Zach Sullivan
I got in touch with Zach through email when Château Gardens was released in 2024. It was one of my first review articles for a game active in a Kickstarter campaign, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it as much as I enjoyed playing the game!
Ever since we got in touch, Zach has been an incredible source of support, especially when I launched my first PNP game.
Let’s dive into Zach’s journey in game creation!
What inspired you to start designing games, and how did your journey begin?
My first memory of game design is when I was about 8 years old, my friend Russ and I made a simple game where you moved Lego characters around a board to collect new Lego pieces that gave them special moves like Pokemon (it was basically Pokemon). I don’t think we even finished playing through one game of it, but we had fun creating it, and I made several versions of other games for me to play with friends and family over the years growing up.
As an adult, I rediscovered my love of game design by running games of Dungeons and Dragons for family and friends during the pandemic. I listened to the DnD show Critical Role to help me learn how the game worked, and there is one particular surprise reveal in the show that their DM, Matthew Mercer, made specifically for his wife, Marisha (also a player), which took four years to pay off! As that plotline resolved, it seemed to be genuinely moving for Marisha, and it made me realize that making stories and experiences in games can be a gift to share with those we love and with the world. As I started taking game design more seriously starting in about 2022, I began to learn and enjoy the process of making games more and more, but I always try to keep in mind the players I am making the game for, and what decisions are best for them.
Can you share the biggest challenge you faced while designing your first game and how you overcame it?
I’ll interpret this to mean the first game I self-published through Grazing Bear Games, which was
Château Gardens. The biggest challenge was finding the right scoring options for each of the face cards that was interesting and balanced, but simple enough to describe in about fifteen words. The Queen’s ability was the hardest to find, and definitely went through the most testing. The lesson I learned there was to keep coming up with new ideas and trying new options even if something feels “good enough” already. You never know if a better option is out there until you try it, and even if you think a new option is worse, it’s usually worth it to try it and confirm that idea with actual data.
What's your design process when creating a new game?
I tend to think of game creation in several broad and somewhat overlapping categories, that generally follow this order:
Ideation: Coming up with new ideas for games is often a mix of seeking out inspiration and making space to be bored and let the creative juices flow. I love playing new games, reading/watching game reviews, and listening to game design podcasts to learn what other creators are doing and get inspiration for my own ideas. While out for a walk with the dogs or driving my young daughter around to get her to sleep, I also try to turn off the music and podcasts every now and then to let my mind wander, to either think of new game ideas or think up possible improvements for games I’m already working on. I’m usually a mechanics-first designer, but I try to find a good theme as quickly as I can so that it can inform the mechanisms from the very beginning.
Design: I think of this as the early prototyping, playtesting, and fleshing out of the first core ideas of a game. Make the prototypes quick, cheap, and ugly (I usually just use Google Docs & Google Sheets) so you can improve them as fast as possible, and test it out privately: first by myself, next with my wife, and then with my local playtest group. If it survives the first 10-20 playtests, and my first playtesters think it’s an idea worth pursuing, then I will keep working on it (although many ideas are shelved during this stage to make way for the better ones).
Refine: By industry terminology, this is technically still design work, but I like to separate out later-stage design work in my head to help prioritize the games I’m more committed to. This is when the core structure of the game is mostly locked in, and I’m trying small variations of the game frequently to improve balance, usability, fun, and the overall player experience. I’ll put a bit more effort into making pretty prototypes (using Canva and Dextrous.com.au) to take to conventions and local game nights for feedback from a broader circle.
Art Direction: I’m not a very good artist myself, so I’ve had to find, hire, and collaborate with talented artists to help turn my prototypes into beautiful products. I usually find artists online (often via the Facebook group “Art & Graphic Design for Tabletop Games”), and reach out or post in the group to start a conversation. If the artist is interested, I’ll send them a spec sheet PDF with the general project concept, component list, mood board, similar products in the market to reference, prototype images, any relevant deadline, and more. Then, they will send back a basic proposal for pricing and timeline, and I’ll compare the different artists based on style, pricing, and especially communication. We’ll sign a brief contract, and then get to work on pieces one at a time, usually going back and forth on several revisions before settling on the right pieces that combine beauty, theme, and usability.
Publishing: This is my catch-all for all the other efforts involved in self-publishing a game: gathering an audience, running a business, formatting and delivering files, etc. I won’t get into much detail here, but I will say that it is worth thinking about the end format of a game from the very start of the design journey. This lets you make decisions about components, art, player count, and more in a way that helps the players have the best experience and helps you make a market-viable product.
Are there any upcoming projects/games you're excited about?
We just revealed our next game called 14ers! It’s a quick tableau-building card game about climbing mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet called “14ers” by climbers. There are 58 such peaks in the state, and my wife has conquered over 40 of them – I’ve only climbed two of them so far, but I’m slowly working on it since we live on the other side of the U.S.! This game is made for her and everyone who loves the mountains, and we’re thrilled to feature original artwork from Hinterland Outdoors showcasing these beautiful peaks. 14ers is about the same complexity as our previous products from Grazing Bear Games, but there are dozens of different abilities and several different ways to use each card that may take some time to master. We’re excited to share more about the game later this year – we plan to bring both a Print and Play option as well as physical options for the game to Kickstarter this fall.
What advice would you give to aspiring game designers, especially those interested in print-and-play games?
Do your research to know what you’re getting into, get lots of feedback from a variety of places, and keep iterating and trying new options as much as possible! Specifically to PnP games, make sure to engage with gamers who regularly build and actually play their PnP games, then listen to their advice/requests on formatting for things like PDF files, rulebooks, cut lines, etc.
A bit on our Sponsor - Boardssey
Boardssey is the game-changer for board game designers, streamlining scattered ideas into published games. With purpose-built tools, Boardssey optimizes every stage of the creative journey, helping you centralize your designs, capture actionable playtest feedback, and present your games professionally to publishers.
It’s the platform that turns chaos into clarity, giving designers everything they need to bring their visions to life.
Are you interested? Well then, try it for free!
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
