Florian Bohr on the origins of his disc-throwing outdoor game, Kapti

Florian, it’s great to catch up. Let’s start at the beginning – what got you into the world of games, and when did you start designing?
Oh, that’s a great question. I think I’ve always been into games as far as I can remember? I played games with my family growing up, and my parents have told me that in Kindergarten I used to make my own Snakes & Ladders-type games. I played a lot less as a teenager, but later in my 20s, discovered more modern board games. And from then onwards, I’ve always wanted to design my own games – but I don’t think I had the right framework or knowledge of how to begin… So the couple of times I tried in my mid-20s didn’t work out.

On that, what helped you get your ‘bearings’ when you started to take an interest in game design?
First off, I think the more games you play and the more game mechanics you know, the easier it is to come up with a new game. But even then, it’s really difficult to know where to start.

I think the single most important thing that helped me was to go to regular playtests in London where I live. I can’t recommend it enough! Playing other people’s half-finished games teaches you a lot, and playtests give you a clear deadline to finish prototypes. But most importantly, you become part of a community, build relationships with other game designers, help them with their designs – all of which has been amazing.

Great answer. Now, let’s talk Kapti – your new game, published by Wilton Bradley. How would you pitch it?
Kapti is an outdoor or lawn game for two or more players. You’re in two teams, taking turns throwing discs as close as possible to three target stakes in the middle. The twist is that when one of your discs lands on any other disc, you capture or “kapti” that disc and you immediately get to go again. So that allows you to get rid of your opponent’s discs, and you turn any captured discs to your team’s symbol and colour giving you extra turns at the end of the game. What evolves is a simple but tactical game where the losing team can have a huge comeback if they kapti multiple times in a row.

Lovely! Where did this idea spark from?
When I came up with the idea, I was playing lots of outdoor games like Kubb and Mölkky – but I was slowly getting bored of them and looked for ones I hadn’t played yet. Then I realised there were barely any new lawn games coming out… So I gave myself the design challenge of creating a new lawn game that’s quicker, more tactical and allows for big comebacks.

I came up with the idea of using two-sided discs and multiple targets to aim for. Oddly enough, it took a single afternoon to come up with the core gameplay – quicker than any other game I’ve worked on!

After that point, I was just testing different distances, amounts of discs and, of course, prototyping the discs themselves. Everyone that I showed the game to really enjoyed it, often more than other traditional lawn games. So I thought this game should actually exist as a product.

And what made Wilton Bradley a good home for the game?
When I felt the game was ready to pitch, I had no idea where to start. I had never pitched a game before at this point, and there were barely any new lawn games coming out… I spoke to some other designers and got the recommendation of trying Mojo Pitch, as it covers both toys and games.

On the day, most publishers I spoke to told me the game looked great but wasn’t for them. In contrast, Wilton Bradley was already selling outdoor toys and games under their brands Toyrific and Grasshopper Games, so they immediately seemed interested.

I think they’re a great home for Kapti as it neatly fits into their already existing product range, and will be sold alongside classic lawn games like ring toss, cornhole and croquet.

Terrific. And is Kapti indicative of the types of games you’re most interested in developing?
Not necessarily! I do love lawn games and have another one that’s ready to pitch. And I’m sure once the weather gets better here in the UK, I will come up with more. But my current design focus is on board games, more specifically limited communication cooperative games similar to The Crew or Sky Team. I love these kinds of games and, unlike other genres of board games, it feels like there is still lots of unexplored design space – like specific mechanics that have never been used in this type of game. We will see where that takes me!

Last question! What fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas?
Aside from playing lots of games, I often get inspired by nature. In my day job, I’m an audio producer making science radio programmes and podcasts, so I often come across interesting nature and science stories that I feel would make great games.

Interesting! Could you give us an example?
I learned a couple of years ago that the biggest animal migration on Earth happens every night when billions of ocean animals swim to the surface of the sea in the cover of night.

What kind of game could this be? Perhaps a push-your-luck game where you’re a small fish eating as much as you can before sunlight hits and predators can see and eat you? Or a card game where you move different species cards around to score specific combinations? Or a hidden movement game of predator and prey? I find nature endlessly fascinating and inspiring.

Florian, a huge thanks again – and good luck with Kapti!

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