People Behind The Meeples - Episode 215: Ammon Anderson

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Ammon Anderson
Email:	Ammonanderson@gmail.com
Location:	Utah, USA
Day Job:	I'm a full time artist.
Designing:	Two to five years.
Webpage:	Tacosforever.org
Facebook:	Facebook.com/tacothegame
Instagram:	@tacothegame
Find my games at:	My website

Today's Interview is with:

Ammon Anderson
Interviewed on: 3/8/2020

This week I actually have two interviews coming out. The first interview is with designer Ammon Anderson. Ammon has been working on his game T.A.C.O. for a while now and plans to launch it on Kickstarter very soon. T.A.C.O. is a party game about building the best taco, while messing up your opponents' recipes. So be sure to check out T.A.C.O. on Kickstarter in the next couple of weeks (it should have been live this week, but COVID-19 has delayed things a bit) and read on to learn more about Ammon and his other projects!

Some Basics
Tell me a bit about yourself.

How long have you been designing tabletop games?
Two to five years.

Why did you start designing tabletop games?
I've been designing games since I was a kid. But I've only been seriously designing games this past year and I'm working on my second already. I love it.

What game or games are you currently working on?
I am launching TACO, and am developing a board game called MOLD.

Have you designed any games that have been published?
Not yet. Soon:)

What is your day job?
I'm a full time artist.

Your Gaming Tastes
My readers would like to know more about you as a gamer.

Where do you prefer to play games?
I love all sorts of games. Right now my kids and I have been playing colt express a lot.

Who do you normally game with?
Friends, family, and a board gaming group in Utah.

If you were to invite a few friends together for game night tonight, what games would you play?
I love Carcassonne. I can't help it. It was my introduction to strategic board gaming.

And what snacks would you eat?
Pizza:)

Do you like to have music playing while you play games? If so, what kind?
I've never played with music on. That may be distracting to me.

What's your favorite FLGS?
Game Grid Lehi.

What is your current favorite game? Least favorite that you still enjoy? Worst game you ever played?
Current favorite is colt express. I Really enjoy the laughter, setting a bunch of actions put in place, and then watching it play out. Least favorite? Tikal. It's so LONG, But it's mesmerizing. worst game I ever played? Worst: trivial pursuit. I HATE that game. And so many people love it.

What is your favorite game mechanic? How about your least favorite?
Favorite is strategic tile placement games. Least favorite is luck. Like exploding kittens. I don't like grenade in the deck games.

What's your favorite game that you just can't ever seem to get to the table?
Star Realms. It's hard to find people who want to play it.

What styles of games do you play?
I like to play Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures Games, RPG Games, Video Games

Do you design different styles of games than what you play?
I like to design Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures Games

OK, here's a pretty polarizing game. Do you like and play Cards Against Humanity?
No

You as a Designer
OK, now the bit that sets you apart from the typical gamer. Let's find out about you as a game designer.

When you design games, do you come up with a theme first and build the mechanics around that? Or do you come up with mechanics and then add a theme? Or something else?
It's kind of a combination. But mold is definitely a game that spawned from the name. The game mechanics naturally developed from the idea that mold is pretty amazing.

Have you ever entered or won a game design competition?
No.

Do you have a current favorite game designer or idol?
My friend Travis Hancock at facade games. He's doing awesome things

Where or when or how do you get your inspiration or come up with your best ideas?
Just bouncing ideas off of my fiancé. Our conversations bounce back and forth and the ideas just grow.

How do you go about playtesting your games?
I play with my fiancé Mel, and my kids and family and a lot of friends. Then I open it up to fans of my art.

Do you like to work alone or as part of a team? Co-designers, artists, etc.?
So far, I only work alone and Mel refines my ideas.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
I love some of my ideas so much but others cannot always grasp them. I have to kill a lot of those little darling ideas.

If you could design a game within any IP, what would it be?
Facade games.

What do you wish someone had told you a long time ago about designing games?
How much I would adore it. So many people warn you not to waste your time. But that is crap. I've never been happier.

What advice would you like to share about designing games?
Follow your passions. It's the oddest ideas that make the best games. Experiencing something new.

Would you like to tell my readers what games you're working on and how far along they are?
I'm planning to crowdfund: Taco
Games that are in the early stages of development and beta testing are: Mold

Are you a member of any Facebook or other design groups? (Game Maker's Lab, Card and Board Game Developers Guild, etc.)
Most of them

And the oddly personal, but harmless stuff…
OK, enough of the game stuff, let's find out what really makes you tick! These are the questions that I'm sure are on everyone's minds!

Star Trek or Star Wars? Coke or Pepsi? VHS or Betamax?
Both, coke, Blu-ray

What hobbies do you have besides tabletop games?
Fine art. Raising 3 amazing kids as a single dad.

