Tomasz Waldowski: Thank you for finding some time to answer a couple of my question. Do you remember when did you for the first time become interested in board games?
Fernando Eduardo Sánchez (FES): Since I was little
I’ve been interested in board games, my parents bought me several games which I
played a lot. However, I have to admit that the turning point where my interest
became a passion for the hobby was as a result of trying Agricola in 2010.
Something clicked in my head and since then I started trying and devouring
games
TW: When did you for the
first time think about designing board games? How did you get such an idea?
FES: I have some board
games at my parents' house that I made when I was a child, so I think I've
always been motivated to design. As for when I set out to create a
"serious" design in the style of modern games, it was probably around
the first years of me playing these styles of games. It was a personal
challenge, I had free time and I couldn't stop thinking about board games, so I
decided to see how far I could go with it!
TW: What do you want to
achieve by designing a new game? What is your goal?
FES: I aim to attract
people by developing new game mechanics and dynamics, I want my games to be
entertaining yet also for people to acquire new knowledge - but without shoving
it down their throats! I love to see how
some people who I’ve played multiple games of Through Ice and Snow with start
to learn what the different islands of northern Canada are called and where
they are geographically, or who some of their most important explorers were. In
addition, I also like my games to be atmospheric - integrating the mechanics
with the theme as much as possible, since I consider that it is an added value
that not all eurogames seek to achieve.
TW: Through Ice &
Snow is your first design. How did you come to idea to create a game? Did you
wake up one day and come to conclusion that you want to design a board game?
FES: For me it was a
process born out of my passion for both resource management board games and
arctic exploration stories. I used to play board games with excellent mechanics
and settings, but I thought it would be great if there was one that allowed you
to manage resources and a crew in the Arctic, and thus be able to recreate some
of the expeditions through these lands. I wanted to see if I was able to
introduce a part of history to people that is almost as unknown (and as
fascinating) as Arctic exploration itself, and what better way to do it than
through the type of game that I like the most (resource management)?
TW: In your opinion, what
was the most difficult part when you started to design the game?
FES: For me, the hardest thing was creating a solid foundation, a core
mechanic that would allow me to fit the ideas I had for the game, while still
being fun. Once this base element was established the entire design process
became easier.
TW: You started the
design beginning with mechanisms or theme?
FES:
I started the game design with the theme. For me it was very important to have
the theme as a guide at all times during the design process, since it allowed
me to filter the different ideas that I had, and give the correct form to the
ones that I finally implemented.
TW: What is the story
behind Through Ice & Snow? Why were you inspired by Northwest Passage
expeditions?
FES: For me, the history
of exploration of the Arctic is exciting, since it was carried out by people
who entered the unknown, without knowing how many years they would be living in
extreme conditions, without knowing if they were really prepared for it, if
they would achieve their goal, or if they would even return to their homes
alive... Within it, one of the most attractive explorations there was(although
not the only one) is the search for the Northwest Passage by the British
Admiralty, since many of their expeditions were wrapped in an aura of mystery,
and I think it's a perfect entry point to draw people into arctic history.
TW: This is not the first
game which has the theme of searching of the Northwest Passage. What is unique
in Through Ice & Snow?
FES: The main difference
is that the Northwest Passage quest games I've played focus on route discovery,
for example picking up/placing tiles, while Through Ice and Snow's main mechanic
is resource management. In my case, I wanted a game that would allow players to
have as complete an experience as possible of an expedition through arctic
lands during the 19th century, and that is why I gave special importance to the
management of the different supplies, as well as the morale and health of the
crew, very important factors for their success.
TW: I get the general
'feel' of the game. Can you say something about the mechanisms a bit more? Is
the game very cutthroat or more a family friendly game?
FES: The game mechanics
integrate different phases that allow players to focus on different game
variables: players must not only focus on good resource management, but also
fight for the duration of the trip to be the type of expedition leader they
want, reach the islands they want to - all whilst taking into account the state
of their ship and health of their crew.
With this game, I want
players to have to make constant decisions about whether to take care of their
crew or focus on gaining prestige, and how they should manage their various
resources, just like the captains of the time. An expedition with hardly any
achievements due to the excessive care of the crew was considered a failure,
but not taking care of it could lead to greater harm and end in tragedy... It
is a difficult task to manage these factors - without knowing how many rounds a
game lasts, or if you are going to find enough fresh meat in the following
rounds, or if the weather conditions are going to be kind to you... that is why
the sensations after each game can be very different, which is fabulous for the
game. There are games in which the journey is fast and without many setbacks
(which favor the bravest players) which can be more like a family game; and
others in which everything is against the players and in which the most
cautious (who have not lost sight of their objective) are favored, which can be
very ruthless for less experienced players. I want to take players on a
journey.
