We've spent some time talking about Summoner Wars this week, an indie card/board game from Plaid Hat Games. Colby Dauch is the man behind the hat. Coming from the Heroscape tradition, Colby is the senior designer and owner of Plaid Hat.

Thanks for answering our questions, Colby.

Eye of the Vortex [EOV]: How did your experience working on the Heroscape character designs help you with the design of this game?

Colby Dauch [CD]: My work on Heroscape was mostly in the department of power design for the cards. So I learned about what makes a fun and interesting power that fits well into the game system. Nearly every member of my playtest team on Summoner Wars, I met because of Heroscape, and those guys are invaluable. Not to mention that many of the methods we use for playtesting were things I picked up from my work on Heroscape. Craig VanNess is my favorite game designer and his approach to game design is one I respect and am very glad to have had a chance to work under. Craig gave me my first shot at this stuff. His faith in me and his reassurance and encouraging are a huge part of what inspired me to strike out and do my own game.

[EOV]: Why did you elect to create the four races you started Summoner Wars with? Why not the Undead and Vanguards first?

[CD]: I thought the first pairings were interesting ones thematically. The undead are a little tougher to play and I wanted players to have their feet wet before I introduced them.

[EOV]: Are there new races in the works? Care to share any info?

[CD]: There are tons of new races in the works. I will be doing lots of different twists on classic fantasy races who all have their own unique back story motives and fighting style.

[EOV]: Along with that, when should we expect to start to see new Summoners for the existing races?

[CD]: New Summoners for existing races will be a little while. I want to introduce a lot of the factions I have for the game first and then start bringing in new Summoners for those factions.

[EOV]:The single complaint that I've heard about Summoner Wars on the internet is that the paper mat is wholly inadequate; why did you go with the folded paper mat initially?

[CD]: Because it allowed me to offer a starter set for $25. I always knew I would release a nicer board later, making it available for those that it was important to. Some don't want to pay that extra money when the paper board suffices and keeps the game all that more portable. With this method it is the best of both worlds, players get the option of a nice board without being forced to pay the higher price of having a nicer board included in the starter sets.

[EOV]: Explain the way the premium board sales are working - how can I get one of these bad boys?

[CD]: Premium Boards are only available at PlaidHatGames.com. You can go there and click on the shop tab and pick up a Premium Board. Right now they are in a state of pre-order, but thanks to the pre-orders that have already been placed we are able to send the Premium Board into print earlier than expected, so you can expect orders to be shipped out to customers by July.

[EOV]: Are you expecting to put out expansions that are purely mercenary cards, or will those continue to be promo material?

[CD]: There are no expansions planned that are purely mercenary cards, but every 'Reinforcement' expansion will include mercenaries in addition to more units for existing factions.

[EOV]: Will there be Common mercenaries? Have you thought about premade decks with mercenaries included as a part of the package?

[CD]: There will be common mercenaries as well as champions in every Reinforcement Pack.

[EOV]: That's twice now with talk of a "Reinforcement Pack." This, as far as I know, is not a product currently on the market for Summoner Wars. Can you elaborate on what a Reinforcement Pack is, and when you think those will start to become available?

[CD]: Reinforcement Packs are packs of cards that come with more units for the various factions as well as more mercenary units. They are for the purpose of giving players cards with which they can customize their decks. The first set of these Reinforcement Packs will be available around fall of this year. One will contain more dwarves, goblins, and mercenaries, while the other will contain more orcs, elves, and mercenaries.

[EOV]: Is Plaid Hat going to be publishing other games now that you know the ropes? Are you going to actively look for game designers to submit ideas to you?

[CD]: We have more games being developed now, as well as lots of Summoner Wars stuff in the pipes. I am not currently seeking unsolicited game submissions, but that could very well be in our future.

Thanks for talking with us Colby!

You can check out the Plaid Hat Games website at this link., and check out our reviews of their debut game, Summoner Wars, hereand here.

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What are your questions about Summoner Wars? Ask away in the forums!

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