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How Turbulence Came To Be

You probably know by now that Turbulence is part of The Captain Is Dead kickstarter. We asked Turbulence’s designer Andrew Enslow to tell us a little about himself and why he designed it. Here’s what he had to say:

I am an undergraduate mechanical engineer in California. I grew up on Star Wars Epic Duels, Risk and monopoly. It wasn’t until 2012 that I began expanding to all sorts of board games with my friends. From there it was a short leap to making a few of my own, which they all graciously helped me play test.

I was sitting in my fluids class one day and had the “I could make this a board game” thought. I wanted to go a different direction than my first game though so I just let it simmer in the back of my mind. I’d do a mental test, break the game, and alter it, over and over till Turbulence was finally ready for physical prototype. What was supposed to be my most fun games became a clear game of strategy. The original game consisted of the shards flowing through pipes. Although this was an interesting concept it was not an interesting theme. I entered Turbulence in TGC’s Miniatures contest. It did better than I expected but reinforced what all my friends had been saying: the theme was too abstract. I decided to take their advice and change the theme.

I really had no idea what other theme to use. Thankfully my cousin Jason (designer of the game SYNERGY) suggested I switch the theme to Airplanes. The game literately took off. The colors brightened up, players traveled from Control Tower to Landing Strip, and all of this was done using actual airplane pieces!

Turbulence has become a game for all ages where younger gamers can enjoy flying across the map while hard core gamers can enjoy the complexity, depth and challenge provided by their variety of options. Thanks to all the family and friends who helped me make and improve this game. Special Thanks to the Order of the Twenty Sided Die (my board game group) who inspired and encouraged me along this incredible journey.

Click here to visit the official news post with photos and links

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blog | by Dr. Radut