As I mention in my review of 2015’s New York 1901, the game had an impact on my entrance into the hobby. Blue Orange games occupy that middle ground capable of transforming a classic gaming family into a hobby gaming family. Thankfully, we took the chance on our first polyomino game six or seven years back, one which delivered a lot of time and joy to our dining room table.
What fascinated me as I read the story of the game’s design is a number. Actually, it’s an open-ended range of a number: two hundred plus. That’s how many times Chénier La Salle played iterations of this city-building game with his family. We have a lot of games we love, but we don’t own a single one that we’ve played two hundred times. The closest bet might just be Take the Gold, a silly little five-minute game from CardLords that my youngest daughter has played since she was three. Non-stop. Seriously, she has worn out more than one deck.
Two hundred…plus. I love it. I wanted to know more, so I reached out to Chénier to see if he’d be interested in a conversation. To date, New York 1901 is his only design credit. I think I could live with that if the game was even half as delightful. What does a diplomat with a board game hobby—or is he a board game designer with a diplomacy hobby—do when he creates a hit? I had to find out.
Before diving in, you can read Chenier’s Designer Diary over at BoardGameGeek. Afterwards, hunt down the 2015 gem for a bit of fun.
Chénier, thank you for taking time to share with the readers of Meeple Mountain. I also want to thank you personally for your work on New York 1901—it is among our family favorites and played a role in drawing us into the hobby. Nine years having passed since its release, how would you describe the game’s place in your life?
It was a great life experience not only for me but for my family as well and I’m so glad they joined me for the ride. The lesson for all was simple: first you take the time to ‘do it’ and then just hope for the best. It’s a common life lesson, so common it’s become the slogan for a sneaker manufacturer, but joining in that lesson together, as a family, was a fantastic experience.
Did the long and challenging road of design impact your relationship to play and to tabletop games as a hobby? Do you still enjoy board games as much now as you did in years past?
I still love to play games. Back in Quebec City where I lived until a few years ago, I have a few groups of friends who share that love for board games. We all made it a point to teach each other new games whenever we met.
The only problem I have is time—or lack thereof. Another is the fact that I moved to Tokyo two years ago for work, so it’s harder to find gamers to play with. Even when I do, I have to cross this huge metropolis called Tokyo to play a game, which makes it hard to get in a lot of gaming time. I have to choose how to spend the little free time I have and, most but not all of the time, I choose to spend it on creating new games rather than playing.
Apart from smaller projects related to NY1901, you have just the one release. I’m sure there was a time, especially in the aftermath of NY1901, that some might have pressed you for more. Did you feel any pressure?
If there was any pressure, it was self-inflicted. Having a decent amount of success with your very first game makes you believe it can happen again! I guess I’m still running after that first high. But it’s a good drug, a drug that makes you work hard. I have a very demanding full-time job, but I put in many hours every week working on my new designs. At the moment, I’ve joined up with another creator, Jacque-Dominique Landry, and we’re working on an engine-builder-slash-set-collecting game with a theme that everyone will love, cars. We’re tentatively calling it “Hop In”…
If you don’t mind another personal question before we move on, I would also like to ask about your family. They were integral in the design and playtesting of NY1901, which can be intense. What is their relationship like with tabletop games at this point? Do they still play NY1901 or help with the new design?
My kids are now ten years older. My eldest Sakura is 25 and lives with us in Tokyo. She’s at a different stage in her life so getting her to play dad’s prototype is harder than it used to be. My youngest, Momoko, is 15 and she’s generally keen to play a game with dad once a week. My son Jean is 21 and studies computer science back in Quebec City but he came over to visit this summer and I’ve got him on prototype testing duty… My… ‘Our’ new game is coming along fine…
I appreciate that answer. We have five children, and it has been interesting to see how tabletop games have settled into each of their lives as they’ve grown. I claim the hobby as my own, of course, but a wealth of boards and cards come through the house and their level of interest waxes and wanes at times.
If I may ask about the new design—how did you first meet and begin your project with Jacque-Dominique Landry? Having a design credit to his name as well (Nouvelle-France), is he working with you on the mechanics, or is he working on the illustration?
Jacques-Dominique is a multitalented creator. We both share graphic duties but since he’s a graphic designer by profession, his proto work is much slicker than mine. But Jacques-Dominique is not just an artist and we also share duties for the mechanics.
Have you found any challenges being based on different continents?
It’s always a challenge to find the right way to work with a partner on a project. I started it and worked on it for almost a year before Jacques-Dominique joined in. When the project became a team affair, we first tried to do it “by committee” and we would discuss every single idea before implementing any change. Later we’ve found that the best way to work was to take turns leading the project. After a long period where Jacques-Dominique was the lead, it’s been my turn for the last 6+ months. And yes, the fact that I was in Japan and he was in Québec City was a factor in us changing to a “your turn/my turn” approach to game design.
Are you far enough in the design process that you can estimate a timeline for bringing your new game to the marketplace?
I think I’m very close. The game is running very smoothly. I’m just making adjustments now. I’m set to go to Québec City in October so I’ll get a chance to show Jacques-Dominique where I’ve taken the game over the last year. Curious to see how he reacts. I’m confident he’ll like it but if he has an extra idea or two, I’m definitely open to that.
Here are a few pics of our work:
That all sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to see the finished product. Chénier, thank you again for your time. I wish you all the best in gaming with your family, in your work, and in your labors to share the joy of a new game with the world. I hope we have a chance to speak again.
My pleasure. Thank you!
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