No one’s holding a gun to my head
This drives me absolutely mad. And let me be clear—it’s been driving me mad for over 20 years. But today… today I’ve had enough. Buckle up, grab your rubber boots and a swim cap, because I’m about to pour it all out.
What drives me mad is this notion among players that when a publisher praises their own product—in our industry, of course, that means a board game—they’re just doing it because they have to. They praise it because they want to sell it. That the praise isn’t sincere. That they’re only saying nice things because it’s in their business interest. You just can’t trust the publisher.
I swear to God, it makes my blood boil.
Do you think someone held a gun to my head and forced me to sign a contract to publish the game? That I think it’s dull, pointless, maybe even terrible—but I published it anyway because someone made me do it?
Every publisher who decides to publish a game is absolutely convinced they’ve just hit the jackpot. That they’ve caught lightning in a bottle. That they’ve landed the next big hit. No one’s holding a gun to their head. They genuinely believe they’re holding something amazing in their hands.
They spend tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to print the game. You don’t bet that kind of money unless you truly believe the game is phenomenal.
They ship out dozens of review copies, diving headfirst into the pool, hoping for good reviews. You don’t take that kind of risk before release unless you truly believe Vasel, Rhado, and others will be blown away.
Publishers spend a small fortune on booths at conventions to showcase the game wherever they can, so people across the country can try it out. You don’t haul yourself across the country unless you’re convinced that every person who plays the demo will fall in love and buy a copy on the spot.
And so on, and so forth. Every time a publisher talks about their game in an interview, they praise it like it’s the second coming—not because they must, but because they genuinely love it. They’re genuinely proud of it. They honestly believe it’s something special. They genuinely want you to try it and have a great time. Trust me, no one forced them to publish it at gunpoint.
Speaking of which—have you heard? This year, I’m releasing #AgeofGalaxy. It’s an awesome sci-fi card game with a strong 4X vibe. It’s got 40 unique alien races, planetary exploration, space guilds—it’s wild. Seriously!
And the best thing is – you can trust me. I just explained to you why!
I strongly believe that good board game is the one that tells a good story. You play it and suddenly you are sucked into it, you feel chills on the skin. Emotions grow. In a moment you defend castle. You hear roar of warriors. You smell boiling oil. You are into it.
That's how I design my games. I always want to tell a good story. I want players to be into it. As deep as possible.
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