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Jesse Catron is a man with whom we don't get to talk nearly enough. Read interviews he's done with various websites, peruse articles he's written about design, or casually glance at his twitter feed and you'll realize that the intricate machine that is his brain operates at a very high level. I first became aware of Jesse's game Pond Farr (now Salmon Run) through an UnPub post by John Moller.

The theme made me laugh out loud, but the more I researched the game, the better it sounded. It has great underlying mechanisms to it and doesn't seek to be just another DBG. In the interview below, Jesse outlines the process of designing Salmon Run, thoughts on Kickstarter itself, his top 5 favorite games, and his take on positive/negative feedback loops.

We'd like to thank Jesse for taking time out of his schedule to answer these questions for us. Scott and I are both on board as backers and encourage you to head over to the campaign site and plop down some clams for fish makin' babies. And, if you like this interview and think the game sounds great... stop back in a few weeks when we take a prototype of Salmon Run for a whirl.



1.) The idea of Salmon racing upstream is a wonderfully creative and unique theme. What inspired
it, and how did it change from initial concept to what Backers/Customer will receive?

It started with my desire to design a game that I, as a gamer, would enjoy playing with my nephews and
nieces. I looked to nature and animals for a universally appealing theme. I remember thinking that there
had to be a compelling theme in nature that hadn’t been done before. I thought of mass migrations and
eventually salmon and their quest to spawn. Salmon probably came to mind because I had worked on a
small game about tides and fishing a few months earlier.

While many early concepts have remained the same (or at least very similar), Salmon Run has undergone
a number of significant changes mechanically. Early versions used simultaneous turns and a fixed board.
The simultaneous turn concept did nothing to speed up the game and made card play too much of a
guessing game. Currently, the turns in Salmon Run are streamlined and flow quickly from one player
to the next. Downtime is minimal. Changing to a modular board system made a huge difference for the
game’s variability and therefore its replayability. The river now offers a new experience each game and
can be customized by both difficulty and length. This gives Salmon Run a huge amount of flexibility in
tailoring the game to new and casual players as well as experienced gamers.

Another significant change was the mechanics of the river’s current. For those who haven’t played, the
hexes on the board have an arrow or arrows to indicate the direction that the water flows. When the current
is activated each salmon moves downstream along the current. At first the current was activated after each
round of simultaneous play. This made for a very long and frustrating game. At one point, the current
was activated by a die roll at the end of each round. This lessened the frequency of the current but was too
random. Eventually I moved the activation of the current to a card. Not only did this speed up the game, it
also gave players control and provided some nice tactical decisions on when to play it.

2.) In an article written for Grant Rodiek's Hyperbole Games website, you touch on something known as "positive and negative feedback loops." Can you give an explanation of what these are and how they were instituted in Salmon Run?

Sure, I‘d be glad to. A feedback loop occurs when the output of a system affects its input and consequently
changes subsequent outputs. With positive feedback, the output of the system creates greater subsequent
outputs. Positive feedback results in an ever amplified output. Left unchecked, positive feedback loops are
unstable and spiral out of control. On the other hand, negative feedback results in a diminished output of
the system. These tend to be stable systems. Applying negative feedback to a positive feedback loop is a
useful way to keep the positive feedback system under control.

Salmon Run (and deck-building games in general) use a positive feedback system. In Salmon Run, the swim deck is the basic system. As movement cards are used to move onto special hexes, more powerful cards are added to the discard pile (output). When these cards are eventually cycled back in, the system now has an amplified capacity to obtain better cards (enhanced movement). The subsequent output of the system is greater and will increase with each cycle. The problem with positive feedback loops in a game is that it can lead to a runaway leader. The player who gets an early lead gets more and more powerful and can’t be caught. This is unacceptable in a racing game like Salmon Run. There needs to be a way to enable players to catch the leader.

One limiting factor to the positive feedback system is that rewards (the more powerful cards) are not just
limited to the first player to reach them. If the lead player swims into a Double Swim hex to gain that
card, later players can also swim there to gain the card. To really keep the positive feedback system in
check and to prevent a runaway leader problem, I used a negative feedback loop. This is in the form of
the game’s fatigue mechanism. The more a player exerts themselves to get ahead quickly the more fatigue
cards accumulate in their deck. These fatigue cards function to jam up the player’s swim deck to limit
their options and slow them down. Another additional way to prevent a runaway leader are the player
interactive cards like the current, rapids, and eagle. Player’s who are behind can use these cards to hinder
the leader. I am happy to say that nearly all games of Salmon Run I have played have been close races!

