Italian Wars Project will see the light of day again.
Back From DesotoCon
Brave Browser the Best privacy-focused product of 2020
Out of all the privacy-focused products and apps available on the market, Brave has been voted the best. Other winners of Product Hunt's Golden Kitty awards showed that there was a huge interest in privacy-enhancing products and apps such as chats, maps, and other collaboration tools.
An extremely productive year for Brave
Last year has been a pivotal one for the crypto industry, but few companies managed to see the kind of success Brave did. Almost every day of the year has been packed witch action, as the company managed to officially launch its browser, get its Basic Attention Token out, and onboard hundreds of thousands of verified publishers on its rewards platform.
Luckily, the effort Brave has been putting into its product hasn't gone unnoticed.
The company's revolutionary browser has been voted the best privacy-focused product of 2019, for which it received a Golden Kitty award. The awards, hosted by Product Hunt, were given to the most popular products across 23 different product categories.
Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt said:
"Our annual Golden Kitty awards celebrate all the great products that makers have launched throughout the year"
Brave's win is important for the company—with this year seeing the most user votes ever, it's a clear indicator of the browser's rapidly rising popularity.
Privacy and blockchain are the strongest forces in tech right now
If reaching 10 million monthly active users in December was Brave's crown achievement, then the Product Hunt award was the cherry on top.
The recognition Brave got from Product Hunt users shows that a market for privacy-focused apps is thriving. All of the apps and products that got a Golden Kitty award from Product Hunt users focused heavily on data protection. Everything from automatic investment apps and remote collaboration tools to smart home products emphasized their privacy.
AI and machine learning rose as another note-worthy trend, but blockchain seemed to be the most dominating force in app development. Blockchain-based messaging apps and maps were hugely popular with Product Hunt users, who seem to value innovation and security.
For those users, Brave is a perfect platform. The company's research and development team has recently debuted its privacy-preserving distributed VPN, which could potentially bring even more security to the user than its already existing Tor extension.
Brave's effort to revolutionize the advertising industry has also been recognized by some of the biggest names in publishing—major publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, NDTV, NPR, and Qz have all joined the platform. Some of the highest-ranking websites in the world, including Wikipedia, WikiHow, Vimeo, Internet Archive, and DuckDuckGo, are also among Brave's 390,000 verified publishers.



























