Valence cooperative game to save pirates from a giant octopus

Restricting and reducing leisure time throughout the health crisis has put board games into orbit. Antoine Boza, creator of games, developed his latest concept based on an idea from his son … Esteban, 6 years old.

“You start by rolling the dice to see how the tentacles advance. Nothing red is advancing, on the other hand with blue, you advance by one square … and you play the movement of the card.” Antoine Bauza designs board games. For his latest work, he worked with his son, Esteban, who was 6 years old. He even came up with the initial idea. “He manipulated pirate stories […] I tried to keep him throughout the process so that he could see the birth of his game. Together, we designed the boat, and simplified it. In the beginning, there were more boxes. “.

Antoine chose to make a cooperative game, a concept that appeals to children (as well as adults as well) who sometimes face the problem of defeat. There, the whole team plays, wins or loses together.

There is no miracle recipe for a children’s game to succeed: you need a good story. In Draftosaurus, it’s all about protecting a pirate ship from the attacks of a giant octopus. To achieve this: several components. “It takes part of the chance thanks to the dice, the magic that the power of the cards give. But the magic of the game works as long as the rules are within everyone’s reach.”

The game is two years of business

Once the concept is clearly defined and the rule is simplified as much as possible, it is time to move to practice. “Sometimes it takes up to 100 2 player demos before they reach the final version.” We make adjustments so that the game is good. It can take up to two years.

At 42, Antoine Bauza was not on his first try: Thirty games had already matured – including bestselling, 7 Wonders (a million copies worldwide) – and he had already sold 15,000 copies of his latest creation … a little help from context Special Health 2020. During the confinement period and the absence of other recreational activities, families gathered and started playing.
We also note that in front of the great richness of the show, a very large audience began to play. It is no longer intended for the youngest guys, it is for the younger ones. “In video games, you are alone in front of your screen. With board games, you are in a group. You can sleep and compete. The social aspect is one of the reasons for success.” […] In school, the game is also used as an educational tool by teachers’. At the same time, the distribution network has grown well with the consultants, who are themselves keen on games, and who are true ambassadors for publishers.