Board game fans and BoardGameKing subscribers! Have you ever heard about the board games with augmented reality technology? We were very surprised when we saw “Publish or Perish” videos on YouTube – all these little popping monsters on iOad screens! So, we decided to ask some questions to head designer of this project – Marcin Maciejewski, the CEO of Rombo Games.
BoardGameKing: The idea of augmented reality implemented in board games sounds both interesting and strange. Why did you decide to do that?
Marcin Maciejewski: It’s the result of my observation of my kids. Digital devices are extremely prevalent in children’s lives these days, and the time they spend on them is increasing. I see it as a new way of interacting with the world. Some people are scared of this shift but I’m excited. I believe that once we mix the digital world with the real world we will see a multitude of benefits arise. Boardgames were one of the first things that came to my mind when I thought about implementing the idea of mixing apps with tangible objects. We love both table top games and mobile games. Augumented Reality adds a lot to boardgames. I wanted to prove that this kind of game is fun and engaging. I think we achieved that goal.
BoardGameKing: Could you tell more about the rules, victory conditions, game setup and design? Is there something special to know about it?
Marcin Maciejewski: Publish or Perish is a deduction game. A mobile app is used as a laboratory when one needs to do experiments with particles. Basing on the result of the experiments one may publish the research and eventually win a Nobel prize. The app adds randomization and increases the replayability by adding special events or cool AR effects. Kids love to play with cards if they can see the particles poping out from them in the mobile app.
BoardGameKing: What inspired you to create such an interesting project?
Marcin Maciejewski: The ‘Alchemists’ board game was one of the projects that we had in mind when we designed the game. We needed to simplify it and make the app concept more appealing to kids. Physics in general was in the scope of my interests. I wanted the game to be fun and also give the players a chance to explore the field of subatomic research. One of the purposes of the game was to get kids interested in physics.
BoardGameKing: Who designed and programmed the elements of augmented reality? Which devices can support this technology? Both iOS and Android platforms? Is it available on Windows Phone?
Marcin Maciejewski: All the apps for our games are developed internally. We reuse the plugins or some of the code between our projects. Currently, we support iOS and Android. We’re still working on apps for the Windows Phone.
BoardGameKing: Is it expensive to use the application for this game?
Marcin Maciejewski: No, the app will be distributed for free.
BoardGameKing: How’s your kickstarter campaign at the moment? Is it successful or not?
Marcin Maciejewski: We are learning a lot and we’ve got our fingers crossed. The show goes on!
Thanks for reading, guys! You can support this project on its kickstarter page! Feel free to back it because this game is revolutionary!