Hey Gamers! Recently I got to pick the brain of Daryl Andrews – everyone say hi to Daryl! đź‘‹
He is the designer or Sagrada (one of my faves), Bosk, City of Gears, and much more! Including, more recently, Donald Duck in Happy Camper.
The game is described as a race where players will be exploring, setting up camp, taking photos, and, of course, earning badges. Players will reveal tiles and gather resources on their turn, having too many resources will slow them down. I love all things Disney, so I was excited to pick his brain about the game! Let’s see what he had to say.
Q: What inspired this design?
A: Daryl said that the original inspiration was the exploration board game Goldland (a 2002 Wolfgang Kramer design), which was the game he immediately thought of when the opportunity came up to work with Disney on a Donald Duck game for the 90th birthday of Donald. “The game might be considered “an older classic” but it is still relevant and fun today,” he said.
Q: Why this theme? Did it start out as Donald Duck, or did it grow into something that worked with the character?
Maestro Media
A: Daryl mentioned that, in thinking of Donald Duck, he knew him as “a single father who loved his family and spent quality time with them doing family trips.” He said he watched a bunch of old Donald movies, and found a common theme in them all: “no matter what challenges and obstacles came in the way, Donald and his nephews always worked it out in the end. The idea of merging this with a camping/exploration game seemed like a perfect fit.” — I think that sounds like a great fit too! Donald always struck me as the type to take his nephews camping, and they always struck me as the type to prank their uncle during the night!
Q: What was your biggest challenge in the designing/developing process and how did you overcome it?
A: Being that the game works to adapt Goldland, Daryl spoke on the challenge in that regard. He pointed out that Goldland would sometimes take 1-2 hours to learn and play, but also mentioned times have changed significantly in 20 years.
“It was my personal mission to make Happy Camper only take 30 min or less once you know the game,” he said (which is definitely my preferred game length!) He also mentioned that they encourage players to watch a video and use the quick start guide before their first game. “But overall, I’m really proud we got the spirit of the original game within the ideal playtime,” he said.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a game designer? What is the biggest challenge?
A: “Nothing feels better than watching a group of people packed around a table, laughing and having fun. Its a magical moment when people get pulled into the story of a game and lose all perspective on their worries, stresses, and wonder ‘where did the time go?,'” Daryl said – Which is such a wonderful sentiment!
Daryl mentioned that, as a game designer, he finds it a privilege to bring that sort of joy into the world. He also commented on how Disney is the premiere brand people associate with entertainment, and they are able to inspire people from around the world to enjoy great stories together. He concluded that statement with, “Board games are my personal favorite way to get lost in a story.” – So this certainly seems like the perfect match!
Q: What excites you most about the game?
A: Daryl said that he loves tile exploration, because it is fun to make a different map with every game. (I think it’s pretty rad too!). He continued, “Also, I think its really fun to combo your actions with just the right gadgets, and having just the right resources you need to pull off an epic turn.”
He mentioned enjoying the the balance of the backpacks, and how carrying more resources slows down your movement. “I think that’s a really fun design idea that Wolfgang Kramer came up with in his original design, and I made sure that stayed at the core of Happy Camper.” – I think it sounds cool too; it seems thematic, and might even help prevent a runaway leader!
Q: How does this compare to other games you have designed (both in process and type of game)?
A: Daryl said that he doesn’t have a usual process. “Sometimes I build games from scratch, and sometimes I work on adapting games to fit the experience,” he said.
He mentioned that he personally loves making family strategy games, and finds it to be his ‘sweet spot.’ He said, “I rarely make long games because I think the average person doesn’t have a lot of extra time. However, I believe it’s sometimes harder to make a game good but quick because it’s hard to cut things from a game. Especially trying to discern when to remove something that is fun, but is not necessary.” – I can only imagine how tricky that can be! But clearly, he’s got a good handle on it!
Q: What are some of your own favorite games to play?
A: “I’m a huge fan of Wolfgang Kramer, my co-designer for this game,” Daryl said. “I know this might sound cheesy, but he is a hero to me, and a legend in the board game industry.” – That’s not cheesy, that’s sweet!
Daryl mentioned that, thought Wolfgang was born 40 years before Daryl, he is as creative and playful as ever.
“My all-time favorite game is El Grande, designed by Wolfgang with Richard Ulrich in 1995. I also love games by him like Downforce, The Princes of Florence, and Take 5.” – Some great picks!
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: Daryl concluded with a heartfelt Thank You to the Disney & Maestro Media teams for giving him the chance to work with such beloved character.
“THANK YOU! As a child of a single parent mom, growing up watching Donald Duck, he was someone I always looked up to. Sometimes people think of Donald as sometimes getting angry, but that’s not what I see. Sure we all can lose our cool sometimes, but what I see in Donald Duck is a complex character that was full of life and love. He served in the army and navy. He never backed down from an obstacle and always perseveres. He might be 90 years old, but he is still a hero today.”
This theme certainly seems perfect for Donald, and I’m sure that Daryl and the game itself will do our classic Duck justice! I’m stoked to play the game, and I hope you are too!
Additional Information:
MSRP – $29.99
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