Tabletop Design Community

Joseph Nicholas from indietabletop recently interviewed me about Foxtrot Games. There were a few questions that no one had ever asked me before, and I wanted to share my responses to those on this blog.

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JN: What do you enjoy the most about the tabletop design community?

RH: I’m an introvert, and I don’t really thrive in large groups. I played modern hobby games for a long time without feeling like part of a larger community. But in recent years, since I’ve been creating games seriously, I have spent time with some really wonderful people. Creative work in general can be very lonely, and interacting with others doing similar work has been incredibly encouraging and inspiring. Some of my closest friends in the world are people I’ve met in the last few years through this community. I always look forward to spending long stretches of time with other designers: dedicated working sessions, road trips, or designer-specific events like Unpub.

Most board game creators genuinely love playing games and seeing other people have fun. I suppose creating board games isn’t lucrative enough or prestigious enough to attract people interested primarily in fame or fortune. There’s an enthusiastic and helpful spirit: so many people share their time, information, and experience through blog posts and on forums. There’s a sense of purpose, an understanding that bringing more fun into the world is important work — but also a light-hearted humility that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

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You can read the full interview here: Interview with Randy Hoyt