Check out our in depth interview with THE TERMINATOR™ the OFFICIAL BOARD GAME’s Developer Taylor Smith, he’s the game design lead in partnership with Lynnvander Studios working in conjunction with Space Goat Productions to bring Terminator Fans an immersive experience. If you are a hardcore board game player or just even a hardcore The Terminator fan you are sure to be happy with many of the answers below and we trust that this will be a great product that will stay true to the first movie and best of all it promises not to fuck with canon!
Check out also the nice Exclusive images of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese contained within…
Will the game’s two time periods/settings ie. LA 1984/Future War (2029) have tactical/gameplay differences to suit their environments/threats?
Yes! Players get to interact on a more personal level with 1984, where their actions have huge consequences in the future. The 2029 board makes use of more troop deployment and resource management in the war-like future setting. Players with characters in the future have to decide when to send those characters to 1984—it means one less hero for the Resistance, but might be the last bit of help for a disadvantaged past.
Obviously a major difference to 1984 and the future war is the noticeable difference in artillery/future weaponry for both man and machine (and a hell of a lot more Terminators/HK Units hunting/roaming for humans) will playing in the past be very different than playing in the future and will events in the past alter the game’s future/outcome?
There are certain limitations in place to keep the boards unique with enough overlap to keep play from feeling like two different games. For example, Skynet and the Resistance can only produce troop-like units in 2029 and it’s very taxing to send them back to 1984; this keeps the large unit movements mostly contained to the future board and the past (well, it’s the present for the game) stays very one-on-one.
Major events in the past upset the timeline and offset the rise of Skynet. Certain major victories in 1984 can mean Cyberdyne advanced more slowly in the intervening years and only has T-600s instead of T-800s. Failures, on the other hand, have the opposite effect. Humans have the extra craftiness to cache much needed resources in 1984 that can be dug up in the future.
Will the weaponry side of the two time zones equal the gameplay out somewhat eg. 1984 no future weaponry vs one machine opposed to a future full of more advanced weaponry (eg. phased plasma rifles in the 40-watt range) to take on more machines?
Oh yeah, there’s definitely equalizing. There are a couple tricks up our sleeves with how we’re mixing up the formula, like Skynet’s ability to send machines back in time so long as they grow enough flesh over them.
How many players will be able to play the game at once and what is the minimum number of players?
The core game is planned for 3-5 players, with a slightly altered mode for 2 players and a solo mode for playing it alone. Future expansions—maybe even stretch goals—will up that to 6, but I wouldn’t want to go any higher than that.
If a player takes the role of villain eg. The Terminator (Schwarzenegger) and the other various Terminator/HK units from the future; will it be their job to terminate other players (human characters) and stop them from saving mankind?
Pretty much, yep. Gameplay is mainly focused on missions that affect the future like a temporal game of tug-o-war, but there’s always the option of ending the game by taking out Sarah Connor or Kyle Reese. The Resistance can also attempt to blow the Skynet mainframe and end the game early too. Those scenarios are like the catching the snitch in quidditch: it’s intensive and difficult, so the focus stays on the incremental struggle.
Will there be 2 separate boards for the time eras or will both time periods be integrated into one board?
There are two physically different boards! They’re two halves to the whole, but I wanted to capture that isolation Kyle felt from the future once he went back in time.
The concept art in the game’s announcement depicted a 1984 LA police station, will this location be integral to the gameplay of 1984 and will any other famous locations appear in the game that fans will be familiar with like Tech Noir (the nightclub) for example?
Oh yeah. 1984 has all the classic haunts and a few new spots to build out the city. Each location has different ways to interact there and correspond to mission objectives throughout the game.
Will fans be able to play as John Connor in the future setting or will he remain an unseen legend like in the first movie?
John Connor is a playable character, but we’re keeping his design and character very evocative of his legendary role. Ultimately, this is Sarah and Kyle’s story, so they’ll always be the center of the action. For T1, John is support; he’s staying in the future, making sure that the Resistance fights on.
We’re also adding in Lt. Traxler as a playable character, adding a balancing focus to action in the 80s. His connection with the police provides a helpful edge in the more personal battle of 1984. For those counting at home, the core playable characters are Skynet, Sarah, and Kyle; the fourth player chooses whether to take control of John or Traxler, depending on whether they want to strategize for a future or past emphasis.
