Ross Connell 08/04/2019 Ross Connell 08/04/2019

Feudum: Art in Board Games #46

When Mark and I discussed the art style, Mark had a very specific vision in mind, which can be a double-edged sword! A lot of people struggle with vision and don't know what they want (or don't want) until they see it. Mark knew exactly what he wanted…

Editors Note: Feudum first caught my eye back in 2017 when it appeared on Kickstarter, with an art style that I absolutely adored. You voted it into your Top 10 Best board game art of 2018 on this very site and it’s recently had another very successful run on KS for the latest expansion Rudders and Ramparts. Whenever I cover KS related games I try and release them during the campaign, this one has missed that window so for those interested in picking up the game and the expansion you can jump in and late back right here. I hope you enjoy the interview and as always feel free to comment below!

Today I'm being joined by Mark and Justin, designer and illustrator on Feudum who will be telling us more about that game and it's upcoming expansion Rudders and Ramparts. Thanks for joining me! For our readers who aren't aware of your work could you tell us a bit about yourselves and what you do?

Mark: Great to be here, Ross. I guess you could say I’m a toymaker, living in the suburbs in a small town named Columbia, Missouri. To me, tabletop games are toys—albeit advanced toys that stimulate your mind. I also have a side gig as a Professor teaching strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism.

Justin: Hello Ross! I'm an artist living in Jackson, Mississippi. I work at an advertising agency during the day as a Sr. Art Digital Art Director and illustrate/design posters (and now, board games!) in the evenings.

How did you two first start working together? Can you remember those first few conversations?

Mark: This is going to sound a bit far-fetched, but it’s 100% true. I walked into an Ice Cream shop called “Sparky’s” and saw a poster for a band on the wall (some examples of these are above). It featured a giant monster traversing the countryside, and I immediately thought… “that has to be my artist!” When I found Justin’s email on the internet, I wrote a long and rambling email asking him to consider working on game art. To my surprise, he wrote back.

Justin: Yeah! Like Mark said, he sent me an email with something like "a guy with a dream" as the email title. I was like "oh great, here we go!" haha - just assuming it was another request for some free work for "exposure." But it really ended up being this thoughtful, heartfelt email about Mark's dream of creating a tabletop game. To an artist/designer, it sounded like a real dream project! Mark seemed very intelligent, creative, passionate and honest - so I was intrigued to say the least!

Alright, elevator pitch time, what is Feudum and what makes it so special?

Mark: I had been playing Eurostyle (or German Board Games as they used to be called) for nearly 15 years. I immersed myself in the creations of Knizia, Teuber, Wallace and Seyfarth thinking that I’d find the holy grail of games! One with a working economy, with depth, with a wide open-world with multiple paths to victory. I couldn’t find what I was envisioning! So, I invented Feudum.

Justin: One thing that makes Feudum unique (design-wise) is the cohesion of the icons/graphics with the game itself. When researching tabletop games I was always baffled by the icons being completely detached from the rest of the design. Harsh outer glow effects and dark drop shadows on vector icons that were obviously designed without taking the original artwork into account. I suppose it was the result an illustrator not putting much thought into leaving "blank" areas for icons to live, and icon designers wanting to make sure their elements stood out - but to me, the end result looked like this mish-mash of design. Nothing felt like one complete, cohesive project - so one of my main goals artistically was to make sure Feudum felt like a timeless "artifact." Mark and I agreed that using iconography that was language independent was also important.

Let's talk for a moment about the world you've built with Feudum. Where did the initial idea for the theme come from and how did you decide on the visual style you ended up creating?