What is something you learned in the last week?
I learned how to make a killer salad that I actually crave every single day.

Favorite type of music? Books? Movies?
Audiobooks. All sorts. I read every genre except romance. Favorite is Brandon sanderson. Movies. Yes. Everything. And Netflix is my addiction.

What was the last book you read?
Eye of the world. For the 6th time.

Do you play any musical instruments?
Nope:( regret.

Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise people.
I illustrated 80 cards for TACO in 3 weeks.

Tell us about something crazy that you once did.
I eloped. It was CRAZY. and I wouldn't recommend it. Lol

Biggest accident that turned out awesome?
I was laid off work 18 months ago. I thought it was a disaster. It's been the single greatest blessing of my life and taken me down a totally new and wonderful road.

Who is your idol?
Brandon Sanderson. I LOVE how he thinks and what he creates.

What would you do if you had a time machine?
I'd hide it. Nobody is going to screw up history. I mean look at how we've screwed up the world!? I doubt anybody is smart enough to go back and "fix things"

Are you an extrovert or introvert?
Extrovert.

If you could be any superhero, which one would you be?
Uh... Superman. He's. SUPERMAN.

Have any pets?
Not currently. I miss having a dog.

When the next asteroid hits Earth, causing the Yellowstone caldera to explode, California to fall into the ocean, the sea levels to rise, and the next ice age to set in, what current games or other pastimes do you think (or hope) will survive into the next era of human civilization? What do you hope is underneath that asteroid to be wiped out of the human consciousness forever?
Lol. Mine! Haha. And Carcassonne.

If you'd like to send a shout out to anyone, anyone at all, here's your chance (I can't guarantee they'll read this though):
My mom. She taught me how to be creative. And my dad. He taught me to be grounded.

Thanks for answering all my crazy questions!

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Thank you for reading this People Behind the Meeples indie game designer interview! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples and if you'd like to be featured yourself, you can fill out the questionnaire here: http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html

Did you like this interview?  Please show your support: Support me on Patreon! Or click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

If I Could Impose On A Moment Of Your Time?

As you all know DreamForge is embarking on a new path, new releases in a new format.

Although the Kickstarter platform has a lot of advantages, it only makes sense to put your best foot forward and provide your customers with the items they desire.

To that end, I have created a very short survey to get all of your feedback, not just about the StuG and Shadokesh, but about DreamForge and the general direction you would like to see.

Please... Take a moment and let your voice be heard.

SURVEY LINK

Thank you so very much for your time!

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Movie Reviews: Crazy Rich Asians, Destination Wedding, I Feel Pretty, The Wife, Won't You Be My Neighbor

See all of my movie reviews.

Crazy Rich Asians: This was surprisingly good, considering the trailers. Not great, but good. it's about an American Chinese economics professor who goes to meet her boyfriend's Chinese family in Singapore. She soon discovers that his family is very, very rich, and that his mother doesn't think an American Chinese woman belongs in the family.

From the trailer, I expected this to be stupid, marketed only on the basis of having an all-Asian cast of comedians. Thankfully, this was not the case. I guess because a) trailers are often put together by idiots, and b) it came from a rather decent novel, which I have not yet read.

Like Me Before You, I am now interested in reading the novel. This movie is a little Jane Austeny - nowhere on that caliber - but interesting, with characters and confrontations that seem to have something to say. It works, I feel, almost in spite of itself. It looks like the director/screenwriter tried to cut it down to something resembling a Me Before You, but couldn't quite cut everything.

There are throwaway characters who I suspect have far more dept and character in the book; here they are stand-up comics doing two or three minutes of material. And there is a plot so tired and retread as to make any tension non-existent. But ... but the main characters have something to them, and they do a few things that make you feel that the plot is more than just something on which to hang comedy. I suspect that the book highlights these parts and makes them more prominent.

It is well acted, other than some of the comedy bits which seem out of place. There are scenes of sumptuous foods and wealth, as one would expect from the title. And a few too many party scenes. But fun and - nearly - satisfying. As for the fact that it had an all-Asian cast, well, duh. Like Black Panther, this doesn't prove anything. Any idiot already knew that an ethnic cast could lead a movie that contains ethnic story overtones and interactions. Any idiot should also know that the same people could be main characters in any, generic movie, but apparently there are a lot of people who are not yet as smart as just any idiots.

Destination Wedding: This was a surprisingly great movie. Lindsay (Winona Ryder) and Frank (Keanu Reeves) are the ex-fiance and the estranged brother of a guy getting married. They don't want to be there, don't like the groom, don't like the bride, or the place, or the airline, or the food, or each other, or themselves. And so they snark and insult their way through 90 minutes of screen-time. Literally no one else in the movie talks: it's just Lindsay and Frank. They are both so vile and bitter that even the usual rom-com tropes are subverted: they know that they should end up together, but they refuse to allow it to happen.

