Time's Up for Frank DiLorenzo

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How do you come up with the basic idea for your games?

It's usually one of two things. Either I come across something that sounds like a good situation for a game or I find myself wishing there was a fun game about a certain something. Then I'm off brainstorming on what it could be. Occasionally, someone says to me, "Hey, how about a game about such and such?," and I think, "Okay, that sounds intriguing," or even, "Well, not that exactly, but hey, maybe something like this..."

The first version is usually done in a day. It will probably be changed 10 to 20 times before I'm finished with it and it's ready for publication.

How long before you have a finished version ready?

It really depends on the type of game. I'd say in general, anywhere from three to 10 months. If I had the time to devote to designing full time (instead of running R&R Games), I 'd probably turn them out a lot faster.

What's the most difficult part about the design process?

The testing and re-testing to refine it. I tend to get tired of any game if I play it too much. Also, writing the rules can be a bear. Just when you think you've said everything you need to say to explain it, along comes somebody with 30,000 legitimate questions.

What do you enjoy most about designing games?

Playing them and watching other people enjoy them. I tend to enjoy a game more as it evolves and then lose interest once it's done. (The exception here seems to be Overthrone, I haven't lost interest in playing that yet. In fact, I challenge you right now... let's go!)

What do you enjoy least about designing board games?

See question about the most difficult part... The voices... I can't stand the voices... always complaining, never satisfied... Oh, sorry, where were we?

The card game Overthrone was designed by Frank DiLorenzo. Graphic courtesy R&R Games.

Can't publish a game without it. Just because I like the game and my friends like the game is just not reason enough to publish it. (Not to say that we don't have good taste, mind you.) It's incredibly important to get as much of a varied response to the games as possible. It's paramount that any flaws in the design are discovered and purged before publishing.

When you're the designer, it's so easy to miss problems and flaws because you're too close too the project. You need the objective viewpoint of playtesters to really see it from all sides.

Who playtests your games?

We have several groups of game players in various locations around the country that we send our designs to (including our elite Special-OPS unit in Boston). The main three are located in the Tampa area so that I can participate in the testing. The testers represent all types of game players, covering the various markets we target.

Please tell us a little about how the idea for Overthrone developed.

I wanted to make a card game instead of a board game. My brother said I should make a game about monks in an abbey where someone's trying to assassinate the Abbott. I said, "Hmmm... intriguing, but why do I care about assassinating an Abbott? Do I get to be the new Abbott? Does the monastery make wine or cheese?"

Later that week, as I was taking the long 3 hour drive down to Miami, I thought, "Hmmm... I don't really care about taking over a monastery, but a country might be cool. What if you're all Nobles trying to Overthrow the King? Hey, 'Overthrone' would be a cool name for a game." Stacey (my wife) and I hashed out the basics of the game the rest of the way to Miami and back. The next day I pumped out a quick prototype and we started testing it out. It went through two years of playtesting and many design changes before we had it ready.

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