Video game industry copywriter

Cloud games, digital games, social games, console games, PC games

Evan Denbaum, Board Game Designer

Bay Area copywriter and editor Evan Denbaum

Board game designer & copywriter Evan Denbaum

During high school vacations, my friends and I would head up to a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains. When we arrived, the first thing we’d do is take off our watches and lock them in a little chest … and someone would hide the key. The second thing we’d do is bust out the original Avalon Hill Civilization board game. There was no running water, and usually you could head down to the stream with two buckets and return before your next turn. Oh, how we loved that game. (I still have a soft spot for it.) You’d have to call that my entry point into the hobby.

Anniversary celebration at EndGame.

Anniversary celebration at EndGame.

From there, years were filled with such favorites as Space Hulk, Battletech, Netrunner and Paranoia. But there was enough of a gap in play post-college that I legitimately reentered the world of strategy board games through the gateway of Catan. The amazing store EndGame in Oakland, Calif., has nurtured my passion for games, along with the wonderful people who populate the weekly Wednesday game night. The Berkeley Board Gamers are also a delight.

I have been a writer pretty much all my life, and a professional one for the majority of it. In that field, when you have what you think is a “big idea,” you jot it down … and then you work at it relentlessly. That’s pretty much how I started designing games. I knew what I wanted to play and what mechanics I’d like to see. I also knew I didn’t want to do it alone. Writing is an incredibly isolated pursuit and profession. If I was going to design games, I wanted it to be a fun, dynamic exchange of ideas.

Heist front cover art, by Ann Benoit.

Heist front cover art by Ann Benoit.

Enter my friend and co-designer E.K. Lytle. Together, we began Heist in 2010 and finished in 2011. Along with Chris Ruggiero, we designed Race to Adventure in 2011, which will be published by Evil Hat Productions later this year or early next.

I believe in designing games that are social, highly thematic and fun. I adore turn-by-turn tactics; E.K. more overarching strategy. I will be forever grateful to the playtesters both local and afar who take their time to help us refine our games. They’re your games, too.

-Evan
July, 2011