"Just one more trick..."
That's what I convinced myself as I took flight in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 during the summer of 2001. My best bud Gary had bested me in every competitive mode the video game offered. If I could nail just one last 360 Benihana over the Carlsbad Gap, my combo would take him down. I didn't even finish the thought before we both watched my digital Geoff Rowley face-plant straight into the pavement.
There's an undeniable thrill to pushing your luck. I often had more than enough points to defeat Gary, but lacked the discipline to cash out. It was simply too much fun to keep skating. The scuffed rails, graffiti beaches, and punk music all worked in tandem to create a world I never wanted to leave.
Fast forward: Years later, I'm holding a pen and some paper. I decided to take everything I loved about skateboarding and capture it in a board game. Of course that would prove easier said than done.
A few early design choices crept into my head. I wanted dice for the risk of bailing and skatepark paths in which to place them. I tested a dice system using several route-building games, but it didn't feel like skateboarding.
My initial resistance to cards held me back because skating is all about tricks and their unique names. I implemented a novel method to draft trick cards. It was inspired by the rondel mechanism from a game called Seeland in which you spend coins to draft further tiles. Instead of a circular arrangement, my cards would be curved along a halfpipe. A player would spend "momentum" to slide a skateboard and select their card, then roll dice to attempt that trick. Recharging momentum cost a die, so dice management was key to extending your combo.
The halfpipe rondel was an interesting foundation for many iterations. I sought assistance from my college friend, Tony, and we used our engineering backgrounds to design and print a 3D ramp that held the cards and sliding token. We also printed skater meeples to move around the board.
These physical components got me excited enough to take Skate Summer on the road. My first playtest at an Unpub Mini event provided invaluable feedback. The game had a "rich get richer" problem and bails felt devastating. Developing a satisfying bail mechanism would continue to haunt me for the next two years.
Constant playtesting opened up new ideas. My Gen Con 2019 prototype saw increased player interaction and dice manipulation. Trick paths were gone in favor of an open world skatepark, complete with a gear shop for upgrades. Player mats were designed with skill attributes and trick multipliers. Skills were spent to re-roll, and upgrading meters would unlock additional dice. This system worked fine, but often a new player would get stuck as their opponents grew way too powerful. Balancing the pace of upgrades became a top priority.
Trick multipliers also saw an evolution. Initially, you could multiply card values by attempting a higher roll. This changed into gear tiles that slotted under each completed trick. You earned gear by matching symbols on neighboring cards, thus giving more to consider when drafting.
I split the cards into three sliding halfpipes based on trick variety. For example, your dice had to beat the yellow value to draft a grind card. The pipe token then slid to your rolled number, making subsequent grind cards harder to draft. Player interaction was heightened because sliding the tokens changed your opponent's options.
As this iteration unfolded, more homages from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater were sprinkled in. Cards now had S-K-A-T-E on them for a collectible endgame bonus. Secret tapes were hidden under gap tokens. The card chaining system would activate one of three bonus paths: (1) special tricks, (2) gear multipliers, or (3) stat boosts.
Skate Summer was complete enough to bring to PAX Unplugged, where all my "clever" systems came together to produce one unfortunate conclusion: The game was slow.
Painfully slow.
Due to the pandemic, Tony and I worked with our friend George to recreate Skate Summer digitally. I commissioned a few pieces of concept art to give the game flavor.
The virtual Skate Summer was playtested at Gen Con 2020. I had added thematic goals like spray paint and smashing boxes, but mostly it was the same lengthy experience. Each player took their slow turn and waited for the next player to take their slow turn. My frustration reached a boiling point, leading me to trash the whole design. It was time to take every lesson I learned and build Skate Summer for real.
Sliding a token back and forth was still fun, but skating is more about performing tricks than drafting them. I converted the sliding track into a personal balance meter. Staying balanced in Tony Hawk games was always exhilarating, so that became my primary focus.
Tavarua is a great surfing game with a balance mechanism. In Tavarua's system, ocean waves affect your balance through a deck of cards. I considered what felt unique to skate combos. I wanted your first few tricks to feel easy, then escalate in risk. I stuck with dice, but made them a universal balance roll affecting all skaters simultaneously. Each trick added another die to the pool which increased tension. Players would need clever cardplay to pull their meters back toward center.
The balance meter became the glue for each subsystem. Gear was moved to the skatepark and upgraded your meter for better combos. Trick values could score more points by raising your skill with flames. These flames were earned through balance arrows, adding extra consideration for which direction to choose. Simultaneous play felt compelling. Bailing made more sense since players had agency with their cards. Special tricks were earned on the player mat through long combos, offering greater rewards to risk-takers.
Using inspiration from Viticulture's wake up track, I developed the "landing track". Now when stopping your combo, you'd get first choice of a landing bonus. This proved a critical decision point because a flame-starved combo would make certain spots more tempting.
You also entered the movement phase based on landing position. Turn order mattered in the race for skatepark goals as they were scored for endgame majorities. Big Air, Revert Ramps, and Manuals added faster board movement. Skate Summer finally had action and energy.
Player scaling, upgrade balancing, and game length were the last screws to be tightened. Different player counts affected the landing track. Gear upgrades were tweaked to ensure they felt equally enticing. A score target marker was created for adjusting game length.
Finally, I was ready to show the game again. I pitched to several publishers during a virtual Unpub event and Pandasaurus Games clicked as a great fit for Skate Summer. Developer Alex Cutler and owners Nathan McNair and Molly Wardlaw had exciting ideas on how to merge my design with their top-tier production.
Since teaming with Pandasaurus, additional development elevated Skate Summer to incredible new heights. Alex cleaned up remaining rulebook issues and handed the game to Pape Ink for art design. Pape crafted a skate world so detailed it left my jaw on the floor. All the elements were in place to form the experience I had been chasing.
It had taken countless late nights cutting tokens on the floor to build Skate Summer. Whenever I got lost or frustrated, I tried to clear my mind and focus on one single goal at a time.
The key to moving forward was always just one more trick.
Randy Reiman
50 Comments
Dear pandasaurusgames.com Owner.
Cool website!
My name’s Eric, and I just found your site – pandasaurusgames.com – while surfing the net. You showed up at the top of the search results, so I checked you out. Looks like what you’re doing is pretty cool.
But if you don’t mind me asking – after someone like me stumbles across pandasaurusgames.com, what usually happens?
Is your site generating leads for your business?
I’m guessing some, but I also bet you’d like more… studies show that 7 out 10 who land on a site wind up leaving without a trace.
Not good.
Here’s a thought – what if there was an easy way for every visitor to “raise their hand” to get a phone call from you INSTANTLY… the second they hit your site and said, “call me now.”
You can –
Web Visitors Into Leads is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know IMMEDIATELY – so that you can talk to that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.
CLICK HERE https://advanceleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Web Visitors Into Leads now to see exactly how it works.
Time is money when it comes to connecting with leads – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later can be huge – like 100 times better!
That’s why we built out our new SMS Text With Lead feature… because once you’ve captured the visitor’s phone number, you can automatically start a text message (SMS) conversation.
Think about the possibilities – even if you don’t close a deal then and there, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.
Wouldn’t that be cool?
CLICK HERE https://advanceleadgeneration.com to discover what Web Visitors Into Leads can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!
Eric
PS: Web Visitors Into Leads offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE https://advanceleadgeneration.com to try Web Visitors Into Leads now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://advanceleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Dear pandasaurusgames.com Admin.
Eric here with a quick thought about your website pandasaurusgames.com…
I’m on the internet a lot and I look at a lot of business websites.
Like yours, many of them have great content.
But all too often, they come up short when it comes to engaging and connecting with anyone who visits.
I get it – it’s hard. Studies show 7 out of 10 people who land on a site, abandon it in moments without leaving even a trace. You got the eyeball, but nothing else.
Here’s a solution for you…
Web Visitors Into Leads is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. You’ll know immediately they’re interested and you can call them directly to talk with them literally while they’re still on the web looking at your site.
CLICK HERE http://advanceleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Web Visitors Into Leads now to see exactly how it works.
It could be huge for your business – and because you’ve got that phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation – immediately… and contacting someone in that 5 minute window is 100 times more powerful than reaching out 30 minutes or more later.
Plus, with text messaging you can follow up later with new offers, content links, even just follow up notes to keep the conversation going.
Everything I’ve just described is extremely simple to implement, cost-effective, and profitable.
CLICK HERE http://advanceleadgeneration.com to discover what Web Visitors Into Leads can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more eyeballs into leads today!
Eric
PS: Web Visitors Into Leads offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE http://advanceleadgeneration.com to try Web Visitors Into Leads now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://advanceleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Hello pandasaurusgames.com Admin!
My name’s Eric and I just came across your website – pandasaurusgames.com – in the search results.
