Magic, for the past few years, has been my foremost gaming love. But as for most of us, Magic was not my first game or my first gaming love.

I think it was Monopoly that first got me into playing board games. The strategy, while now reduced to probabilities of rolling two six-sides dice, felt deep and strange. There were decisions to make and players to propose deals with. From there, my gaming evolved into the 16-bit era of videogame consoles. Final Fantasy 2 was among my chief rentals for the Super Nintendo, and my copy of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was my prized possession. (Oddly enough, Monopoly and Zelda would later meet!)

While I caught the Magic and general collectible-card-game bug early on, it wasn’t until about a decade later when I appreciated what Magic really brought to the table for me. But I never stopped playing those other games. Monopoly became Settlers of Catan. Final Fantasy 2 became World of Warcraft (a diversion when I have a little free time these days) and Diablo 3 (with the Reaper of Souls expansion of course). There are so many games I’ve come to enjoy that I have a closet full of them at the ready. I may not break them out as often as I’d like, but they are a comforting joy to play when the time is right.

No game, not even Magic, is one absolutely everyone enjoys.

The more I’ve talked to designers and games creators, the more fascinated I’ve become with how their stories and processes evolved. The opportunity came up to send some questions to Robert Burke, one of the creators behind my new joy in Draco Magi, and I knew I wanted to share it.

Adam Styborski: For those of us unfamiliar with some of the faces of the board-gaming world, could you introduce yourself and what you do in the community?

Robert Burke: I’m an independent board-game designer from the Charlotte, North Carolina area. I design my own games and then work with other designers and publishers to develop them and bring them to market. I have a full-time job outside of gaming, but designing games is my creative outlet and a serious passion.

Stybs: So take us back in time: How did you first get into board games?

RB: Well, if we go all the way back, as with most people who grew up in America, my childhood included all the popular mass-market games. I have fond memories of playing games with my family as a kid: Sorry, Monopoly, Risk, Stratego, Clue, Masterpiece, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Parcheesi, chess, checkers, gin rummy—we played them all! Once I made it to high school, I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons and was instantly hooked. I bought every TSR product I could get my hands on and became a DM. I ran campaigns all through college and played nothing but role-playing games for years. In addition to D&D, I ran Star Frontiers, Gamma World, and Boot Hill. I still love these old-school RPGs today.

After college, I got a job and stopped playing until a friend brought a brand-new card game into the cafe where I used to hang out. It was called Magic: The Gathering, and it had just hit the market. My mind was blown.

I got married and had children, and all the gaming stopped until I rediscovered a new resurgence in tabletop games. Games like Ticket To Ride, Carcassonne, and Settlers of Catan brought me back into the world of gaming, and I’ve been having a ball ever since!

Stybs: And how did you grow into a game designer?

RB: Well, I used to work as an artist creating these wacky cartoon characters. After I played Carcassonne for the first time, I got the idea of putting the different body parts of my creatures on tiles and letting people build their own. This eventually turned into my first game: Cartoona. I fell in love with the creative process of creating a game and have not stopped working on games since that day.

Stybs: Walk us through your design history: What did you start with, and where are we now?

RB: Well, after I developed my first game, Cartoona, I discovered Kickstarter and saw it as an opportunity to fund the manufacturing of the game. I launched the project, and it was successfully funded. I then sold the game and did an expansion for it. After this, I did a children’s adventure game called Gnomes: The Great Sweeping of Ammowan and then a card game called Battle For Souls, in which one player plays the side of heaven and one the side of hell. In this game, players battle over the immortal souls of mankind by trying to influence the humans in play. This game was great success for me. It was nominated for the best-two-player-game-of-the-year award by BoardGameGeek, and it sold out quickly. It was well-received by the critics and should see a reprint at some point in the future. My next game was a party game called The Offensive Band Name Generator, in which players try to come up with crazy band names. Just released is a game I designed with Richard Launius (of Arkham Horror fame) called Draco Magi. It’s a head-to-head, two-player game that pits two dragon mages against each other. My newest game (being printed now) is a WWII bluffing game called Operation F.A.U.S.T.

Stybs: What are some of the unique challenges of designing board games? Do other forms of gaming—digital games, collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, etc.—impact your designs?

RB: I think designing a tabletop game has many unique challenges. The hardest thing for me starting out was finding the right people to playtest my games. This has become easier over time as I have developed a fan base, but it used to be a real chore. It’s not like a digital game, such that you can test the game immediately after some code changes. With each iteration, you are creating new cards, playing pieces, and so on. This creation and destruction of physical items slows the process down and is a great deal of work. And yes, other forms of gaming definitely impact my designs. Digital versions of games help me explore a much larger variety of mechanisms. And any designer who says Magic: The Gathering has not had some impact on his or her design aesthetic is lying. It’s akin to a musician saying The Beatles have not impacted what he or she does.

Stybs: Many of us at Gathering Magic are, obviously, huge fans of Magic: The Gathering and its play experience. What sets other card-based, two-player games, such as Draco Magi, apart?

RB: The biggest thing is that Draco Magi is not collectable. If you buy the game, you get all the cards, so there is no hunting for rare stuff. However, the game is designed for asymmetrical play. Players can pick the dragons they want to include in their decks to fit particular play styles. Also, there is a draft for battle cards that lets players gain more control of their experience. So while the same cards are available to both players, what’s selected can vary widely. This keeps the fun of deck construction while keeping the investment very low.

Stybs: Tell us a little more about Draco Magi. How did the design originate and develop?

RB: Draco Magi started as a two-player, abstract game inspired by the dragon art of Kerem Beyit, who is the artist on the final game. Back in the beginning, it was a highly strategic brain burner. I showed it Richard Launius, who immediately had great ideas on how to bring the dragon theme to the forefront. After a year of development back and forth, it changed a great deal for the better. There is still a great deal of strategy, but it now really feels like dragons fighting. The two-phased approach of placement (ranged attacks) and resolution (melee attacks), as well as the ability to put together some sweet combos, should really appeal to those who like head-to-head card games like Magic, especially if they are fans of dragons.

Stybs: What have been the greatest challenges you’ve faced in bringing Draco Magi to market?

RB: The development of the game went smoothly. Richard Launius is a consummate professional. The man is a fountain of ideas and a workhorse when it comes to prototyping and playtesting. We worked very well together, so what is usually the hardest part (game development) was the easiest part in this case. I think the production was the biggest challenge. We worked with a new manufacturer on this game, and it was a long, painful process. It took longer than we expected and took up much more time than we expected.

Stybs: What is your favorite game that came out in the past few years that you didn’t have a hand in making?

RB: I have really been loving Dogs of War by CoolMiniOrNot. It’s highly interactive with just enough strategy and has the perfect play length. It’s been getting a good deal of play in my group.

Stybs: Is there anything else about Draco Magi you’d like everyone to know?

RB: Yes! The game is out now and can be picked up for less than $20. Future expansions will add more incredible dragons.

Stybs: Thanks, Robert!

Like seeing behind the scenes of other games? Want to learn more about one of your favorites? I’d like to track down and interview some of the other folks out there creating the rest of the games we love.

Let me know in the comments!