Links: Asmodee Opens in China, Games of the Year in France & Interviews with Hisashi Hayashi and Michael R. Keller

To start, the Asmodee bestsellers will be offered to the Chinese market: Jungle Speed, Dobble, Dixit Journey (Libellud), Takenoko (Bombyx/Matagot), Kemet (Matagot), 7 Wonders (Repos Production), and Eclipse (Ystari/Lautapelit). Subsequently, Asmodee will further extend its product range every year to offer localized versions of new titles as well as a selection of titles in English for the avid player. "After a period of reflection, the decision to open a subsidiary in China was the best option for effectively promoting our games and those of our partners in this market," stated Stephane Carville, Managing Director, Asmodee Group. "The Chinese game market is undergoing a major expansion and Asmodee is looking forward to this adventure. We welcome new editors joining us in this venture."

I am a great fan of railway games, and have played a large number of them. In most railway games, you place tiles on the board, or place your trains on the railways. In both cases, you’re pretty limited in where you put your rails. I was thinking about and looking for some way in which you could choose more freely, and what I ended up with was String Railway.

Humility. Being a game designer is an inherently egocentric process, as the initial design work is almost entirely alone. You decide what you want in your game. You end up making what you like and liking what you make. The first time you think your game is done, you're wrong. The next hundred times you think that, you're still wrong.