Obviously Terminator Fans like their Terminator movies to pack a dark R Rated punch, will any of the darker/gritty/horror key elements from the first movie carry over into the game ie. depiction of blood/violence, coarse language in artwork and in-game description/story?
It’s our goal to make a game as brutal as the movie we all love. Look forward to visceral fleshy cyborgs and badass combat, all bundled in a merciless strategy game.
The potential for character variants and machine units is quite endless, will players be able to buy future character booster packs as obviously you have some limit to the amount of models/characters that can ship with the game in order to keep in line with a reasonable retail price?
Oh, definitely. Kickstarter allows us to include a ton of fun stuff that would be too prohibitive for the standard retail version. There is so much potential here, we’re going to just keep pouring love into this game.
Will playing as different characters on the board alter gameplay and will they have statistical differences/ qualities that change the gameplay on a per character use basis?
Every character brings not only their own abilities, but the narrative roles they play is important too. Picking who plays doesn’t just swap out stats, but influences how the game is played. As I’ve hinted at, Sarah starts in 1984 where all the key missions take place, Kyle starts in 2029 fighting the good fight and has to decide when to be sent back to 1984. If Sarah ever dies or if Kyle dies before going back in time, then the game automatically ends as a victory for Skynet. The support roles of John and Lt. Traxler also offer completely unique strategies for playing.
William Wisher announced his joy in your initial press release of reconnecting with the characters of Sarah, Kyle and the T-800 again, will we see any other characters/likenesses and can you reveal/talk about any other old/new characters/Terminator machines or tease any of their in-game abilities/differences etc?
You bet! Without giving too much away, I will say I’m personally super excited for the T-200. It’s my favorite homicidal little robot buddy.
Canon storytelling is very important to the Terminator fans, will you be altering the timeline of 1984 or leaving it intact as much as possible? Obviously you plan to have more freedom with the future side of the game plot-wise?
We’re not looking to contradict or reinvent canon. The board game does need to tell a broader, more interactive story than the film did, since it’s a totally different media. The core of Sarah being a target of Skynet, Kyle going back to save her, Skynet fighting against humans in both 1984 and 2029 are all there. The goal is for the game to feel like an interactive director’s cut of the film.
Like your Evil Dead 2 game; will each play through of the game have a fresh and new feel to it (won’t feel the same each time you play)?
Yes. By driving the focus with missions, the narrative arc plays out differently each time. Unlike Evil Dead 2, which had a hundred-off events cards that made the game (intentionally) feel like the movie on shuffle, only 3-4 missions will generate throughout the course of the game. These provide tasks beyond the chase, which still exists as an overarching pressure on the game.
The 2029 board is one solid piece, but the 1984 board has location-specific tiles that fit into a frame. This keeps the chase feeling new and exciting. Sarah and Kyle never got a chance to memorize their routes, so the players shouldn’t either!
Will your board game have a sequel and if so would you want to do a T2 board game or would your team rather continue on working in the world of the first movie?
We’re keeping our options open! It depends on how well the Kickstarter does and if the fans like what we do.
Anything else you would like to share with our users about the game or any teases to what they will experience?
We have a lot of fun bonuses along the way, from a an exciting reveal at Emerald City Comicon to special announcement on John Connor’s birthday. We’ve planned out some really cool manufacturing options too, if we hit enough stretch goals. Everyone likes glowing red eyes, right?
What kind of rewards do you plan on offering backers of your upcoming kickstarter for the game?
On top of the the game, we’re working on getting optional buys for gameplay expansions figured out, a Space Goat exclusive Termination box (that will be cheaper during the campaign), and hopefully some cool t-shirts if we can play our cards right.
What SRP are you aiming for The Terminator the board game?
We’re aiming for $59.99 for the core game, and around $80 for the Kickstarter exclusive edition. That may change, but you can stay tuned to the Kickstarter to find out!
Thanks Space Goat for the in-depth answers given, you have definitely ramped up our excitement for this excellent sounding game! Also everything we have seen in terms of 3D modelling designs looks spot on so far, we can’t wait to see to see the finished results!
For additional information check out the following links!
First Initial Press Release/Announcement
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