Next Two You Games is a game design company based out of Tucson, Arizona. Their mission is to create casual two-player coffee table games that play in less than 30 minutes and have a small environmental impact. They are currently exploring both pitching to publishers and self-publishing through The Game Crafter. Notable games published by Next Two You Games include:
- Shipping Showdown: A two-player showdown to see who can pack up and ship off the most valuable items.
- The Great Food Truck Assembly: Organize your food trucks, outwit your opponent who's doing the same, and activate special menu items. The Great Food Truck Assembly is now on crowd sale!
- Terreign: A two-player 1v1 tactical abstract strategy game where animals strive to stay hydrated in the desert. Coming November 1, 2024.
At the helm is founder and lead designer, Katie Andrews, whose passion for board games has shaped the company's innovative approach. Alongside Katie is Social Media guru, Jennifer Andrews, who manages communications and brings her marketing expertise to the table.
INTERVIEW
1. What sparked your journey into game design, and was there a defining moment when you knew you wanted to create your own games?
"It’s going to sound funny but I was working at a UPS Store and it was the wildest job I’ve had. Just the people I would interact with and the items that I would ship. I genuinely enjoyed packing and shipping items. One day, something in my brain was like, why not make a game about this? I ended up jotting down day-to-day work experiences at the UPS Store and gamifying it. A couple years later, Shipping Showdown was born and that kickstarted my designer brain/publishing journey."
2. Your bio mentions that you started with Settlers of Catan. How did playing that game shape your approach to design, and what games have you gravitated towards as influences since?
"This is a tough question to answer because I don’t believe the games I design are anywhere similar to Settlers of Catan. It did open me up to modern board gaming though. Before Settlers of Catan, I just thought of Monopoly, Scrabble, and Chess as games. Settlers of Catan introduced me to a ton of new game mechanics and themes. I tend to gravitate towards worker placement, set collection, abstract, and strategy games now which have definitely influenced my design style."
3. How have your personal interests, like spending time with your pets or other passion projects, impacted the way you design or think about your games?
"After Shipping Showdown, I wanted to create a game called Canine Conqueror based on my dog haha. It had heart but I had no way of figuring out how to make it work. This game really made me think outside the box of how to make a game because it was a pivotal moment of "oh shoot, this game sucks, how can I fix it?" I didn’t end up making the game, but it helped me understand my limits and where I can improve as a baby designer. I also make zines with my friends and really wanted to make a one-page game to put in one of our issues. That zine created The Flea and the Circus."
"I’m a firm believer that the designer needs to take in feedback no matter what kind of feedback it is."
4. Next Two You Games focuses on two-player coffee table games with a short playtime and low environmental impact. How does this mission guide your decisions when creating and refining game mechanics?
Great question! All my decisions come down to: can it be strictly a two-player game, can it fit into a mint tin box, and can I play it on my coffee table without feeling overwhelmed in space? If the answers are no, I don’t carry forward because it goes against the mission I’ve created. Of course, there is some wiggle room in certain cases. For example, my upcoming game Terreign used to have action cards in it. Those were slightly too big for the mint tin, so I needed to can those and rework/streamline the base game. During early playtesting, I thought those action cards were what made the game unique, but after streamlining it with a ton of playtesting, the game is much better without them, fits in a mint tin, and can be played on my coffee table!
5. Your games blend tactical strategy with accessibility. How do you ensure that your games remain engaging without being too complex, especially considering the shorter playtimes?
Throughout my design journey, balance has definitely been the biggest challenge. The best way I’ve made sure my games remain engaging without being too complex is honestly just a ton of playtesting, and with a bunch of different kinds of people. I often have other designers, hobby gamers, and non-gamers give my games a try. This helps me understand what is working and what’s not. My audience for my games is hobby gamers and non-gamers, so getting all these categories of people’s feedback is crucial to the success of them.
6. What role does feedback from playtesting play in your design process, particularly when refining games to be both quick and strategic?
I’m a firm believer that the designer needs to take in feedback no matter what kind of feedback it is. Although I might not implement the feedback into the game at the end of the day for a variety of reasons, understanding the playtester’s perspective helps me see things I may not have seen in the game before and potentially could spark other ideas that I would implement.
7. With games like The Great Food Truck Assembly, where there’s a lot of spatial memory involved, how do you balance the challenge with keeping the game accessible to all types of players?
In this particular case, I think graphic design is going to be your best friend. You can’t please everyone, but you should have clean iconography and a clear rulebook/how-to-play video to help overcome these challenges.
