Split the Hoard is the first board game to be published by EN Publishing, and is launching on Kickstarter late September. Hear more about it from designer Marc Kenobi. You can play the online version of Split the Hoard on Tabletopia for free, and read the current draft of the rulebook here.
Q: Hello there! Thanks for talking to us about your game Split the Hoard. What’s the story behind the game?
A: The game is about that classic moment when, as a group of TTPRG adventurers, you’ve finally defeated the dragon and have to figure out how to share the loot.
Q: And how does this narrative come through in the mechanics of the game?
A: I think the narrative is there throughout the game with new treasures being discovered
and negotiations between players happening all the time. In most TTRPGs the gold in a big hoard is just a weight/value calculation, what everyone is really interested in are the exceptional and enchanted items. Using the coins as currency rather than as a reward in itself I think reflects that pretty well. Also as some cards aren’t revealed during each game, you also have this sense of discovery as you never know what this particular hoard might contain.
Q: How complex is the game? Is this for experienced gamers only, or something you could invite someone new to the hobby to play?
A: The game’s core rules are simple; all the players draw and set prices for three treasures, and then everyone gets to buy one treasure from an opponent, whatever is left in front of you, you get to keep. Repeat this until the treasure pile is empty and then check how many victory points you scored, the player with the most points wins the game.
In just two sentences I’ve summed up the game pretty accurately and I think you could play knowing not much more than that. New players can play at that level, have fun and do well, but the interaction between the cards and the choices each player makes elevates the game into something experienced players will enjoy. Each card has multiple uses, and you can squeeze out advantages by playing them at the right moment, there are also combos to be found, and you can even speed the game to its conclusion if you think you’re winning.
Q: Like TTRPGS, different board games provide different gaming experiences. What sort of experience will we have sitting down for a game of Split the Hoard?
A: You’re going to feel smart, heroic, and maybe a little sneaky playing this game as you figure out which treasures to claim, what titles you want, and how to disrupt your opponents. Most players start tentatively, trying to sense what other players are looking for, decide how to approach their own goals, and understand how various treasures are going to be valued. Somewhere in the middle you’ll get very comfortable with the mechanics as they become almost instinctive, Then in the final act everyone is scrambling to grab all the victory points they can before the game ends. I think this escalation as you play is what has made so many players enjoy the game.
Every decision you make matters; how expensive to make your treasures, which treasures you negotiate for, and how and when to use the treasures you claim all have an impact on the game going forwards, but individually none of them will win or ruin the game for you. As the game rushes to its conclusion it wont outstay its welcome and you’ll end wondering if playing slightly differently might have changed the outcome and I hope you’ll want to play again to find out.
Q: In addition to board game design, you also write tabletop roleplaying games. How did your ttrpg experiences influence the design of Split the Hoard?
A: I’ve been a DM for over 35 years and in that time I’ve seen lots of groups splitting up a monster’s hoard and the thematic and mechanical choices in the game reflect that wealth of experience. From the treasures included to the competition between ‘allies’ it’s all rooted in things I’ve seen at the table.
Q: How did the game evolve during development, and what lead you to make those changes?
A: The game started as a more simplistic ‘I split, you pick’ game where each round a player would split several treasures into piles for others to then choose. Unfortunately this resulted in the active player getting into analysis paralysis and the other players getting bored. I wanted cards to have several options and possible values to keep the choices interesting, but this made it a terrible fit for a game where a player would have to split up 10-15 cards every turn with everyone else waitied. Switching to the negotiate structure was the biggest change that happened in development and made so many things better as players were involved more consistently throughout the game.
Other mechanics that didn’t make the cut included; trap cards that would just punish players randomly and were removed pretty early. Reducing the number ‘take from another player’s haul’ cards was removed relatively late as it just created theft chains, this is also when I determined that no cards should interact with the treasure discard – each card can only be played for its effect once. Voting was one of my favorite thematic parts of the game where players would vote on leaving before the deck ran (others were coming to loot the hoard) or risk a penalty (when the orc army arrived) if it did. That went through several variations before being scrapped.
In all these cases player feedback was key to understanding what needed to change. The saying goes “If a playtester tells you its wrong, they’re probably right, if they tell you how to fix it they’re probably wrong”. It sounds kind of flippant, but the first part is pretty important. When playtesters tell you there’s a problem you really need to take their word for it, no matter how much you like any mechanics.
Q: Are there any games you took particular inspiration from when designing Split the Hoard?
A: I can see the fingerprints of mechanics from all sorts of games I’ve enjoyed finding their way into Split the Hoard. Personally I can see parts of Isle of Skye, Port Royal, Sushi Go!, to New York Slice in the game, but none of that was particularly deliberate. The Hobbit and my TTRPG experience were more influential to the theme than any board games, though I have learned since finishing it that there are a few other games with fortunately different takes on the ‘dragon’s hoard’ set up.
Q: Split the Hoard is your first published board game, and you’ve had your TTRPG work published many times. What advice would you give to other tabletop designers starting out their career?
A: Get involved with the gaming and designing communities, people are very generous with their time and experience and will help you inordinately. Ideas aren’t worth much, make a prototype as quickly as you can and playtest that idea, then you might have something. Your reputation and connections are more important than you think, this is a small industry. However much you’ve playtested, playtest more! Doing this kind of work is a marathon not a sprint and it takes time to develop your skills and find the right opportunities, don’t get disheartened.
Q: What else do you have going on and how can people find more of your work?
A: I have three more game designs that I’m pitching at the moment as well as continuing to produce more RPG content. www.storymakergames.com includes details of my RPG work, game designs, and an infrequently updated blog that ranges across all my tabletop gaming interests.
I also regularly produce RPG content for two patreons:
EN5ider provides weekly content for 5e with a back catalog of over 590 articles. I’m particularly proud of my recent Night Lark villain, but I’ve made over 20 contributions.
Gate Pass Gazette is a monthly magazine for Level Up Advanced 5e now in its third year and I’ve had content in sixteen of its thirty one issues so far.
I also have a few creatures in the upcoming Monstrous Menagerie 2 from EN Publishing which you’ll be able to find on Kickstarter soon.
Read more at this site