Hello everyone ! My name is Erwann Ricord, and I designed two microgams published by Matagot: Le Roy des Ribauds to be published in Cannes, and the already released Western Legends Showdown, which takes place in the same universe as Kolossal’s game Cowboy/Sandbox. As a young game designer, I don’t pretend to design the best games of all time. However, I find it interesting to share with you how I transformed an idea into a board game in this board book on Campustech!
Genesis of Roy des Ribauds
The desire to create The King of Ribauds was born from my love for handheld games. I like the fact that a little game can accompany everyday moments like a picnic, a train trip or even just cooking spaghetti. What amazes me about this type of game is how minimalism serves gameplay to create a unique and remarkably fun game. I like to draw this parallel with video games where a good Gameboy Advance game, for example, touches me a thousand times more than a recent game that tries to do everything too well.
The need for ever more novelty in this type of game pushed me to create my own microgames.
To read : Revolver Noir: the first Micro Game that can be played standing up!
General concepts and influences
As I used a traditional card game to test my ideas, I then imagined that the game would take place in a medieval setting, to match the art of the cards I was using. These traditional card games are a bit neglected by us board game players, and I think it’s a good thing to discover them through new games that pay homage to them.
The first version of Le Roy des Ribauds was a simple version of Dutch with fewer cards. As it stood, it was really not satisfactory. However, the mechanics of Dutch, based on four hidden cards really interested me because it combines bluffing, memory and movement. This is how the idea of creating the king’s courtthis row of 4 face down cards with which players interact.
Once the courtyard implemented in the game, the rest came quickly.
To read : Board Notebook: Orion Duel, cosmogony of a modern abstract game
Development
Typically when I create a game I try to list mechanics that work around my basic idea. For example, the idea of the courtyard allowed me to have:
- hidden or revealed cards
- change the position of cards in the court
- why not powers for each card
- one hand for each player
Once the framework of the game was in place, I chose to create 4 different cards in order to have 16 in total. For their powers, I was able to use all the mechanisms previously mentioned. It seemed obvious to me, to add tension, that there are several ways to win. I wanted each victory to be different and for them all to be achievable within a game. The three victories rely on game mechanics and the power of other cards.
I therefore ended up with a first prototype called The Court of Blois (in reference to the assassination of the Duke of Guise) which was pleasant to play and which evolved as I played with those close to me.
Teamwork with Matagot
Over the course of the games, the feeling came to me that I had succeeded in obtaining a fast, nervous game, where each game did not resemble the previous one. Plus, my testers always wanted to play another game. Once the game is finished, I sent my prototype to Matagot without great expectations.
Although playing and creating board games for over ten years, The King of Ribauds is my first game signed by a publisher and was therefore my first collaboration with board game professionals. The exchanges with Matagot allowed me to refine the ruleswhich would have been impossible without their experience and numerous tests.
Their choice to place my game in the world of comics The King of Ribauds by Ronan Toulhoat and Vincent Brugeas (and from the French publisher Akileos) made it possible to give a little more credibility to the victory conditions and above all to obtain a graphically impeccable final result.
To read : Board notebook: the story of the game Almost Innocent by Philippe Attali
To finish
I sincerely hope that you enjoy this game as much as I do. I would also like to thank the Matagot team who allowed me to share my creations with other players. Finally, I thank Dorothée and Jean-Luc, my parents, and Manon, my partner, who are always ready to test my creations.
Erwann Ricord
How to play Roy des Ribauds?
Finally, here is a short video of the game in final version, to discover its hardware and gameplay:
