Lanterns and Expeditions: An Interview with Randy Hoyt of Foxtrot Games: Page 2 of 2

CGR: Your latest game, Lanterns, looks very impressive. Could you tell us more about the game itself and your Kickstarter campaign?

Randy: Lanterns: The Harvest Festival is a tile-placement game set in imperial China. Players act as artisans decorating the palace lake with floating lanterns. The great thing about Lanterns is that each tile you place benefits you AND every other player in the game. You have to place carefully to earn the lantern cards you need, while also looking to deny your opponents. Players gain honor by dedicating specific sets of lantern cards, and the player with the most honor before the festival arrives wins the game.

We launched the Kickstarter campaign for Lanterns on October 7, and it will run through November 5. The response to the game has been incredible: we reached our funding goal of $10,000 in just six days. We have a number of stretch goals that will improve the game with some upgraded components and additional artwork if we reach certain higher funding levels. Individuals can pledge $24 to get a copy of the game shipped within the United States.

CGR: It seems that your publishing efforts so far are well-aligned with the cause of Casual Game Revolution. What do you like about casual games?

Randy: I really enjoy digging into games. I like to play them repeatedly, exploring all their nooks and crannies to understand how each of their elements work together. The easier a game is to teach to new players and the less time it takes to play, the more likely I’ll be to play it as many times as I would want.

While I certainly enjoy playing more complex games with friends and with gamers I meet at conventions, my fondest gaming memories come from playing casual games with family. Casual games provide such a great atmosphere for family members from multiple generations to interact in a fun, non-threatening way on equal footing. Nothing beats playing a game like Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne together with my wife and our 7-year-old son.

CGR: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us — Foxtrot Games is definitely on our radar. How might one keep up with the latest and greatest news?

Randy: No problem. You can visit our website at FoxtrotGames.com. You can sign up for our monthly newsletter there, as well as find links to our Twitter and Facebook pages. Our Kickstarter campaign for Lanterns: The Harvest Festival runs through November 5, and people can check out that campaign at LanternsGame.com.