Exclusive Interview with the Privateers Behind 'Monsterpocalypse,' a Collectible Minis Game of Gargantuan Proportions
By Phill Provance
Posted 7/16/2008
With comics, exclusive figs and a slew of wicked sculpts, Privateer Press's Monsterpocalypse CMG is dealing out a double dollop of poetic justice as the big, PO'd lizard of this summer's convention season. But, as the October launch looms, nailing down the hard facts on this gargantuan phenom is about as easy as catching hold of a radioactive salamander. So what are would-be fans to do? Wiz-U recently sat down with Monsterpocalypse's designers Matt Wilson and Erik Yaple to answer those questions and more in a Q-and-A session almost as huge as the game itself.
What drew you to work on a game like Monsterpocalypse in the first place?
Erik: I haven't always been a kaiju movie fan, but Matt and I have been friends for 13 years, since we both worked at All Star Games when we were teenagers. So when he called me and told me they were putting a new game together it was a no-brainer.
Matt: The original concept for me came during a brainstorming session after War Machine, and we really kind of narrowed it down out of interest. I'll be honest, initially we were thinking about doing a sci-fi game. I got a buy-in from a couple people at Privateer on that, but then, (Privateer honcho) Jason Soles made a comment about how cool it would be to see a game about giant monsters, and everything just clicked. The giant-monster movies themselves have always been something I've loved. I remember watching the late-night monster movies on TV back before things like "Godzilla" or anime were popular in the U.S., and it just went from there.
How does the game play exactly? What is it mechanics-wise that sets it apart of the fold?
Matt: Basically, it's just fun. Instead of trying to make it 'battle simulation,' we designed a game that is meant to be playable and entertaining. When you're playing you're in control of a giant monster and some tanks and other units like you'd see in a kaiju movie. Your opponent has a monster too, and you take turns trying to beat your opponent's monster down. Each of you gets a certain number of Action Dice that allow you to make attacks and use the abilities of your monster and units. You have to manage them carefully, though, depending on what you're trying to do.
Erik: There are a lot of different strategies you can use in Monsterpocalypse. For instance, you can play conservatively early on, which will allow you more moves later when your opponent has fewer Action Dice. You also have Power Dice, though, that can be added to your Action Dice rolls, and that gives you a lot more options on how to use your resources. In the end, it's a balance between managing your resources and your aggression.
What if both players are holding onto their dice early on?
Erik: Well that's just chicken.
Matt: It also probably won't happen a lot because, even though you're managing your pool of dice and the monster is your big powerhouse, there are other things to do too. The other units are designed to capture buildings and Power Zones, and you need those to pull off the big moves. So when you're making attacks the monster isn't going to do half as much damage if the other units aren't holding down the fort, and obviously they'll start fighting the other smaller units for real estate.
Erik: Also, you have your Hyper Form that represents the point in every kaiju movie where Godzilla or the other monster starts glowing and going berserk. That's when things really get interesting because Hyper Forms increase the strength of your attacks and unlock new abilities. And you just can't get there without building up your power.
I take it you guys play a lot, huh?
Matt: Yeah, but Erik's been winning more. I've always been more of a designer than a player.
Erik: Or I'm just that good.
Matt: Whatever.
On his Blog, Erik seems to go out for the Planet Eaters faction. Who's your favorite faction, Matt, and why?
Matt: I pretty much love all of them because I created all of them from scratch. If I had to pick one, I guess I'd go with G.U.A.R.D. just because I've always been a sucker for giant robots. But, then, I like the Planet Eaters too because I like the way they look. Their figs are the most inspired by Japanese kaiju and have some awesome sculpts that look like something right out of the movies.... I don't know. It's just impossible for me to choose, I guess.
Speaking of factions, you guys have added one since the site first went up. How does the Martian Menace fit into the Monsterpocalypse universe?
Matt: They're very classical Martian Invader-types. 'They've been slowly building up their forces for centuries and now they're ready to invade'-that kind of thing. The inspiration comes largely from H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," and we even drew a lot of inspiration from the old original films that used the horseshoe shaped UFOs instead of tripods. So in addition to the tripod-style walkers, we also emphasized the flying saucers. One of the Martian Menace monsters is actually a giant UFO called the Ares Mother Ship.
Erik: I also don't think we touched on the Terrasaurs much (on the website). They're the classic, big-lizard style monsters of the game, and they have two big monsters, Terra Khan and Armodax, that work great together. Terra Khan's got a great Ultra Form that turns him into a super-fast berserker, while Armodax is a bit tougher with a shell that protects him against damage taken by smashing into buildings. They're both good for delivering an old-style beat-down by themselves, but together they're unstoppable.
