From left: Cheah, Ewe and Goh (Photo: Lim Kee Sitt)
The beauty about board games is that just as they draw people to a table, it takes a team to build one. Luma’s creations are fine examples of ardent folk, often fans themselves, pooling their talent, thoughts and time to give players a good time.
Evan Cheah Tzer Chuan, who designed Petal Plotters and the solo mode for Kaki Lima, Bansan, Kaki Lima: Downtown KL and Trishaw Frenzy, has played more than 800 games in the last six years. He started designing as a hobby in 2020 and has been involved in more than 30 projects, winning various local awards.
“I try to make a game that is perfect for the family, bringing laughter and happiness as they play. Watching people enjoy a game, discuss different strategies to win and play it again and again is what I like most about doing this,” says the medical doctor who works at a government hospital in Kedah.
In 2018, Cheah chanced upon a group playing at a café who asked him to join in. He did and was hooked. Soon, he began thinking of making something of his own, with a Malaysian theme and culture.
When designing a game, he usually starts with a cool and fun mechanism before looking for a theme to pin it to. For Petal Plotters, he had input from Katharine Chua and Luma producer and designer Goh Choon Ean on the animals and floral species suitable for its tropical concept.
petal-plotters_box-n-cards_2.jpg
The Great Hornbill, Garden Snail, Katydid, Sunbird, Silver Royal, Malay Red Harlequin, Honey Bee, Dusky Leaf Langur, Pangolin and Butterly feature in this game, with the last two for their ability to roll and rotate a card and flap wings to flip one. His favourite creature is the hornbill, thus he made it the starting player card.
Cheah is an active member of Tabletop Game Designer of Malaysia and a co-organiser of Alphameet Utara, at whose event where he first met Goh. That led to his solo mode work for Luma’s games. Playing alone sounds kind of lonely, no?
“Ouch, not really. It’s not every day that I can find players around me. So, when I want to play, it is actually a good choice,” especially during the Covid lockdowns. Solo modes have different difficulties and challenges, the most common being to beat your own score, he explains.
Besides the fun of watching others play, board gaming provides him with a temporary escape from reality. “With my stressful workload, I can enjoy an easy game with entry-level friends or a heavy-strategy [session] to squeeze my brain cells.”
Fun is also what Ewe Boon How hopes players will get from Trishaw Frenzy, while spending quality time with family and friends. He was into trading cards from the age of four, but started on multiplayer board games at 16.
“I wanted to design something familiar to everyone, but with extra elements. The moment I had this idea, Snakes and Ladders crossed my mind and, ta-da!”
goh07867c.jpg
In this game, the players are like trishaws following a route of map tiles in George Town, taking in its sights and culture. Along the way, they encounter chaos with passengers and events that can lead to a big comeback for those on the verge of losing, and vice versa.
Ideas come to mind from time to time for Ewe, who works in customer support. The prototype for Trishaw Frenzy, the second game he fully designed, had no theme until Goh suggested the vehicle, a form of transport reminiscent of life at a leisurely pace. “Technically speaking, she is the one who gave this game its soul!”
For London-based Yuki Koe Gaik Kee, illustrating the project evoked memories of a ride she took with her grandma, mother and baby sister during her childhood in old George Town.
“We had all squeezed into the tiny carriage when, suddenly, there was a loud bang. The trishaw had flipped over from the weight!”
The incident remains a favourite family joke and making the little drawings for the Trishaw Frenzy made her laugh and tear. She hopes it will bring “a lot of smiles and joy” to players.
This article first appeared on Aug 26, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
