Recently I had the privilege of talking to J.J. Neville, designer of the lovingly illustrated games Mycelia and STAG, the latter of which is currently making its way through crowdfunding.
Welcome, Jack.
Hello, thanks for having me.
I came across Mycelia by accident and was immediately struck by the artwork. Your illustrations are amazingly gorgeous, and if not unique in board gaming, pretty close to that—how did you become an artist, and what were the inspirations for your style?
I’ve always been drawing and painting on and off since I was young. I actually studied graphic design at uni, so I’ve never been ‘classically’ trained in illustration, but it’s always been in the sidecar of my creative journey. For Mycelia and STAG, the inspiration came from those lovely old scientific drawings you’d see in museums and old books—that ultra detailed botanical-esque watercolour style. I loved the detail and the educational element of those types of illustrations.
It didn’t take me long to discover there was a great game behind the pictures. Which came first, the illustrations or the game mechanics? How intertwined were they in the overall design, for both Mycelia and STAG?
Game mechanics come first in my games. Well, in fact, THEME comes first, then mechanics and lastly the art. I think for most game designers the reason they start making games is because they love playing them and think it’ll be fun to try and make their own. For Mycelia it was exactly that. I love boardgames and I love all things fungi. So I thought I would make my own game inspired by mushrooms. The mechanics were inspired by the science and nature of mushrooms. Also I wanted to make a game that I wanted to play—a game that scratched an itch that other boardgames weren’t quite doing. STAG is exactly the same—I love beetles and the game mechanics are inspired by the nature of the subject.
I love the link between real world nature mechanisms and gameplay your games exhibit; I’ve only come across similar in Elizabeth Hargrave’s Undergrove and Borys Bińkowski’s EcoLogic: Europe, (though I’m sure there are other examples) where what players do in the game models biological processes. How did you map nature to something that makes a good game, avoiding making the game too complicated or repetitive?
Well I found that you need to give yourself a bit of wiggle room when it comes to the mechanics. If you follow the science too closely it can become a little dry and after all we play boardgames to have fun! So creating that balance between the science and the mechanics is a long-winded journey of trial and error. An example of this is the ‘Mother Mushroom’ in Mycelia—this doesn’t exist in nature but it is an incredible tool within the game to create opportunities and tension between players. I think if you give yourself a little creative freedom to add maximum FUN to the game, even the most hardcore scientists or specialists in the subject are happy. Just don’t push it too far!
What were the trickiest aspects of the game to get right?
My goal for the game was to make it tactical enough so that even the most seasoned boardgamers would have enough to think about, but it would also be relatively easy to learn. I’ve never enjoyed games where it takes way too long to learn. With Mycelia it’s 10 mins and then you’re in! So striking that balance between depth and complexity was tricky to get down.
Do you see yourself as a designer of specifically nature-based games, or are there other areas you’re exploring (or would like to explore)?
No, I don’t want to become a one trick pony! It just so happens that my first two games are nature based. But for my next game I’m going off-piste. It’s called ZEALOT and it’s all about ancient cults. You’re trying to get new followers to join your cult, accruing power and resources, whilst suppressing the opponent cults. It’s very fun and very strategic—I’m super happy with it so far! My general ethos for designing games is to make them about subjects I’m interested in. I think that if you are truly passionate about the subject then the game mechanics and artwork will shine just through the life and energy you are pouring into it. Well that’s my hope at least.
You took both games public via Kickstarter (and both campaigns were incredibly successful, showing you have plenty of fans). Mycelia was your first crowdfunded project, is that correct? How did you feel going into the project, and how happy were you with the results?
Yeah, Mycelia was my first crowdfunding campaign. I was blown away by the results. It has literally changed my life. I didn’t expect it to blow up like it did, I was super nervous in the lead up to the Kickstarter. In other areas of business you slowly build up momentum and release products. But with the crowdfunding model you spend years working on a project and spreading the word to build hype for just ONE day: the launch of your Kickstarter. If your first day doesn’t go amazingly, then generally the rest of the Kickstarter fizzles out a bit. So it was nerve-wracking to say the least, but I felt like I had done enough. Attending conventions and playtesting events, sending out prototypes to YouTubers and Instagrammers, speaking on podcasts, and giving interviews for magazines etc. etc. You have to oil the marketing machine to make it work, which is very hard work, but it seemed to do the trick in this case.
