Publisher Spotlight: High Flying Dice Games
Flying Dice Games was founded in 2010 by artist Bruce Yearian and game designer Paul Rohrbaugh. Formed in part to help publish Paul’s games, the company also takes great pride in placing the spotlight on new talent.
Paul explains: “I am very proud that Nils Johannson, Amos Burke, Rod Bauer, Dariusz Buracweski and Ilya Kudriashov, as well as several play testers, all had their debuts in board gaming via High Flying Dice Games. I am even more proud that they are increasingly in demand by other publishers, and that they are now well established and on their way to even greater success.”
History and Education
Paul Rohrbaugh’s credentials are certainly impressive. He holds a master degree in education, a second master’s in library science, and a third master’s in
history. He’s taught at the elementary and the college level, worked as a librarian and a library director, among other jobs.
It’s likely that Paul’s strong background in education has been a strong influence on his design work. He views games as effective tools for teaching history, particularly when it comes to historic events that have been otherwise overlooked.
“I pride myself on designing games on topics that have received little to no treatment in game form before,” he explains. “I have always used games in my teaching and librarian careers, and games are an important part of my continuing to teach history even though I’m retired.”
Some of those previously uncharted subjects include transporting materials across the Great Lakes in the winter of 1941, airplane racing in the early 20th century, and the American auto industry of the 1950s. According to Paul, all of these titles were the first games ever published on their particular historic topics, as were the games In Hoc Signo Vinces, Battles of the Old Northwest, Battles for Canada, Maneuvering to War: The 1941 US Army Maneuvers, and A Test of Mettle.
Paul is also proud of design work he’s done on Six Days of War (Against the Odds), We Are All Mortal: The Cuban Missile Crisis (Turning Point Simulations), and Operation Kadesh.
“In those games designs it is possible for one player to win, both to win, or both to lose,” Paul explains. “That is life, and was the historical challenge that I’m proud of capturing in the games’ design.”
Maintaing a High Standard
Of course, unique topics and historical accuracy are just two of the goals High Flying Dice Games aims to achieve. The company also focuses on creating games that are easy to teach and learn. And, of course, the games have to be fun. If all those standards aren’t met, Paul says, “the game is a no-go with me.”
Paul holds his work to these high standards partly because players have so many alternative forms of entertainment competing for their time and attention. Yet, he believes tabletop gaming offers something that digital alternatives simply can’t.
“I am not at all interested in computer games,” he says. “The social interaction aspect of board games is very important to me, and a vital ingredient for any game I design. Even the solitaire play games I design have this aspect in mind, as I’m hoping the player will want to learn more and share with others what they’ve learned via the game.”
Paul continues: “I’m really aiming to teach the history via the game, but in a fun, interactive and easy-to-learn manner. I’m not into loading up the player with a ton of minutia, complex and lengthy rules, or something that takes days to play.”
Supporting The Next Generation
During his time working in classrooms, at libraries, and on college campuses, Paul saw a lot of younger players show interest in the kind of games Flying Dice Games publishes. The challenge, as he sees it, is helping those players transition from games like Axis & Allies, Euro-style board games, or even Dungeons & Dragons, into something more historical.
“Let’s face it, the demographic of most historical game players has a hair going increasing grey and attention spans that are growing shorter,” he says. “Additionally, I’m trying to attract…gamers who grew up playing computer games, but are now looking for something more involved and socially engaging, but doesn’t come across as something akin to another university course research paper/assignment. In my 50+ years of gaming, if it isn’t fun, it isn’t going to be played.”
Paul also has advice for amateur designers looking to break into the industry. The key, as he puts it, is to bring together a variety of participants, from play testers to graphic artists, to editors, all under the guidance of a designer who can maintain the project’s vision and goal.
A Few Quick Questions with Paul Rohrbaugh from High Flying Dice Games
What was the first wargame you played?
I started out playing miniatures using rules from Donald Featherstone’s books that I borrowed from the local library. For the 1968 holiday season, I 
received as gifts Avalon Hill’s Afrika Korps and Bismarck. There went the miniatures and I’ve been playing board wargames ever since. I also borrowed aspects of those games to start designing my own. In High School I met other students who played board wargames. We designed a game on the battle of Antietam, and helped playtest what I think now was an early version of GDW’s Europa series of games.
