Pirate Loot – An Interview with Jason Bulmahn

We recently had the opportunity to interview Jason Bulmahn of Minotaur Games, about his upcoming Kickstarter project Pirate Loot. Pirate Loot is a tabletop deck building game -with a, well you guessed it- Pirate theme. DOn’t forget to check out the Kickstaerter here and get pledging.

We The Nerdy: Where did the idea come from for Pirate Loot?

Jason Bulmahn: Earlier this year, I was up late, binge watching a pirate television show. As I was getting ready for bed, the wheels just started turning. To be honest, the core of Pirate Loot was formed in just about an hour after that. While the cards themselves and a lot of the game’s dynamics came together later, the basis of it came together in a rush. I had been tinkering with various card game designs for years, but this was the first one that came together in a matter of days. I knew I had something good on my hands.

WTN: Do you consider this game to be a gateway game for new players?

JB: Sure. Pirate Loot is a simple game to play, but the fun comes from realizing what interactions you can pull off with the cards in your hand. At its simplest, your turn is little more than selecting a card from your hand and putting it into play, resolving its effects. I really wanted Pirate Loot to be a game that was easy to learn, but had enough strategy in it to make playing it a number of times a rewarding experience. For new players, this is key. I’ve played plenty of great games that are just not all that friendly to people that are new to board and card games. That’s not a bad thing, its just important to have a few solid games to draw people into the hobby.

WTN: Would you consider this a filler game, or a game for gamers. The Kickstarter page refers to it being either a 20 minute game or lasting up to an hour?

JB: I think Pirate Loot is a great way to fill some time before another activity begins, but it is robust enough to eat up a large chunk of the evening if you are up for a light night of pirate mayhem. The game can take as little as 20 minutes, if you are just going to play one round, but the full game, where you try to achieve a specific loot score, generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

WTN: If you could compare this to any other games on the shelf, would you be able to?

JB: I’ve heard it compared to Munchkin and Fluxx on more than one occasion, due to its easy learning curve and short play time. I really tried to make sure that Pirate Loot fell into that category of games that are easy, fun, and relatively inexpensive.

WTN: What has the reaction been to the game, and have you being showcasing it at cons?

JB: I realize that no game is perfect for everybody, but thus far, the reaction to Pirate Loot has been incredibly positive. I have been showing the game, and running demos, and a number of major conventions over the past few weeks and overall, people seem to be really enjoying it. The moment someone pulls of a wicked combination that scores them a pile of loot and leaves their foes treading water, it really is a wonder to behold. So are the curses from their opponents and the promises of revenge.

WTN: What is the optimum amount of players for this game, and are there any drastic changes with more people?

JB: The best it to play with four players, but it works with two and three as well. Each pirate in the game belongs to a specific faction (brutal, clever, greedy, and lazy) and when you play with fewer than four players, you simply play with one faction for each player in the game. The interesting part is that the game play is pretty different when you pull out one or two factions, and you have to adjust your strategy accordingly. I am hoping we reach the $40K stretch goal, which adds a 6 player expansion deck that includes 2 new factions. We’ve already announced one of them, un-dead pirates!

WTN: How have you found the whole Kickstarter process so far?

JB: Its crazy, nerve-wracking, and a whole lot of fun. I am truly thrilled by the support Pirate Loot has gotten thus far. We are over 150% funded with almost 700 backers! When I hit the launch button, I was hoping to reach funding by the end, but I had plans for success. I am not sure I ever expected it to fund in the first few days. To tell you the truth, its been a shockingly large amount of work, both before and during the actual Kickstarter. Putting together budgets, contracting artists, getting print quotes, putting together advertising, it all takes a great deal of time. I am just glad to see it all paying off.

WTN: How important was it to get the art right for the game, and how did you go about getting yours spot on?

JB: Well, in a game as cut-throat as Pirate Loot, I wanted to make sure that the art had a lighter tone to it. I wanted players to get a chuckle from the pirate that just ruined their day. When it came time to find an artist, a friend of mine suggested Scott Kurtz and his team, and with one look, I knew I had found the artist I wanted. Whimsical but with a bit of an edge. Dylan and Scott have been doing a great job and now that we hit the Full Art stretch goal, I am really looking forward to seeing all the art they come up with for this game.

WTN: Whats the plan for getting this into stores once the project ends, and will there be exclusive for the Kickstarter backers that wont appear in the  store version, or vice versa?

JB: I do have plans to get this into stores early next year. I have a number of contacts in the industry and I am hoping to get Pirate Loot into distribution so that local stores can carry it. While there are a number of bonus cards that will be exclusive to backers of the Kickstarter, I am also hoping to put together a retailer kit, with exclusive cards for them to give out as prizes or Pirate Loot game days!

WTN: What was the process for picking the stretch goal rewards?

JB: It really came down to budgeting. I knew the sorts of things I wanted to do to make Pirate Loot a great game, but I had to find a way to do them in a financially responsible way. Kickstarter is really a great platform for this sort of work. It allows the fans and players of the game to inform my decisions. Picking the order was a bit tricky, but I knew that my first big goal (aside from creating the base game) had to be a 6-player expansion deck. It just makes sense to give players the flexibility to play the game with a larger group. I have another crazy goal at 60K, but I will not announce it until we unlock the 6-player deck.

WTN: Any last words…..

JB: Just a reminder to check out Pirate Loot. The kickstarter runs until 9pm PST on September 19th, which just so happens to also be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! There is still plenty of room to join our crew!