Have you done anything different with STAG’s campaign, based on what you learned from Mycelia?
Not a huge amount has changed for the campaign. But I did get rid of the stretch goals—they are sort of arbitrary in my situation because I’m not going to skimp on the quality in ANY way. So even if 4 people backed the game—I’d still make the nicest possible version. It’s probably terrible in terms of business and profits. But I care more about creating a top-notch, beautiful game rather than that sorta stuff.
The STAG campaign is over now, so is all that’s left to do there is get the game mass-produced? Does that require a lot of your time, or is your job ‘done’ until the product’s ready for distribution?
I’ve got like 3 or 4 more beetles left to illustrate and some last-minute rulebook tweaks but in general it’s pretty much done. I did a lot of the heavy lifting on the production side before the campaign. So the colours, finishes, materials, sizes, insert designs etc. etc. have all been sorted. If you saw any videos or images on social media you saw the finished product. There is always work involved in producing and delivering a game to a worldwide audience. But luckily I have someone working at Split Stone Games who helps me with that side of things so I can focus on the creative side. Shout out to Ginny who does a much better job than I ever did!
Have you got any plans for future games or expansions?
As I said previously, the next game in line is called ZEALOT which I’m very excited about. It may be because it’s my latest creation, but I think it might be my best game yet. I also have a few other games in the pipeline, I sometimes dip into them if inspiration hits but I try to stay focused on the current game as I can easily get pulled in to something new. So for now, it’s full steam ahead for world building for ZEALOT.
I do have some other ideas for Mycelia expansions, perhaps one about mushrooms with bioluminescence or maybe one about cordyceps. But it might be in a little while until I get around to those as I have other projects to finish first.
What advice would you give people who would like to get started in game design, and to those running a crowdfunding campaign for the first time?
When designing, constantly ask yourself: Is this fun? Also most likely, your game is too complicated. Remember less is more! Refine every action and experience to be streamlined and fun.
For crowdfunding, you need to build your audience beforehand. Best way to gauge this is your mailing list. You need to nurture a group of people that will back your game on day one! It’s very hard work but it can be done.
What board games do you play, and what do you particularly like about them?
I like competitive boardgames. Co-ops generally don’t do it for me. A few I’ve played recently are:
Crown of Ash designed by Richard Lawton. This is a great worker placement game with some interesting mechanics. I liked the how players can determine what they receive or lose in combat. It results in very interesting player interactions. He’s also a UK-based indie designer—highly recommended.
Scales of Fate and Pillars of Fate by IV Studios. Two 2-player games that are beautifully designed and have lovely chunky components. Pillars of Fate is a quick and clever lane battler. Scales of Fate is a nifty social deduction game—one thing I loved is that about two thirds of the way through the game you have to reveal certain information about who you are ‘backing’ in the game and it opens up a lot of fun revelations.
Moving away from games a little, what else can you tell us about J.J. Neville, the person outside the game industry? What do you do in your spare time, if such a thing exists?
Haha yeah, ‘spare time’— I have young children so that takes care of that concept. But in the small time I do manage to carve out for myself, I like playing football, I’ve been getting into house plants recently (showing my age), and I also love cinema. I’m excited for the new Dune film.
What’s the most ‘out there’ theme you’d like to make a board game about?
UFOs, baby.
Where can we find out more about you and your work?
The only social media I tend to really take part in is Instagram, so people can follow @splitstonegames or join our mailing list.
Thank you, Jack. It’s been a pleasure talking with you.
The pleasure is all mine. Take care.
END
About the author
Current favourite boardgames are Ark Nova and Spooktacular, with a side of Dune: Imperium - Uprising and Paleo. When not playing games or blogging about them, L.N. Hunter keeps himself occupied writing fiction: a comic fantasy novel, The Feather and the Lamp, sits alongside over 100 short stories in various magazines and anthologies, and on websites and podcasts (see https://linktr.ee/L.N.Hunter for a full list). In any time left over after all that, L.N. occasionally masquerades as a software developer or can be found unwinding in a disorganised home in Carlisle, UK, along with two cats and a soulmate.
