Mit Natascha Braunbeck reden wir über CARP CITY, DER HOBBIT: HIN UND ZURÜCK, MOON COLONY BLOODBATH und das Kinderspiel des Jahres.
Der Beitrag CfM042 The Shire City Bloodbath erschien zuerst auf fjelfras.de.
Over the past several years, we have done interviews with Matt White, publicized his games and played a few of them as well and he always has something cooking. Recently, I came across his newest offering on Kickstarter called Spearhead: Hell on Wheels – Tank Battles in Normandy. This game is a solitaire or 2-player print and play tactical game that allows players to take command of US tanks in German occupied France. I reached out to Matt and as always he was more than willing to share on the design.
If you are interested in Spearhead: Hell on Wheels – Tank Battles in Normandy, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattwhite-wargames/spearhead-hell-on-wheels-tank-battles-in-normandy
Grant: What is your new project on Kickstarter called Spearhead: Hell on Wheels?
Matt: This is a brand new solitaire and co-op World War II print and play tactical wargame. In this game you are in command of a group of 3 US tanks in brutal and intense tank combat in enemy-occupied territory.
The players must lead their tanks, through unforgiving terrain, finding and then engaging the enemy in fierce fire fights. They must defeat any encountered enemy tanks and forces, whilst meeting the objectives as they move across the map.
Grant: What was your inspiration for the name? What do you want it to convey about the design?
Matt: My biggest inspiration was reading accounts from various US armored units. Keeping your tank crews alive and positioning your tanks whilst dealing with unexpected enemy positions is key to survival and success and truly seemed to be “Hell on Wheels”.
Grant: What about the battles during Normandy inspired you to make this game?
Matt: Basically I wanted to focus on and show the difficulties with the survivability of the armored crews and their vehicles during the D-Day invasion and the days after as the Allies broke out into France. That was the biggest point I wanted to make.
Grant: What research did you do on the subject?
Matt: As with all my games, in trying to get the historical aspects correct both in the mechanics of the game as well as the look and feel of the art, I basically try to do lots and lots of reading! I read as much as I can on the subject, from various authors and viewpoints, and when I am not spending time playing games or making them, I basically read! This knowledge is part of the inspiration for my games as I draw upon things that I have rad and then translate them to the page.
Grant: As a tactical level wargame, what are the most important areas of focus for the design?
Matt: The positioning of your tanks in relation to where the enemy could be, and not only the tank hull but also the turret. Keeping your tank crews alive and positioning your tanks whilst dealing with unexpected enemy positions is key to survival and success. This game is point-to-point based where you must place your tank orientation and can aim the turret separately. Being able to keep the front of the hull forward towards the enemy tanks whilst hopefully being able to fire on their flank is critical.
Grant: How does the game differ in its 2 modes including solitaire and cooperative?
Matt: In the game you are in command of a number of US tanks – these can be split between players if you wish. Its quite unlike a number of solitaire WW2 tank games where you are in command of one tank. In this game you have a number which makes it really suitable for co-op play.
Grant: I know the design is a Print and Play offering. Why do you feel this model is best suited for your designs?
Matt: I like making print and play games as it forces you, as the designer, to make every component count and making the most of the physical space on a sheet of paper. I find that challenge one of the most interesting parts of the creative process. I also like the print and play model because it is very affordable for all parties, both me and the players, and allows the game to be available to anyone at anytime and on their terms.
Grant: I see that the board has a point-to-point movement layout. Why was this your chosen method of conveying information about the battlefield?
Matt: As much as I love traditional hex based games (and continue to play a lot of them), I also like point-to-point too. I like the way you can combine not only line of sight but also information about the environment in the game.
Grant: What is the meaning of the different symbols that appear on the board?
Matt: Movement is from point-to-point and where you move from a Position Point (the rectangle points) to an Observation Point (the circle points) where you will test for observation and perform the majority of combat. If combat is successful then you will be able to move to the next position point.
As you can see from the map there are multiple paths from Position Points to Observation Points and then onto other Position Points. Plus there are a variety of pros and cons to various paths to allow for a variety of terrain types and observation challenges. These paths are illustrated on the map in the shape of lines which are known as Movement & Observation Lines.
