Independent Game Designer Interview With Rusty Lumpkin Of Three Nail Games LLC From Origins Game Fair
Image Source: Rusty Lumpkin
In previous articles, we introduced some independent board game designers we met at Origins Game Fair. Below is another great game designer we had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with: Rusty Lumpkin, who is the president of Three Nail Games LLC.
CS: How did you come up with the name for the game?
RL: When my wife and I started dating I pretty much instantly left to study abroad in Australia for a semester. With the distance and time differences that we faced forced us to be very intentional with our limited communication. This inspired me to start asking my wife simple questions at the end of every email such as Which are you more like... a Tire or a Steering Wheel and Why?! There was not a right or wrong answer to these questions because it is from the perspective of the person answering, but it does reveal a lot about that person. It reveals how that person views themself. How they view the world around them and also how they view their place and interaction with the world that we live in. It also opens the door for people to go as deep as they choose to or feel comfortable going.
There is something about the everyday objects that tends to be incredibly disarming and I am constantly amazed at how quickly people dive into depths of conversation that I never would have had the chance to go even if I had been friends with them for years. One day I was reflecting on the purpose of our games and when I remembered the impact and growth in my wife and I's relationship from simple and fun questions, it was obvious we needed a game that would incorporate this original concept in some way. We felt that the name "Are You More Like..." perfectly summed up what the entire game was about.
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CS: Why did you decide to get into board game design?
RL: When I got sucked into the hobby I was enamored by the new world of designs. Catan, Dominion, Escape: Curse of the Temple, and Captain Sonar were a few of the game designs that originally captivated me! I was super impressed by their creativity and beauty of how the games actually functioned that I knew I wanted to try my hand at designing. I tried designing for a year and a half and absolutely everything that I came up with was absolute trash or another game had already done it. I was ready to give up. I was praying one night and I told Jesus that I felt like He had placed a desire to design games on my heart but if that was actually the case then I would need His help doing it... before I got out of the chair new ideas, and twists on mechanisms I had never seen, came to my mind. We had a working prototype by that weekend and game ideas have been flowing non-stop since. This company would not exist without the Lord, and for that reason we named it Three Nail Games, referencing the three nails that were in the cross.
Image Source: Rusty Lumpkin
CS: Tell me a little about your games.
RL: As a company, we have a very wide range of different types and styles of games but what all of them seem to have in common is that they are all family-friendly with a huge focus on high player interaction. The decisions that you make drastically affect the others at the table and the board state. You will never feel like you are playing a solo game at the same table as your friends.
CS: What has been your favorite part about game design?
RL: As frustrating as it can be, I love to problem-solve issues in a game. It always feels like a puzzle. Sometimes it is a mechanical game-based puzzle and other times it is a social puzzle trying to understand why players are making the choices that they are and how that is going to affect the game in all different scenarios. My second favorite part of designing is when I get to be a fly on the wall and watch or hear about the amazing time that people had playing our games or when I hear about the stories of their experiences together at the table playing one of our games.
Image Source: Rusty Lumpkin
CS: Do you have any exciting projects coming up?
RL: After Are You More Like... and Go For The Krill, we will be preparing the KS for our game Natural Chaos. Natural Chaos is an abstract strategy game where each player controls two natural elements. The goal is to get four of your elements in a row on one of the four playing boards. The elements have a four-way rock-paper-scissors-type ranking system that allows you to keep your opponent on their toes! The rules are super simple but the moment you start playing it does a deep dive of interaction on the board.
CS: Where can people find it in the future?
RL: Are You More Like... and Go For The Krill will both be launching on Kickstarter soon as a dual campaign. Sign up for updates and be on the lookout for that! www.kickstarter.com/projects/threenailgames/are-you-more-like-and-go-for-the-krill
Things these amazing games have in common
o Easy To Learn.
o Playable at both Low and High Player Counts. (2 player all the way to 6 and 8 players.)
o Super Exciting Reveals.
o Simultaneous Selection.
o Understanding Your Opponents' Thoughts.
o Ages: 8+
Image Source: Rusty Lumpkin
CS: Where can people find you?
RL: We desire to start making a larger Con presence and are currently trying to discover what is both financially and logistically feasible at the moment. If any readers would have a Con that they highly recommend for a small company from Indiana we would love to hear about it. People can reach out to us on our webpage www.threenailgames.com or on any of our social media pages all under the username of threenailgames. We can be found on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Discord.
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