Board games are back! Fueled by the 2020 lockdowns and a recent interest in non-digital forms of entertainment, board game sales are on the rise. IMARC Group valued the global tabletop games market at $15.1 billion in 2022 and predicted it would reach $29.7 billion by 2028. Projections like this seem counterintuitive with the large availability of other digital entertainment. Still, all signs indicate that board games are returning, and one Mississippi-based company is getting in on the action.
Best friends and college roommates Jon Micah Tyson and Nick Raynor, who have been lifelong board game lovers, co-founded Tortugas Games. One night, after playing board games, the pair spontaneously decided to bring their passions and creative talents together to create something new for families and friends to enjoy.
“We always played games together,” shared Tyson. “And usually, after we play, we discuss what was cool or what could have been better if the mechanics worked differently.”
“One night in Nick’s kitchen, while having a familiar retrospective conversation over a game, I declared we should make a game,” shared Tyson. “And Nick asked what it would be about,” and I said, “Pirates!” And Nick said, “Yeah, it is!”
The duo set out to create a new world and board game, learning the business as they went. Both grew up playing board games and relied on their past experiences to find the most enjoyable methods and to extract new ideas from board game conventions.
“We started playing off one another free-flowing ideas,” shared Tyson. “We used a lot of different things from games we enjoyed growing up, like role-playing elements. It’s been a learning experience from the start.”
RPG stands for role-playing game. Tabletop RPG settings include challenges for the player characters to overcome through play, such as traps to avoid, rulers to court, or adversaries to fight. Many game sessions contain puzzle-solving, negotiation, chases, and combat moments.
The duo’s first game is Red Tides: A Tale of New Caribbea, a 1-4 player cooperative dice battler with RPG elements set in the fantastical world of New Caribbea.
“We have this fantastical world of New Caribbea, which is a take on the Caribbean,” shared Tyson. “It has been through two devastating decades under the rule of a pirate lord, John Davies, who has unified four great faction houses. He’s put limitations on the excesses of piracy. And if you know anything about pirates, they don’t like that too much; they want to be free in the open sea.”
Players get to build a ship from a leaky dinghy to a floating palace of destruction. As players or teams move through the game, they gather a crew and cannons, roll dice, and take back New Caribbea!
“This is one of those games where you call your buddies over, get a pizza, and hang out all night,” explained Tyson. A first playthrough for playtesters takes about 1-3 hours, but after that, they cut the time in half.”
Red Tides: A Tale of New Caribbea is still being developed and pre-launched on Backerkit, a crowdfunding platform. Crowdfunding is a way for startups to finance projects and ideas. It enables businesses to collect money from many people via online platforms.
“People who crowdfund board game projects are passionate and love games,” shared Tyson. “If we reach our goal, we know buyers out there waiting.”
Even though Red Tides isn’t available for purchase yet, playtesters have given it a whirl and provided feedback. Tortugas Games is taking Red Tides to a large tabletop convention, Gen Con, in Indianapolis.
And, if you’re wondering where the name Tortugas Games came from, it is an inside joke between long-time friends who are now co-owners.
“In college, my best friends and I would go to the local Mexican restaurant a lot,” shared Tyson. We got to be good friends with the staff and owners. And in college, you’re often tired and sluggish dragging yourself in the door. The waiters started saying, “Tortugas, Welcome Back!” it just stuck.”
Tortuga is the Spanish word for tortoise. If you want to see inside the game or get a look at its character and feel, visit Tortugas Games’ social media pages and website.
