Hey Chris, thank you for joining me today. As an early backer of Fetching Feathers and D.O.T., I’m excited to get both games to the table. However, for readers who haven’t discovered Unfringed yet, could you give a quick introduction to who you are and what Unfringed is all about?
Hi Chris, thanks a lot for having me! I’m a game designer from the UK that also runs the publishing company Unfringed. Initially set up to launch my first game Zuuli back in 2021, I caught the publishing/design bug and have now published 4 games with a couple more in the works!
How would you describe your games to someone who’s only ever played big-box classics like Catan or Ticket to Ride?
I have a few design philosophies with Unfringed but I think the most important ones are to introduce new and/or exciting board game mechanics to a wider audience, and the other is to design games with as little downtime as possible. My games so far are all simultaneous play, with a friendly appeal but a lot more challenge under the surface than first looks might suggest.
What first pulled you into modern board gaming, and when did the idea of designing your own games start to take hold?
I can’t remember the exact year but it was some time in the 2010’s when I visited Thirsty Meeples in Oxford. We were introduced to Carcassonne and I absolutely loved it. I hadn’t realised games like that even existed and from that point onwards caught the hobby gaming bug.
Zuuli was your first published game. How did that project start, and at what point did you think, “Okay, this is actually going to become a real game”?
It’s a great question because it never started as anything more than a couple of sketches in a notepad whilst trying to figure out how to spend the long COVID days/evenings. I had been playing a lot of Sushi Go and Draftosaurus but wondered if I could design something with a little more bite. After a couple of hours of scribbling and mocking together a paper prototype, out came Zuuli which was surprisingly 90% the same as the game you’ll find today. My wife Sophie and I played a number of times and something about it just felt right so step by step I decided to learn a bit more about what creating a final version of the game might look like.
Looking back, what was the hardest part of getting Zuuli from idea to finished product, and what part of that journey made you think, “I definitely want to do this again”?
Oooh, tricky one. At the beginning, figuring out how to publish a game was quite a rollercoaster. I’d have days where I would be on a high after really positive feedback from a playtest and then have a real dip in motivation when I had to wrangle my head around international taxes and regulations. Marketing was also a whole new world that was completely different to anything I had learnt about before.
Has your approach to game design changed between Zuuli, D.O.T. and Fetching Feathers, or do you feel there’s a clear “Unfringed DNA” that runs through all your games?
I like to think that the Unfringed DNA has remained relatively unchanged but I have definitely learnt a huge amount more as a designer and publisher. Stuff like manufacturing cost, box size, UI/UX all have a much bigger impact on my designs now, and I think generally I’ve learnt more tricks and tips on how to produce something a bit more elegant that allows the player to jump into the fun as quickly as possible. Ultimately, though, I think the Unfringed DNA is grounded in creating games that I myself want to play, that doesn’t isolate newer players but has enough strategy to keep more experienced players entertained. And of course, covering it in adorable animal artwork!
When you’re working on a new design, what usually comes first for you: theme, mechanisms, or a specific “moment” you want players to experience?
I don’t think I have a specific approach at the moment. Zuuli was very theme first, Molehill Meadows and D.O.T much more mechanics first and Fetching Feathers a little bit of both. Although, by trying to minimise downtime, I do always have this at the back of my mind when designing and how I can fit simultaneous mechanics to it.
Fascinating. From your experience of theme-first, mechanics-first and a mix of both approaches. Which did find easier? As I imagine there’s pros and cons for each approach.
Oooh, good question. I think you’re right that they both have their challenges but if I had to pick one then I would say designing from mechanics first is a bit easier. It also has the advantage that if you can make a game that is mechanically very fun then adding a theme usually adds positively to the experience but when you have a really nice theme I find that it’s hard not to detract from it when you start trying to fit a mechanic to it.
Congratulations on Fetching Feathers joining the Zatu distribution catalogue. For readers who haven’t come across it yet, what’s your quick elevator pitch for the game?
Thank you so much. I’m very excited to have it hit stores across the UK!
Fetching Feathers is a pick-and-pass card game, along the same lines as Zuuli, except this time you’re trying to attract fancy flocks to seasonal sanctuaries. Experience a novel take on seasonal change by rotating and upgrading location cards each round/season to reflect changing food availability, whilst carefully balancing a variety of bonuses, from bird buddy benefits to full flock freebies.
What was the spark that led to Fetching Feathers? Was there a particular image, mechanic, or experience you wanted to capture?
Given the popularity of Zuuli, I had been thinking for a while about creating an expansion with some new animals, such as birds. However, after a few attempts, I realised I was shoehorning in animals or mechanics that didn’t quite gel with the original version. So instead, I took a step back and decided to focus on how I could create a similar game but with new mechanics.
I was inspired by a few older video games where how you play the game changes based on whether it’s night or day and I realised that for birds you could do something similar with migration. This then became the core mechanic, and the rest of the game was designed around this.
The game looks fantastic, and the birds have so much character. How did you and Faizul “Jol” Mudhakir develop the visual style - did you have a strong brief from the start, or did it evolve together over time?
