FFG: The Minds Behind L5R – A Developer Interview
Fantasy Flight Games has a new interview up from Designers Brad Andres and Tyler Parrott and it’s worth a read!
When it comes to reading about behind-the-scenes of game design I am very interested. Recently, FFG posted a new interview with two of the Legend of the Five Rings Game Designers and it’s a great look at what’s going on in the heads of the guys who make the game. Here is excerpt I found particularly interesting:
via Fantasy Flight Games
On bringing something unique to the process:
Tyler Parrott: Brad tends to be very good at coming up with the general direction or theme of a set, and I’m good at coming up with specific cards, refining them, and making sure the rules work. I’m also good at the big picture, but Brad has a tendency to suggest things that seem ridiculous until you figure out how to make it work, and I feel like I’m more in the box. He’s teaching me to carry the game forward with a fresh view to the LCG’s take on the world of Rokugan.
Brad Andres: It’s very much a partnership. Tyler is the main creative workhorse and primarily does the heavy lifting. I’m more of the overarching teacher, trying to teach Tyler about how we set up this game, and he is doing a fantastic job. Tyler brings new opinions and a new perspective that has been really valuable in thinking about the game in new ways. It’s been incredibly fun to work with him!
It really does sound like these two compliment each-other’s styles very well. It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of when designing things and it’s even better when they can think about things differently than you do. Getting that type of feedback is valuable and helpful.
The interview goes over a lot of great questions that fans of L5R will be interested in learning – but more importantly, anyone interested in Game Design or the process behind the game can learn a thing or two from this interview. If you’re interested in creating your own game one day you should give the full article a read HERE.
Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game $39.95
Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game is a player-influenced LCG® that sees two players take on the role of one of the seven Great Clans of Rokugan, vying for military and political control of the land while maintaining Rokugan society’s strict code of honor.
Each player commands their forces with two separate decks: A Dynasty Deck fills their provinces with characters and holdings and a Conflict Deck consisting of tactics, maneuvers, followers and attachments that can be used to turn the tide in a struggle for supremacy. During a game, players will engage in conflicts, both political and military based, with the goal of breaking their opponent’s stronghold and winning the game. But the rules of society are absolute, and even in the fire of battle and heat of Rokugan’s courts, clans must remember the tenets of Bushidō, lest they lose everything in their single-minded pursuit of glory.
AdvertisementThe Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Core Set comes with everything a player needs to explore the seven great clans of Rokugan, the Crab Clan, Crane Clan, Dragon Clan, Lion Clan, Phoenix Clan, Scorpion Clan, and Unicorn Clan. It also includes a variety of tokens, cards, and rule sheets that make the Core Set the definitive starting point for the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game.
Get out there and chase the sun (in game design)!
