In a distant galaxy, amidst a cosmos brimming with possibilities, newly-formed space corporations are embarking on an ambitious journey. These fledgling entities—Doom led by Ryku Raeder, Axe under the command of Jack Stone, Trident with Ava Greentree at the helm, and Hammer, guided by the artificial intellect of Echo Sage—seek dominance in uncharted territories.
Vast swathes of space, peppered with planets and asteroid fields, have become a gold mine. Hidden amongst the stars are resources essential for expansion and survival: Credits, Kren, and Trinium.
Players take on the roles of these corporations, establishing colonies, constructing industries, developing technologies, and building formidable fleets. The galaxies are laden with opportunities—but also risks. Exploration might lead to bountiful planets or treacherous asteroid fields. As corporations expand their dominion, conflicts become inevitable, resulting in intense space battles. Fleets of fighters, carriers, destroyers, and the colossal dreadnoughts clash, with every decision determining the fate of a corporation.
The economy is the lifeline of every corporation. Buildings, from colonies to space yards, cost credits, while mighty ships require Kren for their construction. Strategy in managing and investing these resources is paramount to achieving dominance.
But there’s more than just raw resources at play. Technology can turn the tides of fate. With each tech building, corporations unlock the potential to innovate, strengthening their economic might or their fleets’ combat prowess.
As the galaxies unfold their secrets, which corporation will rise to the pinnacle? The race to conquer the frontiers has begun.
DHP: Can you share a brief overview of your personal and professional background?
Ryan: I work as an IT professional in the mortgage industry. I’ve been doing my current job for the last 4 years, and been with my current company for 8 years.
DHP: What inspired you to venture into game design?
Ryan: I’ve always been interested in designing games. When I was younger I played the game Risk with some family members. I remembered thinking that I really liked the game but thought it could be better. That was the first time that I’d started thinking about designing a game. I think I was probably a sophomore in highschool at the time.
I actually made a game back then and played it a few times, but I’ll admit it wasn’t the greatest game in the world. Yet despite that I never lost the desire to make games. After highschool I would mess around every now and then making different board games but I never finished any of them. I did it just for fun though, I never really thought about making a game and trying to sell it.
DHP: Describe the central theme of your Conquering Frontiers. What led you to choose this particular theme?
Ryan: Conquering Frontiers is a sci fi game themed game. Sci Fi has always been my favorite genre. I’ve always loved watching Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, The Expanse, shows like that. The thing I like most about those shows are the giant space battles. Those scenes have always jumped out at me, and when I started designing Conquering Frontiers I wanted to have these giant space battles as part of the game.
DHP: Could you provide a snapshot of your game?
Ryan: Conquering Frontiers is a 4x sci fi game where players take on the roles of space corporations. They start with a homeworld and must expand out, seek out other planets to build on and gain resources, in order to build up enough ships to go out and attack their enemies. The cool thing about BFC is by the end of the game usually each player has several good sized fleets that they’ll then use to battle with.
DHP: How is your game structured in terms of player count, duration, and victory conditions?
Ryan: Originally when I started designing the game it was only going to be two player, but I then later decided to bump it up to 4 players. When Covid put everyone one into lock down I ended up designing an AI bot to play against, so as of right now the player count is 1-4 players.
I’m proud to say it takes about 1 hour per player to play Conquering Frontiers. The first playtest I did the playtime was around 5 hours…and that was for a two player game! A 4 player game clocked in around 8 hours which was way too long. Every time I did a play test I’d ask myself and my friends how can we make this game shorter. We’d come up with some ideas, some that were major and some that were minor, and I make the changes to try and shorten it up.
The way to win is score the most VP by the end of the game. The first player to reach 15 VP triggers a 3 turn clock. At the end of the 3rd turn whichever player has the most VP’s wins.
DHP: How long has your game been in development?
Ryan: I’ve been working on it off and on for about 5 years. Originally I never really thought about trying to bring my game to market so I’d only work on it once every month or two. I started thinking differently after I started playing it with my friends and saw that they enjoyed it. After the first couple of playtest I started working on it a ton, tweaking things here and there. At that time we were playing it 2 or 3 times a month.
Then Covid hit we literally went a year and a half where we didn’t play it. I got tired of just seeing it sit there so I decided to develop a solo version to it. We’ve started playing it again more regularly now and things are starting to progress forward again.
DHP: Where do you currently stand in your game’s development journey?
Ryan: I’ve probably played it with friends I’d say probably 30 times. I’m still tweaking the rules everytime we play but for the most part the core rules are established.
I’ve got some of the art working done, but its just enough to make it look fairly decent when playtesting. My goal is to start taking it out and having playtesters that I don’t know play and give feedback on it. That’s kind of a scary thing to me because you never really know if they are going to find the game fun and interesting.