I’m really glad you like it, and I’m very happy that it’s gone down so well with people. My original idea was to just have lovely illustrations of birds - given how well that worked for games like Wingspan - but I wanted to try and do something to stand out a little bit. In the end, I gave Jol the name of the bird I wanted, an idea of what kind of hat they should wear and then also a few lines about their personality. Jol then absolutely smashed it out of the park with the artwork he produced!
Were there any big changes Fetching Feathers went through during playtesting that really improved the game or surprised you?
One relatively big change was that in an earlier version some birds could migrate whereas some were locked at a location once you placed them. It was a nice mechanic but added some slight annoyance with the rules and a playtester suggested trying it without. I’m always up for trying new variants but I was convinced it wouldn’t be as good if all birds were migratory but actually within a few turns it immediately felt better to play. It yet again showed how important iterative testing is but also not to be too precious about your original ideas and be open to change and tweaks.
When a mechanic doesn’t make it to the final product, do you find yourself keeping a note of the mechanic for future games?
I definitely keep a mental note of it and with the Fetching Feathers example above I think it leans more into avoiding adding the “clunkiness” to future games. Although on the other hand, there are a few prototypes that I’ve tried and even if they don’t work as a full game I do get quite attached to certain mechanics or elements that I like to try and add to future games.
D.O.T. feels quite different to Fetching Feathers at first glance. How did that game come about, and where did that design sit in your overall journey as a designer?
Ah yes, my first game without adorable animals in it, although the DOTS definitely have their charm. D.O.T was an idea that had been in my head for a while and I had been testing a version over a few months that was working well but I was worried that I couldn’t find a theme to fit it. In the end, I decided to mock up what it could look like in an abstract sense and decided to take the leap and produce something a little different. Interestingly, it was one of the games I’ve been most worried about with respect to the public response but was very happy when the glowing reviews started to come in for it. I quite like the idea of continuing with games that people come to expect from me but also trying out some of these more experimental ideas too.
They really do have their own charm - I love the small token designs. Should we expect more abstract games from you in the future?
In theory I would love to as I think it’s nice sometimes to not force a theme onto something when the underlying mechanic shines brightly enough by itself but given it’s a slightly more niche market we’ll have to see. I do quite like the idea of having this more “experimental” line as part of the Unfringed catalogue though.
Speaking of the future… What does 2026 (and maybe 2027) look like for you and Unfringed? Are there any projects you can tease, even if it’s just in a “working title and vibes only” way?
I’ve got a few irons in the fire, one a family-friendly game about sizing items up correctly, and another about a forgetful waiter. As a potential side project and the love for the Fetching Feathers artwork I would quite like to extend the artwork to some other products too.
I love the idea of a forgetful waiter game. Oh, and was that a little teaser for new games in the Fetching Feathers setting?
Not necessarily a new board but maybe something a bit boardgame adjacent. Stay tuned to find out more though 😉
Is there a particular type of game or theme you haven’t tackled yet but would love to explore in a future design?
I’m a big insect fan so I would love to explore that theme at some point, but it’s a tricky one because a lot of people aren’t fans. So I think it would need to be quite a careful approach to make sure it didn’t isolate too many people from it.
You really are an animal lover, aren’t you? Well, don’t sleep on your insect theme. Kabuto Sumo is bug-themed and was a hit at last year’s UKGE.
Ah yes, that’s a good point. And they neatly implemented the theme without it becoming too much of an ‘ick’ so that’s a great sign that it can be done. I’ve not given up on the idea yet!
You’ve been through self-publishing, crowdfunding, and now wider distribution. What’s one thing you wish you’d known at the start of that journey?
I think it would have been how powerful it is to really absorb yourself in the community. From playing as many games as possible, to becoming involved with designer groups and visiting conventions, I think all of these things help make yourself more rounded as a designer/publisher and get a feel for what works and what doesn’t work. And the big plus is that the community is absolutely lovely so you’ll have a blast doing it too.
That’s great advice, and I couldn’t agree more. For readers who are toying with the idea of designing their first game, what advice would you give them from your own experience?
Get it onto paper and start playing with people as soon as possible. Listen to all feedback, especially how people feel playing your game, and don’t be too protective over your ‘baby’ and changing/exploring new approaches. I think it’s also important to be realistic with your expectations. For Zuuli I set a target of selling to 100 people and I think that helped a lot compared to hoping it will be the next Catan or Flip 7.
For anyone who wants to follow your work or try your games, where can they find you - online and at the table? (websites, social media, conventions, friendly local game stores, etc.)
You can find me at @unfringedthings on IG, Facebook, bluesky and if you’d like to grab a copy of my games you can visit many Friendly-Local Game Store across the country or grab a copy directly from me at https://shop.unfringed.co/
Are there any events this year where you’re especially hoping people will drop by and say hello or get a demo in?
I’ll be at Airecon, UKGE and Norwich Con this year so please do swing by to say hi if you’re also heading that way!
Thanks for your time today and the great insights into you and your journey as a designer.
About the author
Chris Ridley is a digital marketer by trade and father to twins by luck. He also runs Small Space, Big Plays, a social media account that helps busy adults to curate a versatile game collection that collects plays, not dust. Outside of playing and writing about games, he is an avid runner, with the 2026 London Marathon as his first ever marathon.