3.) Between 3012, Ascension, Penny Arcade, Nightfall, and numerous Superhero iterations this year at GenCon, some people feel there is a saturation of DBGs in the market. How does Salmon run differentiate itself from other DBG (i.e. mechanisms, etc.) ?

I agree that there are a lot of deck-building games out there. Most of which are clones or near-clones of
Dominion and don‘t really offer anything new. I feel that for DBGs to stand out, they need to be games
that utilize a deck-building mechanic as part of a greater game and not merely deck-building as the game
itself. Salmon Run is a racing game that uses deck-building rather than a just a deck-building game. To
me, Salmon Run is a unique application of the deck-building mechanic. As far as I know it is the only
deck-building race, and the only game with a path-dependent deck-building mechanic. The real “currency”
in Salmon Run is movement. The path you choose upriver determines what cards you can add or remove.
The deck-building mechanic also enables the fatigue mechanic to function. In a lot of DBGs negative
insertion cards are not a big part of gameplay. In Salmon Run the fatigue cards are an integral and
important factor and occur from multiple sources.

Another more subtle difference is that Salmon Run has a much greater hand management factor. In most
DBGs, you must discard whatever cards you don’t play from your hand. In contrast, Salmon Run allows
you to keep those cards for future turns. This allows players to have much more control of their path
upriver and provides a strategic decision point.

4.) I first heard about your game via John Moller's UnPub program. How important was this
program to you, and what advice would you give to people looking to get involved with playtesting
program(s) and pitching to publishers?

The UnPub program is fantastic and is getting larger and more and more impressive. John and Darrell do a
tremendous job. Taking my prototype to UnPub was absolutely worth it and I would highly recommend it
to any aspiring (or established) game designer. Even though I was already signed with Gryphon, I received
a lot of great feedback from both gamers and designers. This was valuable assurance for me that Salmon
Run was really ready for publication and only needed some minor tweaks. However, the relaxed and
constructive atmosphere of the Unpub program is very conducive to provide help for a prototype at any
level of completion from very rough to very polished. I look forward to attending as many Unpub events
as I can. I have also heard good things about Protospiel.

Here is my advice for pitching to publishers:
- Make sure your game is unique in some way. It needs something to make it stand out. Preferably
mechanically and thematically
- Make sure your game is thoroughly tested and ready (including blind testing)
- Don’t spend to much time or money on art, focus on gameplay
- Make sure your game needs only a reasonable and realistic number and type of components
- Do your research on which publisher is a good fit for your game; theme, target audience, and complexity
- Craft your pitch to that company accordingly, clearly spelling out what makes your game unique and why
it’s a good fit for their company.

5.) In your opinion, what makes a good game? What are your top 5 games, and did any of them
influence the creation of Salmon Run?

There are a lot of things that go into a good game. For me the essence of a good game is that it provides
players meaningful decisions, invokes palpable tension, and elicits fun and a desire to play again from its
players. Free will in game decisions is vital and those decisions must affect the outcome or progress of
the game. Tension amplifies how players feel in making each of those decisions and how the weight of
their series of decisions accumulates over the course of the game. Fun is the result and the ultimate goal of
playing games.

I have never before thought of my top 5 games but I will give it a shot (subject to change, in no particular
order, and excluding my own designs):

1.) Settlers of Catan: this is the game that introduced me to Euro games and the one I have played the most.
I know there is some amount of randomness that causes frustration, but experienced players can often
mitigate/overcome this. The interactivity of trading is great fun. A sentimental choice.
2.) Steam: This game just works so smoothly. A great blend of form and function.
3.) Zooloretto: perhaps an odd choice. I love and greatly admire the elegant simplicity of the design. The
rules are quite basic and easy to learn but elicit great tension and decisions. Its sum is much greater
than its parts. (I could substitute Ticket to Ride here instead)
4.) King of Tokyo: maybe because it is shiny and new for me, but this game exudes FUN! This is the
quintessential light game and the light game that all light games should aspire to.
5.) Revolution!: This blind bidding/area control game with simultaneous turns is quite fun. The
psychological aspect of reading your opponent makes for some great tension. This is probably
heightened for me because I usually play against my brothers. We think alike (mostly) and can often
play RPS for 10 or more rounds before there is a winner! Victory in sibling rivalry is that much
sweeter!

