Interview With Kevin Jordan

In-between games of Kevin Jordan, HEX’s lead systems designer, playing the unforgiving dungeon master and smashing adventurer parties, we were able to sit down with him and talk to Kevin about his gaming roots, his professional background, and what he’s been working on with the PVE experience.

What made you want to design games? What inspires you?

KJ: I started iterating and creating roleplaying games when I was 5 or 6 years old. It’s something I’ve had a passion for most of my life. My brother came home one day telling me about this game called Dungeons & Dragons that he played with his buddies and that’s all it took. I already had a love for low-budget fantasy films and read The Black Cauldron series. All the possibilities were so amazing. I played chess at an early age; seeing different powers on different pieces opened up my mind. D&D was that perfect marriage of both. I didn’t have the books, so my brother would tell me about the scenarios and I’d just build everything on my own. Then, as a teenager, I started tinkering with the hero system to make my own Street Fighter module and it all went from there.

What’s your previous experience in video game design?

KJ: I started in the industry at Blizzard Entertainment and my first project was World of Warcraft. I was one of three original game designers and worked on that project through the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. In the beginning, we had our hands on every design system from City and Dungeon design to Classes and Crafting. As the team grew and the design demands increased for each system, I shifted most of my focus to character classes, talents, spells and abilities.

How does that work translate to HEX and the PVE experience?

KJ: Working on World of Warcraft gave me insight into so many social, competitive, UI and game systems and how they all interact and come together into one total experience. I also had the good fortune to work with so many of the most talented artists, programmers and designers in the industry. The amount I learned from over a decade on that project is truly mind-boggling.

Which parts of the game have you been working on the last few months for HEX?

KJ: The focus of my work on HEX in the last few months has been on the PvE side of things. In addition to offering the very best multi-player TCG experience we want to compliment that with a robust single player role-playing experience. As you may have already seen in the card previews, most cards have two pieces of equipment that modify each card in interesting ways. It’s like 2 additional sets of mini-cards built around each card we put out and players have that creative sandbox where they can essentially design their own cards. So, I’ve been refining the equipment for the PVE set, balancing rarity and card play. One example of this is the Chaos Key. Our first iteration was building on what the card did mechanically, making the card do those things better. Then we met and asked “What does the Chaos Key mean in the game?” Going in a new direction, we created an easter egg. If you can unlock the mystery of the key and use it in the right place, you’ll find that little treat.

What are you currently doing on the HEX project on a day-to-day basis?

KJ: We’ve been playtesting character class mechanics and talents against various dungeons to make sure the PvE experience is as robust and compelling as possible. We’ll basically do that until they pry it out of our cold, perfectionist hands. In addition, work continues on the equipment and loot tables to make sure the rewards are as satisfying as the journey. We’re also iterating on the new-player experience so we can make those first steps for players as smooth, informative and fun as possible.

What’s your favorite dungeon? What can you tell us about it?

KJ: I like the Wendigo Hunt dungeon a lot. It plays like a game of werewolf. You’re trying to figure out which of the townsfolk is the werewolf. You go through dialog options. Every time you make the “wrong” choice, you’ll have to battle. Once you’ve narrowed down who the wendigo is, then you battle the boss.

Can you give an example of progression on something you worked on recently? Like, how did it look in the beginning vs. how does it look right now?

KJ: I’d say the biggest evolution was the equipment system. Our early model had equipment giving you more general purpose improvements to your game experience (e.g. draw an extra card at the end of the turn or increase your maximum hand size by 2). After a few mockups we realized the design space wasn’t as large as we needed and many of the mechanics were difficult to balance or had very little granularity (i.e. they quickly went from not good enough to overpowered) so we came up with a new system. Tying equipment to cards gave us more design space because we could play off the mechanics already in place on the card. In addition, there’s no guarantee you’ll draw the card with the equipment on it which helps limit the impact on every game played. Lastly, it enhances the bond players tend to form with specific cards. You can tweak that specific troop or action in just the right way to get even more punch out of it. I’m really excited by the potential for this system and can’t wait to see what players create with it.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned on HEX? Like, if you could send yourself a message back to two years ago, what would it try to teach you?

KJ: The Kickstarter experience has to be the most amazing and eye-opening experience. You learn a ton in a very condensed time period. The most joyous lesson was just how fast a community can build up around a thing. Fan interaction is also an amazing emotional boost for developers. Typically, when you’re down in the trenches focusing on the problems or bugs or bad play patterns you still need to fix you can lose sight of how much excitement the end product can deliver. Kickstarter gave us a preview of some of that joy; it’s invigorating and inspiring.

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