#74: Creating Your Favorite Board Games with Brian Hersch
You may not recognize Brian Hersch’s name, but you’ve most certainly played one (or several) of his board games. He’s the mind behind gems like Taboo, Outburst, and Super Scattergories and has provided countless hours of entertainment for millions of people across the world.
Brian’s latest game, Boom Again, targets a totally underserved market: Boomers, or people born between 1946 and 1964. Yet, much like Brian’s other games, Boom Again focuses on building up a “social lubricant” for players — in other words, even if you don’t know the answer, you’re still having a fun time participating and interacting with your friends, family, or random strangers you like to play board games with.
We’re talking all about Boom Again in this episode, plus Brian shares his recipe for creating the perfect game. You’ll also hear about the inspiration for Outburst (and how it got Brian out of being in trouble with his wife) and variants of the Taboo buzzer you never knew you needed.
Highlights of our conversation include:
How Brian got into the business of games by being a whiz at Trivial Pursuit, and how that led to the creation of Boom Again. (2:15)
The two types of game players and why it’s important to find a balance for both. (4:31)
Brian shares his favorite trivia questions from Boom Again, and why he’s not afraid to let his smarts nature come out in any of his games. (7:03)
The unusual discovery Brian and his team found while hearing from players of Boom Again. (9:49)
How Boom Again has found an additional home on Zoom in the form of Zoom Booms during the pandemic. (12:26)
Brian’s journey from being in the real estate industry with his brother to transitioning into the game business, and the opportunities he identified along the way. (14:51)
The recipe for creating a great game and how to turn one good idea into several. (19:40)
Some of the most impressive pieces of feedback Brian and his team got from playtesters. (23:11)
Brian walks us through the process of taking a game from idea all the way to final product — plus, the inspiration behind the smash hit game Outburst. (25:10)
The major decision between self-publishing your game versus trying to get it licensed. Brian also shares a story about multiple meetings between game companies when he was pitching Taboo. (30:18)
A look inside Brian’s favorite all-time game that no one would publish. (33:03)
Whether creating a great game is art or science. (36:09)
The three most interesting celebrities that Brian has ever met. (37:36)
Where to find Brian Hersch:
Learn more about Brian and pick up a copy of Boom Again at boomagain.com.
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