I imagine every game designer is influenced on some level by the games that they have played. I had not
played Steam or King of Tokyo before Salmon Run. The earliest version of Salmon Run had simultaneous
turns so it was probably influenced by Revolution! in that regard. I can certainly tell you that my desire
to keep Salmon Run elegantly simple and yet with hidden depth was forefront in my mind due to my
admiration for Zooloretto and Ticket to Ride.


6.) Finally, your game is currently on KS. What are your thoughts on the Crowdfunding site and what things have you and Eagle/Gryphon done to assure success in your particular campaign?

That's right; Salmon Run's campaign is currently underway and runs until October 28th!

I may be biased, but I am very glad that Kickstarter exists. Without it Salmon Run would be in the Gryphon
Games’ queue for another 3 or more years. Sure, there are a lot of sub-par games on Kickstarter, but I
believe in free markets. People can choose what project to back and accept the risk or not. Of course there
is some risk that the game will be terrible or that the backers will be swindled, but if people do their due
diligence the likelihood is minuscule. I only back projects where I can read the rules, I know the designer,
and/or the publisher has an established record. Plus I do enjoy helping others fulfill their dream. I am not
big on exclusives but see them as sort of a necessary "evil" (evil may be too strong of a term) to attract backers.

I wish Salmon Run’s success was assured! One good thing is that our funding goal is very low and
obtainable [ed note: obtainable indeed. Salmon Run has already Funded with 50+ days to go]. Another is that Gryphon has a good reputation for putting out a quality product with top notch components, and a timely delivery. I have demonstrated Salmon Run at two Unpub events, my local game store, and the Dice Tower Con. I wish I could have gone to larger Cons but my day job occupies a huge amount of my time. I am a marketing novice but I have conducted a number of interviews on Salmon Run and game design. I spend a good amount of time on twitter talking about games and game design, not to sell my game but because I enjoy it! However, networking with others doesn't hurt! Gryphon has purchased advertising as well. Hopefully it will be enough!

Thank you for some great questions and taking your time to interview me.

Thank YOU Jesse. We look forward to following the success of Salmon Run, keeping up with you online, and paying close attention to anything you might design in the future. ~ G&G

In our last article, we shed light on many of the great people with whom we hung out at GenCon. This time, we'll be taking a look at the games we played with those people: some highly anticipated and some under-the radar, and some not-yet-published or released to the public.

The Obligatory and Ubiquitous:

Tricksters + Aliens = Someone is rage quitting this game

Smash Up
- AEG's highly anticipated game, Smash Up, was the first thing we picked up at GenCon this year. The vast majority of people to whom I talked said they enjoyed the game, and many estimated that it was the most played game at the convention.  To my knowledge, Smash Up did not sell out on Day 1, but it was unfortunately not available on Saturday afternoon when I went to pickup a copy for an out of state friend. Though Scott will be doing a more in depth review--and we'll be coupling it with a live report of the Gen Con tournament from J. Singerland, my initial impressions after ~20 games are that Smash Up is primed to be a really popular, light game. I'd like to play more to see if Zombies are as powerful as they seem (i.e. winning 80% of the games in which I've seen them played), though I'll continue to gravitate toward the Trickster/Wizard or Tickster/Ninja combination. I also applaud AEG for supporting this game from the get-go, as excitement only built throughout the convention (and before) with rumors of more expansions. From what I know, the next 4 factions will be Ghosts, Plants, Apes, and either Bears or some type of Steampunk goodness. Mr. Rowland... if you're reading this... I'd like to see Sharks as a faction.

Kairn the Destroyer. If you play me in Seasons, there's a 90% chance you'll see this card.

Seasons
- I got a chance to demo this game from Libellud/Asmodee at Origins and immediately knew it would be a hit. It had amazing art coupled with an amalgam of popular mechanics. It would seem, by the line that wrapped around Asmodee's booth almost immediately after the doors opened on Thursday, that many people shared my sentiment. Within 90 minutes, Seasons was sold out. Fortunately, I got one of the last 5 copies available. Second (probably) only to Smash Up in total number of plays at GenCon, Seasons is easily in my top 5 games played in 2012. No, it doesn't go anything incredibly innovative, but what it does do is take a number of different things and handle them very well.