For each Movement & Observation Line there is a symbol at one end. The most common symbol is a black arrow, which denotes normal terrain and normal observation. There are other symbols which mean more difficult terrain or harder observation. These are:
Black Arrow – Normal Movement – Normal Observation
White Arrow – Normal Movement – Hard Observation
White Square – No Movement – Normal Observation
Black Circle – Difficult Movement – Normal Observation
White Circle – Difficult Movement – Hard Observation
Grant: What difficult decisions do players have to make in the game?
Matt: You will have to deal with enemies and you discover them but you don’t know where they are and so you must make some decisions based on information you do and don’t have. The player will also have several simultaneous objectives that must be obtained and will have to contend with both the German forces defending them that you know about and those that you do not.
“Lady luck” plays a part, as with any military operation, but your decisions and tactics are crucial, especially in how you position your tanks on the map when facing enemies as you cautiously roll through the environment.
Grant: What dangers and threats meet the players on the battlefield?
Matt: There are a variety of dangers but not only the enemy forces as tank obstacles and mines can be a serious threat, combined with the environment itself.
Grant: What objectives does the player have to accomplish?
Matt: For each game session the objectives are randomly generated with Objective markers provided. All you have to do is safely get your tanks to those Objective markers, all the whilst dealing with the enemy!
Grant: How are hidden German units handled?
Matt: Every time you move your tanks you will need to check what they can observe and into which other points then can see. At this time you will roll on a couple of charts to see if you can see enemy units. However, just because you can’t see any doesn’t mean that they are not there.
Grant: What is the makeup of the Tank Cards? What information do they contain?
Matt: Using the Tank Cards you record the status of the major components of your tank such as the engine and tracks plus any gun jams. You also record the status of the various tank crew, all of which can have an impact in the game. Counters are provided to record all the status of both the tank and the crew.
Grant: What different types of tanks are included on both sides?
Matt: There are variety of tanks in the game with each tank having its own unique gameplay – for example the M10 tank destroyer has no hull machine gun (but does have a better anti-tank weapon). There are also Stuart M5A1 Tanks, StuG’s, Panzer IV’s, and many more.
Grant: How does combat work?
Matt: In the combat phase, you determine the order in which both your tanks and the enemy tanks fire. This is crucial to how the combat plays out as in real life WW2 tank combat, the results will favor the tank crew who can fire first on their target.
You will roll a few dice, depending on your tank positioning and other factors, and retain the highest number. You can increase your number of rolled dice by certain criteria – the more dice you roll the better! For example, if your tank turret is facing the enemy, the terrain type, the health of both the tank and the crew and if the enemy have been observed all are major factors. The enemy tanks will be doing the same, so factors such as successful enemy observation in the previous phase are crucial!
Grant: What is the goal of the game? How is victory obtained?
Matt: Your goal is to reach your various objectives on the map, whilst trying to keep your tanks and crew alive.
For each game session the objectives are randomly generated with Objective markers provided. All you have to do is safely get your tanks to those Objective markers, all whilst dealing with the enemy!
Grant: What are you most pleased about with the design?
Matt: I am most pleased to be coming to the end of the design and getting it ready for people to play! Finishing or coming close to it, is the hardest part of the development. In terms of the actual game, I really enjoy being able to get a game that has depth and is engaging that can be printed on just a few sheets of paper.
Grant: What kind of an experience does the game create?
Matt: I hope that the game creates a thoughtful representation of actual tank combat and how decisive it can be!
But that is not all. The game is modular and has several options included. As well as the map shown above, the game will also come complete with another map, additional counters and a rulebook which allows for you to create your own unique scenarios.
This map has the same points but where you will roll on tables to determine the various Movement & Observation Lines from each Position Point and Observation Point. There will be counters that you can place between the Position and Observation Points as an aid. You will be using various charts and tables to procedurally generate your map as you play, determining those gameplay elements as you progress. This type of game session will present you with a new challenge as you really have to deal with more unknown elements as you progress your tanks across the map.
Grant: What other designs are you currently working on?
Matt: I have a few games I am working on – currently working on something involving WW2 Mosquito aircraft!
For a YouTube video overview of the game, please check out Matt’s overview video here:
Thanks to Matt for his time in answering our questions and for his great little print and play games. I love it when one of these new games is brought to light as I get to oodle over the art and see what new things he has created!