This movie follows in the tradition of the Before series of movies, as well as other heavy dialog movies. It's not quite as good as a Before movie, which had a more wide-ranging series of discussions and characters who were a little (a lot) less jaded. The movie is smart with snarky dialog and has some interesting things to say about relationships, self-worth, decency, obligation, and so forth. It's often very funny. I had a blast and really want to see it again.

Yes, they are miserable. Unlike the real misery that repelled me in movies like Logan and Three Billboards, these guys are funny-miserable, so it's fun to watch.

I Feel Pretty: This movie has a great message, or it pretends to, anyway: don't let what you look like rob you of your confidence. And Amy Schumer has certainly been known to be funny ... sometimes, and in small doses. This one is a disaster.

The movie has no artistry: Amy's character is supposed to feel bad about her looks, so she writes ten scenes in a row with her looking in a mirror with disappointment and people insulting her looks in various ways. It's so straightforward and artless that it is painful to watch. Compare this to the exact same message that Anne Hathaway conveys in The Devil Wears Prada and you see what I mean: Anne's lack of self-worth derives from the story around it and the occasional barbs thrown at her in passing, not ten flat scenes of "you're ugly". And let's not forget that Amy is not unattractive; she is a plus size, but she is not a flat blob and she is also perky and white with good skin. So the premise is a stretch.

Amy wakes up after a head injury believing that she is now beautiful (although her body hasn't changed, and no one else knows what she is talking about), and with her new head injury she confidently strides her way into the job and relationship she wants, while everyone else looks on in a) disbelief, b) with amusement, or c) with respect at her confidence based on nothing outwardly visible.

Her head injury also, apparently, causes her to become completely social unaware of what everyone else thinks, says, or does, causes her to steamroll over every conversation without listening to anyone, causes her to be cruel to everyone else, and somehow causes everyone else to respect her, despite the fact that she is still a complete klutz and idiot. One scene of this is tolerable; the same scene of her talking over people and insulting them, over and over and over and over and over is wearying, and eventually very very unfunny.

What's worse is that the entire point of the movie is that what's inside counts, not what's outside, but she ends up working for and being spokesman for a beauty company, which defeats the entire damn point. Crassness is one thing, artless is another. I really tried, but I couldn't tolerate more than half of the movie.

The Wife: A decent but not not great movie with great acting and an unambitious and uncomplicated fictional plot. Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce star as Joan and Joe Castleman. They, their son, and a nosy, persistent journalist travel to Sweden so that Joe can get the Nobel prize for literature, The son is behaving like a spoiled teenager (he is supposed to be in his thirties) and the journalist is writing a book about Joe and suggesting some possible problems with his past.

It doesn't descend into something deep, dark, and criminal, like an action thriller. It's just a question of authorship, validity, and respect. This movie is reminiscent of the far superior Big Eyes, a true story that made it quite clear early on that a supposed genius was passing his wife's art off as his own. This movie, entirely fiction, gives us the revelation further into the movie, and handles it badly. The movie doesn't have anything new or interesting to say and also doesn't maintain much tension, other than who will get mad at whom, when, and how much. It is an acting exercise, which is a waste of time, since neither Close nor Pryce need to prove how well they can act.

Admittedly, if Big Eyes didn't exist, I might give this more of a break. As it is, I can't recommend it, but lovers of the actors or of acting scenes will enjoy it. It's really not all that bad. My particular non-enjoyment comes from the son, who is just too miserable throughout the movie, and the odious behavior of one of the other main characters, which drove me to distraction.

Won't You Be My Neighbor: Growing up I didn't like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood too much, since it was slow, the production was rather low, and puppets on television didn't excite me. As an adult, I have watched videos of Fred Rogers, including his speech defending public television and some of his great moments (such as telling a room full of celebrities to think about, in total silence, who got them to where they are today, and so forth). These videos move me. I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for the man. Nevertheless, I'm sure there were many others like me who could not connect to the messages he tried to convey in his TV series, for the reasons that I mentioned.

This biopic movie covers many major stories and facts about him and his philosophy, with only a small amount of material not related to his TV program. I doubt that anyone who never saw the TV show will be interested in it. It is a paean to a simple, slow goodness that seems to be fading away ... that I suspect will always seem to be fading away. There will always be a few great, lovely people with simple messages who lead wholesome lives, even while most of us are consumed by the latest glitz, glamour, gossip, guns, or sensationalist brawls that pass for entertainment or debate. I think it is great to be reminded about better values, at least once in a while. Of course, if we go right back to the guns and brawls, it doesn't come to much.

As a movie, it was okay. It is riveting if you find his personality riveting. Not much, otherwise.