Interview of Ryan Laukat - Board Game Designer, Artist, & Publisher
Posted by Michael Mindes on October 18, 2011
Ryan Laukat is a board game designer and illustrator. I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator for three years in the board game industry. Some of the games I’ve worked on include Bridge Troll, Trollhalla, cards for the Dominion games, Chocolatl, and Rails of New England. I’ve been designing games since I was in middle school, and my game illustration grew out of that interest in design.
Right now, Ryan has his game Empires of the Void on Kickstarter and is looking for funding.
What accomplishments so far are you the most proud of?
I have been very happy to work on the Dominion cards. That has really helped me get other illustration jobs. I think some of my best work was on Rails of New England, but I also loved working on Bridge Troll and Trollhalla—there is a really fun sense of humor in each game and it was a blast to illustrate it.
How did you get work as an artist for board games? Please tell us about your first time.
The first two games I worked on were published at the same time: Strozzi and Dominion, both by Rio Grande Games. I met Jay Tummelson at a local convention and showed him one of my game designs. He didn’t want to publish the game, but he liked my artwork. I was jumping off the walls when he hired me to do some art. The first cards I did were the Trash card and the Adventurer card. I think it really helped that I was able to talk to him face to face; he knew who I was and probably felt more confident hiring me.
Are any of your game designs published? Please tell us about how awesome that feels.
I don’t have any designs published yet, but I am excited to soon publish Empires of the Void, my space empire game. I’ve been trying to get a game design published for years and it feels really good to finally see one make it.
What do you think it takes to be creative? Where do you get flashes of brilliance from?
All my best ideas seem to come out of nowhere, usually when I’m doing something mundane, like taking a shower or unpacking boxes at my day job. But I’m also influenced by video games, books, and movies. My best designs are generally more theme-based. I like to tell stories, and that drives my game design mind. But I think a lot of it comes down to consistent, hard work. Designing a game can be difficult, and many times can turn out as a piece of garbage, even with tons of revision. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. I throw away around 95% of my game designs. But the key is to keep going until you find the diamond.
What is the single toughest problem you’ve had to face, and how did you get through it?
The hardest thing by far for me has been my lack of patience. I always want things to happen overnight. I find that it’s easier to deal with if I balance my life though. Making enough time for relaxation, family, etc. is very healthy.
What is the future of the board game industry?
I think it is growing and growing, especially with so many titles moving to smart phones and tablets. The electronic versions of hobby games are only going to help introduce more people to the industry, and that can’t be a bad thing. But I don’t think electronic board games will ever replace cardboard ones, at least not until we have the chessboard on the Millennium Falcon.
Do you think being an artist helps you while designing board games?
When I design a game, I think as much about the art and look of the game as I do the mechanics. The two are very intertwined for me, and I can’t imagine designing a game without also working on the art. I am definitely happy I can do both.
One of the biggest problems for creative people is spreading too thin working on too many projects. How do you prioritize projects?
This is a serious issue for me because I like to write and illustrate stories as well as design games. What I’ve had to start doing is implement a personal review on each idea I have. For example, let’s say I get a game design idea while driving to work. I let it stew around in my head for a while, then write it down, or draw up a rough sketch of the game. I’ll wait a day, and then the review process starts. It’s like two debate teams shouting at each other in my head. If I think it is a REALLY good idea, I’ll start working on it, and if not, I’ll throw it away. I just don’t have time for everything.
Also, I find that if I schedule a small increment of time each day for a specific project, I tend to get more done and don’t neglect everything else.
What have you been up to recently? What projects are you working on (that you can discuss)?
I am working now on Empires of the Void, and am very excited about it. It is a space empire board game that will soon be on Kickstarter.com. I’m writing an Asian-fantasy novel when I can. I also have a Super Nintendo-inspired board game in the works.
What excites you about these new projects?
Empires of the Void is the space game I always wanted to create. It has loads of different aliens, and I had a lot of fun creating all the art for it. I love starting new projects. It’s finishing them that is hard.
What blogs, podcasts, or other sites do you still find yourself consuming religiously?
I’ve listened to The Dice Tower podcast for three years now and never miss an episode. I practically live on boardgamegeek.com.
Do you have a Twitter account, Blog, or Facebook “Like” page?
My blog is http://www.blistworld.com. My art website is http://www.ryanlaukat.com. My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Laukat/177673318963896.