If you are interested in Spearhead: Hell on Wheels – Tank Battles in Normandy, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattwhite-wargames/spearhead-hell-on-wheels-tank-battles-in-normandy
-Grant
Yesterday we announced Wingspan Pocket, a new standalone 1-5 player game that distills the Wingspan experience down to a lighter, shorter, streamlined experience that has each player activate a single row of cards on each of their turns (even on the same turn you play a bird). The cards are all double sided: a food side and a bird side. Bird powers are primarily indicated by icons instead of text, and they include a new type of power, ongoing (green) benefits.
On Monday I will have an article about the in-depth pre-production copy testing process of Wingspan Pocket, but I haven’t posted the corresponding design diary entry yet, so today I have an interview about a completely different game from another publisher!
Gabe Barrett runs Best With 1 Games, and over the last few years I’ve seen him adapt a really interesting strategy for creating and launching games. With their latest game, Stonefall, in its final days on Gamefound, Gabe was kind to take some time to answer questions about his methods.
As far as I can tell, you’ve run solo-coop game campaigns once a month every month for several years now. Is that correct? How many games are we talking, and what are the biggest hits so far in terms of the campaign and retail?That’s correct. Since January of 2024, I’ve run a solo game campaign every single month on Gamefound. Through those campaigns, I’ve shipped around 60,000 games so far with another 8,000 set to go out in the next few weeks.
The biggest hits have been Rome: Fate of an Empire, Radiance, and Small Time Heroes.
Each game is sent to the factory independently, but there have been a few instances where the queue line got backed up to the point that several games were printed and shipped at the same time. However, I use a fulfillment company based in China that ships worldwide and charges by the gram, so there are no cost-savings in bundling.
Games ship as soon as they’re completed, and there’s no crossover between campaigns from an admin level – every campaign is a separate spreadsheet.
I wish there was some secret or magical piece of software that I could share, but I’ve found that a basic checklist is the best tool overall. I’ve used Trello and other project management apps, but nothing works as well as a good, old fashioned checklist with every aspect of a game’s production broken into line items.
Then, you just work the list and check things off as they’re completed.
The “magic” comes from realizing the checklist needs improvement over and over and over again until you finally get something that works best. And when you run a campaign every single month, you get a lot of opportunities to make revisions.
Nothing about publishing solo games specifically makes things easier, but standardizing as much as possible helps a great deal. I only offer a couple different box sizes which makes designing, publishing, manufacturing, and shipping everything much simpler as I’ve removed all but a few variables. It also allows me to order certain things in bulk and get a better price – shipping boxes and foam, for example.
Are you happy with the current pursuit of 1 game per month, or have you considered spacing out campaigns (e.g., every 2-3 months)? I’m curious about what you view is the advantage of 1 game per month. 12 new games a year seems like a lot for you and for customers–what drives that quantity versus any other quantity of games per month/year? Is that based on what backers have told you they want, sheer momentum, company finances, etc?“Solo Game of the Month” has a nice ring to it. “Solo game of the quarter” or “solo game of the fortnight” just doesn’t sound quite right.
But once the right systems are in place, and you find great people to work with, twelve games a year is really not that hard to get your arms around. We’ll probably end up doing around 20 new games this year in total. Most of those will be Gamefound campaigns, but others will be direct-to-retail.
However, these aren’t expensive games. Most are $25, and a lot of the “extra” games we’re working on in the background are $15. I don’t think it would be possible to do 12 traditional crowdfunding style games that are $100+ and contain boxes upon boxes of minis and content. The customer base would burn out quickly, most people’s monthly budgets can’t handle it, I would probably be speedrunning my time on this earth, and game shelves wouldn’t be able to support it.
But for the price of a couple meals at McDonald’s, you can get a box the size of a VHS case containing a fun game with great art that offers an excellent solo-gaming experience.
And at that price point, people are more likely to give a game a chance when they might not normally vibe with the theme or core mechanisms. Also, since I don’t print very many extras, a game is easy to sell on the second-hand market, if you don’t enjoy it.
Am I happy with the cadence of one a month? Absolutely. 12+ games a year means I can take some chances on games that might not have wide appeal. It means I get more opportunities to find hits. And it means consistent cashflow to grow a sustainable business.
I have a core group of about 500 customers that buy basically everything, and around 40% of my customers have purchased more than one game, so I get a ton of repeat buyers. People often discover the series through a campaign and then purchase a bunch of the previous games.
And that’s by design. I started the company to create a home for solo gamers where everything would be tailored to a one-player experience. The games are all pretty different, but if you like one, you’ll probably like at least ten others.
As far as a subscription, I planned to have one before diving into things in 2024, but I got talked out of it by someone who was doing one. It’s not that they’re bad; they just don’t integrate very well with crowdfunding platforms, and they create a bunch of extra work and overhead. And since simplicity is one of the main pillars of my company, I opted not to go the subscription route.
However, I’m finding other ways to reward repeat customers. For example, a couple months ago, I sent a free game to all 500 of the core customers mentioned above.
And working with Gamefound has been great. I’ve had an awesome account manager named Luke who has been extremely helpful and pretty pivotal to my company’s success.
Last, I was excited to see a game (Stonefall) from Peter and Michael of the One Stop Co-op Shop as the latest Best With 1 campaign. For people who haven’t dived into the world of solo games, are there a few Best With 1 games you recommend they start with?Yeah, Stonefall is a project I’ve been excited about for a while, and I’m really pleased with how it’s all come together!
As far as recommendations, if you like meaty Euro games, check out Rome: Fate of an Empire. If you like card-crafting and/or rogue-lites, check out Mech Bunny. If you like Slay the Spire and/or deckbuilding games, check out Small Time Heroes. If you like boss battlers, check out Storybook Saga and Witch Hunter.
But in general, if you’re a solo gamer, my catalogue probably has something you’ll enjoy.
And if anyone wants to sign up to be notified when new solo games launch, they can join the newsletter here: https://bestwith1.com/month/
Big thanks to Gabe for answering these questions! I’m curious to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments. If you want to check out other creator interviews and guest posts, here’s a list dating back to 2012!
If you gain value from the 100 articles Jamey publishes on this blog each year, please consider championing this content! You can also listen to posts like this in the audio version of the blog.
Foto: SPIEL EssenRobin de Cleur ist begeisterter Spieler, langjähriger Besucher der SPIEL und PR-Redakteur. Nach Stationen bei Asmodee und der Brost-Stiftung arbeitet er seit 2023 als Director Communications beim Merz Verlag und ist seitdem für die Außenkommunikation der größten Spielemesse der Welt verantwortlich.Das Interview wurde am 10. Juni 2026 per Videocall geführt und anschließend…
Bleibt Ally der Musik treu oder wechselt sie komplett unter die Autoren? In diesem Interview der „Musikszene“ bei DieHausis sprechen wir mit Ally Storch von Subway to Sally über ihr brandneues Buchprojekt, ihre Erlebnisse mit der Deutschen Bahn und warum sie nun auch zum Stift (und Skizzenblock) gegriffen hat. Wir werfen einen Blick hinter die Kulissen: Vom Schreibprozess über die Zusammenarbeit mit dem Adakia Verlag bis hin zu Gastbeiträgen von Musikkollegen wie Simon Michael. Außerdem erfahrt ihr alles über ihre kommenden Lesungen und welche kreativen Projekte noch in der Pipeline stecken. Viel Spaß beim Anschauen!
Danke Ally für das tolle Gespräch!
Aufnahmetag: 19.06.2026
Das ausführliche Interview bei Youtube: https://youtu.be/gIgmWzu9Sjw
Das Interview (Cut Version) bei NRWision TV: https://www.nrwision.de/mediathek/diehausis-ally-storch-subway-to-sally-von-der-buehne-zum-buch-interview-260625
Youtube Shorts: https://youtube.com/shorts/JFcr9FLrSkk
Buchtitel: Ally fährt Bahn
Erscheinungstermin (Release) : 26. Juni 2026
Format: Taschenbuch
Herausgeber: adakia Verlag
Der Beitrag Ally Storch (Subway to Sally): Von der Bühne zum Buch | Interview erschien zuerst auf DieHausis.
Als ich mich das erste Mal mit Believe in me! (please) beschäftigte, kam mir sofort das ikonische Video von Jesus He Knows Me in den Sinn. Die Bildsprache des Brettspiels und der erste Blick auf das Thema ließen sofort Phil Collins vor meinem geistigen Auge tanzen, mit Scheinen wedeln und um zahlungskräftige Anhänger buhlen. Meine...
Der Beitrag Interview: Erik Haffner & Henneke Holst erschien zuerst auf Brett und Pad.
Foto: Spiel des Jahres e. V.Harald Schrapers, Jahrgang 1964, veröffentlicht seit Anfang der 1990er Brettspielkritiken. Er war freier Mitarbeiter der Fairplay, hat für die Thüringer Allgemeine und Die Zeit geschrieben und ist in aktueller Position freier Mitarbeiter der Spielbox. Seit 1993 betreibt er die Website Games We Play.Seit 2017 ist er Mitglied des Vereins Spiel des Jahres e. V.
Folge 40 regt hoffentlich ein wenig zum Nachdenken an. Zumindest uns hat das Interview mit Cosima Werner ebenso die Antennen hochfahren lassen wie die Beschäftigung mit dem Spiel LIMIT von Alexandre Poyé (erschienen bei Ludonaute bzw. bei Spielworxx). Zusätzlich sprechen wir noch intensiver über SKYBRIDGE von Michael Rieneck und Franz Vohwinkel (erschienen bei Deep Print […]
Der Beitrag CfM040 Limitierte Brücken erschien zuerst auf fjelfras.de.
Seit 1. April 2025 ist Nico Finkernagel Chief Technology Officer (CTO) bei Pegasus Spiele. Teil der IT-Abteilung ist er aber bereits seit 2018. Als Software Engineer war er seither an der Realisierung zahlreicher Projekte beteiligt. Er setzte seine Fähigkeiten und Kenntnisse in den Bereichen Datenanalysen und Prozessoptimierungen ein, zum Beispiel bei der Einführung eines neuen Shopsystems und dem Aufbau der IT-Infrastruktur für das Pegasus Spiele Tochterunternehmen Pegasus Spiele North America.
Als CTO hat er nicht nur die Leitung des IT-Teams inne, sondern kümmert sich als Teil des Managements unter anderem auch um den Ausbau der IT-Sicherheitsstrategien, die Einführung neuer Technologien und den Aufbau strategischer Partnerschaften im Bereich IT.
Nach seinem ersten Jahr als CTO blickt er auf die ersten Erfolge und zukünftige Projekte:
Auf welchen Themen liegt dein Hauptaugenmerk seit Beginn deiner Tätigkeit als CTO?
„Seit ich CTO bin, bewegt sich mein Alltag im Grunde zwischen zwei Welten: Zum einen leite ich ein für unsere Unternehmensgröße ziemlich großes IT-Team von fünf Personen. Das heißt ganz konkret: Projekte priorisieren, Strukturen weiterentwickeln, aber vor allem dafür sorgen, dass das Team gut arbeiten kann.
Zum anderen ist ein großer Teil meiner Arbeit strategisch geprägt. Ich beschäftige mich viel mit der Frage, welche Technologien für uns wirklich relevant sind und welche eben nicht. Es geht darum, sinnvolle Schwerpunkte zu setzen und die IT so auszurichten, dass sie das Unternehmen langfristig unterstützt. Das betrifft Logistik- und Handelsprozesse, IT-Infrastrukturen, aber auch generelle Tools, die beeinflussen, wie wir im gesamten Pegasus Spiele Team zusammenarbeiten.“
Mit Blick auf über 30 Jahre Firmengeschichte ist ein Jahr als CTO natürlich noch keine lange Zeit, aber gibt es schon Erfolge, auf die du zurückblicken kannst?
„Ein großer Schritt war für mich, dass wir uns als IT-Team neu aufgestellt haben. Zwar arbeiten wir nach wie vor eng zusammen, besprechen uns regelmäßig und sind als Team die Anlaufstelle für alle technischen Probleme, aber wir haben nun auch alle unsere Schwerpunkte: Entweder im Bereich Administration & Tooling mit Fokus auf Identity Management sowie IT- & Netzwerk-Sicherheit oder im Bereich E-Commerce mit besonderem Blick auf SAP als unser Warenwirtschaftssystem, aber auch unser Shopsystem Shopware. Diese Splittung schafft Klarheit bei den Zuständigkeiten, lässt uns aber auch produktiver arbeiten als früher.
Ein weiterer wichtiger Fokus lag im letzten Jahr auf dem Thema IT-Sicherheit. Wir haben begonnen, unsere Architektur stärker in Richtung eines Zero-Trust-Ansatzes weiterzuentwickeln, also weg von klassischen, klar abgegrenzten Netzwerken hin zu einer Umgebung, in der jeder Zugriff grundsätzlich verifiziert wird. Das betrifft unter anderem Identitäten, Geräte und Zugriffsrechte und schafft eine deutlich robustere Grundlage für unsere Systeme.