Mark: I discovered Eurostyle games in the late 90s and became a quick fan of legends like Reiner Knizia, Klaus Teuber, Martin Wallace and Andreas Seyfarth. However, I was not satisfied. I kept envisioning the holy grail of games. One that was an open-world sandbox. One where you could eke out your medieval existence. One that featured a working, cyclical economy. I couldn’t find it, so I invented it! Many games influenced Feudum including the multiple roles in Puerto Rico, the action programming of Maharaja, the area control of El Grande, the resource gathering of Settlers of Catan. But, I knew I needed a unique mechanic that I could call my own. That’s when Feudum’s economic ecosystem was born! Once the mechanics were in place, I knew I needed striking art! I’ve always loved Expressionism with its thick black lines, etchings and muted color schemes. (French Expressionist painter Bernard Buffet in particular). This is probably why I like Alexandre Roche (Artist for the game Troyes), and of course, why i like my artist/illustrator Justin Schultz!

The very first image Justin sent Mark - Feudum

The second image Justin sent Mark - Feudum

Justin: When Mark and I discussed the art style, Mark had a very specific vision in mind, which can be a double-edged sword! A lot of people struggle with vision and don't know what they want (or don't want) until they see it. Mark knew exactly what he wanted, which may seem a little constrictive creatively, but he was always very open to my input and ideas. Plus, I really loved the world he had created and his feedback always improved my illustrations (as much as I hate to admit it, haha). Mark is also a pretty great artist in his own right! He had the board all laid out and the characters mostly concepted, so really I just had to "re-skin" his designs. I like to joke I can only draw about 25% better than Mark, which is how I got the gig! He also inundated me with hundreds (and hundreds, no kidding) of reference images! At one point, I asked him to narrow the references to maybe five-ish images per topic - which he agreed to - but then would be like "well... here's 20 more images that I think really help show what I'm trying to convey". When we were at SXSW recently, we went through a lot of the old images/references and laughed about the whole process. It was such a beast of a job, but definitely one I could not be more proud of.

The board is a huge part of any tabletop game, both in the sense of its presence but also in connecting players to the world and Feudums does a great job of selling the theme. How long did it take to create this board and how did it change during the initial projects development?

Mark: I started thinking about the archetypal medieval roles (farmer, merchant, alchemist, knight, noble and monk) and the symbiotic relationships one might have with the other. I drew a large circle on piece of poster board to plot everything out. (I still have this, actually). The original map I drew evolved a little over time as did the vessel routes. I was inspired by the length of the Shogun (based on Wallenstein) board and how it gave everyone ample space for their personal playmats! Originally the Guilds, Military Service Track and Epic Voyage Track were detached from the board.

After a year of playtesting this in this detached manner, I figured out a visually efficient way to combine everything. Playtesting with my friends was critical to its evolution! My friend Dan inspired the Tax action while my friend Andy inspired the individual vessel routes. I like that there are two games happening at once. Players must think about playing their dutiful role in the guilds, while minding the empires they are building on the map. I’m most proud of the integration between these two elements.

Justin: This was all Mark! Like I was saying earlier, he had a very clear vision of what he wanted, I just tried not to mess it up! There were definitely a few iterations along the way, but the bulk of the board remained the same (by the time I was included in the process).

Rudders and Ramparts is now your third Feudum Kickstarter, so what do you think this process has taught you about game design and about crowdfunding in general?

Mark: I never planned on launching three Feudum-related Kickstarter campaigns! It all happened organically. Midway through the first campaign, people began insisting that I create a solo variant—so The Queen’s Army was born. Then, midway through that campaign, one of my fans emailed me to show me some 3D components he designed. I asked if we could bring my artist into the mix to improve upon his design, and suddenly, Rudders & Ramparts was born! I’ve learned to be flexible, listen to fans and seize opportunities when they present themselves. Feudum’s worldwide success took me by surprise! The epic theme and mechanics of the game captivated people from many cultures. The game is offered in German, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish and Korean! Needless to say, building relationships with localization partners around the world is very rewarding…and time consuming. There are lots of stakeholders I must satisfy including distributors, retailers and customers. I never want to let anyone down!

Justin: Like Mark said, I've learned to be open, be more flexible. He's such a good listener and really takes the fans requests seriously. I've tried to be more like him and just go more with the flow as of late. In the beginning, it was challenging, but by RaR, I've realized it's just part of the process!

