This is the final part of a three-part retrospective series on Far Away. In this series, we explore the development of Far Away and the lessons learned along the way.
We did it. Far Away is in the hands of backers. It’s on the street for retailers (whatever that actually means in the current pandemic world). People are staying things about it on Board Game Geek. By all those metrics, Far Away is now a real game. This marks our fourth title we’ve taken from idea to production. We’ve spent the other two retrospective articles looking back on the development, so with the game’s release, it only feels appropriate to look forward and talk about how we’ll approach the next game differently.
Jake did a great job describing the iterative nature of design. It’s hard to decouple the graphic design with the game design, particularly when playtesting. How people perceive the game is dependent on how it looks as much as what they’re being asked to do. Those perceptions then, in turn, inform our designs. I want to tighten and improve this feedback loop.
We need to figure out how to better create games with tester or filler materials for playtesters. We relied on GameCrafter copies to test, giving players accurate tactile experiences, but often sticking them with outdated iconography. Playtesters frequently fixated on designs we fully planned on changing. This made it harder to root out newer issues, leading to production delays when they were discovered. Ideally, we’d love to get a system in place where we’re not getting obsolete feedback. We’re researching strategies for this, such as creating materials with some blank spots for icons and using stickers to swap in new designs. Such modular playtesting kits would also enable A/B testing for more areas.
Rapidly editing pieces of the game will lead to better testing. We also want to revisit how we write rulebooks. Every game has found us slowly and continually editing the manual text. This makes sense in principle, but we wonder if this creates an overall disconnect between passages. Often, we’ll solidify some parts of the game long before others. This can lead to cross-references about rule behavior that are inaccurate. While we always hope to sniff out such issues during copy edits, we acknowledge we’re not perfect. For the next project, we’ll attempt to rewrite the rulebook from scratch at key points in development. Hopefully, this will ensure a consistent tone and understanding throughout, reducing the need for clarifying questions on BGG.
Far Away has also reshaped our business strategies. We’ve already grown thanks to the game’s success. We’re investing in more social media presence, as well as other social events (err… we will once more than 10 people can be in a room again). We love being part of the indie game and broader tabletop gaming communities. However, it’s a challenge prioritizing the necessary social media interactions against game design and production. Jake and I work full-time outside of CPG, so those precious hours we can give to our games need to feel productive. Now, we have Emily, our social media guru, who can embody the Cherry Picked spirit and be part of the world. Be sure to say “hi” to her on Instagram.
This round of shipping has bought some unique challenges. Unpacking 375 cases of Far Away and delivering hundreds of copies to the post office was a known challenge. It was tough, but doable. The manual labor makes everything feel more real and authentic. It connects us to you. What’s been less meaningful is the staggering international shipping costs, complete with bonus end-customer customs fees. The next project might be the one for which we use a fulfillment company. We always feared it would raise costs for projects our size, but we might be too big to avoid it.
One thing we’re not particular apologetic for is choosing to delay Far Away’s release. We needed the extra time to refine the game. Of course, considering that holding back the game from the printers for a couple weeks spiraled into a few months of delays, it’s hard not to kick ourselves for missed opportunities. If we’d shaved off that time during development, we’d have shipped before COVID-19 and had a wave of demos to hype up the game to the public. Rationally, I know it was impossible to predict that a burgeoning global pandemic would cripple trans-Pacific shipping and send everyone into some form of quarantine. Irrationally, I keep thinking about every night I could have pounded another cup of coffee to write some cards or every romantic date that could have instead been a playtest. Would that have made Far Away into an incoherent mess reflecting its socially isolated creator? Probably, but it would have shipped on time. However, the goal of these retrospectives is to focus on actual improvements and learnings, not self-flagellation. We will strive to have a more accurate release date for the next game, accounting for the increased testing time a game like Far Away requires.
Far Away has been a central focus in our lives for over two years. The game showcases our design ideals and our sense of humor. It represents the game we believed was missing from the world. Looking back, we can see mistakes we’ve made and places to improve. We can also see the “aha” moments that sparked amazing mechanics. We can relive the worldbuilding that inspired every other choice. We can read jokes that still make us laugh (there are many, but Mission 8, Contingency D is probably my favorite joke setup and delivery). Even though we’re thinking about the future, we want to be in the current moment and share this wonderful game with you. We are happy to present Far Away: a weirdly prescient game about the dangers of prolonged social distancing.
-- Alex