This interview is a chat with Andy, creator behind games like Badger + Coyote, Waffles for Ester, Banda’s Grove, and so many more! He covers his XP in shifting game tone, solo and duet TTRPGs, and a couple games from Pandion Games to check out for new players.

The following is a write-in interview conducted between Andy from Pandion Games (the interviewee) and Steph Campbell from TTRPGkids (the interviewer). This interview is posted with permission from the interviewee.

What’s your backstory (i.e. what cool stuff do you do/what have you worked on)?

I started game design with making character sheets and adventures for Quest RPG, and made my first game because I needed a game that didn’t require a table! It grew from there, and I’ve worked with some really cool people like Jay Dragon, Armanda Haller, and Matt Sanders to learn how to make games over the last 4 years.

Your games have a variety of tones to them, ranging from playful to pensive to eerie.  What’s it been like bouncing between multiple genres?

It is rejuvenating in many ways! I enjoy a variety of genres from movies, books, and video games, and tabletop is no different! Having projects under development with multiple tones lets me focus on the one I’m feeling motivated by currently and helps avoid burn out and writer’s block.

Going into the next question… I love playing duet TTRPGs with kiddo and running solo games as well (where kiddo answers prompts and I help record responses or narrate).  I think they work out really well for the parent to one kid dynamic.  AND you’ve made quite a few solo and duet TTRPGs!  

Why have you made so many in the 1-2 player category?  Or what do you find special about solo and duet games?

I first got into game design because I wanted to keep playing TTRPGs after I moved into an RV full time, so I was exploring ways to play without traditional tools like dice, or even a table! When I discovered the solo TTRPG Delve by Anna Blackwell, it opened my eyes to solo play and I really dove into that. I find them more accessible for people. There is something really enjoyable about making a story and game framework for solo players and seeing all the interesting ways they take the story!

If I were to use a couple of your games with kids or new players to TTRPGs, which ones would you pick?  And why? 

I would highly recommend starting with Badger + Coyote for kids. It’s designed with kids in mind, with a simpler character for them to play and a token you pass back and forth to keep track of who is narrating scenes (like a story stick at a campfire).

I’d also recommend Substratum Protocol for new players looking for something that leans towards a more traditional experience, but still being very narrative focused in its mechanics.

Do you have any final shoutouts?

I would like to shout out Galen Pejeau, our artist and fellow game designer. He’s making some fantastic science-forward TTRPGs about exploration and discovery that I think more people should know about like SolarCrawl!

Thank you Andy for taking time to do the interview, and I’m looking forward to trying out a handful of your games from GenCon on my own and with kiddo!

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