DHP: Could you guide us through the stages of your game’s design, from ideation to its current state?
Ryan: So I’ve already gone into how I came up with the idea for the game. As far as creating a prototype I basically just sat down and created everything by hand initially. I pulled some ship art off the internet and printed those out to then cut out and super glue onto blank cards. For the board originally I had a black poster board that I glued planets onto, then painted hexes onto it as well.
Once I got the game to the point of having my first playtest with my brother in law I had some art done cheaply and had a basic prototype printed through the Game Crafter. Over the years I’ve slowly upgraded the components and art. I also bought a 3d printer in order to print some custom pieces.
The first time I had a playtest I played with my brother in law. The game was a mess back then, but we both enjoyed playing and I walked away with a good feeling about it. Since then I’ve probably played it another 30 times. It has come a long way over that time period, and every time we play it I learn something new.
After every play I’ll write down notes about the game: what went well, what didn’t go so well, and ideas on what to change/do away with. It used to be after every play that list was about a page long. Now after every play I may only have 2 or 3 items on it. Progress i guess!
Over the course of development I’d say I’ve tweaked or changed pretty much every part of the game. There’s tons of mechanics to Conquering Frontiers and I’m constantly thinking to myself after every game what can be made funner, what can be made better. My friends get irritated because I’m constantly texting them with ideas. One of my buddies has begun responding with the question, what are you trying to fix with this change, in an effort to try and get me to stop making changes all the time.
DHP: What aspirations do you hold for your game? Are you looking at self-publishing through platforms like Kickstarter or aiming for collaboration with renowned publishers?
Ryan: Yes I am hoping to one day self publish and put Conquering Frontiers on kickstarter. I’ve started the process of learning the in’s and out’s of Kickstarter in an effort to hopefully one day launch a successful campaign.
DHP: Do you have any marketing strategies in place? Are you considering collaborating with artists or other professionals?
Ryan: I haven’t put together a plan for marketing yet, but I have started the process of thinking about it. Social media isn’t my strong suit so I do have to admit this is probably where I’m weakest, but in the end its something I’ll have to overcome because without marketing the game it won’t do very well.
Posting an article on this Blog is the first attempt I’ve made at marketing my game.
DHP: Is this a solo project, or do you have collaborators or a team working alongside you?
Ryan: As of right now its just myself that’s working on the game. I do have friends that have played it a bunch and I bounce ideas off of. As far as hiring an artist I’ve got someone lined up to do most of the art. This is their first board game that they are working on so I’m hoping it all works out with them.
DHP: What were the most significant challenges you faced during the design? Were there any setbacks or learnings you’d like to share?
Ryan: I’d say marketing is the biggest hurdle I’ve had so far. Figuring out how to draw interest in my game and doing social media stuff has never been my strong suit. Also, during Covid we couldn’t get together to play the game which was tough.
DHP: If your current game attains success, do you see yourself designing more games or diving into other creative projects?
Ryan: Yes, if this game is a success I’m hoping to make others. I’ve actually been working on two other games. One of them is also sci-fi themed but its different than Conquering Frontiers because it deals with a single merc ship that the players control and upgrade along with its crew. The other is a baseball game called 7th inning Stretch, which is actually pretty far along in development.
Ultimately I’d love to have my own publishing company where I’m creating/publishing games full time.
DHP: Are there any game designers or specific games that have profoundly influenced your design philosophy?
Ryan: Throughout my life, there have been certain games and designers that have deeply shaped my perspective on game design. One of the early games that come to mind is ‘Axis and Allies’. The balance between strategy, chance, and player interaction in ‘Axis and Allies’ provided a rich gaming experience that resonated with me deeply. This game, among others, has not only influenced my appreciation for board games but also significantly informed my design philosophy.
DHP: What tools, software, or resources have you used in designing your game? Ryan: In designing my game, I’ve utilized a variety of tools, software, and resources. I use Card Creator on Steam for the design and creation of cards. When I need a prototype card printed quickly and affordably, I turn to Office Depot. For professional printing of all game components, I rely on Game Crafter. Additionally, I’ve chosen Inked Gaming for producing the game mat. Each of these resources has been instrumental in bringing my game design to life.
In conclusion, a heartfelt thank you to Ryan for offering such insightful responses and granting us an intimate glimpse into the world of game design. For all our readers who’ve been captivated by the journey behind ‘Conquering Frontiers’, don’t miss out on its latest developments. Stay updated and engaged by following their official [Facebook profile page](link here). Here at Dark Horse Publishing, we remain committed to bringing you stories from the heart of the board game universe. Check out more interviewers with designers here. Stay tuned for more!