Today we are with Mauro Peroni, graphic designer and Boardgames enthusiast who will talk to us about ARRR !!!, his first self-produced board game. Let's find out everything about Mauro, about his super-engaging creation and about the collaborative bond that has been established with us in Tambù!

Hello Mauro, tell us, how was your passion for Boardgames and Comics born?

Before the board games I loved the role-playing games and even before these the game books, those old historical artifacts published by EL that are back in fashion today! More than a passion for the game, I believe that mine is a passion for the fantastic and the wonderful, born from cartoons that I watched as a child and from the many readings I collected. All this triggered in me the desire to realize myself what was able to amaze me. And here we are at the present, in which desire has actually come true with ARRR !!! and its expansion.

If I asked you for your top 3 games?

Very difficult question! "Citadel" is the first board game that made me intensely desire to have my playroom in the house. Then I listed "Dominion" because it allowed me to understand that it is possible to mix the genres and break the clichés and finally "Seven Wonders", because with the right friends it's really a hoot!

Tell us a little about ARRR !!!: what is the setting and how is the game played? How long does a game last and what is its difficulty level? What's new in two words?

ARRR !!!, as you can guess, talk about pirates but ... here, not of historical pirates. So I told you no? The "fantastic" first of all! In fact, when I decided to make the game, "I threw from the window" all that was historicity or realism, I wanted adventure! As a wise man said: "do not let the truth ruin a good story". So the setting is completely invented, the characters are fantastic creatures to make it more interesting and out of the box and I totally excluded humans. In addition to this I have deliberately included some elements not really pirates in order to make it clear that future expansions could range with different contexts and themes (which then happened).

The game has a duration of time that varies depending on the number of players: from 10 minutes with 2 players up to an hour and twenty with 6, but they are very versatile times because the structure was designed to model around the preferences of the players in terms of the duration of the game itself. As for the complexity, I would set it on "media": accessible even to a neophyte, but not so simple to satisfy even the most experienced. It is also possible to increase complexity or not, as there are 3 levels of difficulty available.

The novelty of ARRR !!! is in its biggest strength: the atmosphere that is created during the game. It is a game that brings out the "healthy wickedness" between competitive and aggressive players that today unfortunately known little in table games and then let's face it ... everything is better with the Pirates !!

In what difficulties did you come across before knowing our reality?

First of all I had to accept the fact of not knowing anything about game design. Subsequently I had to collide with mechanics and ideas that did not always have a good outcome, moreover the path that led to the definitive form of my project was very long.

After having dealt with some authors, I chose the road of self-production and then embarked on this venture. It was hard, really! Self-production requires innumerable skills in many totally different fields: marketing, administration and finance, logistics management and legal documentation. I asked a lot of people for advice, but in the end I had to do everything by myself relying on the support of a very small group of trusted friends who gave me support in the most delicate and difficult moments.

An epic venture Mauro! But you did it and we are here now to have a chat about your game and the expansion: "The Stars Arrr Right !!!". Speaking of "us" ... do you want to tell everyone how your collaboration with Tambù started and why did you choose us?

Certainly. It was just beginning the new year so it was January 2018 and I remember coming across a Facebook post, published by Davide, or the AD of Tambù, which advertised a platform that can generate a quote for the creation of boardgames. At that time I was ending the expansion and decided to ask for a quote to see if it could be right for me. Davide was very prompt in answering me and his proposal seemed to me decidedly within the reach of a car manufacturer, in addition to the many services that were described to me including the particular "print on demand" system with a print queue. From here everything started and I'm so happy to say that if in 2016 I had the support of a team like that of Tambù, I certainly would not have felt so much to achieve ARRR!

Tell us a funny or curious anecdote in which you came across during the realization of your game

I remember one episode in particular. A boy bought a copy of the game at Modena and was so enthusiastic that, having to travel all over Europe for work, he took it with him by sending us periodically photos of the box from various European ports.

Wow fantastic! And tell us Mauro, what plans do you have in mind for your future as an author?

As for ARRR !!! the planning of an international version of the game and of the first expansion is underway, precisely through the collaboration with Tambù. I said "first expansion" on purpose because in reality I already have in while other beautiful ideas for possible successive expansions.

Speaking more generally of my future as a boardgames author, I can tell you that the imagination certainly continues to produce potential creations in my mind! What would you think if I told you that I imagine a fantasy world where rock bands are competing with each other? And if dwarves and gnomes had to build gigantic robots to face monsters coming out of the sea?

We would say that we can not wait to learn more and get to work to turn your ideas into reality! We thank you for lending you to this interview and we greet you warmly. We return the greeting with a super battle cry?

I greet you with my personal battle cry: ARRRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!!!!