Unpub Preview: Pater Familias
BludleOne of our upcoming events is Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub.) This is not an event I will be able to attend, and it is being managed by James Mathes of Minion Games. Games coming to Protospiel-Milwaukee register through a different entity, and by doing so don’t get a page here on Unpub.net. This is our first time with this type of partnership and we’re testing these policies out. One way we can support the games and designers coming to this event is through these previews. So, today we continue our series of previews of games coming to Protospiel- Milwaukee.
We previewed another game by designer Espen Klausen Ph.D yesterday, the very interesting Battlesheep. Espen has taken a different path with this project, a much more subdued and straightforward hand management game with contradictory objectives. The full title of his game is Pater Familias: The Rise of A Roman Family, which really tosses you right into the theme.
Let's find out some about this game from Espen himself...
What was your inspiration for Pater Familias? Growing up in Norway, we had a public domain card game that is highly addictive. As an adult, I have found myself missing the dynamics in that game, while at the same time being unsatisfied with the card game, due to insufficient strategy and sophistication. Using dynamics from the original card game, I have added several layers of complexity that makes it suited for more serious gamers.
What is your favorite part of Pater Familias? The game is designed so that there are multiple paths to progress, but they are paths that are partially contradictory, yet relying on just one path will likely not win you the game.
To your knowledge, What do other people find most interesting about Pater Familias? Most of all, the like the quick and easy fundamental card use mechanics that can be quite addictive. They like the speed of the game and how there usually is a constant sense of progress and that you always have a chance of winning, even if falling far behind.
What has been the most challenging part of designing Pater Familias? Balancing how quick the game should be to complete and leaving it with enough sense of substance of "heaviness." In the end, this can be adjusted by the players. A quick simplified version can be played in 15 minutes. A full game can take 60-90 minutes.
What advice would you give to players attempting Pater Familias for the first time? First time you play, focus on maximizing your own progress. Once you have played once or twice, you can start thinking of how to sabotage others.
What has surprised you most in play-tests of Pater Familias? How smooth it has gone. This is a game that from the beginning has only needed minor tweaks, which is highly unusual for games a design. The basic dynamics and play flowed and was enjoyed by players from the very beginning.
People who like___________ will like Pater Familias. Why? SPQR and Rome players may like it because of the Ancient Rome theme.
What do you hope to accomplish at Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub)? I believe Pater Familias is about ready for submission to a publisher, and hope that Protospiel Milwaukee will be the final test of the game. In the game players try to accomplish a series of objectives and my only doubt in finalizing the game is in the number of objectives to have. More objectives gives more substance and complexity, but also lengthens the game.
Tell us anything else you want to say about Pater Familias that I haven't asked or you haven't said already. Ask to play it. If you are not sure whether or not you want to play it, ask for the 15 minute version of it (although I know that you then will want to play the full version). Pater Familias is set in Ancient Rome. Players very familiar with Ancient Roman society and its structure, will recognize it in the dynamics and contexts of the game, while not in any way putting constraints on the game-play itself.
If you're at Protospiel- Milwaukee and you don't try your hand at this one, you might go home a little ruined inside.
