nPips
Tactics in every turn, strategy in every choice
What is your name, day job and boardgame company/brand?
My name is Haireey bin Hashnan, I work as a concept artist in Animonsta Studios. I have a boardgame company called Meja Belakang.
How long have you been gaming and how did you get into game design?
I started playing games in college around 2011, I got into the hobby through Betrayal on the House on the Hill. Me and my colleagues played games during lunch hour, there is where I got deeper into the hobby. It was when we were playing Fluxx that I came to realise I can just change the card effects as I wish, that was where I started my game design journey. After that I started implementing house rules in games such as Munchkin.
Designer Haireey with his game Drama Pukul 7 & Nak Makan Apa
Meja Belakang playing Drama Pukul 7 in Bodo Boardgame Cafe
What are your guiding principles in game design?
I always go for a relatable theme first, then I try to figure out the mechanics that fits the theme. If the end product has a mechanical disconnect to the theme, I will scrap the idea. With that said, the theme of the game always comes first in my games.
What was the first game you designed and published?
Before Meja Belakang was formed, me and Zamri, my colleague and also ex-partner of Meja Belakang, wanted to design a game in Bahasa Melayu, our goal is to introduce boardgaming to the Malay crowd. So, we designed Drama Pukul 7, we felt that the game has potential. My boss had a very good hunch that this game will be a hit, and he was right.
When did you decide to publish your games and start your own brand?
Our initial thoughts were just to give this boardgame design and publishing thing a try. We started a crowd funding campaign for Drama Pukul 7, and fortunately it was a success. To be honest we were determined to publish it regardless of the crowd funding outcome.
Meja Belakang buntings in Comic Fiesta 2024
What challenges did you face before publishing?
Before publishing my first game, we had no experience in all this, so we didn’t know what were the challenges we had to overcome. Now that I have 3 titles under my name, the challenge I’m facing is finding the sweet spot between easy to learn and appealing to the public. For Nak Makan Apa we really hit the sweet spot with that game, small learning curve, relatable theme and affordable price point. Drama Pukul 7’s case the theme appeals to most Malaysians, but with a slightly steeper learning curve.
What challenges did you face after publishing?
Distribution is a huge headache, selling was not the biggest challenge, it was the effort and time commitment that we had to put in to make initial contact with retailers. Not to mention the time and energy required to do marketing, customer service, logistics to get my game to the customer’s doorstep, etc.
Meja Belakang booth in Comic Arts Festival 2024
What is the most negative comment you have received for one of your games?
“The game is too difficult to understand”. It is heartbreaking to me to know that someone bought my game, and it is now sitting on a shelf not getting played because it is too difficult.
What is the most positive comment you have received for one of your games?
“I started playing boardgames because of your game”. Also, people who intentionally find me during events, buy my game, ask for a signature and leaves after. That is one of the highest form of praise I can get.
Meja Belakang in Asian Board Game Festival Malaysia 2024 -Photo Credit Kee Sit
What is Meja Belakang’s next step forward?
We want to collaborate with bigger brands, so that boardgaming can be introduced to a wider audience.
What is your next game?
2 new games coming out in 2025! Ketupat Rendang, this is the first game that I’m going to publish that is designed by someone else, it is designed by my friend Rasis. The other game is Al-Kisah.
1 tip you would give new designers.
I’m noticing a lot of new designers that are overly ambitious with their designs, and they are designing without a goal in mind. They do not know if they are going pitch this game to publishers or are they going to self-publish it. If they are going to self-publish, they might not be aware of the costs to publish a game. So please, set a goal and keep in mind that manufacturing cost is not cheap. Another thing about new designers is, they do not seem to know which part of their game is enjoyable, they do not know what is “fun” about their game. This is important because your design should lean into the “fun” part of your game, a game should be fun to play.
What will you do if you have unlimited budget
I will make the next Betrayal on the House on the Hill, I want to make a very big, very thematic game. I want to make a game that is infinitely expandable without changing too much of the base game, such as adding scenarios like in Cthulhu Death May Die.
Meja Belakang's newest game is coming out soon. Look forward to it in stores near you!