Android: Netrunner
- Selling out even more quickly than Seasons (an estimated 70 minutes), neither Scott nor I were able to get their hands on a copy of this game. To be honest though, it wasn't really high on my list of things to purchase. I played the crap out of this game in High School, but the lack of involvement from Richard Garfield and the money sink that comes with an LCG turned me off. I was also disappointed that FFG allowed VIGs and Retailers who got into the hall before the general public to purchase multiple copies (upwards of 10 a piece). I know that they got more copies in almost every day, and still sold out, but it seems like they're setting a bad precedent this way. I'd be interested to know the prevalence of this game and its asking price--if any--on eBay.  

(other highly anticipated games we will be reviewing in the future -- Dominion: Dark Ages, Mage Wars)

The Sleepers:


Evil Baby Orphanage
- I don't know how much of a sleeper a game that raised $100,000+ on Kickstarter can be, but nonetheless... I had to explain the premise of this game to a lot of people. Essentially, you are a Time Traveling Nanny who must go back in history to "pre-habilitate" the infant versions of some of History's most notorious dictators, despots, and terrorists. Through various methods such as adoption, toys, and time outs, you'll attempt to keep these evil tykes occupied, because if you don't, they'll start trying to reenact the terrible acts that made them infamous. Admittedly, I haven't gotten in many plays of this game, and it is a VERY light gateway/filler card game. However, it's chock full o' theme, and will provide a boatload of laughs if played in the right company. Oh, and if you were fortunate enough to purchase it at GenCon, you got a free Baby Heinrich Himmler promo card. That in itself, should tell you where this game is coming from.


Legacy: Gears of Time
- Had a chance to play this on Tuesday with Larry and the guys from Tasty Minstrel and really enjoyed it. I wouldn't call it a "brain burner" so much as a "brain bender." Once you grasp the way the game wants you to play, you'll be in the clear. However, getting acclimated to that way of thinking is much easier said than done.  Essentially, you're a time traveler (where have we seen that before?!); this time, however, time is used for more than just a thematic element. Throughout the game, you'll have the opportunity to travel back in time in order to invent different things. Some things, such as writing/electricity/wheels will be fundamental; other inventions (such as the printing press) will require 1 or more of these fundamental inventions (The aforementioned press, for example, will require electricity and writing. There are also some major catches to take into account while playing: First and foremost, you can ONLY travel backwards during the round, meaning, if you go all the way back to Age 5 early, you can't reneg and travel back to Ages 1-4. Secondly, if someone invents something in an earlier age than you, your invention becomes null and void. Lastly, the game includes influence cubes with which to gain control of particular inventions when they score (it should also be noted that, if you control a fundamental invention, you get points if an invention that requires it scores as well). In the game I played, I ran out to an early lead, then stalled in the mid game while Michael Mindes ramped up to what we thought was a nigh-insurmountable lead. In the end, I wound up eeking out a 5 point win by heading back to the beginning early and dropping all my influence on fundamental inventions.

Yet to-be-released/Kickstarter Darlings:

Part of me hopes a giant metal board is one of the stretch goals.

Mars Needs Mechanics
- We'll be doing a session report on Ben Rosset's set collecting game on Friday, so I don't want to spoil anything. I'll simply say that Mars Needs Mechanics is an elegant, streamlined game that will draw you in with its accessibility and theme, and keep you coming back with its depth of strategy. You hear the rules, grasp the mechanics early on, and then return for repeated plays to try new strategies, get higher scores, build new devices, and introduce new players. Look for the campaign to hit Kickstarter on August 31st and consider backing this great game


Jungle Ascent
- on Thursday, Larry had told me about this great game he had played that was, in his words, "Like Donkey King on crack." I was a little skeptical, but figured, what the heck. I'm aiming to play 100 games this week so I might as well look at this one too. Truth be told, Larry's description was pretty spot-on. I'd put it more as a mash up between Donkey Kong and Pitfall, but there are barrels to avoid and a perilous climb to the top of the map. The game I saw had a really good skeleton to it, but still needed some kinks worked out. In a 4P game, and especially a 4P game played with hardcore gamers, there was a definite "gang up on the leader" flaw that caused the game to last about 2-3x longer than it should have. Despite this, the game has a ton of flavor and potential, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