" I want players to have thoughtful experiences and positive feelings towards their gameplay."
Upcoming Release: Terreign
13. Could you walk us through the creation process of Terreign? What inspired the theme of animals in the desert, and how did you decide on the win conditions around hydration?
Terreign has been my baby for the last year and a half and has gone through a ton of different iterations. My partner and I went through a Chess phase for a month and the game always ended with her losing or conceding, which doesn’t feel good. I wanted to make a game that she could enjoy with the same abstract strategy feel to it. It started out as an “element” theme but, because it’s abstract, anything (for the most part) could have worked. I landed on a desert theme because I live in the Sonoran Desert and wanted to pay homage to the awesome place I live. The win conditions came about because in Chess there is only one way to win. Adding a second win condition to Terreign gives the players two routes of strategy to take, which added depth to the gameplay.
14. Terreign revolves around animals striving to stay hydrated in the desert. How did you decide to incorporate the survival element of water and hydration into the game’s mechanics, and what challenges did you face in balancing strategy with theme?
Originally, the water/hydration “storyline” didn’t exist. Players draw animals from the mint tin, which determines which animals they control throughout the game. Both players might draw a Coyote token, so I needed a way to distinguish whose Coyote is whose. This is where the cactus discs underneath them came about. Once I figured that out, the second win condition made more sense. After a great chat with fellow designer Cat Drayer, I was able to make the theme and mechanics make more sense. The biggest challenge in this game was certainly the movements of the animals. It took a lot of playtesting to balance movement while keeping the animals’ unique abilities in check.
15. When designing a game like Terreign, set in a desert with animals seeking hydration, what feelings or experiences do you hope to evoke in players?
Excellent question! Like all my games, I really want players to have thoughtful experiences and positive feelings towards their gameplay. I know for me, personally, when I make a cool strategic move in a game, it makes me want to play more and test out different strategies. I designed Terreign with that thought in mind and believe I succeeded in evoking that for its players.
16. You’re working towards the release of Terreign on November 1, 2024. What hurdles did you face in getting the game ready for this release, and how did you overcome them?
I think the biggest hurdle for me is marketing and my perfectionism. Creating a "How to Play" video nearly made me lose my mind haha. Realizing that just because I can’t make a thousand-dollar video doesn’t mean the video is bad helped me move forward and focus on making the best version of the game I can.
17. As you prepare for the launch of Terreign, what do you believe sets it apart from other tactical two-player games on the market?
I believe what sets Terreign apart are a few things. The modularity of the board creates a unique gameplay experience every game. It’s super portable and doesn’t take up a lot of space—I’ve literally played this game on an airplane tray! It also has beautiful art by Sarah “Freedz” Conlon, who has been crushing it in the game illustration space recently. Lastly, the rules can be completely customizable to the players, so in the rulebook, there’s an “Alternative Ways to Play” section for folks who want to try out new combinations of the game.
"Joining this community, I’ve noticed everyone is super friendly and just wants everyone to succeed... I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without the help of those people."
18. How do you and your team manage the balance between pitching to publishers and self-publishing through The Game Crafter? What have been the pros and cons of each approach for your studio?
I mostly do this as a hobby, so my game designs seem to shift towards self-publishing through TGC. However, like most designers, my brain doesn’t shut up with game ideas, so when I come up with a game design I’m passionate about but doesn’t necessarily fit with what Next Two You Games does, I lean more towards pitching. The pros of my approach are that I have full control of everything: the art, the mechanics, and the overall development. The biggest con is visibility, though. Crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter or Gamefound get a larger audience than a game on The Game Crafter.
19. What is the vision for Next Two You Games over the next few years? Are there any upcoming projects or expansions beyond two-player games that you’re particularly excited about?
This is a question I’ve been wondering about for the last few months. I’ve been thinking about opening up submissions for Next Two You Games and doing some collaborations with other designers! I’ve started writing ideas down for Terreign: Arctic Edition and Terreign: Woodlands Edition, so I’m excited to see where that goes!
20. What advice would you give to an aspiring game designer looking to create quick, strategic, and environmentally conscious games like those you create at Next Two You Games?
Send me a chat and let’s connect! Haha but for real, I think honestly finding designers that do the similar style you do and reaching out to them. Joining this community, I’ve noticed everyone is super friendly and just wants everyone to succeed. The community isn’t as big as we may realize, and I’ve connected with so many designers throughout the last few years. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without the help of those people.
Together, Katie and Jennifer Andrews continue to push the boundaries of game design, delivering accessible, eco-friendly games that bring fun and strategy to players everywhere.
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