Thank you 2015

I’m a person who’s filled with terrible ideas. Thankfully writing games isn’t about the number of bad ideas you have, but the ability to eventually produce and recognize good ones. It took me 30+ years to realize what makes a great game. Today, I’m going to list the top 5 happenings of 2015 that cemented this simple truth.

#5. Muse on Minis: FiaB wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for John, Nigel and Colin. Nigel was a contributor and brought Bob, Ryan and myself together. John encouraged us to come to conventions, gave us space, and introduced us to the people he knew, the Muse crew and fans. Seeing yourself as a success goes a long way to achieving success. If we ever succeed, it will be because those guys treated us like we're something.

#4. Chris Lyons: 16+ hours a week most every week - that’s my guess-timate of hours into Conquest Princess to date. Chris is an amazing source of imagination and laughter. All the best parts of the game, I would attribute to him. My solo creative process is often slow and dark, but with Mr. Lyons I’ve had someone to keep me focused. When you’re riding the crazy train, it's nice to have someone in the seat next to you explaining why raccoons are so awesome.

#3. Melonie Lavely: End of the Line was 5 years along before Melonie showed up, but it wasn’t complete until she made it her own. Nick, Mel’s husband, championed Melonie to get involved and I can’t thank him enough for that. Melonie’s eye for a finished product, her sense of whimsy, and ability to get things done have set us up for success for the Feb 15th 2016 launch of the EotL kickstarter.

#2. Gaming Conventions: Gaming conventions are percolators of awesome. At a Con, you get to meet people when they are at their most infectious and free. The people who make these conventions happen can’t be thanked enough. Carl from Warmachine Weekend and Paul from CaptainCon inspire an environment of fun and camaraderie. The people in the trenches at WMW, Convergence and Con of the North were extremely kind and generous with their time and attention. Additionally, other vendors like Andrew Chesney from footsore miniatures were inspirations and incredibly supportive. This cacophony of encouragement got me close to my epiphany about great games.

#1. The Fight Fans: Gamers will tell you what they want. You only need to listen. FiaB game day changed my life. Our fans without hesitation told us they wanted End of the Line first. They were right. The folks who believe in Fight in a Box give us purpose, a standard to live up to and a wellspring of love. These are things that should never be taken for granted and reflecting on them this past 2015 lead me to what a great game does...

It is not what you play, but who you play it with and the great games inspire others to join in the fun and enjoy/support/love each other.