PAX Unplugged was an unforgettable experience that granted me unfettered access to some of the hottest, newest, latest, and greatest board games in the industry. It is my great joy to bring these experiences to all of you and open the gates to new hobbies and pastimes. In this series we will learn more about the industry and different companies directly from people in the thick of it. These will be released in standard Q&A format with answers transcribed from audio taken during Unplugged. Some answers may have been edited for clarity as the actual interview was done in a discussion format that gave the developers, designers, and staff more room to talk about their ideals and products.

This is our Developer Spotlight series, please enjoy!

Now Interviewing: Brent from Studio Woe
http://www.studiowoe.com/
@StudioWoe

Q: Tell me a little bit more about Gruff and your love of goats.

A: Gruff is like red rover (reference for our readers who might not be familiar with the game) with goats, or maybe Final Fantasy Tactics crossed with Overwatch. As for what’s up with the goats, my spouse Virginia, is a long time video game worker. League of Legends so on and so forth. As a design exercise she started drawing goats in the weirdest way possible. Then I suggested maybe we should make a game out of this giant pile of goats. The game started in black and white and we added color but a lot of stuff was still necessary, like icons or card templates.

Q: How was it transitioning from video games to board games? Are there any major differences that really assisted in game creation?

A: I went from a relatively large team down to this smaller scale team. The biggest difference is how you can just make yourself happy with creative expression in this smaller field. When making video games, you learn about counterplay as well as balance. Knowing that is really helpful for creating a board game. For example, in League of Legends, balance is important but windows for counterplay are also very important. We tried to incorporate that into Gruff by making sure that no matter what over the top crazy thing your opponent comes up with, you will have a way to answer it.

Q: What else is in the pipeline for you guys right now?

A: We are working on a new expansion called “Stuff of Nightmares” which is about plushie nightmare goats. Your stuffed animals have absorbed all your nightmares and dreams and are thirsty for blood. Some are adorable, some are nightmares.

Rage of the Trolls is a co-op and solo player against trolls and it’s brand new. Very cool expansion. We are launching this game in February. Gruff is 2 years old, and we did Clash of the Battle Goats last year. Our first non-Gruff game is an upcoming game tentatively titled Pirates of Skull Rock, which is about land pirates sans goats. It’s a dexterity game where you’re trying to capture the flag and return it to your ship before your opponent.

Q: Do you have a favorite part about being in the board game industry?

A: My favorite part is community interaction, like these shows and meeting new people. The Kickstarter campaign we just did offered this goat named Grinder, and we were going to inflict him with a new disease. When we announced this the players and community started up a hashtag #CureForGrinder and sent out thoughts and prayers. So we started a hashtag war to decide if he would be infected or not. Grinder did end up getting infected by the end, but the entire community was involved and it was great.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share with everyone?

A: Stuff of Nightmares is coming out in June. Pirate Tanks is April-May. Heads up for a super secret project for early next year. Keep up with us!

Be sure to check out more information about Brent and Studio Woe at http://www.studiowoe.com/

Stay tuned for a super special review of Rage of the Trolls, Studio Woe’s new unreleased co-op game!