Contributed by: Toby Davis
When I was young, tabletop miniature games were king in my family. Today many people overlook the genre in favor of video games due to factors like accessibility, cost, and connectivity.
Privateer Press, creators of many classic and popular tabletop miniature games like the hit Monsterpocalypse, are looking to keep the game genre from fading away. With the Voltron expansion coming out in July, I had the opportunity to speak with Matt Wilson, Creative Director, on his thoughts about the direction that tabletop miniature gaming is headed, as well as their plans for their popular franchise.
Toby Davis: Matt, can you give us a little history behind the creation of the game?
Matt Wilson: Monsterpocalypse was equal parts strategic business decision and a fit of inspiration harkening from a childhood spent immersed in classic giant monster movies. The time had come for Privateer to launch a new brand and we wanted to do something that could appeal to a new audience; WARMACHINE & HORDES, our two related tabletop miniatures games were cruising very nicely and creatively, I needed to put my head in a different space for a while. So after doing some research, I locked myself in a closet for 6-12 months and started cranking out character concepts and game rules that eventually emerged as Monsterpocalypse.
TD: How accessible is this game? Can anyone pick this up, or are there a lot of rules to understand and learn?
MW: Yes and yes. The core rules of the game are pretty simple. You spend dice to do things, you roll dice and look for little blast symbols, you compare numbers. You can be playing the game with just a few minutes worth of instruction. But there’s a great deal of the depth to Monsterpocalypse, which is why it also appeals to serious strategy game players. Every figure has abilities that can combo with other figures to achieve some great effects. Whether you’re playing it ‘lite’ or playing to win, though, the fact that you’re rampaging monsters through a city skyline, crushing tanks and brawling with other giant monsters means you’re having one of the most fun experiences you can imagine with a tabletop minis game.
TD: How are the monsters and settings picked for this series, and do they go through any testing before being picked?
MW: We assemble the cast of characters to be diverse, to offer new experiences both fictionally as well as in game play, and at the end of the day, to really satisfy our desire to see certain monsters realized as figures. We don’t market research this stuff, it’s a matter of searching out the cool factor and knowing it when you see it.
TD: Privateer is releasing the Voltron expansion in July. Can we expect more iconic characters in the future, or are there any plans to add on to the Voltron lore first?
MW: Voltron is a self-contained set but the characters and vehicles can be dropped into your normal Monsterpocalyspe experience, so if you want to see Voltron go up against Gorghadra or Terra Khan, you can make it happen. Whether or not we see more guest appearances in Monsterpocalypse by known film or TV characters remains to be seen…
TD: The Iron Kingdoms & Hordes series have books upon books of character background and history. Does Monsterpocalypse have anything like this, or is anything planned?
MW: In the Starter Set rulebooks and Strategy Guides, we’ve featured the backgrounds of each of the monstrous factions. We’ve also had some fun fiction tid-bits on our blog at monsterinsider.net and we launched Monsterpocalypse with a four issue comic-mini series.
TD: What monster, setting or unit is your favorite for the game and why?
MW: This is always a tough one to answer because I have a hand in creating them all. So, it’s like asking a parent which kid is their favorite. I love them all equally! But the ones that put an extra big smile on my face are probably the planet eaters, because they’re just crazy, fun cosmic alien monsters, and also G.U.A.R.D., because nothing turns my crank like giant robots, as anyone who knows me can attest.
TD: Satisfying the long-standing fans seems to be a focus for Privateer Press. Has there been a fan moment that stands out since the release of Monsterpocalypse?
MW: Definitely. Seeing players show up in costume at conventions. One of our players who is an excellent costume-maker showed up at the cons last year as Zor Raiden, and it was fantastic. I think that having people devote so much time, energy and creativity to making a costume of one your characters is a sure sign that you’ve hit a chord with them. There’s nothing better.
TD: Is there anything you can say about the series that the fans don’t already know before more is revealed at GenCon (in August), or perhaps what the next promotional monster may be?
MW: Well, we’ve had some very big news lately about the next really big step for Monsterpocalypse, which isn’t taking place on the tabletop, but rather, on the big screen, courtesy of Dreamworks. For all the Monsterpocalypse fans who ever wished they could see these battle played out in front of them, we’re on our way to an amazing monster movie experience!
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