100 Game Challenge: 
- Finally, for those wondering how I did with my 100 game challenge: Unfortunately, I didn't make it to 100 this time around. The sheer number of people at GenCon kept me waiting in line for a lot of demos, and I stepped out of the gaming hall more than expected to just have some down time away from crowds to rejuvenate the batteries. By my count, I did make it into the low 70s, and I think that's pretty commendable if I do say so myself. 

One of the games I was rather curious to get a close look at was Tsuro of the Seas by Calliope Games.  The original Tsuro was released first by WizKids in 2004, but was re-released in late 2009 by Calliope.  In May of 2012, Calliope placed Tsuro of the Seas up on Kickstarter.  The project was over 300% funded, and Tsuro of the Seas made its debut at GenCon 2012.  Tsuro of the Seas promised more of the same game play we've come to know and love in Tsuro, but adding in new elements to make the game more exciting than the original.

Not me, but often is how I look at the end of a game of Tsuro

To explain Tsuro of the Seas, it is necessary to spend a couple minutes talking about the original.  Tsuro is an abstract tile-laying game for 2 to 8 players.  One of the most unique aspects of the game is that it plays just as well throughout that player range, a truly remarkable feat.  Tsuro is a very basic game.  Your goal is to not die.  You die by either running into another player, or running off the board.  On each turn, a player places a tile on the board directly in front of their playing piece...the tiles each have a mix of straight and curved lines, creating serpentine paths that you must follow.  Sometimes, one player's tile can cause multiple pieces to move.  It's fast, it's semi-chaotic, but it is always fun.  This is a game that players of all ages and abilities can easily enjoy.  I would go so far as say that any good game collection should have Tsuro in it, as it is about the perfect 15-minute filler.

Tsuro of the Seas, at it's heart is the same game.  The board is a big larger (7x7 compared to 6x6), and there are more tiles (56 compared to 35).  This time, there is more of a theme pasted on: each player is in charge of a ship, sailing the treacherous seas.  Not only do you have to worry about ramming your opponents or falling off the edge of the world, but you now have to deal with sea creatures.  At the beginning of a game of Tsuro of the Seas, six daikaiju or dragon tiles are placed on the board by rolling a pair of dice, and placing the tiles in the appropriate squares.  A player's turn has one extra step as well: at the beginning of the turn, those dice are rolled again.  If a 6, 7 or 8 is rolled...then the dragon tiles get to move around the board.  Another die is then rolled, and each tile is moved.  If the dragons fall off the board, great, if they land on each other - awesome, if they land on you though?  Game over, man.  The rest of the turn works basically the same as regular Tsuro.

I think Tsuro of the seas is a beautiful game.  The ship models are detailed (though they don't feel as substantial as the pieces from the original game), the board has great art, and the tiles look outstanding.  Everything about the graphical part of the game is top notch.  Calliope has done a wonderful job in upholding the standards of the base game.

I have to say, however, that I'm not a fan of the game play additions at all.  The die rolling, and dragon tiles make the game far too random to be much fun.  My first game was a four player game.  I got four turns in, and thought I was safely huddled in my little corner.  However, three random dragon moves later, I was out of the game, with absolutely no chance to try and save myself.  The problem with the dragon mechanic is that it doesn't feel integrated into the game at all.  Much like the ship theme, it's a pasted on mechanic for the sake of a new mechanic.  Tsuro has a simplicity, and sort of elegance to it.

If I didn't already own Tsuro, I might consider this version because I like the art, the bigger board, and the extra tiles.  I would, under no circumstances buy it for the new dragon mechanic.  Quite a disappointment.

1. Place a land tile adjacent to any other tile on the board
2. Place one of your workers (circular pieces) next to any other worker you control
3. Move one of your workers a maximum of one space onto an unoccupied tile. 
4. Jump a worker in order to remove it from the board 
5. Sacrifice 2 of your workers to eliminate 1 of an opponent's workers
6. Sacrifice 2 of your workers to place a worker on any open tile
7. Remove a tier from one of your buildings (used very sparingly)

Admittedly, Kickstarter has produced some great success stories: D-Day Dice, SotM: Infernal Relics, Pixel Lincoln, Viva Java, etc. etc. However, to only back projects on one crowdfunding site is to overlook myriad worthwhile projects. For some hidden gems, head over to IndieGoGo.com, the European equivalent to KS.