Darüber hinaus gab es viele kleinere Projekte und Verbesserungen im Alltag, zum Beispiel die flächendeckende Einbindung der SSO-Authentifizierung oder ein vereinfachtes Zeiterfassungsmanagement, die sich jedoch in Summe deutlich bemerkbar machen und unsere Arbeitsweise kontinuierlich voranbringen. Einige dieser Projekte sind in der IT inzwischen State of the Art, für andere mussten wir eigene Soft- bzw. Hardware entwickeln. Ein größeres Projekt im letzten Jahr war außerdem der Relaunch von pegasus.de Mitte 2025, den wir als Teil eines interdisziplinären Website Teams begleitet haben. Insgesamt ging es in meinem ersten Jahr als CTO aber insbesondere darum, Grundlagen zu schaffen, auf denen wir künftig aufbauen können.“
Verrätst du uns, wie dein Arbeitsalltag aussieht?
„Sehr unterschiedlich und ehrlich gesagt mag ich genau das daran. Es gibt Tage, an denen ich gefühlt von Termin zu Termin gehe und viel im Austausch bin: mit meinem Team, mit anderen Abteilungen oder mit externen Partner*innen. An anderen Tagen habe ich mehr Raum für konzeptionelle Arbeit oder tiefere technische Themen.
Was allerdings tatsächlich zu kurz kommt, ist das Programmieren selbst. Das bedaure ich manchmal, weil mir genau dieser Teil nach wie vor großen Spaß macht. Deshalb versuche ich, mir so oft wie möglich kleine Zeitfenster freizuschaufeln, auch wenn das dann nicht selten in einer ‚Nachtschicht‘ endet. Es ist für mich wichtig, den Bezug zum operativen Geschäft nicht zu verlieren und Dinge auch selbst auszuprobieren.
Außerdem achte ich darauf, auch mal einen Schritt zurückzutreten und mich zu fragen: Sind wir noch auf dem richtigen Weg? Was müssen wir anpassen? Wo wollen wir eigentlich hin? Den Überblick über das große Ganze zu behalten ist ein wichtiger Faktor meiner Position.“
Woher kommt deine Faszination für IT und Technologie?
„So genau kann ich das gar nicht auf einen bestimmten Moment zurückführen. Ich glaube, mich hat schon früh gereizt, zu verstehen, wie Dinge funktionieren und wie man sie verbessern kann. IT bietet da unglaublich viele Möglichkeiten.“
Brettspiele sind als analoges Medium nicht gerade, woran man bei technologischer Innovation denkt. Wieso reizt dich gerade diese Herausforderung?
„Der Gedanke ist absolut nachvollziehbar. In unserem Fall geht es weniger darum, das Produkt selbst zu digitalisieren, sondern vielmehr um alles, was drumherum passiert: Entwicklung, Planung, Produktion, Logistik oder Datenmanagement. Wenn man an diesen Stellen die richtigen Hebel ansetzt, kann man enorm viel bewegen. Und genau das finde ich spannend, in einem Umfeld zu arbeiten, das nicht per se als ‚tech driven‘ gilt und trotzdem enormes Potenzial bietet.
Gleichzeitig hat uns das Internet sehr deutlich gezeigt, was Digitalisierung leisten kann: Sie ist ein Werkzeug, um viele Menschen zu erreichen und miteinander zu verbinden. Für uns bedeutet das, unsere Vision weiterzutragen, möglichst vielen Menschen den Zugang zu Brettspielen zu ermöglichen und neue Verbindungen zu schaffen. Technologie ist dabei kein Selbstzweck, sondern ein Mittel, um genau das zu unterstützen.“
Welche Ziele hast du dir für die nächsten sechs Monate und welche für die nächsten sechs Jahre gesteckt?
„Kurzfristig möchte ich vor allem weiter an klaren Strukturen arbeiten: Transparenz schaffen, Prozesse sauber aufsetzen und Prioritäten klar definieren. Mir ist wichtig, dass die IT nicht nur als Dienstleister wahrgenommen wird, sondern als aktiver Teil des Unternehmens.