Feudum with Rudders and Ramparts expansion - photography by Anthony Jinson

The new expansion Rudders and Ramparts just funded on Kickstarter, congratulations! How do you think it expands and improves the base game?

Mark: Artist and miniatures painter Bruce Monson partnered with 3D sculptor Scott Ryan to create custom, fan-made Feudum vessels and castles. I was so enamored with their work, that we began to discuss how my artist, Justin Schultz might be able to put add Feudum’s signature art style to the pieces. After the pieces were born, I was inspired to create a combat variant of the game to capture both form and function. Because the base game features enough complexity, all Feudum expansions, including Rudders and Ramparts, add light, yet elegant nuances to the game! In particular, this expansion rewards the pursuit of fuedums (Latin for fiefdoms).

Justin: I was just happy to be involved! When I saw Bruce & Scott's original vessels and castles, I was floored! I gave the tiniest amount of feedback so they'd match the game a little more is about all I can take credit for! I also have to say they are some of my favorite elements of the game.

Feudum has some of the most distinctive "bits" of any game I've seen so far. What inspired you to invest so much time and creative energy into their design?

Mark: One of the joys of playing tabletop games is their tactile nature. There’s just something mesmerizing about handling wooden cubes, resin figures and colorful punchboard. Because of this love for componentry, I was determined to work with Justin to create something that reflected the highest level of craftsmanship. Both Justin and I shared the vision of creating—not just a game—but a work of art. This meant lots of trial and error. Lots of revisions. And, lots of samples from Panda Manufacturing (who also deserves lots of credit for helping us realize our visions). As an example, the vessels underwent several revisions so that they reflected the artwork of the game, while still being functional. To capture the detail I wanted, each mini has an impressive number of hand-painted applications.

Justin: It was an extremely fun (and unique) opportunity. I mean, how often does a designer get to design bits for a game!?! It was definitely intentional that the bits be unique from other games (and like Mark said, major props to Panda for being patient with us also!) We wanted the pieces to have a weight to them. To feel authentic, and handmade, like perhaps they had been through the test of time already. I like the idea that someone in the far future may come across Feudum and not be quite sure of the time or location from whence it came.

Do you have any advice for those interested in launching their own Kickstarter game?

Mark: You want to make sure you’ve built sufficient community around your game. This means that you’ve been posting game progress on places like Facebook, Instagram, twitter, Reddit, BoardGameGeek and the BGG Designer’s Forum. Second, you want to make sure you have your art ready, manufacturing quotes in place and shipping all planned out beforehand so that you can focus on being responsive to backers during the launch. Building rapport with your following is a critical part of building a favorable brand!

Justin: Try to make your page as informative as possible. Be responsive (Mark is great at this!) Have everything ready in advance, including lots of stretch goal options. Share it in advance (before it launches to get feedback). Most importantly, just go for it!

Photography by BoardGameShot

What are some non game related creations (books, music, movies, etc) that you’re currently enjoying?

Mark: I’m watching the final season of Adventure Time. I’m reading Piers Anthony. I’m playing lots of worker placement games! Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A lot of it happens by osmosis after immersing myself in art and pop culture.

Justin: I just finished 1Q84 by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami and am working on Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) by Jeff Tweedy (frontman for the band Wilco). I've been listening to the band Khruangbin a lot lately. They are an amazing instrumental 3-piece out of Houston (TX). I also can't stop listening to this great metal band Witch that J Mascis (from Dinosaur Jr.) plays drums in.

Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?

Mark: Follow me on Facebook or @Feudumgame on Instagram and Twitter. This year I’ll be at SXSW Gaming Expo and Geekway and Gen Con after that!

Justin: www.the-flying-chair.com

As mentioned at the start of the interview, if you’re interested in picking up the game and the expansion you can jump in and late back the Kickstarter right here.
All images artwork by Mark Swanson and Justin Schultz. Photography by Anthony Jinson and Mateusz Zajda (BoardGameShot) and supplied by Mark.

