The latest entry in our interview series Why You Should Back: Hamlet on Kickstarter. We spoke with the creator and CEO of Mighty Boards to get information about their latest launch. He wanted to create something unique and category-defining, which he believes he has achieved with this game. The Kickstarter launch date is March 8, 2022. Check out the link below to go directly to Hamlet Kickstarter page or continue on to read the interview with the creators.
Hamlet on Kickstarter
1. How would you describe your product in a few sentences?
Hamlet is a Village building game with focus on organic, emergent growth and logistics. The village grows organically with different shapes and no grid. The economy forms on its own based on what buildings and resources players choose to build and refine. The Distribution networks you build need to adapt to the roads and distances that form between buildings. Almost everything is emergent in Hamlet. You feel like you’re truly building a village. Something you can give a name to at the end.
2. Introduce the team bringing this to market? What is your background that brought you to launching this?
I’m David! I’m a game designer, but used to be an actor, and then used to be a podiatrist (crazy story I know). In 2016, after publishing a few board games I moved to Poland and worked at CD Projekt Red for 5 years, where I released a bunch of AAA video game titles as a game designer (Thronebreaker, Gwent, Cyberpunk 2077). Then I quit and moved back to Malta. I am now working as CEO/Designer at Mighty Boards.
Hamlet is a special project for me, it feels a little bit like a homecoming. When I was working on video games I often worked long hours with little design energy to make anything new, so I spent most of the free time there playing board games, publishing expansions to my previous game, Petrichor – and tinkering with Hamlet, my comfort “dream” project. I always wanted to create a cosy feeling village building game that reminds me of what I felt when I played video games like The Settlers and Age of Empires. It was so comforting for me to see a village settling, growing – and all those little workers running about, carrying resources or minding their own jobs. This is the main feeling that Hamlet tries to evoke. It’s also a milestone game for me as it represents the solace that game design gave me during periods of hard work, while marking my return “home”, where my journey started – to board game design.
3. What existing games would you compare your game to?
I think the two games that I would compare Hamlet to are “Roads and Boats” and “Brass”. Brass being an absolute favourite of mine. I had not played Roads and Boats till after I designed Hamlet and playtesters pointed out similar “feelings”. Hamlet features certain motifs that Brass does well – players generating resources meaning for other players to consume them, and opportune building of roads. As well as motifs that Roads and Boats does well – Moving resources around, the ability of other players to use resources you created, the feeling of a growing, settling village and the “openness” that game has. There is one key difference here. Hamlet takes 10 mins to learn and plays in 60-120 mins (depending on number of players). Which is significantly shorter than both of those games. While still offering a deep and satisfying village building experience. I dare say more satisfying in some ways – But I made this, so take it with a grain of “definite bias”
4. What sets your game apart?
I LOVE Village building games. But I wanted to make one which was not about tableau building, or placing hexes in rigid grids. I feel that the feeling of a village’s growth is abstracted out of games like this. I wanted something that is more fluid, natural and unstructured – Just like villages are grown in real life. All of this in a package that is easy to learn, plays in less than 2 hours and is still satisfyingly deep. I think Hamlet ticks these boxes, and I love it.
5. How can everyone be assured that they are going to get quality components and you are going to deliver on all the promises you are making?
Hamlet is Mighty Boards’ 12th Kickstarter Campaign. We are known for delivering excellent looking products that are beautiful to behold as well as hold. We just recently delivered one of our latest Kickstarters – Petrichor: Collector’s edition and the backers’ response has been outstanding.
6. Why should someone back your project?
Want an organic, fluid, deep, fast-playing, and very pretty village building experience? Hamlet has all of these things, and more! Oh and the deluxe version we have on Kickstarter will be exclusive for backers of this campaign! We would love it if you could come on board and tell this story with us!
Well we are satisfied!
Great insight and enthusiasm from a passionate and experienced designer. This game does look like it has it all. If you are looking for something that hopes to take Village building to the next level, look no further. Take a look at their Kickstarter or website for more info!
