Unpub Preview: Phobos

Let's take a deeper look at Phobos, which  will be appearing this weekend at the Collector's Con ProtoZone on Saturday May 11, 2013 from 10am to 7pm!

Brad Smoley's Phobos It's a tile laying area control game and, if memory serves me, it involves fighting robots.

Let's hear Brad Smoley talk about Phobos and it's development...

What was your inspiration for Phobos? Before the beautiful IOS app had been created, I lamented the fact that there was no way to play Carcassonne on the iPhone. That caused me to imagine a game (rethemed to avoid legal issues) like Carcassonne that I could make in its place. The squares became hexes. The fields became the caverns of an asteroid. The meeples became robots. Phobos was born!

What is your favorite part of Phobos? Honestly, it's the design work I've gotten to do, but if I had to pick an actual in-game element, it would have to be that players construct a maze-like structure out of the tiles. I've always loved mazes and tile-laying games, so this element was a no-brainer for me.

To your knowledge, What do other people find most interesting about Phobos?   I think the geometry of the tile laying and the design of the prototype itself. It's pretty nice if I do say so myself.

What has been the most challenging part of designing Phobos?  It's the little things. The constant tweaking to make sure things are balanced. Having to make the decisions to remove elements that have been there from the beginning, stuff you really like, because it hurts the game overall. That was always rough. But if it makes for a better game, it's always the right choice to make.

What advice would you give to players attempting Phobos for the first time? The "leapfrogging" rules are a bit tricky at first, so pay extra attention to them.

What has surprised you most in play-tests of Phobos? How much seemingly tiny rules changes can have an effect on scoring, strategy, and interactivity. Altering just one or two little things can take the game from being an aggressive bloodbath, to a plodding snoozefest. Finding that perfect balance was surprisingly critical.

People who like_____will like Phobos. Why?   Carcassonne, is the obvious choice. There are similar tile-laying and worker-placement mechanics involved. It's also light enough for the non-hardcore gamer to pick it up quickly, but has some subtle strategy for more experienced players.

Tell us anything else you want to say about Phobos that I haven't asked or you haven't said already.  This is the first game I ever decided to work on, and it's the game I've been working on the longest. Even though I'll always want to keep creating and designing board games, if I could get Phobos published, I'd feel like a success.

Come play Phobos at the Collector's Con ProtoZone Saturday May 11, 2013 from 10am-7pm!