If you’re new to the site, why not stick around a while? There are interviews with some of the best artists in the industry and if you’d like to read more you can them by heading over to the Interview Archive!

Ross Connell 18/07/2018 Ross Connell 18/07/2018

Ryan Laukat: Art in Board Games #41

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining me! For our readers who aren't aware of your work could you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

Hello! I'm a board game designer and illustrator. I've been lucky enough to work in this industry for around ten years. I started as an illustrator and then founded Red Raven Games so that I could publish my own designs. Some of my games include Above and Below, Near and Far, and Eight-Minute Empire. I live with my wife, Malorie, in Salt Lake City, Utah, right up against some beautiful, snowy mountains, and within two miles of where I grew up! We have a daughter and two sons.

Red Raven Games has become synonymous in the industry for combining great art with captivating worlds and stories. When you're creating a game what is your general thought process? Where do you start?

My obsession with creating games started when I began inventing tabletop role-playing games as a teenager. I loved to create worlds to explore and creatures to inhabit them. So naturally, that influences how I approach most of my board game designs today. When creating a game, my motivation is usually to build a world and use the game mechanisms to allow players to explore it and experience it. I think about who the players will get to be in the game, and where they will go, and start there. I think it helps create a more immersive experience.

Last year you successfully kickstarted Empires of the Void 2 the follow up the 2012 original. What can you remember about that time (2012) and what made you want to return to this project?

I'd wanted to revisit the game for many years. I actually made many redesigns of the original game but never published any of them. I wanted another shot at the setting because I felt my skills as an illustrator and game designer had improved. Of course, Empires of the Void was my first published game. I'm proud of what I accomplished, but there certainly were things that I didn't do quite right. The rule book in that first game was not sufficiently clear and left too many things unexplained. The trading did not pan out as well as I had hoped. Some players left the game with a frustrated feeling because of a multiplayer direct conflict problem where two players can gang up against a third, leaving no way to catch up. I wanted to solve these and many other problems, and so I attempted it in Empires of the Void II.

In terms of the illustration, when you worked on Empires of the Void 2, how did you aim to develop the originals aesthetics into this sequel? What have you learned about graphic design and art since the original and how did that impact your choices?

My goal this time around was to create something a little more on the realistic side when compared with, say, Near and Far, and indeed, the original Empires of the Void. I wanted to make a beautiful space map like the original had, and of course many of the of the original aliens and planets, but with an updated vision that I felt would be more immersive. I looked at a lot of hard sci-fi art, especially the covers of books from the 60s and 70s. This meant painting with more subdued tones than usual and experimenting with new brushes.

You are arguably best known for your work on Above and Below and it's sequel, Near and Far. So starting with the original, how did you create this world and was there any inspiration you drew from in developing it?

When creating Above and Below, I actually sketched the cover before I even designed the game. That sketch worked as a compass for me, and I designed the rest of the look and the game mechanics around it. I was trying to pin down the feelings and memories that I had playing Super Nintendo games as a child, and that helped me build the friendly, colorful setting. At the time I was also very interested in making my games look as natural as possible, letting the art easily incorporate symbols or information, rather than have obvious graphic design boxes to keep art and information separate.

So thinking about that first sketch of the box cover, how did you get from that initial idea to the game we see today?

I took that sketch and taped it to my computer monitor, hoping to get the same sort of feeling that was in the sketch. Sometimes it's hard to replicate the feeling that is present in a thumbnail or sketch, and it can be pretty frustrating. Thankfully, this time, I threw down the colors quickly and it was like a seed sprouting into a huge, blossoming tree. The Above and Below cover took around four hours, and it didn't change too much after that. Sometimes I repaint the covers for my games multiple times (like with Near and Far), but this time, it felt right pretty much from the get-go.

