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On the March 12, Taco Fight!, the latest game from Designer Daniel Aronson hits Kickstarter. Daniel took time out of his schedule to tell me more about this game of tacos gone bad, his experience on publishing a game with Kickstarter, and his plans for the future.
Can you tell me more about your new game, Taco Fight?
Taco Fight is a real-time, fully co-operative card game for 2-4 players. The tacos are very upset and are coming at you with everything they’ve got. Your group needs to survive six 30-second fights with increasingly spicy tacos by blocking, punching, or eating them without going into a food coma. It’s just so much freaking fun to play.
The last game you published was about exploring the Island of El dorado. Taco Fight seems like quite a different game. What gave you the idea to develop a game about angry tacos?
The Island of El Dorado has a relatively serious feel to it, but in reality the three of us are goofballs. We’re constantly joking around at the office and it just felt right to make a game that was centered around hilarious craziness. As for the taco narrative itself: Everyone likes tacos and the idea of a pissed off taco attack just seemed right.
One thing that has really stood out to me in my observations of the Island of El Dorado campaign and the development of Taco Fight is that you are very open to suggestions and constructive criticism from the board gaming community. When I had the opportunity to play a prototype of The Island of El Dorado, you were really receptive to my questions and comments. How important is feedback to the development process?
Feedback is crucial to the development process. One of the biggest suggestions I can give to people is to kill your darlings. During your campaign, thousands of fresh eyes looking at your game will provide thousands of suggestions. Some of them will be incredible and would substantially improve your product. It’s our job to find and implement the diamonds in the rough, even if it means removing or replacing something we thought was great.
You already have experience of running successful Kickstarter campaigns. What are your top tips to anyone thinking of producing a game using Kickstarter?
Do your research! Read blogs. Listen to podcasts. Talk to other creators. One thing that’s so great about this industry is that it seems everyone wants everyone else to succeed, not fail. You won’t have much trouble getting great tips and feedback from people who have lapped the track many more times than you have. Listen to them.
You are releasing games under your own publishing label, El Dorado Games. What made you decide to go down the route of self publishing over using an established name?
One of the main things that a publishing company can offer you is the ability to design marketing and promotional materials. Before El Dorado Games came along, that’s what the three of us were doing already, so we were uniquely positioned to do all of our video, design, and marketing work in-house.
What would you say are the pro's a con's of publishing your own games?
Pros: Complete control to see your vision all the way through. Cons: STRESS. Late nights. Risk. It’s owning a small business. It’s incredibly rewarding, but equally challenging.
What's your favourite game at the moment and why?
Burgle Bros and Photosynthesis because I’m very bad at them, keep losing, and want to get better.
What's next for you and El Dorado games?
2019 is going to be an intense year for us. In addition to Taco Fight, we’re launching three other games on Kickstarter and beginning retail partnerships to get The Island of El Dorado product line available for purchase online and in stores.
Taco Fight launches on Kickstarter on March 12, at 10am CDT / 4pm GMT.
It's a fast-paced, card driven co-operative game for two to four players. If one of you lose you all lose. As you can tell by the theme, this game doesn't take itself too seriously. I can imagine myself playing this one with buddies while drinking a few beers. Games last just six minutes so this really suits the light social filler bracket. The game is suitable for eight years and up so it seems like a great way to introduce the wonderful world of board and card games to children.
The best way to learn more and stay up to date is to like and follow the El Dorado Games Facebook Page. Follow the page for the latest news on the launch and lots of giveaways.