Langfristig denke ich weniger in einzelnen Projekten, sondern in Fähigkeiten. Ich wünsche mir, dass wir eine IT-Organisation aufbauen, die stabil läuft, aber gleichzeitig flexibel genug ist, um schnell und unkompliziert auf Veränderungen reagieren zu können. Denn insbesondere der digitale Sektor ist extrem schnelllebig und eine Innovation jagt die nächste. Dazu kommen rechtliche Vorgaben, aber auch sich ständig wandelnde logistische sowie bürokratische Herausforderungen. Meine Hoffnung ist es, dass ich als CTO bzw. wir als IT-Team dazu beitragen, dass Pegasus Spiele technologisch stets gut gerüstet ist und ein Arbeitsumfeld bietet, in dem Technologie zu Kreativität, Wachstum und nachhaltigem Erfolg beiträgt.“
Vielen Dank für deine Antworten!
Der Beitrag Im Interview – Nico Finkernagel blickt auf sein erstes Jahr als CTO erschien zuerst auf Blog und News.
Es ist Zeit für Musikszene im Interview – DieHausis sprechen mit mal wieder mit Simon Michael Drummer von der Band SUBWAY TO SALLY über privates, die Eisheilge Nacht 2025 Tour im Dezember, über die Band und was ist und kommt 2026, wie z.B. die Nackt3 Tour.
Das Interview könnt ihr auch super als Podcast hören.
Das Interview findest Du auf Youtube: https://youtu.be/Qnz8DrMGwjw
Und in der Mediathek von NRWision TV: https://www.nrwision.de/mediathek/diehausis-simon-michael-schlagzeuger-bei-subway-to-sally-251106
Der Beitrag SUBWAY TO SALLY 🤘 Simon Michael im Interview, Eisheilige Nacht 2025 – auch noch 2026? erschien zuerst auf DieHausis.
The latest entry in our interview series Why You Should Back: Death By Coconuts on Kickstarter. We spoke with the creator to get information about their latest launch. They look to be bringing something very interesting to market that walks the fine line between humorous and morbid. The Kickstarter launch date is May 31, 2022. Check out the link below to go directly to Death By Coconuts Kickstarter page or continue on to read the interview with the creator.
1. How would you describe your product in a few sentences?
Death By Coconuts is best described as a race-to-the-finish board game where you move by betting on death statistics.
First, you draw three causes of death, which can be anything from sharks to falling vending machines and projectile Champagne corks. There are additional time periods and geographical parameters to help you work out the answer. Then, when you’ve made your mind up, you bet up to three chips on which of the three you think is most deadly.
If you’re right, you move forward the same number of spaces as chips you bet with. If you’re wrong, the same applies – only you move backward instead! So you can see, it’s a game of risk and reward were betting big or small dictates how quickly you move across the board.
You’ve got to navigate shortcuts and trapdoors, and the treasure chest cards will more often than not expedite your arrival at the finish line. But sometimes they’ll throw a curveball at you. Only the first to the finish wins, unless there’s a tie. In which case we’ve got a pretty dramatic best-of-three tiebreaker to decide the winner. This is our very first attempt at a board game. We’ve created a simpler mechanic than our first Kickstarter game, Plant-Based Riot, but it still delivers bucket loads of quick-fire fun.
2. Introduce the team bringing this to market? What is your background that brought you to launching this?
The team is largely the same as the one that brought you Plant-Based Riot via Kickstarter last year. This time, though, we’ve added another designer to the mix…
Marty Pardoe worked behind the scenes of Plant-Based Riot but is at the core of this team. She’s a hugely gifted designer that’s been involved from the early stages when the game went by the rather sinister name of “May Cause Cancer” (a story for another time…). Marty was named as a rising star in Mojo Nation’s 100 Influential Figures list in 2021 for her work on our game Girl Power. It was Marty’s idea to make Death By Coconuts a race-to-the-finish board game and we’ve run with that ever since.
Roberto Rotaru is our artist, graphic designer, motion graphic designer, video editor. He continues to add strings to his bow since our campaign last year. Originally from Romania, he’s the biggest gamer of the bunch – our go-to guy when it comes to making key decisions on mechanics. All the motion graphics and videos you see in relation to this project are down to his artistry.
I’m the content writer for Death By Coconuts. It was my job to trawl the deepest depths of the internet to put together 250 death statistics. It was definitely no day at a tropical beach, I can tell you. You know what they say, though… It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Courtney is the guy that oversees everything. It’s his job to stitch all the individual components together. He started Bubblegum Stuff in Hong Kong back in 2013, so there’s traces of his blood, sweat and tears in this and every other product the company has put out over the years.