I used a lot of blue and green, especially on the box, as a message to players that the game is pleasant and inviting. Just as important is the chalky brushwork and painterly style, which is meant to remind the viewer of a children's book. It says, "There's a story in this game."

I paint using a Wacom tablet, but I've learned to watch the monitor so I don't have to use the tablet's screen (it's much faster and more efficient for me if I don't have my hand in the way of the painting). My method has changed over time, but it's been pretty consistent for the past five years, besides updated brushes and the way I choose colors. I paint exclusively with Photoshop, and I'm pretty particular about having the right brushes, shortcut keys, and layout.

When you came to work on Near and Far, how did you aim to base it in the same world (as Above and Below) yet still take the player new places?

I made sure to keep the painterly style and chalky brushwork, but the yellow and orange tones are more associated with risk, exploration, and adventure. Western movies and art were a big influence on the look of the game. At the same time, people need to know that this is in the same universe, so animal races play a big part in the setting! I also decided to include some inked drawings instead of detailed renders on some components, such as the World Cards and the Treasure Cards. I feel like this matches the "wild frontier" feel I was going for.

You talked about nostalgia towards childhood games, so how important has it been when illustrating your games to create worlds that are inviting for all ages?

There's an inner child in me that guides almost everything I work on. The sense of wonder I had when experiencing new worlds when I was young is one of my biggest reasons for creating games and settings. And with my kids, it's like I get to experience that sense of wonder all over again as they dive into books and games. A common inner thought I have is: Would 10-year-old me get excited about this?

As someone who has experience working in all areas of a games production what advice do you have for designers, publishers and illustrators to help them successfully collaborate?

Good illustrators are in this business not only because of their skill with a brush and their time spent honing their craft, but also because of their imagination and ideas. A good publisher and designer will give some creative liberty to the illustrator and not be too picky about how every little thing should look. Of course, for me as an illustrator, I want tons of creative freedom and it's hard for me to get interested in a project if I don't have it. Any good collaboration is going to require some give and take on everybody's part though. One thing I'm still learning is that I need to listen to all suggestions and know how to look through another person's eyes to see the project in a different light. What I might prefer personally might not be the best thing for the game.

Upcoming release from Red Raven Games, Megaland, is the first to have your partner Malorie as co-designer with yourself. Can you tell us a bit more about how this came about and what effect that had on the creation of the game?

It was a lot of fun designing a game together, but truth be told, Malorie has always been very involved in my game design projects, so it was only a slight change in dynamic. It didn't start out as a co-design. I was trying to design a light, push-your-luck game, but nothing was really working out. Malorie helped me solve mechanical problems with new ideas. We both have strong opinions about what works and what we like, so there were moments when we had some strong disagreements about this design. But I think that kind of thing is the forge fire that gets the design where it needs to be. I'm sure we'll do another co-design in the future.

What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?

I've been reading Homer's Odyssey and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Reading the Odyssey has been especially eye-opening and enlightening. It has an amazingly timeless quality. I've also been playing Pillars of Eternity, an excellent successor to the Infinity Engine games I enjoyed so much as a teenager.

Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?

You can follow me on Twitter @ryanlaukat. We also post lots of photos of our games on Instagram @redravengames.

(All images provided by and copyright of Ryan Laukat and Red Raven Games)

Ross Connell 11/12/2017 Ross Connell 11/12/2017

Eileen Tjan: Art in Board Games #24

[..] the biggest challenge is that there’s no literal interpretation of the game outside of the pieces. So, we had to concept an entire art style and brand around two pieces of information: there are many games you can play with pyramids, and the pieces themselves...

This week we have Eileen Tjan a Designer who has worked with on games such as Pyramid Arcade, Zendo, and Fluxx. She also develops branding, collateral, and online marketing graphics with companies such as Looney Labs and Asmodee Digital.

