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AtSPIEL’17,Ravensburgerpresented
a new edition of Make ’n’ Break, and Hans im Glück showcased a new Carcas- sonne Big Box. “In a time when it feels like all people are ever interested in are new releases, publishers are also look- ing for ways to make their established games pop up in those novelty lists. You need to look after your good brands, to make them last. That is why we publish
some
comments André Bronswijk, who works for Pegasus, among others. Oh, and talking about Carcassonne, classics have another advantage. Often, they make those new releases possible in the first place. Where would Hans im Glück be without Carcassonne, and 2F Spiele without Power Grid?
And then there are of course the remakes: “With computer games it is common practice to relaunch success- ful titles after a certain amount of time. There is a new “FIFA” out every year, and every couple of years a new “Civilization.” Recently the same trend can be observed for board games as well, writes Blum. Partic- ularly renowned for their reprints are Fantasy Flight (FFG). “We have many long-lasting games and games series that were and are still successful, even long after their first year of publication,” says Andrew Navaro, Head of
Studio FFG.
The board gaming industry
is ever expanding, ever more global. This leads to more and more authors, illustrators
and publishers publishing more and more games – a chal- lenge for all parties concerned, but also a boon and a luxury problem. Surely it is better to have too many games than too few? And one thing is not going to change in the future, despite the con- stantly growing market: Excellent games will prevail, and stinkers disappear again. Sebastian Wenzel/cs
Carcassonne
every
year,”
Andrew Navaro about revising classics Enhancing Current Editions
Mansions of Madness, 2nd edition, Runebound, 3rd edition, Twilight Imperium, 4th edition ... Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) like to revise clas- sics and then publish them as new releases. Andrew Navaro, Head of Studio FFG, explains why.
spielbox: Which requirements does a FFG game need to fulfill to be published in a revised edition?
Andrew Navaro: There is no set list of requirements specifying if we publish a new edition of a game already in print. The main factors are: Can we substan- tially enhance the current edition and are fans receptive to a new edition? If
we have a hunch that we can develop a better version of a game that will provide even more fun for players, then we will do so.
sb: What should publishers and design- ers bear in mind when they publish a new edition of a game?
AN: I cannot speak for other publish- ers and authors, only for ourselves. We think it is important the game still feels “right.” Theme and basic mechanics are key and not to be changed. Visual con- sistency from one edition to the next may also play a part. But essential for us is to improve on former editions. We want to achieve a reissue that feels like an ideal version of the classic.
sb: What can designers and publishers do to ensure their game is played over several months or even years?
AN: I do not think that authors and publishers can really do anything to en- sure the long-term success of a game. There is no such certainty and no safe way to know in advance which games are going to establish themselves on the market. All we can do as design studios is to develop our games with a lot of heart and soul and to make sure we get the best product to the market – from our point of view. What remains then is to hope that players also see it our way and the game is going to be successful.
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