147. Van Ryder Games

AJ Porfirio and Evan Derrick of Van Ryder Games join Tammy Coron and Tim Mitra to talk about what it takes to build an independent board game company. AJ started with a solo zombie game he designed in his living room. Evan came aboard a few years later. Together, they built Van Ryder Games into the publisher behind Final Girl, the first solo-only title to crack the BoardGameGeek Top 100.AJ is the founder and president of Van Ryder Games, designer of Hostage Negotiator, and co-designer of Final Girl. Evan is the creative director and vice president, designer of Detective: City of Angels, and the other half of the Final Girl co-design. On this episode, they get into how the mechanics of Hostage Negotiator became the foundation for Final Girl's solo board game design, why the modular double-sided feature film box came close to breaking the company before it became its defining signature, what it meant for a solo-only game to reach the BoardGameGeek Top 100, how fifteen years of Kickstarter board game campaigns changed how AJ and Evan think about tiers and stretch goals, and what Era Two of Final Girl will and won't change for people who own the game.They also talk about manufacturing in China, the current tariff situation for hobby board games, and what running a board game business looks like beyond the design work.Mentioned in this episode:Van Ryder GamesVan Ryder Games DiscordFinal GirlHostage NegotiatorDark Moon - published version of Evan's BSG Express Friday - solo board game by Friedemann Friese, 2011Search Engine podcast, episode on making a product in AmericaPower Publishing - AJ's YouTube series on board game publishingFollow AJ Porfirio and Evan Derrick:Van Ryder GamesVan Ryder Games DiscordListen wherever you get podcasts.