Greetings All,
I'm excited to participate and learn from the members here at BGDF.
I am a game enthusiast and have been building my own games for sometime. I found that mechanics, writing a good theme and rules as well all graphic design all meshed together perfectly for me. I guess I knew I was into game design in the 6th Grade when a friend and I created a PnP game much like a 2D Mission Impossible. He went on to make a fantasy version and I built a RTS card game. Since then, I've never really stopped.
Today I play Euro and Ameritrash, I'm always down for Axis and Allies but I do like getting out Steve Jackson's OGRE every once and a while. I love Coup and wish there were more bluffing games available. I absolutely despise Monopoly, although they've tricked me into buying various versions throughout the years... I've recently picked up a copy of Avalon Hiil's DUNE, but my all time favourite game has to be JUNTA. In the summer I host rum and Junta parties where the sleaziest el Presidente wins a piñata.
Back in February this year (2015) I started attending a board game MeetUp Group and found some co-founders who wanted to start a publishing company. Our artist had created a sort of expandable card game that he had shown around but was never picked up. A freelance project manager adds operation experience and I myself, (while in the toy industry actually) add marketing skills. My friend, a recent Charter Accountant handles the finances.
Together we are Avant-Garde Games. We want to launch with a pilot game and get a feel for the community. Then turn our sights to this much larger flagship game. We are aware of the risks and challenges in this industry and we're all prepared to swallow our pride and lay games to rest should they fail. But that's the thing, we've got so many games combined we are ready to reload and fire if we don't make it the first time. Being on a team where the work doesn't seem like work, where the long days and endless nights are fun and enjoyable, that's the reward.
We're planning to do the convention/trade show circuit next year when we have more finished products. Right now we've completed initial play testing. Which to me, product development-wise, means that it's ready for community play testing. *cough-cough*
I hope joining here we encounter positive, but critical where it counts, feedback. I'm not really a fan of pessimists or naysayers. I know, with a proper business team we've already got a huge advantage over setting off on our own.
I look forward to meeting, conversing and designing together,
As Ever,
Harry
