Ever wondered what it's like to design a game where every hero is overpowered? Join K.S Lim as he shares the journey behind Isekai the Board Game, from weaving Isekai and RPG genres, to creating and balancing unique gameplay that engages players into an immersive world.
Q: Please give the readers a short introduction about yourself and your game.
My name is K.S Lim, I am an independent creator who enjoy card games. Isekai the Board Game was my own project that I have worked on because I really like the idea of playing as Overpowered Heroes and wanted to see it brought to life.
Isekai the Board Game, is a game where players are reborn as overpowered heroes in an RPG-like world, with abilities of instantly defeating enemies or teleporting at will. It offers a game-breaking experience as players compete to be the first to defeat the demon forces.
The game is inspired by the Japanese genre "Isekai," in which characters are reborn into alternate worlds possessing incredible abilities. It features various types of Isekai protagonists competing against each other in a quest for triumph.
Q: What are the events or inspirations that created the ideas behind your game and what kind of objective or game experience do you hope to create?
I have played card games and board games with my friends for many years. The games that we played over the years, have inspired me to make a game where I can explore what are the craziest things I can do in a game and feel really powerful.
Coincidentally, Isekai was a great theme about power fantasy and many Isekai stories took a lot of inspiration from RPG too. So, the idea was if I make a simple dice RPG-like game and play as overpowered characters in it, it will be a interesting experience.
The game has then developed from a power fantasy to an engaging challenge where players actively seek ways to bend the game to their favour with their powers.
Therefore, I hope my game will bring a genuine and exhilarating experience of being overpowered to the players, while challenging them to find an edge over others in this new world.
Q: What is your creation process like?
The game started off as a test of two powers with different extremes: a hero that instant kills any enemies versus a hero that teleports to any tile you liked. Pure Power Vs Freedom. I had a lot of fun exploring the extremes and seeing the consequences which spur me to continue the project.
As the game continued to be developed, I explored other various extreme powers that could exist in an RPG-like world and how would they compete with each other. It was then I decided that I wanted to create a game where players can freely experience different extreme abilities while challenging them to find advantages over other heroes.
To achieve that goal, I tried to create a sensible environment by adjusting rewards, creating unique companions and scaling bosses with different de-buffs, in the hopes of creating interesting challenges for each Heroes while showcasing their extreme powers.
Q: You ran a kickstarter for Isekai the Board Game. What is your greatest takeaway from
the experience? How would you do it differently if you were to run another Kickstarter
campaign?
Treasure the people who are hyped about my game, it was one of my biggest pushing force and my best memories.
During the Kickstarter campaign, there were definitely skepticism and it was understandable that my campaign would be compared to bigger projects. But despite that, there were people who offered words of encouragement and actively engaging with the game’s social media posts.
Looking back, I could have work harder to connect with those people, and this would be a priority if I run my next Kickstarter.
Q: What are some of the greatest challenges you faced while creating the game and what
about your game do you wish could have been done better?
This is my first game, so in addition to having to learn many new things to work on this game, it was hard to get people to believe in the vision of the game. “Why do the characters have to be overpowered?” was a very fair question and also the main premise of this game. Often times, it was difficult for me to discern the line between being unreceptive to suggestions and keeping true to my vision.
But eventually when playtesters enjoyed the game, they commented even when the Heroes feel very powerful, the game overall felt balanced to them, and that was a huge relief for me.
However, I do believe that if I had managed my workload better, I could have worked on additional tools to facilitate my game, which I am currently exploring.
Q: You showcased Isekai the Board Game at the recent TableCon Quest. What was the
experience like and how did attendees respond to it? Will you recommend other indie
designers to join the show?
As a Trading card game (TCG) player myself, I was really happy about the opportunity to have TCG participants getting to see the work that board game designers have put out. The attendees at the Isekai the Board Game’s demo session had a great time and I enjoyed sharing my game to them as well.
I also got the chance to meet many people who have bought the game previously. It was a great experience altogether for me!
Q: Do you have any plans for future games?
I am currently working on the expansion of Isekai the Board Game and possibly a completely new game. I am also working to get the required support for the current game to make my future games and expansion a realty
Q: Where can your game be found?
Do check out this link for a list of stores in Singapore to learn more or buy the game!
For overseas, you can grab the game at our Isekai the Board Game Store!
Kommentare