When did you decide that the need existed for a company like Rio Grande?
When the Bromleys decided to leave Mayfair. I wanted to continue what I started and doing it with my own company seemed to be the best way.
When did you actually start the company?
March 1998.
What was the first game you sold as Rio Grande Games? How did it do?
I released 6 games in May and June of 1998: Fossil, Löwenherz, Mississippi Queen, The Black Rose, IDO, and Edison & Co. All have done very well except Löwenherz. Although the game gets very positive comments everywhere, it has not sold as well as I expected. Fossil was chosen by Games Magazine as Game of the Year for 1999. It did so well that I had to reprint it early in 1999.
When was that first game sent to retailers? How did you find stores to sell it?
The games were first released in the U.K. because it was closer to my printer in Germany. A few weeks later, the games were released in the U.S. and Canada. Most of my games are sold through hobby game distributors in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe. Their initial sales were to stores familiar with German-style games because of the games I was involved in publishing at Mayfair Games.
How many games are currently being sold by Rio Grande?
We have 45 games listed in our catalog. 36 of these carry the Rio Grande Games logo. Seven are international games (in several languages including English) distributed by Rio Grande Games in English-speaking countries, and two are English language games distributed by Rio Grande Games.
How do you choose the games for Rio Grande?
I work with several German publishers. They show me the games they're planning to publish in the future and I choose the ones I feel will do well in my market. Then, we work together to finish and print the games so they can be released together in both languages. In many cases, we are also working with 999 Games from The Netherlands, who publish many of the same games in Dutch. How many new games does Rio Grande pick up each year?
Well, the math should be easy: in 20 months, I have published 36 games. So that works out to just over 20 games per year. I expect that rate may slow a bit in the next year or two to 12 to 15 games per year. A lot depends on what games are being published in Germany, although I have begun to work on two titles of my own.
How much of your time is spent trying out new games?
I spend a lot of time in Europe visiting with the German companies looking at their new games. That is where my games have come from so far. I do occasionally get designs from American designers and have introduced some of those designs to my German partners. I hope we will soon see some of these games published (in both German and English, of course).
When you get to play just for the fun of it, what games (Rio Grande or other companies) do you enjoy most?
Since I have been lucky to publish my favorite games, I play mostly Rio Grande Games. Lately, I have been playing a lot of Lost Cities and Caesar & Cleopatra.
Numerous Rio Grande Games releases found their way into this year's Games 100 list, and they also receive other awards/recognition on a regular basis. What does that say about your ability to judge games?
Although I would like to take credit for being a great judge of games, but it is the Germans that do most of the selecting. I just follow behind and pick the ones I like best. With that many great games to choose from, it is hard to miss.
What award/recognition most surprised you? Which one are you especially proud of?
IDO was chosen Game of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle last year (1998). We received no warning and were flooded with requests for the game on the Monday following the announcement.
I am most proud of Torres winning the Games magazine Game of the Year for 2000. I liked the game when I first saw it, but had to wait until last summer for it to be produced. Because of the delay (actually, this was the schedule set by Ravensburger), I sent the game to the editors very late and was not sure they would have time to consider it fully. I was wrong! And very pleased!
How difficult is it to get American adults to understand that boardgames can go far beyond what they're used to playing?
It is easy when you can show them the game. I do a lot of demos and people usually pick up on the games very quickly. They always ask, "Where have these games been?" But, being in a position to show a person new to these kinds of games is not easy. That is the real challenge, but I think the numbers are growing as people show each other the games.
What benefits do you believe playing games provides for children and families?
It gives them social time together -- away from video and PC games and the TV. They have fun playing the game and talk about what is going on in their. often very separate, lives. It also gives parents the chance to teach their children about winning and losing the right way. Although the games are not "educational" game, they also learn from the games in an indirect way. The counting and scoring teaches arithmetic, for example.
Avalon Hill and Wizards of the Coast both were purchased by Hasbro in the not-too-distant past. Do you see your company being in competition with Hasbro at all?
I think that Hasbro and I (and other board game companies) are cooperatively competeing against other forms of entertainment for people's entertainment dollars. By publishing better games, we bring more people to gaming and, in a way, help promote each other's products. For example, Hasbro is advertising "Family Game Night." If their ads are successful, more families will be playing games -- and some of them will be playing my games.