Matt: Definitely. Their abilities combo really well off each other creating a lot of synergy. So while Armodax is taking all the hits, Terrakhan can inspire the other units to be more effective with abilities like Berserk, which gives all the units in range additional combat dice during an attack.
Erik: And there are even more effects that reward (Terrasaurs) for destroying buildings. They're just classic monster-movie monsters, and we wanted to reward them for causing as much destruction as possible. They get benefits when destroying buildings with abilities like High Occupancy and Industrial for instance, so when they smash into apartment buildings they get more health and, if they hit a nuclear power plant, they get more power dice.
The website seems to imply that there will be models of tons of famous buildings from all over the world to smash up. Which are planned for the first release?
Matt: (Laughs) We're going to smash as many monuments as we can, but a lot of it has to do with whether or not they're appropriately large enough to represent on the city map-like the Space Needle in Seattle or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In the first set, of course, the buildings will be more generic because we want to make sure everyone gets what they need to start off. But starting with the expansions, we're going to focus on specific cities. The first, naturally, will be New York-the most famous city in the world
You guys touched on cooperation between monsters while talking about the Terrasaurs faction, but I also understand that there will be a 'Double-Threat' format to the game? How does that work?
Erik: It's the same rules-which were written to accommodate additional monsters to begin with-but in 'Double-Threat' you split up your dice and have to act more responsibly with them. The really cool part, though, is that you end up with some awesome combos, playing the monsters off each other. There are combinations of attacks and abilities with a lot more potential for combos than with one monster, and if they're powered-up you can have two monsters tag-teaming (your opponent's) monster, one of them hitting him hard and launching him straight into an attack from the other.
Matt: The amount of time you need to play Monsterpocalypse in 'Double-Threat' goes up, but it's worth it because some Special Power attacks can only be executed by two monsters playing off each other. One example is Cradle Throw where you place your monsters on opposite sides of your opponent's monster, and one grabs his hands and the other one grabs his feet and they fling him double the distance of a normal throw taking the target monster out of commission for a while. It's very cinematic watching that one happen.
If monsters can team up in Monsterpocalypse who do they team up with? Can they team up with monsters from any faction or only those in the same faction as them?
Erik: Monsters can obviously team up with members of their own faction, but if you want to go outside of that, you have to go by the Agenda Wheel. It's kind of like a meta-philosophy for the faction. Pair-ups must be between partner factions that are adjacent to each other on the Agenda Wheel. In the first set alone, there are five team-ups for each monster and that number will grow as we introduce more monsters and factions in later sets.
Monsterpocalypse will also launch with its own comic-book miniseries. Will the series strictly follow the game, or will it be more like the old Magic: The Gathering books?
Matt: As in any media crossover, liberties are taken. There are things mentioned in the comics that we don't even touch on in the game. The artists and writer have done their best to stay within the basic boundaries, but there have been times when they've gone beyond what could be replicated in the game. But the most important thing in a comic is to tell a good story, and that's what they've done.
Have you guys given much thought to extending the series beyond the initial four issues?
Matt: We hope to continue it. We very much hope it's a well-received series, and we think it will be because (writer) Stephan Nilson is a huge giant-monster fan and has put his all into this book. Basically, he takes a great story up to a point where you want to know what's going to happen next. Then he ends the first arc so it leaves the door open for a sequel or two. He's really done a great job with that.
What else is in store for Monsterpocalypse past the initial launch?
Matt: Our release cycle will be one core set and two expansions each year that will focus on six factions. In each new core set, we'll introduce six brand-new factions that we'll flesh out through the subsequent two sets.
Erik: The core set will release with 69 figures. The first expansion is about 52. I general, expansions will be a bit smaller than the core set, but each one will introduce new types of figures and abilities that enhance the game.
Just one last question, then I promise I'm done: Erik, you call yourself "The Baddest Man in Gaming"-What does that mean exactly? Are you Ring Wraith bad or The Fonze bad?
Erik: (Laughs) Oh, I'm pretty bad. I once had a player say I could crush a man's skull with my bare hands, and I daresay I could.
Matt: Truth is he's a giant teddy bear. He likes hugs.
Erik: (To Phill) You're not going to print that, right?
For more on Monsterpocalypse, check out the official site at http://www.monsterpocalypsegame.com/