Hello Eileen, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a designer and art director from Chicago IL but I’m splitting my time between working in Chicago and Detroit on a magazine called Grand Circus Magazine, an arts and culture publication! In Chicago, I run a design practice called OTHER Studio. We’re a multi-disclipinary studio but I think we’re most known for branding. In the past, I’ve worked on award-winning projects; across many industries and tasks: advertising, production, traditional branding, print and digital. But right now, I’m really enjoying the work I’m doing with my clients at OTHER and spending free time teaching a little, lecturing, hosting community events, and developing the magazine with my partner Alex Trajkovski.

Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
My elementary school yearbook said I wanted to be an ACCOUNTANT! Totally different path haha. Other kids wanted to be astronauts, cowboys, or vets but young Eileen dreamed of being an accountant!

So how did you first get involved in making board games?
I was leaving my full time job to pursue freelance design and the Looneys were my first freelance client. At first, they just wanted some assistance designing a newsletter template and it ended up in a relationship to assist with their branding! When we went through the branding process and started to develop a good design relationship, they approached me with the Pyramid Arcade project, a compilation of their most popular Pyramid games.

When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
I think with a lot of game art boxes, there’s a very specific story or theme that can inform the game art. You can say oh this game is about space or animals, and immediately you have some visual information. Pyramid Arcade is a special case because it’s actually the compilation of 22 games each with different back stories, and the game pieces and boards themselves are not always literal so we had to be very conceptual with the art.

When we were tackling Pyramid Arcade the studio had recently brought on a young designer, Abe Zieleniec and he worked on this massive project with me. We start all project processes the same, we create mood boards to represent all the different conceptual directions we could explore. From there we dive into first round designs based on selected mood boards.

Before the Looneys landed on Pyramid Arcade, the set was called “Pyramid Throwdown” which is what you see in our preliminary art. We looked at logotype, general art elements, and tried to best assemble those pieces together. The box art front was the easiest place to start visualizing the look/feel of the game. I think we presented 3 options, 2 of mine and 1 from Abe. We ended up working out and producing the entire game based on the original pitched artwork. It’s pretty similar to what you see out now!

You were involved in the creation of Pyramid Arcade, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
I sort of touched on this in the last question, but the biggest challenge is that there’s no literal interpretation of the game outside of the pieces. So, we had to concept an entire art style and brand around two pieces of information: there are many games you can play with pyramids, and the pieces themselves. It had to be flexible to accommodate the many ways the game manifests! We chose a very flat, graphic, illustration style that was as playful as the pieces themselves. Then to represent each game, we made mini logos and patches for each game using geometry to drive the logic of those illustrations. The main artwork also tried to encompass the idea of many layers of games. You can see in the tunnel-like arch there are different environments and games represented. What we ended up with was a very colorful and diverse style of artwork for the game!

What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Pyramid Arcade?
The core idea for this art style was inspired by the game itself. The pyramids are minimal, graphic game pieces so the style of pieces informed the style of the art. I like the fact that there can be an ever-changing number of games to play! People can make their own games and worlds. So we wanted to create art that felt fun and inviting but was also systematic so it could grow with the game. I’m pretty happy because it feels like something different when it sits on game shelves.

What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I have a big compilation illustration book that I picked up from Kinokuniya and I am in love with all the work. I’m trying to study the way these artists are portraying fabrics, materials, and textures. I love anime so I’m bias, but also I’m just in love the range of work in this curation!

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
PLAY A LOT OF GAMES AND HAVE FUN!

Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
We’re working on some animations and an anthology issue of the magazine I mentioned before. We’ve got a few branding projects too. So there’s quite a variety in-house right now. I would LOVE to work on designing for more games; it’s so fun and really exercises my mind on what it means to “brand” and “design”. If you hear of anyone looking to work with a designer, let me know! ;)

Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
You can find me on other-studio.com and eileentjan.com.
My Instagram accounts are instagram.com/_otherstudio and instagram.com/eileentjan which I update way more often. :)

(All artwork supplied by Eileen Tjan, 2017)

Feudum: Art in Board Games #46

Ryan Laukat: Art in Board Games #41

Eileen Tjan: Art in Board Games #24

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