[JeuxNco.org] Interview de Michael SCHACHT

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« Most important is choosing the right idea. If you decide to work on an idea which is not strong enough or has not enough meat you mostly will not have the chance to create a good game. »

Déjà l'auteur d'une centaine de jeux, Michael SCHACHT parle de sa « Gold Trilogy » et en profite pour présenter Felinia !

Jeux’n’CO : Can you introduce yourself to people who do not know you yet?

Michael Schacht : Since 15 years i invent board and card games. I started with developing as a hobby and i am lucky to be able to work since 5 years as a fulltime game designer. Until today i had around 100 releases and haven‘t commited myself on a specific genre to keep some open-mindedness. So, i develop small and big, short and long games for all ages. Besides i try to achieve with simple instruments a high amout of fun and tension.

Jeux’n’CO : What path did you follow to become an author in the game world?

Michael Schacht : I had always phases when I liked to play boardgames but there were so many other interesting things, so I frequently lost the connection for some time. But games always came back. As I can remember from schooltime I made an expansion for « Risk » by adding an extra board with the Antarctica – that was kind of a start. When studying I was absolutely fascinated by the quite new computer games and the creation of them. That was the first real examination with inventing games and that for a longer lasting period of time. That also influenced me by chance to create two boardgame ideas. I heared of a german designing contest that I participated several times and that lead to the first releases.

Jeux’n’CO : What are the key steps in designing a game?

Michael Schacht : Most important is choosing the right idea. If you decide to work on an idea which is not strong enough or has not enough meat you mostly will not have the chance to create a good game. Often these projects even get aborted before completing. Or you postpone the prototype for some time but the problems will not change mostly.

The next step is to concentrate all the collected ideas and basic conditions to a clear concept or even a first short rule set.

At that moment again I often stop the work if I am not assured of its potential. If not I can start tinkering the first prototype. The very first simulations often result in rebuilding the prototype immediately several times. The reason is although you did your best things rarely work as expected. If I have the feeling others can handle the gameplay I make a first test with real players and hope the gameplay is interesting or makes fun. Again at that moment a lot of ideas die because of weakness or just simply not making fun. So, even if you keep on track the chance is not very high that a development comes to a good end.

Jeux’n’CO : Can you brief us on the last game you created?

Michael Schacht : The just released board game « Felinia » is besides « Valdoa » and « The Golden City » the third part of my little « Gold Trilogy ». It contains a lot of mechanisms like bidding, dealing, collecting, exploring and placing as well as some aspects which might be typical for my work. And some links like – of course – gold and provisions to the other two games. Mainly it is about buying specific goods at the city of « Katzburg » that are needed for entering a boat to the kingdom of « Felinia » where you explore and try to find the right place for a trading post. There are several ways to collect points and in the advanced games even more. As the publisher and the illustrator invested a lot of enthusiasm in the production i am looking forward on the reactions of the players.

Jeux’n’CO : What makes you so passionate about the game?

Michael Schacht : This is a good example about the ups and downs you usually have in a bigger long time designing project and the enthusiasm you need to hold on until the end. As i report on my website in detail one of the main mechansim i was proud of got released in another game of someone else before « Felinia » itself got released. That is of course not a story about stealing but it is about parallel developments, a thing that happens all the time and most designers know first-hand. I started with my development many years ago (like the other designer) and had to postpone unfortunately several times the completion (again the sam with the other). Finally i was very happy with the result as i got shocked by the coincidence. Mostly something like this is the killer of your design but in my case it came to a happy ending when the game got released at Essen fair for me and the idea. One comment, when ypu play my game you will see that it is not exactly the same mechanism and also as it is just one part of my design the gameplay is very different.

Jeux’n’CO : What are your future plans?

Michael Schacht : There are some releases on the schedule.

Next spring there will be a new tile placement game called « Mondo » for 1 to 4 players. A single match just takes 5 to 6 minutes in that each player has to create in time an own world. For that cardboard tiles from a collective stock that show different types of landscape, animals and vulcanos have to be placed quite correctly on the own board to achieve the most points. Not later than in the « pro » game all participants got their hands full.

At the moment i am developing some more additional stuff for it because it is an extremly flexible and open game system.

Jeux’n’CO : I thank you on behalf of the association Jeux’n'CO for the time you spent on me. Any last words?

Michael Schacht : Dear colleagues, please don‘t forget about creating family games!

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