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A podcast about topics in game design featuring the many people who come together to make games possible.

Jan 16, 2015

The Battle at Kemble's Cascade designed by Olle and Anders Tyrland is a throwback to the old arcade shoot 'em ups from the 80s and 90s. Anyone around the ages of 25-35 will remember spending quarter after quarter on these games where everything on screen wanted to make that quarter a waste, and the player had only his or her reflexes and 3 bombs to deal with the onslaught. Kemble's Cascade recreates this feeling with an innovative threat system that calculates how many things at one time are trying to kill the players. On their turn, players decide whether to battle or power down. Battling means the player moves and shoots at either the enemies on the virtual screen or the other players at the table. Powering down allows the players to shop for upgrades to their ships. Another one of the unique elements of this game is its virtual scrolling screen. Cards are laid in plastic trays to create the board, and the trays can be moved to create the effect of the screen pushing players closer and closer to the big bad boss.

Our discussion focused on Olle and Anders design process, and how they share the design work. We explored the unique mechanics that feature in this game. We learn about the kind of pieces that were left out of the game but may return in the form of expansions.

This episode was recorded before Christmas. During the recording, Olle and Anders shared images with us most of which can be found on their designer diary. I am sharing one here that doesn't appear on their designer diary. It is early cover art that I kind of wish ended up the final cover art.

Old Cover Art for Battle at Kemble's Cascade

If you wish to learn more about this game's design process, please visit this link to the designer diary on BoardGameGeek.com. If you wish to buy this game (and you should), visit Z-Man or your local gaming store to find a copy.