No, IndieGoGo isn't as streamlined or organized as Kickstarter (though it seems many believe KS's new layout to be a step backwards): there's not really a way to separate board/card games from digital games, and there's no obvious marker to designate the level at which you backed a project (leaving you to wonder if your transaction truly went through). But... despite these flaws, I'd argue that the quality of games are equivalent to anything you find on Kickstarter.

One of those high quality games is Among The Stars by Artipia Games, makers of the well received Drum Roll and soon-to-be-released Briefcase. Among The Stars tells the story of a Galaxy recovering from the attacks of "The Black Ones" (apparently Greeks can get away with blatant racism more easily than Americans). In the aftermath of this war, alliances have been formed; alliances which dictate that space stations must be built in order to both protect against future attacks and return some semblance of normality into the lives of the myriad races who fought valiantly.

At the start of the game, A racial ability is given to each player and objective cards are dealt. Racial abilities are equivalent to power-ups and alter the way the game plays for each player. Some abilities grant you extra credits at the beginning of each year, while others might give you the option to build locations from the discard pile. Each objective gives players a side goal that, if achieved at end game, will grant them extra points. Most of these simply involve having the most locations of a single color, but some mix it up and reward players for being thrifty with their credits, building the most total locations, or hitting 50VP before any other player.

In addition to the Objectives and Racial abilities, each player receives 10 credits, a main reactor with 2 energy cubes placed on it, and a hand of 6 cards. Each turn, he/she has 3 actions available:

1. Choose a card to be added to your station - if this is chosen, the player pays the requisite amount of credits (and/or energy cubes), places the location adjacent (i.e. non-diagonal) to a tile already in play, and collects an amount of VP indicated in the lower left of the card.
2. Get a Power Station - A player choosing this option must discard a card from their hand and pay 1 credit. When this is done, an additional power station is placed adjacent to a location already in play, and 2 energy cubes are placed on that reactor.
3. Discard a card to get 3 credits - This is exactly what is sounds like. Players discard a card from their hand and take 3 credits from the bank/communal pool. 

As a general rule, I hate shilling for any particular game or company on this blog. This space is meant for honest reviews about games and the fewer "advertisements" we can include, the better. That being said, I'm about to break one of my own rules and call your attention to the Kickstarter campaign for Alien Frontiers on iOS.  With roughly 34 hours to go in their campaign, Clint, Fred, and David need roughly 435 dollars in order to make this game a reality. 


You may ask why I've chosen this particular project to shill; and in the spirit of full disclosure I'll admit that I'm a beta tester for the game. I've also met Fred and Dave at various conventions in the past few years and can attest to the fact that they are good people dedicated to making great games. I'm a fan of Sunrise City, Forge is making great strides from what I hear, and Swinging Jivecat Voodoo Lounge has been on my "must play" list since Origins 2011. This aside, Alien Frontiers is their flagship, and is firmly entrenched in my Top 5 favorite games.

The campaign is also now offering an "a la carte mode" that lets backers pick and choose the rewards they want based on the amount they pledge. You can do something as simple as add pink or grey bits to your Alien Frontiers game for 5$ . If you don't have Alien Frontiers (and seriously, you NEED this game), you can pick that up for 50$. Already aware of the awesomeness that is this game? Fork over an additional 25-35$ for the Alien Frontiers Factions pack and add a whole new level of strategy to the game. Heck, for a relatively low price of 10$, you can get reserve a copy of the app when it comes out; and, thanks to your contribution, the speed at which you will receive that app will increase.

So that's my short shill for what I believe to be a great game. I've been playing it extensively and I can tell you that it's coming along very nicely. Clint Herron has programmed a formidable AI and put together a sleek looking interface that should please even the most hardcore of iOS gamers.  

If you'd like to help bring this project to the public, please visit via the link below and contribute any amount you feel appropriate.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/clevermojogames/alien-frontiers-for-ipad