Board Games, Business, and Calliope Games Ep. 44

In this episode… We are joined by Ray Wehrs, co-founder of Calliope Games and board game industry extraordinaire! Between Ray and his two business partners, there is 70 years of experience in the board game industry. We were delighted to get a chance to talk with Ray about Tsuro, Roll for It!, and his time […]

In this episode…

We are joined by Ray Wehrs, co-founder of Calliope Games and board game industry extraordinaire! Between Ray and his two business partners, there is 70 years of experience in the board game industry. We were delighted to get a chance to talk with Ray about Tsuro, Roll for It!, and his time in our industry. We hope you enjoy the multitude of stories he was kind enough to share.

Feature: Ray Wehrs Interview

Ray founded Calliope Games along with Jordan, and Dawne Weisman. How does the trio make it work?

How did Calliope Games come to publish Tsuro?

Tsuro is a game about creating your own journey or “path.” Taking this theme to heart, was there any point in Ray’s personal or professional life where he felt a choice he made impacted the direction his life took?

Did the success of Tsuro and/or Roll For It! surprise Ray?

Roll for It! is going to be on Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop. What does this mean for Ray? Will he prepare for increased demand?

What does Calliope Games do different that other game publishers?

There is an online version of Tsuro. What does an online version of a board game do for a game publishing company?

There was a special, Gen Con edition of Roll for it!. Ray explains how this came about and why the product made sense to create.

Calliope Games focuses on “filler” type games. Is Ray ever tempted to publish a heavier, Euro style game?

When Ray hears the word “success,” what game(s), publishers, or designers come to mind?

There are ten, different games that are all brilliantly designed. What qualities would make one game stand out among the others to board game consumers?

Ray has been in the business for many moons. Does he think it’s possible for young publishers who are entering the industry now, like Happy Mitten, to make a career out of publishing board games?

@CalliopeGames @happymitten Calliope has games that appeal outside the regular gamer market – what do you do to reach that wider audience?

— Scott Almes (@Scott_Almes) October 9, 2014

Is Ray openly accepting game submissions now? How does he like to be pitched to?

Helpful Tips

Think about the business before the hobby. While it’s important to create an environment to have fun, it’s important to keep the business in mind to stay relevant.

Company Updates

Calliope Games:

The anniversary edition of Tsuro is prepped and ready to go. Look for limited quantities of a premium quality edition to be available for the game’s anniversary celebration.

Happy Mitten:

We hope you’ve all been enjoying our newsletter! Be sure to join us for exclusive Aether Magic and Happy Mitten Games updates. Currently, we’re working on getting worldwide fulfillment set up for our Kickstarter and marveling at the terrific work our illustrator is doing on Aether Magic’s illustration.

Mentioned Links

Calliope Games Website

Imagine Guild

Children’s Ride

Children’s Ride Facebook

Seattle Children’s Uncompensated Care

Seattle Children’s Hospital