Brenna Noonan
We are excited to have Brenna Noonan joining us in Designer Alley for the first time and showing off her game Spectrum!
A little bit about Brenna, written in her own words.
I am the co-founder and president of Quillsilver Studio where I design, develop, produce, and market board games. I conceptualize games first and foremost as art objects and am interested in games that create profound and unique experiences. I’m most attracted to games that have a strong storytelling or narrative element, and that encourage the player to make significant choices. My credits include Everdell and several of its expansions, Roll Player Adventures, Dog Park, and Spectrum, my first published design. I am also one of Kickstarter's Crowdfunding Experts - to date I have helped 40 campaigns reach their funding goal, and have raised nearly $6 million on the platform.
THREE RANDOM FACTS ABOUT BRENNA:
Before I was a game designer, I was a classical music composer.
I play ice hockey - go Bruins!
I'm a competitive equestrian in show jumping!
THREE BOARD GAME DESIGN RELATED QUESTIONS:
Have you ever let go of a design or idea? Explain what it was and why you let go or why you have not.
I usually don't ever fully let go of design ideas - even if I'm not actively working on them, I keep a document of all my concepts and may go back and re-visit them periodically, or see if I can fold them into another project. I know I'll never get to finish all of them, but the doc helps me keep hope alive!
What pushes you to the end of a design, what motivates you to finish?
Usually it's a deadline! I'm usually designing for a client or another outside force like a delivery date. These sort of hard deadlines are helpful for me because it's really easy to let the design cycle drag on and on. Sometimes you just need a deadline to work toward.
Who are some of your favorite designers and their games?
I'm a huge fan of Tom Lehmann's games, especially Res Arcana. I think he's got a gift for very tight, elegant, quietly thematic games that I really admire.
THREE QUESTIONS JUST FOR FUN:
What does a perfect gaming session look like for you?
Hopefully it comes with a fun, easygoing group of people! First things first, I like to start with a lighter warmup game or party game, then go into a heavier or more strategic, then do another lighter game to wind down. The wind down game is especially important to help soothe any sore feelings!
If you could meet one person (whether they are alive or not), who would it be and why?
I'd like to meet someone who lived a very influential life and who could tell me all about the mysteries of the time they lived in. Maybe someone like Hatshepsut or Joan of Arc.
Besides Granite Game Summit (or its companion events) what is your favorite convention and why?
PAX Unplugged, hands down! First of all, I love Philly, it is such a fun city. PAX U is the perfect size - it is still busy, but without feeling claustrophobic or like you can't make your way down the aisles. It's one of the few shows where I feel like I actually get to see and play a lot of new games because I'm not being pulled in a million directions. The PAX crew also does an amazing job putting it on.
BRENNA WILL BE SHOWING OFF HER GAME SPECTRUM IN DESIGNER ALLEY AT #G2S2022
Spectrum is a social deduction party card game. Win the game by best discerning where players stand within a spectrum of opinions ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree, on topics ranging from the silly to the serious! Each turn, a player will choose a Prompt from their hand of cards, such as "It's okay to be close to your ex," and play it alongside a Spectrum card from their hand that attempts to predict where the majority of players will stand on the issue. They will also place a token face down that reflects their own opinion. The other players place their pawns on the Survey cards based on their personal opinions, and then the Spectrum card is revealed. If a majority of players are inside the chosen Spectrum, the prompter keeps the card for its points. Otherwise, the card is discarded. Then, the other players discuss the hidden opinion of the prompter and together place that player's pawn on a Survey card. Each player can choose to back the group's decision and take a +1 point token, but if they choose wrong, they will have to flip it to its -1 point side! Play continues to the left, with players taking turns as the prompter. The first player to 10 points wins! Spectrum is an adaptation of the hit web show of the same name by Jubilee Media. After launching in 2018, Spectrum has gone on to rack up over 140 million views, and has been encouraging people from all walks of life to have deep, illuminating, challenging, and fun conversations ever since.
You can find more about Quillsilver Studios and what they are working on at quillsilver.com
