Independent Game Designer Interview With Jason Yeung (Forgeborne Games LLC) From Origins Game Fair

Tabletop Games

Aug 10

At Origins Game Fair, CultureSlate had the opportunity to meet several independent board game designers and talk to them about their games and the exciting news they have in store. The first of these interviews is Jason Yeung who is the founder of Forgeborne Games LLC and Creative Director of Terminus Frontier.

CS: How did you come up with the name Terminus Frontier?

JY: We spent a long time trying to name Terminus Frontier. Originally, we were going to name the game after the player squad. After discussions with our playtesters, we came to the realization that the heart of the game was really about the world and universe we were creating. Terminus Frontier literally means “frontier’s end”, the untamed edge of uncharted space. The word “Terminus” also exemplifies the grim, dreaded unknown that can only be found in the fringes of the galaxy. We put it to a vote with our playtesters, and the name Terminus Frontier won unanimously!

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CS: Why did you decide to get into board game design?

JY: It is a dream of ours to publish our own board games. We love tabletop games, miniature games, card games, and board games of all types. I own over 500 board games at home, and my family has no idea how they all fit in our house. Also, I run a board game Instagram with over 9000 followers called Jason_Boardgamer. I’m actually a video game designer by trade. I have designed video games as a Lead Game Designer for over 20 years working on brands such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel, Star Wars, and original IP. I also have experience making toys, action figures, and even Lightsaber physical products. I love being able to shape original IP, and Terminus Frontier was the perfect chance for me bring all this experience together to make a dream big-box board game in an original setting!

CS: Tell me a little about your game(s).

JY: Terminus Frontier is a 1-4 player sci-fi cooperative skirmish game. It features tactical squad combat, open-world space exploration, and narrative choices. It is inspired by popular franchises like XCOM, Firefly, and Mass Effect. Terminus Frontier features deep tactical squad-based combat. Our playtesters really like our Ammo Deck system. Players can equip 2 weapons and each weapon has a deck of cards that represents its ammunition as well as the damage results.

Players can control how many cards they flip on an attack using Selective Fire. When the Ammo Deck runs out, the player will need to reload it – which costs 1 Action Point. Very few board games feature ammo tracking and reloading due to the upkeep, but our system does this all elegantly. Terminus Frontier is a campaign game, so players can play through a branching storyline and continue their progress over multiple sessions similar to an RPG. Players can travel to new star systems, earn Experience, unlock new Skill cards, and even recruit new crew members for their squad. Players can discover over 200 weapons, armor, and gear cards to customize their characters. If the story campaign is not your cup of tea, we also support an Instant Action “One-Shot” mode where you pick your favorite Scenario, set it up, and start playing. In this mode, you can bypass the story and jump straight into a battle.

CS: What has been your favorite part about game design?

JY: Seeing our play tester’s positive reactions to the game at board game conventions has been very rewarding. Making a game our players love is the main reason we go through all the labor of development, so it’s been very rewarding to see everyone’s responses. One of the best parts about designing a game is that afterwards you have a re-playable social experience. I still have a blast whenever I play Terminus Frontier even after working on it for 4+ years!

CS: This game definitely has the feel of a video game in a different format, which is so cool, do you think this will help broaden your audience as well?

JY: For sure! Our playtesters have mentioned how Terminus Frontier’s combat reminds them of their favorite video games and first-person shooters. Our fans also really like our AAA artwork and detailed miniature sculpts. All this should add up to a very unique and exciting board game experience!

CS: Did you work with any specific artists for the miniatures?

JY: We were fortunate to work with so many talented artists on Terminus Frontier. Jessada Sutthi illustrated all our characters. He’s a super-talented artist who paints TCG illustrations for Flesh & Blood, Legend of the 5 Rings, and Legend of the Cryptids. Admira Wijaya painted our amazing box cover. He’s done a ton of top-tier art for Marvel and DC. We also have a team of talented sculptors who handled the 3d creation of our miniatures. Vinicuis Dominiquini, Pietro Biel Machaen, Carlos Rueda Ruiz, and Headhunter Models.

CS: Do you have any exciting projects coming up?

JY: We would love to expand Terminus Frontier and explore the rest of the universe. There are so many stories that can be told in this setting. In the near term, we are going to focus on making Terminus Frontier a hit game on crowdfunding. Getting this board game onto our backers’ tables and making sure they love it is our first priority.

CS: Where can people find Terminus Frontier in the future?

JY: You can sign up for the Kickstarter here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/forgebornegames/terminus-frontier. We also have a Newsletter that you can join to get updates on the game as well: www.terminusfrontier.com.

CS: Where can people find you?

JY: We have a Facebook page where we post updates about the game. We have a Discord channel for anyone to ask questions or just wants to get to know our team better. discord.com/invite/ZfZsjbTm2a. We plan to attend more board game cons this year, but we are still finalizing our list. We will announce this on our Facebook page when our plans are finalized.

It was such a pleasure to talk to Jason about his great game and hopes for the future. We wish him luck in his endeavors!

Stay tuned for some more amazing interviews from independent game designers and learn more about their games and creative processes to bring them to the world.

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