I have just received contact from Geoff Bottone of Slugfest Games. Below is the response that I have received from Slugfest Games which has been converted to a slightly more entertaining interview format. Some of the questions and answers have been modified to make this easier to read in this new format.
For completeness sake I have also included the slightly less entertaining actual e-mail exchange. The press release mentioned has been used to verify the original post
SB=Sporkboy, SFG=Slug Fest Games.
SFG:
First off let me thank you for your interest in Tiki Mountain!
SB:
Not at all, I think that you'll find with anything tiki related now a days people will come out of the woodwork to see what you have cooking. I should be the one thanking you.
This all started (my contacting you) with an ad in Games Quarterly that I spotted. In that ad you mentioned the word tiki a lot, would it be correct to assume that there is going to be a lot of tiki art in this game?
SFG:
Yes indeed! There's tiki art all over the place. The heroes of the game wear tiki masks and collect magical tiki totems.
SB:
That is good to hear that there will be tiki art a plenty.
Has the artist been chosen for this game yet? If the artist has been chosen is there a sample of the artwork that you might be willing to share as a teaser for the Tiki Central members?
SFG:
We do have an artist, but the art is in a very rough state at the moment (although I can tell you that it'll look great when it's done). I could pass along some finished images later, when they become available, if you like.
SB:
That would be great; I can't wait to see how this game handles the art as well as game play. Speaking of which, will game play be enhanced somehow by the
consumption of rum? Will there be optional "rum based" rules?
SFG:
We have no provisions for rum-based play. However, we have no problem with players making up their own rum-based house rules.
SB:
I do have one comment. When I read the ad it referred to the volcano god. In Hawaiian lore the volcano god was actually the goddess Pele. Was this change a conscious one?
SFG:
In the original design concept, we had wanted to refer to the Volcano God as Pele (we also wanted to call the game "Boys for Pele", but we didn't want to get sued
by Tori Amos). We were concerned that using an actual Hawaiian deity in our game might offend some folks, so we opted for a more generic volcano god instead.
SB:
Fair enough. I'm very much looking forward to the release of this game. Thank you for turning your attention to a tiki themed game.
SFG:
Thanks for your interest!
I'm sending along a copy of our press release. If
you'd like any further info, just let me know.
'o au no me ka 'oia'i'o !
SB:
Many thanks.
What actually happened:
Hi Graham,
Thanks for your interest in Tiki Mountain!
- In the ad you mentioned the word tiki a lot,
would it be correct to assume that there is going to
be a lot
of tiki art in this game?
Yes indeed! There's tiki art all over the place. The
heroes of the game wear tiki masks and collect magical
tiki totems.
- Has the artist been chosen for this game yet? If
the artist has been chosen is there a sample of the
artwork
that you might be willing to share as a teaser for
the Tiki
Central members?
We do have an artist, but the art is in a very rough
state at the moment (although I can tell you that
it'll look great when it's done). I could pass along
some finished images later, when they become
available, if you like.
- Will game play be enhanced somehow by the
consumption of
rum? Will there be optional "rum based" rules?
We have no provisions for rum-based play. However, we
have no problem with players making up their own
rum-based house rules.
I do have one comment. When I read the ad it
referred to the > volcano god. In Hawaiian lore the
volcano god was actually
the goddess Pele, just something to keep in mind.
In the original design concept, we had wanted to refer
to the Volcano God as Pele (we also wanted to call the
game "Boys for Pele," but we didn't want to get sued
by Tori Amos). We were concerned that using an actual
Hawaiian deity in our game might offend some folks, so
we opted for a more generic volcano god instead.
I'm very much looking forward to the release of this
game.
Thank you for turning your attention to a tiki
themed game.
Thanks for your email!
I'm sending along a copy of our press release. If
you'd like any further info, just let me know.
'o au no me ka 'oia'i'o !
Geoff Bottone
Director of Creativity
Director of Advertising
