Today we sit down with John Jacobs of Attack Dice, LLC to talk crowdfunding, dice, and zombies.
What can you tell both of my readers about Attack Dice?
Attack Dice was founded by two longtime friends, Emil G. Palisoc and John S. Jacobs, who first started gaming together back in the mid-1980’s. Like many gamers they dreamed of becoming owners of a gaming store, Emi and John made it a reality in 1996 when they opened Sanctuary Games & Books in Jacksonville, Florida. The store was a local success until they decided to sell it in 2007. After selling the store, Emi and John moved on to “real life stuff” as wives and children entered the picture but we did make sure to keep gaming whenever we could.
Fast forward to November 2011, we began further development on a dice game concept we came up with in 1998. This concept was reintroduced because with our busy lives, it was hard to find a lot of time to game. We needed to have something we could play with minimal setup time, but it also had to still be engrossing and entertaining. After some refining and play testing, When Zombies Attack! was born. In January 2012 we took the plunge and founded Attack Dice LLC. On June 1, 2012 When Zombies Attack! was released, the first game we published using our proprietary TrioDice Game System. Our second game, Dungeon Attack! was successfully produced via Kickstarter in 2014. We also have several other game concepts in the development pipeline.
Trio Dice
I understand you have a new game currently being funded on Kickstarter?
Yes, we currently have our third TrioDice powered game called Roach Party! funding on Kickstarter. Roach Party! was actually the first game concept we came up with back in 1998. Like our other two games, Roach Party! is easy to learn, fast to play, affordable, and a whole lot of fun! We really had a good time developing the game and are excited to get it into the hands of our backers. We would love for your readers to come join us on this Kickstarter, you can find it here.
How does Roach Party differ from your earlier games?
That’s a good question, all of games are powered by our proprietary TrioDice Game System, but they all do have a different playstyle and feel to them. When Zombies Attack! is our most competitive player vs. player game where you are directly competing against the other players in an effort to escape a zombie apocalypse. Dungeon Attack! is a far more co-operative system where players must help one another in order to survive the perils of adventuring in dark dungeons filled with fierce monsters. Roach Party! is a hybrid between the two, you are definitely directly competing against the other players but you do need to utilize some cooperation to ensure that the building is free from the infestation and not condemned.
What sets Roach Party apart from other dice games on the market?
Honestly, I think our TrioDice Game System, is the greatest strength of all our games, including Roach Party! It’s easy to learn and once you learn it, the same basic dice mechanics carry over to our other games. This dramatically cuts down on the need to learn a totally new system each time you pick up a new release. Even though each game has the same basic dice mechanics, they do have a different play style and strategies you must employ to be successful, although it never hurts to have a little luck on your side. Also, we limit the number of components you need to play our games. This helps to keep the cost of the game down and eliminates the need for players keep up with too many pieces that are easily lost or damaged. Of course, I may be a bit biased, but most importantly, I believe that our games are a lot more fun to play with a group of friends than other dice games on the market. At the end of the day, you don’t really remember the game so much as you remember the great time you had playing it with your friends.
What was the most difficult part of creating Roach Party?
I think that this applies to every game that any one has ever created, and that is the need to be very open and accepting of critical feedback and use it as an opportunity to improve. It’s very easy to dig in your heels and dismiss this type of criticism, but if you are honest with yourself you will step back and try to view this feedback you will find that there are some very good suggestions that will help improve your final product.
What’s your desert island game of choice?
Attack Dice games of course, but I’m assuming you don’t want me to state that obvious answer so I will answer without choosing them. If I am on a desert island with other people with lots of time on our hands, I would probably want a copy of Dungeons & Dragons, it is the system that introduced me to the world of gaming and will always be one that I love. If I am alone, I might just want a pack of playing cards, there are a lot of things you can do with a simple pack of cards.
What’s next for Attack Dice?
Next up, we have plans to publish a new revised and expanded edition of Dungeon Attack! Unlike many publishers, we do plan to offer an upgrade kit for those who already own a copy of Dungeon Attack! and will only need the new material. Beyond that we have plans to do a similar treatment for When Zombies Attack! as well as new dice games based upon the Cthulhu Mythos and Superhero genre. Stay tuned true believers, we have a lot of fun stuff to share in future!
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