Interview
Sean Billson
Designer Interview
Burn through the skies to deliver divine justice in Fuel Priest! Play this tabletop role-playing game for narrative-heavy mechanics that bring a story-focused power fantasy to your table. Our pick-up-and-play streamlined rules allow for a high-flying spectacle that gives players substantial control over their narrative. Join the starry-eyed dev team in getting Fuel Priest off the ground!
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Hello! I’m Sean Billson, a gender nonbinary game designer originally raised in Albuquerque New Mexico. I recently graduated from Hampshire College in game design.
How did you get into game design?
A class called “Intensive in Creative Game Design” was offered during the winter break of my first year at college. It was taught by a man named Joshua A.C. Newman. The goal of the class was to experiment with game design. It ran from 9 in the morning until 3 o’clock for two weeks. I ended up trying to make a real time card game based on a waterbender and a firebender from Avatar the last Airbender in a fight. Honestly, something clicked in that class, and a year later I had switched my course of study from animation in to game design.
What are your goals as a game designer?
Yikes, tough question! So, I am a very strong believer in the ability of games to put a person in positions that they would never experience. More so, using this unique ability that games have to start, or add to, discussions about critical issues. My hope is that games I make will encourage folk who wouldn’t normally engage in critical social discussion to give it a shot.
What is your process for designing a game?
Day dreaming and carrying a notebook. That’s really the gist of it. Often times I’ll be daydreaming and will wonder how I would make a game out of what I’m thinking about, or I will think of a really cool mechanic idea that I like. I’ll take out my notebook and I’ll jot it down. I also inevitably end up talking my partners ear off about the idea (I love you Sam!). I then put on the same Lo-fi Hip Hop mix off of youtube and I’ll start writing a game design document. I first spend a lot of time analyzing the different types of games that this mechanic could fit and, more importantly, what story this mechanic tries to tell. The example I like to use is the difference between how Health works in Dungeons and Dragons, and how it works in Burning Wheel. In D&D your character has all of the same options to them whether they are at 1 health or 200, which portrays the characters as heroic figures who can do anything no matter the odds stacked against them! Where as in Burning Wheel, the more damage that you take, the more likely the character is to hesitate and end up in a worse situation, which paints the characters as people with weakness. The story of this one mechanic will inform the direction of the rest of the game, and it all builds out of that!
What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a game designer?
I’m not really sure! I’d say my biggest challenge as a game designer affects most aspects of my life. I struggle with depression and “some days simply lay on you like stones.” Patrick Rothfuss. It can be hard to push past that, and I’m gonna hijack part of this question to give a huge thank you to the rest of Timeless Caverns who have been an amazing source of love, support and creative energy that make it so much easier to work on the things I love! For a more technical answer, sometimes your mechanics just won’t behave themselves and you gotta sit them down and have a long talk about cohesiveness. Its always tempting to pick make a new system addressing the problem, don’t. There is almost always an answer in the system that are already made, and adding more could lead to way to much mechanics bloat.
How do you handle play-testing and development?
With Enthusiasm! I feel as though my play testing method is similar to most designers. Though I would argue that the most important step of play testing is the prep for it.. The worst feedback I’ve gotten from a playtest happened when the only question I asked the players was “So, what did you think?” While that’s not a bad question to ask, it will inevitably lead to feedback that isn’t relevant, or to include a mechanic that goes against your vision for the game. So prep, definitely coming to each playtest with a list of questions that I want answers, and a specific something that I am looking to test. Development is the same as twoish questions above. I sit at my computer, listen to music, and parse all of the feedback.
Do you have any advice for aspiring designers?
Make what ever you want, but make sure that your game isn’t making any statements you don’t want it to. Make sure that every interpretation of the game is intentional and supports your vision. Always carry around a notebook, voice recorder, or what ever lets you jot down what ever ideas you have. If you are even semi committed to an idea, start a game design document and get a few steps past the concepting phase. Make specific mechanics, stick with it long enough where you would be able to playtest something. Stay Hydrated. Talk about your ideas with game designers, and more importantly, with folk who will get just as excited about your ideas as you do! Make bad games, follow through on the ideas that you think are bad. Even if you don’t finish it, I’m willing to bet that you will learn a lot from the experience and probably get excited about the project. Put hot sauce on mozzarella sticks. Play other peoples games. Support local designers and make an effort to become a part of the local game design community. Get good at social media, or be good friends with somebody is. (I love you Daniel!)
What are some of your favorite games to play?
I’ve been playing a fair share of World of Warcraft Recently. Partly because I really enjoy the class design and and raiding content that Blizzard has put out, but also because its the only video game I’ve played that lets me throw Lava at stuff. My top favorite games are, in no particular order. Mirrors Edge — It has its flaws, and quite a few of them, but I think it captured momentum and motion beautifully, Bloody Handed Name of Bronze — Its a table top rpg made by Joshua A.C. Newman that does some really creative things with the medium of table top and I encourage anybody who is interested in exploring what ways TTRPGs can go to play this game. TitanFall 1 and 2 — I like giant robots, I like verticality, and I like going fast and this game gives me all three. Half Life 2 — its a classic. I’m not really sure what to say about it. I think barring a few flaws its as close to a masterpiece we are gonna get in first person shooting games. Warmachine and Hordes — I used to play some warhammer fantasy, and Warmachine gives me the nostalgia of playing a miniatures tactics game, but with giant robots. Though I mostly just paint the models. Fuel Priest — Can’t shill it enough, but also I’m making this one. Dread — I’ve never had a nightmare about a Jenga tower before, but god damn. Epidiah Ravachol did an incredible job with this game. There are a lot more, but then this list wouldn’t end.
Do you have a favorite (local) game store?
I do! Modern Myths in Northampton Massachusetts!
We saw sneak peeks of Fuel Priest. Just from what was seen — It looks fantastic. Anything extra you can share with our readers?
Thanks! I appreciate that! Something I can talk about something we’re still play-testing! The GM of the game acts not only as the GM of the game, but also plays as the Maiden of Oil, who is the primary deity of the world the players interact with. The Maiden gets her own character sheet, and gets to define what the intended meaning of the scriptures are, and as play progress, create new scripture.
What are some of your interests outside of games and design?
Quite a bit! A friend of mine is teaching me to play the Mandolin, I like whiskey, running, painting, writing, snowboarding, wake-boarding, acrobatics, food, being around good people, whiskey, rocks, and sleeping! There is of course more, but once again, this list would go on for a while.
But what does it all mean? Find out how we review the games we play!
