Anno 1800 expansion

Origin Stories: The Anno 1800 Solo Campaigns – An Interview With Designer Stephen Hurn

This issue of Origin stories is special for a number of reasons. I’m talking to Stephen Hurn, a designer who’s name you might not recognise but who’s contributions to the hobby you will have experienced when playing Martin Wallace’s Anno 1800: The Board Game and it’s recently released expansion. He has been deeply involved in …

Evacuation

Origin Stories: Evacuation – An Interview With Designer Vladimír Suchý

For this episode of Origin Stories, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Vladimír Suchý. In my mind, his name is synonymous with “something unique and different”. Similar to reading a great novelist, I’m always looking forward to playing his new releases, regardless of the specific story or mechanisms. Whatever one of his games might …

Hegemony board game box

Origin Stories: Hegemony – An Interview With Co-Designer Vangelis Bagiartakis – Part 2

Welcome back to part 2 of my conversation with Vangelis about Hegemony. If you haven’t read part 1 already, you should do so here. In this part, we talk about the economic aspects of the game, playtesting, running a Kickstarter, and what the future holds for Hegemony but also Hegemonic Project Games. Enjoy! The Economy …

Hegemony board game box

Origin Stories: Hegemony – An Interview With Co-Designer Vangelis Bagiartakis – Part 1

One of my most unique gaming experiences of 2023 was without a doubt Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory, designed by Vangelis Bagiartakis and Varnavas Timotheou. It’s a thriller woven out of heavily interconnected political and economical concepts that pits up to four players against each other, each trying to get their unique, asymmetric faction to …

Concordia

Origin Stories: Concordia – An Interview With Designer Mac Gerdts

When discussing modern classics of the board game hobby, one quickly ends up talking about 2013’s Concordia. While its theme of trading in the Mediterranean nowadays is considered a cliché of the hobby and a synonym for unremarkableness, the gameplay of Concordia is far from it. In fact, Concordia can be seen as a master …

Origin Stories: Brass – An Interview With Designer Martin Wallace

The story of Brass from it’s original version to – in the form of Brass Birmingham – becoming the number one board game on BoardGameGeek is a fascinating one for multiple aspects: how did a game from 2007, a time where the hobby looked much different than today, manage to stay relevant for so long? …

Heat: Pedal to the Metal board game table setup

Origin Stories: Heat: Pedal to the Metal – An Interview with Co-Designer Asger Harding Granerud – Part 2

This is part 2 of my conversation with Asger about Heat: Pedal to the Metal. The full conversation was 90min long, so I had to edit it down a bit and split into two parts for better readability. If you haven’t read part 1, you should do so here. In this part, we talk about …

Heat: Pedal to the Metal board game table setup

Origin Stories: Heat: Pedal to the Metal – An Interview with Co-Designer Asger Harding Granerud – Part 1

For the third instalment in my series Origin Stories, I had the pleasure to talk to Asger Harding Granerud, one of the two designers (with Daniel Skjold Pedersen) behind what is very likely the most in-demand board game of 2023, Heat: Pedal to the Metal. Fresh off a prestigious nomination for the Deutsche Spielepreis, I …

Sleeping Gods Box

Origin Stories: Sleeping Gods – An Interview with Designer Ryan Laukat – Part 2

This is part 2 of an interview with Ryan Laukat about Sleeping Gods. The full interview was almost 2 hours long, so I had to edit it down to a readable length and split into two parts. If you haven’t read part 1, you should definitely start there! Where we left off, Ryan and I …

Sleeping Gods Box

Origin Stories: Sleeping Gods – An Interview with Designer Ryan Laukat – Part 1

For the second instalment in this series, I’m very fortunate that Ryan Laukat, arguably one of the most fascinating designers in board gaming today, was kind enough to sit down with me and talk about Sleeping Gods. The full interview was almost 2 hours long, so I had to edit it down to a readable …