But Wait, There's More! An Interview with Game Design Duo Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier: Page 2 of 4

CGR: How do you come up with new ideas? What is your process for polishing these ideas into publishable games?

Sen: Jay and I maintain a private forum to keep track of our projects. We start there with an idea and bandy it about a lot until we feel compelled to make a physical version of it to put through its paces. Once we get an idea we feel is worthwhile, we want to get it on the table and push the bits and pieces around and then get it in front of other players to see what clicks and, more importantly, what doesn't.

Jay: We are totally fine with playtesting games that we know that are broken. We let the playtesters know that this part of the game is broken, but we’re testing this part right now. What that allows us to do is to keep forward momentum. Sometimes we can’t figure out how to solve one area, but if we can still progress in another area then that’s a plus in our books. Most of the time, though, when we playtest our beta games we feel like it’s the best game ever and that everyone is going to love it and we’re going to want to submit it to a publisher ASAP! We quickly learn that is not the case and we have much refining to do. Fortunately, we never look at that as any type of rejection from our playtesters — it’s great that they’re helping make the game even better. It’s such an amazing feeling to come out of a playtest session with solid ideas that will turn a game that you already thought was awesome into something better!

CGR: Congratulations on reaching your funding goal for your new party game, But Wait, There's More! Could you tell us about the game and what sets it apart from similar games on the market?

Sen: Thanks! It's a game where you're pitching wacky contraptions to each other and voting on the best pitches (not necessarily the best product). In a given round, everyone is pitching the same type of product, but each player must customize his or her product with a feature card from their hand; so, "pants" + "now with room for seven", for example! You have 30 seconds to explain why your pants are better than any other player's this round. But wait, there's more! Within the 30 second limit, you must add a randomly drawn feature to your already kooky device and continue to justify why your pants with room for seven are now even better because they are also made of non-stick material for easy cleaning!

What sets But Wait, There's More! apart from similar games is the fact that everyone is pitching the same product type, so there's a ton of one-upsmanship in the pitches. The products and features have been culled for the latest and greatest infomercial ads, so they feel like they could be actual products as seen on late night TV. The game really shines when people get into the role of a huckster trying to convince people to buy their products. It is really fun to see your friends get creative with their pitches!

Jay: One of my favourite aspects of the game is that while extroverts will have a blast with the game, we’ve found that this game plays equally well with introverts. We totally expected this game to be a harder sell to people that are shy or don’t like being the centre of attention. We noticed that a) everyone loves listening to other people pitch their products, as it’s super funny and b) even if you’re super shy, the cards can do a lot of the work for you! Just flip over your first card and read it aloud, then add "But Wait, There’s More!" and flip over a random card and read it aloud. Sometimes that’s enough to elicit laughter! I’ve never seen a game so successfully turn everyone into a funny person!

CGR: But Wait, There's More! sounds like it could be a lot of fun. When is it scheduled to be released and what will be the MSRP? Are there any special perks for Kickstarter backers?

Jay: The Kickstarter should start shipping in December to everyone — assuming there are no hiccups! The MSRP is $24.99. There are some stretch goals (mini expansions) that won’t be sold in the main package if we can achieve them! They might be sold separately one day if they find value in doing so. So we really need to hit some of these stretch goals to continue to increase the value!

Sen: You know what Jay? They make great gifts! That's right! Who wouldn't want to get a 100% certified Bamboozle Brothers game instead of another tie or coffee mug on their birthday or Christmas? So order one for yourself and one for a friend! It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Next Page: Tips for Aspiring Game Designers