ALAN R. MOON
Game Designer
Alan R. Moon is an award-winning and prolific designer of board and card games, including Santa Fe (1992), Elfenland (1998), Union Pacific (1999), Capitol (2001), San Marco (2001), 10 Days in the USA (2003), and Ticket to Ride (2004).
On getting into the game industry:
I was hired by the Avalon Hill Game Co. in Baltimore to take over as editor of their house magazine called The General. But I never really assumed that job because when I got to Avalon Hill I started working on developing games. I loved working on games, hated editing. After working as a developer, I also started designing games. Four years later, I left Avalon Hill to go to Parker Brothers in Beverly, Massachusetts, as a designer in their video division.
Union Pacific (1999) and Elfenland (1998)
On favorite games:
• Descent: Journeys in the Dark 1st Edition (Fantasy Flight): Despite scenarios taking four to twelve hours or more to play, despite the fact that tons of rules question arise during every game, despite the fact the game pits a group of players against one Dungeon Master, and despite the fact the game is quite complicated compared to my usual tastes, this is my favorite game by far, and I look forward to every session even after years of continuous play. The recently released second edition is not bad, but has taken away much of the best parts of the original.
• Hunters & Gatherers (second Carcassonne game by Hans im Glueck): On your turn, you draw a tile and play it, and then you can place one of your Meeples or not. That’s all you do. But the game is constantly tense and exciting. Every game is different and you always feel like you can win right up until the end.
• Adel Verpflichtet (originally F.X. Schmid and Avalon Hill, now ALEA and Rio Grande): Sort of advanced “rock, paper, scissors.” Each turn, the five players initially choose one of two locations, dividing themselves into two groups. Then the players in each group compete against each other. The ultimate game about player tendencies and psychology. You have to learn to play against your natural inclinations or you’ll become too predictable. Gets better and better the more you play with the same people.
• Love Letter (AEG): The cleverest game in years, the game is comprised of just 16 cards and a few wooden cubes. Yet every game is different and tense, and while luck certainly takes a part, skill is often rewarded with victory. I value the elegance of simplicity above all else in game design and this is a masterpiece.
• A deck of cards: The greatest game ever invented and probably still the most popular one around the world. Like the wheel, it’s hard to imagine a more basic but necessary invention. My friend and fellow game designer Richard Borg explains the greatness is due to the fact that every time a hand is dealt out, every player is hoping for that perfect hand. And when he doesn’t get it, five minutes later he gets another chance when the cards are dealt again.
On game influences:
When I was a kid, my family played games every Sunday. I can still remember games of hearts, Risk, and Facts in Five. Hearts and bridge were the foundation for my love of card games, which has grown ever since. Risk led me to more complex historical simulations, most published by Avalon Hill. European games retain the strategy and decision-making of these more complex games, but add the social element of multiplayer, more interactive games, and that is what really keeps me playing and designing games. But if I had to pick one game that inspired me the most, it would be Acquire by Sid Sackson. Sadly, Sid died in 2002, but he will always be the dean of game designers. My first big board game, Airlines (Abacus, 1990), was inspired by Acquire.
Advice to designers:
Play as many games as you can. It’s research. It’s the only way you learn. You can’t design games in a vacuum, without knowing what has already been done, what’s worked, and what hasn’t worked. The idea for almost all games comes from other games. Sometimes you play a bad game with one good idea. Sometimes you play a good game and find a new twist to a good idea. Keep playing. Keep designing. Be confident, but remember that there is always more to learn. Like everything, you’ll get better with practice. It took me 14 years to have any real success as a designer. Those 14 years were tough, but they were worth it.
Playtest your designs as much as possible. Develop a core group of playtesters. You also need to learn when it’s time to let something go and work on something else, and when you should keep plugging even though it doesn’t seem like the game is ever going to work. Being a game designer is much more than just being creative. You need to be organized, thorough, and flexible. You’ll also need to be a good salesman because designing a game is just half the battle. You still have to sell it to someone after that.
Be professional. Designing games is only one part of the job of a game designer. You will also need to build a network of contacts, including other game designers and game company representatives; you will need to promote yourself and your work; you will need to administrate your portfolio and finances and time; and you will need to understand that sometimes your work may not be good enough, because if 10 companies reject one of your prototypes, chances are you need to work on it some more, come back to it later, or just let it go.
And, finally, learn to deal with rejection. You’ll probably get a lot of it at the start of your career. Just dream of the days when you’ll be able to look back and laugh at your early work.