Game designer Grégory Grard on the inspirations behind In the Footsteps of Darwin

Grégory, it’s great to chat. Before we dive into In the Footsteps of Darwin, what set you on the path to game design?
Hello and thank you for this discussion! I discovered “modern” board games in 2012 with 6 Nimmt!, Carcassonne and then Agricola a little later… I quickly wanted to create my own games, which really weren’t good.

Over time, I tried to improve and was fortunate enough to join the Bureau des Auteurs Rouennais in 2018.

Is that a game design group?
Yes, the Bureau des Auteurs Rouennais is a French collective of board game designers based in Normandy. This opened the door to my first published game, which was called Majority and was published by Bad Taste Games in 2019. Since then, this passion hasn’t left me; it’s a real thrill!

You’ve designed lighter party games as well as more complex strategy titles – not all designers choose to, or can do, both. Are your strategy games better for you having that party game experience, and vice versa?
Yes, I think it’s a good idea to try creating different types of games. For example, in a party game, the focus is often on simplicity… There has to be a certain elegance in the mechanics to make the game as enjoyable as possible and easy to grasp. Through designing party games, I’ve learnt to apply these principles to strategy games – so players can more easily focus on their game plan and strategy.

That brings us nicely to In the Footsteps of Darwin – a great game, with depth, that’s quick to grasp and beautifully produced. A winner! Where did the idea come from for this?
Well, the co-designer of the game – Matthieu Verdier – likes games with very specific themes, such as scientific, artistic or historical settings. On my side, I wanted to create a game with animals because of the universal appeal and the publishing potential. We quickly landed on the theme of Darwin – a central theme from which we could explore science, history and animals in a single game.

You mention your co-designer Matthieu. What did that collaboration look like during development?
We complement each other well… Matthieu is organised, has a great capacity for abstraction and has an editorial vision – he works for Sorry We Are French, the game’s publisher. While I believe I am quite creative… Though that depends heavily on my mood!

Ha! I want to come back to that. Now, In the Footsteps of Dawin is quick to learn, but full of interesting decisions. I imagine it’s sometimes easier to add complexity than to strip things back during the design process. Did the game undergo any big tweaks to arrive at the finished game?
It was more complex in the first prototype, but by refining the game, we realised it was even better. But for this game, I think we were a bit lucky too…

Oh, how so?
Well, everything went very smoothly and quickly! The core mechanics of the game were actually set over a single weekend.

Wow! Speedy stuff! Now, looking ahead, what other titles should we keep an eye out for from you?
I have three games coming out in the next few months:

Later this month is the release of Château Combo, published by Catch Up Games and distributed via Hachette Boardgames UK). Co-designed with Mathieu Roussel, this is a tableau-building game with wholly unique cards, and involves building a 3×3 grid for scoring at the end.

In October, Festival will be published by Scorpion Masqué and distributed via Hachette Boardgames UK. This is a family pattern-building game with an interactive system of choosing tiles and scoring objectives.

Then in early 2025, Zénith will be published by PlayPunk. Co-created with Mathieu Roussel, this is a game based on a tug-of-war system, playable in duels or teams of two.
We’ll have to check back in to discuss those. Now, earlier you mentioned your creativity is influenced by your mood… So what fuels your creativity?
I think it’s pretty typical… Oher games inspire me a lot, as well as everyday things that I encounter. I have more of a “mechanical” mindset, so it’s rarely movies or settings that inspire my creations but rather seeing mechanics in motion.

Thanks again Grégory.
Thank you very much for all these questions!

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