TW: Do you think you can
compare Through Ice & Snow to any other board game? I assume you try to
make it unique but from experience I know people like to compare things to
another things.
FES: Through Ice &
Snow is a resource management game that "squeezes" the players, and
makes them lose points if they don't adapt to the game, so on many occasions it
is necessary to carry out actions to survive when there are other, more
enticing, options: perhaps during the game the players have similar sensations
to those of Agricola for this reason, although the dynamics between both games
are quite different.
TW: Can you share some artwork from the game and tell us if the final product is going to have miniatures or just wooden components?
2Tomatoes: For this game
we made a conscious decision to not include plastic components, as with each
year that our world warms up and the ice melts - the Northwest Passage becomes
just that bit easier to navigate. As such, all components will be wood based.
But we will certainly be having some fantastic looking items such as custom
meeples, the modular board and double-sided components!
TW: Do you have other
things planned for Kickstarter backers?
2T: We have many great
things planned for this campaign including: community led stretch goals,
giveaways, absolutely awesome upgrades and a promise to deliver to Day 1
backers before ANYONE else!
People can join our
landing page here for competitions and updates. If you
join up here then you’ll also get notified the day
that we launch!
TW: Who is testing your
games?
2T: We have a dedicated
team of testers who have been developing the game along with Fernando. Who
himself has played it with MANY people. On top of that the whole team at
2Tomatoes has played the game many times and been vital in its development. On
top of that we have played the game with some fans of 2Tomatoes as well as
already with many content creators from around the world.
TW: And do you think the
game rules are sufficiently polished right now? I am asking because I am a kind
of player who likes to search for inconsistencies in rules. And quite often I manage to do that.
2T: Yes, the game has
gone through MANY iterations and for the last year it’s been about making minor
adjustments to make sure that everything is balanced, fully integrated with the
theme and is also exciting to play! We’re really proud with the final result
and it’s only once we were completely satisfied that the game plays smoothly
that we considered launching it on Kickstarter. We will soon be opening the
game up in digital form for people to try out ahead of the campaign and see for
themselves the fruits of our labour!
FES: The rules of the
game are very polished, due to the number of games that have been played with
different players, in which we have experienced all kinds of situations. I have
to say that the base of the game is very solid, although we are still finishing
polishing small details (which do not change the rules practically at all).
FES:
Many years. The idea for this game came to me in 2013, and my first prototype
was created in 2014, whose foundation is still the same as the current
iteration of the game. I can estimate that approximately 25% of the rules have
been modified in all these years, although to get to the stage we are at there
has been a long process of testing new ideas, fitting theme, etc.
TW: So making the game
became your full time job? Or this is just your side project?
FES: The game has been a
parallel project with my work. Above all, I have taken advantage of the
weekends and different vacation periods to work on it. During much of the
process I have had the great help of Araceli Martín, an illustrator who helped
me create the different prototypes and show the game at fairs, and thanks to
her it has been much easier to combine my work along with designing the game .
TW: I assume you play
other board games. Do you have a favorite title?
FES: I mainly play resource management games,
although I have to admit that my two favorite titles are not in this category,
they are Twilight Struggle and Paths of Glory.
TW: I always like to ask
in my interviews about the story behind the company's name. So this is a
question to 2Tomatoes, rather than to you directly. What is the story behind
the name?
2T: We want our games to be fresh and flavorful
like...well, tomatoes. And we really like to eat tomatoes, and at the start of
the company we were 2, so...2tomatoes
TW: Where can we find
news about your new games?
2T: You can follow us on
Twitter here,
Instagram here, Facebook here
- or on the 2Tomatoes Website! We also run a fun
Youtube Channel here where we will be playing TI&S and
hosting streams with influencers. As mentioned though, if you don’t want to
miss out on updates and giveaways then the best is to sign up to the campaign
newsletter here.
TW: I know that this game
is not released yet, but do you have any ideas for games in the future?
FES: I have different
ideas for games. In fact, I have another finished design that I hope to promote
during this year, and another that I started designing a few months ago, but
which I have parked for now until I get more time to work on it.
TW: Would you like to say
something to our Polish readers? Is there going to be a Polish version of the
game?
2T: We’d love to and if
we have enough backers and interest during the campaign then yes, of course we
will!
FES: Just commenting that
I would be very excited to see my game published in stores in Poland, since
this year a good friend (who helped me with the testing of the game) is getting
married there, and it would be great to be able to play a game of Through Ice and
Snow (once it was published) together with my friend in some local store there
with Polish board game lovers! :)
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