Mages – new game by local game designers

This week we heard about a new game company started from a couple of game designers that are local to our area – Tom Brinton and Dallin Gunther. The company is called Normal Games and their first game is called Mages.

Like many new game designers, they’re launched their first game through a Kickstarter project. We’ve written Kickstarter before and how it’s a great way to raise funds for getting a game off the ground. We also hear about new board game and card game projects being launched on Kickstarter on a very regular basis – way too many to cover. So mostly we just watch from a far.

However, since this project is from some game designers in our area, we thought we’d give them a shout-out. We asked them a few questions about their company, the game, and themselves that we thought our readers would be interested in.

TBGF: What is Mages all about?
NG: Melgorn, the master mage, is looking for a new apprentice to defend the land from Agrin’s Curse. He has organized a tournament to find the finest mage in the land. (Cue dramatic movie trailer music) Are YOU that mage?

Haha, but really, a quick overview. The game is equal parts gathering resources and casting spells. Think of it as a mix between “Settlers of Catan” and “Bang!”.

TBGF: We love both Settlers of Catan and Bang – so that catches our attention.

TBGF: What is it about Mages that will appeal to families?
NG: We have tried to keep the gameplay simple, while introducing a few more gameplay elements that might be new to families. For example, as you increase your skill levels, you get to use better dice. You start using a 4-sided dice, but by the end of the game, you’ll be casting spells with a 10-sided dice.

The gameplay is simple, but there is a strategy element that makes the game fun for everyone: will you play defensively and try to win by gathering jewels and orbs, or will you try to defeat the other mages and win using an offense strategy?

TBGF: How long have you been involved in board and card games?
NG: We have been playing games since we were kids, but we really got into Euro-style games in college. About a year and a half ago, we started developing Mages. It has slowly evolved and morphed into its current form. We feel that it is up to par with all our favorites.

TBGF: What do you like about games in general?
NG: We always pull out games at social gatherings, because they are a great way to turn strangers into friends. The social aspect, away from a computer screen, makes it a more enriching experience. A game is a tool to connect people, and heck, they’re FUN.

TBGF: What are some of your favorite games?
NG: Tom’s favorite is called Monopoly Deal. This is the card game take on Monopoly. The best part about it is how fast paced it is. Each game lasts about 15 minutes, and it is fun wheeling and dealing with your friends. And I don’t even really enjoy the original version of Monopoly!

Dallin’s favorite is Pandemic. This is a fun cooperative game where you are trying to eradicate diseases as they spread across the world. This game pushes my table-top gaming skills to the max as the group collectively decides the fate of humanity.

TBGF: How did you come up with the name of your game company?
NG: The name “Normal Games Co.” kind of started as an understatement thing. We could have called ourselves Awesome Games, but we thought it was funnier to do the opposite. That kind of evolved into our company mission statement: “Normal Games for Normal People”

We feel that sometimes there is a stigma about tabletop games being for nerds. We think everyone can find board games that they enjoy, whether they consider themselves a serious gamer or not. So as we developed Mages, we often discarded rules that seemed too complicated. It helped us keep the game focused.

TBGF: What are some lessons you’ve learned along the way when creating Mages?
NG: When you are developing a game, it can be difficult to keep everything balanced. For example, if you take away a few cards from the deck, it can totally throw off the entire game. So I guess the high-level lesson there is: Everything you change has an effect on something else. This is true in life and in games.

We have also learned that making and promoting a game is hard work! But it is exciting to see people enjoy something that you have created.

TBGF: To find out more, we’d suggest you go take a look at Mages up on Kickstarter.