The world of Dust Raiders is filled with roaring engines, ruthless gangs, and desolation spanning deserts, swamps, and arid steppes. It’s a realm where, through trade and violence, you can seize power and dominate the perilous wastelands and key routes between enclaves.
Creating such a world from scratch is an immense task. Designing diverse map areas to each enclave, NPCs while making sure the world is believable and full of dozens of little storylines that player approaches through quests.
To help us craft a rich and intricate world, we’ve invited Marek Mydel, narrative designer and co-author of the critically acclaimed board game “Waste Knights: Second Edition”. We posed several questions to him about his inspirations, workflow, and past experiences.
Hello, Marek! Could you tell us a bit about yourself? How did you become a board game designer?
I’ve been working in the industry for 20 years now, but it’s hard to say what makes you a designer. First I played any games that were available in the ‘90s in bleak Poland and then I was a guy who had a chance to work with great licenses either as a developer or translator. Hard to say when it happened. So, all in all, it’s more a matter of being in the right place at the right time rather than having a planned career as a designer.
With Waste Knights, and now Dust Raiders, you’ve delved deeply into the post-apocalyptic theme. How do you blend expectations from these kinds of worlds with unique twists?
It’s always a bit of what I see in various games, movies and books and what I read on the news. Our world is already fu**ed up enough to give me inspiration. And then I fu** it up even more (for players’ sake, of course). Oh, and there are so many post-apo conventions in Poland and tons of great people who inspired me. Kudos to them all!
What are the differences between designing a board game and a video game?
One word – assets. It’s easy to write a passage in a choose-your-own-adventure book. It’s simple to create whole worlds like that.
But with a video game, I must limit myself to what the producers have in store. So, it’s a game of making the most of what they give you, which is a challenge by itself, but a nice one. Plus I quickly get to see what I imagined, while in a board game some things forever stay purely textual.
You have experience translating ancient Japanese literature; what lessons from that work are useful today?
Don’t be a peasant in feudal Japan, ‘cause you might get cut. And then – appearances matter most. Samurai might not be your noble warriors, but they look like ones. Oh, and working 14 hours a day is a normal thing. Comes in handy when you’re handling a game project close to a deadline.
In Dust Raiders, we will continually fight and gain influence at the expense of different gangs. Could you describe one of the raider groups?
As I don’t want to spoil too much, so I’m going to tell you about the Skaters. One day after the Apocalypse they looted a hockey stadium and thought that wearing a mask with a bad-ass illustration sounds good. Some of them even tattoo their faces to make them look really fearsome!
What are your main sources of inspiration when designing the setting for enclaves in Dust Raiders?
This one is easy. I look at some place through my window or imagine one I don’t see and then think what will happen to it if no one delivers power and water to it. And when some bad guys come to claim what’s of any value there.
What’s the secret to creating unique characters in a post-apocalyptic world?
I don’t think that such characters are far different from people living here and now. Post-apocalyptic world is simply one 20 years from now if we lack food and water. Imagine your neighbor in this situation – how would they react? Or you? And you have your unique someone.
Could you share with us some events that occurred before the plot of Dust Raiders?
There’s a whole plot twist we had to bury deep inside the game which basically underlines the whole idea behind the setting, but one thing which literally “sticks out” of it is “The Windmill”. Just get far enough in the game and you’ll see.
What’s your favorite element of Dust Raiders so far?
I think it’s combat. As I work mostly with board games, all the action happening there is turn-based or dice-oriented. All in all, pretty static. But in Dust Raiders when you start a fight, better be prepared for some fast-paced decision making and exploding fun.