You have a background in teaching. What role do you see games playing in teaching and education?
I have always felt as an educator that if learning isn’t enjoyable and challenging, there isn’t going to be much of it. Some of the best teachers I had made learning challenging, socially engaging, rewarding and fun. Games, in any format, have great potential if used well to fire on all those cylinders. I’ve had a lot of success reaching and engaging students using games in my classrooms and courses. It was just one of the tools in my toolbox, and I’m glad I had the students, fellow teachers, and opportunities to be able to use them.
How important is art in gaming products?
Graphics are very important. Due to the format, board games are inherently well suited for visual learners. Additionally, the very first impression most people have of board games are the graphics and physical presentation. People often do indeed judge books by their covers, and games by their maps and playing pieces. If those are turn-offs, then getting them to learn the rules and play the game will be that much harder. Marketing also plays a huge role in determining the kind of welcome a game gets received from customers and potential gamers. A game that is unattractive or does not stand out in some way has a harder time of it making it to a game table.
What wargame has been the most influential on your own designs?
Avalon Hill’s Panzerblitz. When that game was released, it made a huge impression. It showed that tactical/miniatures scale battles were possible in a board game format, and was easy to learn/teach and fun to play. It also was neat that there were 10 games/scenarios in the box, with ways to “design your own” battles using the game’s rules, geomorphic maps and game pieces. That game really opened eyes. BTW, we still play Panzerblitz/Panzer Leader/Arab-Israeli Wars when we are not playtesting.
What’s a cool or unique game mechanic that you think people should know about?
I’m particularly proud of the games I’ve made using a standard deck of cards, especially the postcard sized “Pocket Battle” games. These game about due to a dare that I could not design a game to fit on a postcard, and the first of these I designed, Stand at Mortain (published by Against the Odds) is the result.
I like the card draw design as a standard deck of playing cards contain a host of ways to convey design elements such as unit activations, combat resolutions, random events, game sequence of play and the chaos and confusion of war without a lot of rules or scripted play. Most gamers are also familiar with playing cards, as well as concepts such as trumping. Almost 20% of the games I’ve designed over the years use the card draw design approach, which is really just a variation of a chit-pull design but with a little more “depth” to it.
What’s a unique topic for a game that you’d love to see someone tackle?
Avoiding WWIII would be very interesting, and hopefully informative board game. There are plenty of games out there that enable the gamer to learn why and how wars broke out and battles were fought, but one on how to avoid conflict, especially a global one that will likely end civilization, if not humanity
itself, would be a great contribution.
The very first game I designed was on the Cold War that my students played with the goal of avoiding war, especially a nuclear one, while also trying to further their nation’s (USA, USSR) agenda. In the game, it was possible for both sides to win, for just one to win, or for both to lose. Students were only able to become all winners about 10% of time, but over a third of the games ended in nuclear holocaust. Things are a lot more complicated and dangerous now and it would be interesting to see how a designer allows players to explore today’s challenges and opportunities to learn about statecraft and strategy that prevents global conflict and a more peaceful/secure future.
Any advice for the amateur game designers out there?
Get as many involved in the game as you can from the start. A good game is the product of many participants. Play testers are the most important, and often under-appreciated, participants in the design process. Be always open to constructive criticism. The roles of graphics artists, developers and editors are also key. It takes all to make any game a success, and only one to bring it to a crashing ruin.
Be as encouraging as you can, but a designer also has to keep the original vision/goal in mind and try to be a good collaborator and persuader throughout the creative process. Librarians are your friends as well. Good research is fundamental to any good game, as the history it portrays is the core, and you have to get that right. Librarians can be tremendous assets to helping you get access to quality materials, especially primary sources, and often provide valuable insights and assistance in learning the history.
Additionally, realize that designing a game often takes years, and it will very difficult to be financially compensated for all of the time, effort and resources that need to be expended to design a good game. One should enter into this endeavor for other reasons that are personally rewarding. If money and recognition come from designing games, that is wonderful, but they should not be the reason one enters into this racket.
Thanks for your time!
Check out our previous article here!