Here’s what that means to me…
Your SEO’s working.
You’re getting eyeballs – mine at least.
Your content’s pretty good, wouldn’t change a thing.
BUT…
Eyeballs don’t pay the bills.
CUSTOMERS do.
And studies show that 7 out of 10 visitors to a site like pandasaurusgames.com will drop by, take a gander, and then head for the hills without doing anything else.
It’s like they never were even there.
You can fix this.
You can make it super-simple for them to raise their hand, say, “okay, let’s talk” without requiring them to even pull their cell phone from their pocket… thanks to Web Visitors Into Leads.
Web Visitors Into Leads is a software widget that sits on your site, ready and waiting to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know immediately – so you can talk to that lead immediately… without delay… BEFORE they head for those hills.
CLICK HERE https://advanceleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Web Visitors Into Leads now to see exactly how it works.
Now it’s also true that when reaching out to hot leads, you MUST act fast – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later is huge – like 100 times better!
That’s what makes our new SMS Text With Lead feature so powerful… you’ve got their phone number, so now you can start a text message (SMS) conversation with them… so even if they don’t take you up on your offer right away, you continue to text them new offers, new content, and new reasons to do business with you.
This could change everything for you and your business.
CLICK HERE https://advanceleadgeneration.com to learn more about everything Web Visitors Into Leads can do and start turing eyeballs into money.
Eric
PS: Web Visitors Into Leads offers a FREE 14 days trial – you could be converting up to 100x more leads immediately!
It even includes International Long Distance Calling.
Paying customers are out there waiting.
Starting connecting today by CLICKING HERE https://advanceleadgeneration.com to try Web Visitors Into Leads now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://advanceleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Hello pandasaurusgames.com Admin!
Eric here with a quick thought about your website pandasaurusgames.com…
I’m on the internet a lot and I look at a lot of business websites.
Like yours, many of them have great content.
But all too often, they come up short when it comes to engaging and connecting with anyone who visits.
I get it – it’s hard. Studies show 7 out of 10 people who land on a site, abandon it in moments without leaving even a trace. You got the eyeball, but nothing else.
Here’s a solution for you…
Web Visitors Into Leads is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. You’ll know immediately they’re interested and you can call them directly to talk with them literally while they’re still on the web looking at your site.
CLICK HERE http://advanceleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Web Visitors Into Leads now to see exactly how it works.
It could be huge for your business – and because you’ve got that phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation – immediately… and contacting someone in that 5 minute window is 100 times more powerful than reaching out 30 minutes or more later.
Plus, with text messaging you can follow up later with new offers, content links, even just follow up notes to keep the conversation going.
Everything I’ve just described is extremely simple to implement, cost-effective, and profitable.
CLICK HERE http://advanceleadgeneration.com to discover what Web Visitors Into Leads can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more eyeballs into leads today!
Eric
PS: Web Visitors Into Leads offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE http://advanceleadgeneration.com to try Web Visitors Into Leads now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://advanceleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Hi, Eric here with a quick thought about your website pandasaurusgames.com…
I’m on the internet a lot and I look at a lot of business websites.
Like yours, many of them have great content.
But all too often, they come up short when it comes to engaging and connecting with anyone who visits.
I get it – it’s hard. Studies show 7 out of 10 people who land on a site, abandon it in moments without leaving even a trace. You got the eyeball, but nothing else.
Here’s a solution for you…
Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. You’ll know immediately they’re interested and you can call them directly to talk with them literally while they’re still on the web looking at your site.
CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.
It could be huge for your business – and because you’ve got that phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation – immediately… and contacting someone in that 5 minute window is 100 times more powerful than reaching out 30 minutes or more later.
Plus, with text messaging you can follow up later with new offers, content links, even just follow up notes to keep the conversation going.
Everything I’ve just described is extremely simple to implement, cost-effective, and profitable.
CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more eyeballs into leads today!
Eric
PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Hey, my name’s Eric and for just a second, imagine this…
- Someone does a search and winds up at pandasaurusgames.com.
- They hang out for a minute to check it out. “I’m interested… but… maybe…”
- And then they hit the back button and check out the other search results instead.
- Bottom line – you got an eyeball, but nothing else to show for it.
- There they go.
This isn’t really your fault – it happens a LOT – studies show 7 out of 10 visitors to any site disappear without leaving a trace.
But you CAN fix that.
Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know right then and there – enabling you to call that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.
CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.
Time is money when it comes to connecting with leads – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later can be huge – like 100 times better!
Plus, now that you have their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation… so even if you don’t close a deal then, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.
Strong stuff.
CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!
Eric
PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
My name’s Eric and I just came across your website – pandasaurusgames.com – in the search results.
Here’s what that means to me…
Your SEO’s working.
You’re getting eyeballs – mine at least.
Your content’s pretty good, wouldn’t change a thing.
BUT…
Eyeballs don’t pay the bills.
CUSTOMERS do.
And studies show that 7 out of 10 visitors to a site like pandasaurusgames.com will drop by, take a gander, and then head for the hills without doing anything else.
It’s like they never were even there.
You can fix this.
You can make it super-simple for them to raise their hand, say, “okay, let’s talk” without requiring them to even pull their cell phone from their pocket… thanks to Talk With Web Visitor.
Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that sits on your site, ready and waiting to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know immediately – so you can talk to that lead immediately… without delay… BEFORE they head for those hills.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.
Now it’s also true that when reaching out to hot leads, you MUST act fast – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later is huge – like 100 times better!
That’s what makes our new SMS Text With Lead feature so powerful… you’ve got their phone number, so now you can start a text message (SMS) conversation with them… so even if they don’t take you up on your offer right away, you continue to text them new offers, new content, and new reasons to do business with you.
This could change everything for you and your business.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to learn more about everything Talk With Web Visitor can do and start turing eyeballs into money.
Eric
PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – you could be converting up to 100x more leads immediately!
It even includes International Long Distance Calling.
Paying customers are out there waiting.
Starting connecting today by CLICKING HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Hey, my name’s Eric and for just a second, imagine this…
- Someone does a search and winds up at pandasaurusgames.com.
- They hang out for a minute to check it out. “I’m interested… but… maybe…”
- And then they hit the back button and check out the other search results instead.
- Bottom line – you got an eyeball, but nothing else to show for it.
- There they go.
This isn’t really your fault – it happens a LOT – studies show 7 out of 10 visitors to any site disappear without leaving a trace.
But you CAN fix that.
Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know right then and there – enabling you to call that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.
Time is money when it comes to connecting with leads – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later can be huge – like 100 times better!
Plus, now that you have their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation… so even if you don’t close a deal then, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.
Strong stuff.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!
Eric
PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Hi, Eric here with a quick thought about your website pandasaurusgames.com…
I’m on the internet a lot and I look at a lot of business websites.
Like yours, many of them have great content.
But all too often, they come up short when it comes to engaging and connecting with anyone who visits.
I get it – it’s hard. Studies show 7 out of 10 people who land on a site, abandon it in moments without leaving even a trace. You got the eyeball, but nothing else.
Here’s a solution for you…
Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. You’ll know immediately they’re interested and you can call them directly to talk with them literally while they’re still on the web looking at your site.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.
It could be huge for your business – and because you’ve got that phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation – immediately… and contacting someone in that 5 minute window is 100 times more powerful than reaching out 30 minutes or more later.
Plus, with text messaging you can follow up later with new offers, content links, even just follow up notes to keep the conversation going.
Everything I’ve just described is extremely simple to implement, cost-effective, and profitable.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more eyeballs into leads today!
Eric
PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com
Good day,
My name is Eric and unlike a lot of emails you might get, I wanted to instead provide you with a word of encouragement – Congratulations
What for?
Part of my job is to check out websites and the work you’ve done with pandasaurusgames.com definitely stands out.
It’s clear you took building a website seriously and made a real investment of time and resources into making it top quality.
There is, however, a catch… more accurately, a question…
So when someone like me happens to find your site – maybe at the top of the search results (nice job BTW) or just through a random link, how do you know?
More importantly, how do you make a connection with that person?
Studies show that 7 out of 10 visitors don’t stick around – they’re there one second and then gone with the wind.
Here’s a way to create INSTANT engagement that you may not have known about…
Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know INSTANTLY that they’re interested – so that you can talk to that lead while they’re literally checking out pandasaurusgames.com.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.
It could be a game-changer for your business – and it gets even better… once you’ve captured their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation – immediately (and there’s literally a 100X difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes.)
Plus then, even if you don’t close a deal right away, you can connect later on with text messages for new offers, content links, even just follow up notes to build a relationship.
Everything I’ve just described is simple, easy, and effective.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.
You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!
Eric
PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.
If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=pandasaurusgames.com