We’ve turned to Kickstarter again because we loved the experience last time out. It brought us closer to our community in more ways than one. Like us, the people that backed Plant-Based Riot believe in the power of collaboration. And because they have tons of experience backing games on the platform, they are an invaluable source of insight and opinion. We’re sure many of those guys will play active roles in making key design and gameplay decisions with Death By Coconuts, too.
3. What existing games would you compare your game to?
Death By Coconuts is similar to a few games – and in various ways. It’s got elements of Snakes & Ladders, which we all remember as one of the first games we ever played. The shortcut across the lake and the lava flow trapdoor are essentially a ladder and a snake respectively.
The treasure chest cards also give the sense you’re being given a ladder or a snake, depending on what you’re lucky or unlucky enough to pick up. Saying that, though, they could be likened to the chance or action cards that are fairly ubiquitous in many board games.
There are also similarities with a game from London-based games producer Big Potato. Their game What Came First? uses the same betting mechanic as the method for moving around the board. The difference being in What Came First? you’re betting on what happened first out of two events in history that are paired together on the same card. In Death By Coconuts you’re betting on three separately drawn death stats.
That small difference adds endless amounts of replayability to the game. It means there are over 2.5 million possible combinations of death cards! Each round will feel like a fresh challenge regardless of how many times you’ve played the game. That’s amplified even more when you consider the additional caveats like time period and location.
4. What sets your game apart?
What sets Death By Coconuts apart is the delivery. We’ve produced a game that features 250 causes of death without it feeling overtly morbid. And that was always the mission. It must be said, we’re not making light of death or any of the events featured on the cards in the game. But it is as much a part of life as birth. And we knew if we handled it correctly, it wouldn’t cause offense. Much in the same way that Halloween or the Mayan festival Day of the Dead doesn’t.
Some of the content comes across lighthearted, such as the deaths by falling coconuts, which causes on average 150 deaths a year! (Incidentally, that’s more than sharks – and it’s that fact that was the inspiration behind the game.) However, most of the leavening is being done by the 1950s Americana/tropicana/tiki-style design, artwork and overall theme. The board depicts our little skeleton character getting into all kinds of comedic scrapes with cannibals, krakens, snakes and more. Many of which are causes of death featured in the game. In addition to those Easter eggs, there are 150 coconuts on the board in reference to the stat that started it all. We’ll be impressed if anyone finds them all. You might even notice the spaces stretching from Coconut Beach to Eternal Paradise look familiar…
5. How can everyone be assured that they are going to get quality components and you are going to deliver on all the promises you are making?
As previously mentioned, we’re a slightly expanded team to the one that delivered Plant-Based Riot through Kickstarter last year. And this slightly expanded team is working within Bubblegum Stuff, which is a small gift and game company based in London. We’ve been plying our trade for nearly 10 years. So getting things designed, made and delivered is our bread and butter.
Furthermore, we delivered Plant-Based Riot – our first Kickstarter – through all the turmoil and disruption caused by Covid and one of the worst shipping crises in history. We’re really proud to have delivered the game to our backers, as promised, by Christmas. This meant changing from sea freight to air freight right at the eleventh hour. Seriously… the stock was on a ship in port and we took it off and got it onto a flight!
Not that we wouldn’t go above and beyond for our customers anyway. But the loyalty, support and patience showed to us by our backers last year really moved us. And that’s still ringing in our ears going into this next campaign. We’re committed to delivering on our promises and building on our incredible community through Kickstarter.
6. Why should someone back your project?
Death By Coconuts combines diabolically gruesome subject matter with super funky artwork, near-addictive fun and endless replayability.
It feels incredibly unique but still familiar enough that it’s accessible for pretty much everyone. And the learning to fun time ratio is stacked heavily in favor of fun. That makes it a perfect game to pick up and play, whether you’re looking for a casual game for two or something to sustain a great big games night.
So what are you waiting for? Back our project, grab a few fellow shipwrecked shipmates and get going on the race to Eternal Paradise. Where your knowledge of death might just save your life!
Great insight and enthusiasm from a passionate and experienced designer. This game has some wonderful funky art and is sure to please a very specific type of gamer. If you are looking for an interesting quick-fire game, give this one a shot. Take a look at their Kickstarter for more info!
Anmelden
