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Great news!! I have gotten into contact with one of the original game designers of Pirates CSG, James Ernest! O_O 😀
We have begun discussing the possibility of him appearing on a special episode of the Pirates CSG Podcast. There is a chance the episode would happen on February 25th or 26th; if not, early March is a possibility.
In the meantime, he said he would be willing to answer questions from a community forum topic, so feel free to post your questions here! (try to keep them as related to Pirates CSG as possible of course)
I’ve come up with some basic and obvious questions to get things started. Here they are so we don’t have overlap.
When and how did you get involved with the Pirates project?
Favorite set and game piece you designed or worked on? Least favorites?
How did you get out of Pirates?
Where did it all go wrong with Pirates?
What do you think is the biggest reason that Pirates CSG went out of print?
Opinion on the effect of 2008 recession and general economics on the game?
Do you think the game has a chance to come back in the future?Oh man I can think of so many.
1. General overview of how sets were designed and finalized.
2. What were some of his ideas that never made it into the game?
3. What sets did he work on?
4. What are things he would have changed in hindsight?
5. How did they make them?
6. Does he recall any sets/plans or potential directions Wizkids had in the works? Like what was the direction they had planned for the game?
7. Favorite memories of Pirates and his experience?
8. Ask him about his current projects and let him have some time to talk about his career now.
@Jeremiah: Thanks for the great questions!
5. How did they make them?
Are you asking how Wizkids made the product, or how the designers made the game pieces with stats/abilities/etc?
6. Does he recall any sets/plans or potential directions Wizkids had in the works? Like what was the direction they had planned for the game?
I’m not sure when his involvement with Pirates stopped; that answer would partly determine the answer to this. We definitely have some information, and more may be found in the Thread of Threads or old topics at MT in general.
8. Ask him about his current projects and let him have some time to talk about his career now.
We’ve discussed that a little in our emails – he will definitely talk about Cagway Bay, which he hopes to have an updated ruleset for soon.
I thought of another:
Thoughts on flavor text? Did you design any of the game’s flavor text? Any artwork input, or was mostly Sandra Garavito, Ethan Pasternack? (who I also plan to try and reach out to, just focusing on one thing at a time haha)
I’m not sure how long this episode would be, so it may be difficult to get to all questions. Perhaps a rapid fire in the last 10-15 minutes could be a finale. Or perhaps he’d be willing to answer some questions after the episode.
I mean both in a way. How did Wizkids actually print the ships and stamp them.
How did Wizkids decide on points and ship stats and in general come up with the ships.
We talk a lot about how these ships don’t seem to be play tested (Woelf seems to have confirmed that for some circumstances) but if that is the case then how did they determine what strategies were “good” for a pack.
How about just the “simple” question of what thoughts/concept went behind the development of the ships and crew?
It is a big and semi complicated question but I would like to pear into the mind of Wizkids some and understand how they perceived the game and the pieces they produced. It’s a tall order to ask and try to answer but it’s something I would love to know more about and potential help answer the age old questions of why some certain aspects of the game seem poorly priced or poorly designed and then others be nearly game breaking.
Questions I have:
What were some of the future ideas for special ships?
What were the main inspirations for the different expansions?
What is your collection like?
Do you have a favorite expansion?
What, in your opinion, are the most OP ships or strategies?
After the Pirates of the Caribbean expansion, were there any plans to do another cross-over?
At the game’s apex, how many people were working on the game?
Do you have any idea how the Shuffling the Deck card game did in sales? Is NECA wanting to do more with pirates in general?
@the9ofspades: Thanks for clarifying!
@ve1m: Thanks for the neat questions! I can still address your last question, but it looks like a no.Questions for James Ernest
When and how did you get involved with the Pirates project?
What is your collection like?
General overview of how sets were designed and finalized.
What sets did he work on?
Favorite set and game piece you designed or worked on? Least favorites?
At the game’s apex, how many people were working on the game?
What other designers and artists did you work with?
Did multiple people work on the flavor text, or was one person mainly in charge of the game’s lore?
How did Wizkids make the ships? How were they printed and stamped?
How did Wizkids decide on points and ship stats and in general come up with the ships?
What thoughts/concept went behind the development of the ships and crew?
What were the main inspirations for the different expansions?
How did they determine what strategies were “good” for a pack?
What, in your opinion, are the most OP ships or strategies?
What were some of his ideas that never made it into the game?
Does he recall any sets/plans or potential directions Wizkids had in the works? What was the direction they had planned for the game? (other than more fantasy/less historical as reported by Kelly Bonilla)
How much did PotC affect DJC/OE/etc?
After the Pirates of the Caribbean expansion, were there any plans to do another cross-over?
What were some of the future ideas for special ships? (more Pokeships/etc? Or less extreme stuff)
Favorite memories of Pirates and his experience?
What are things he would have changed in hindsight?
How did you get out of Pirates?
Where did it all go wrong with Pirates?
What do you think is the biggest reason that Pirates CSG went out of print?
Opinion on the effect of 2008 recession and general economics on the game?
Do you have any idea how the Shuffling the Deck card game did in sales? Is NECA wanting to do more with pirates in general?
Do you think the game has a chance to come back in the future?
How do you think it could come back – digital vs. physical?
Do you happen to know exactly what patent concerns the rights to produce Pirates CSG? Have you had experience with the patents for other games expiring and being open to anyone reproducing the game?
If Pirates CSG came back, would you want to return to it?
What are you doing now?
Where can people find you online?
Other: Cagway Bay similarities to Pirates, there was a Pirates event at PAX Unplugged in November 2017, Gencon festivities, great YouTube channel.
Any idea how long the interview will last?
No, and I’m not sure we’ll get to all of the questions, or at least not as in-depth as we could go with no time limit.
It is here! Thanks for the questions!
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