How The New Moon Game Got Made!

Play on, Twihards! If you really want to test your Cullen/Volturi/Wolf Pack knowledge, New Moon The Movie Board Game is the way to go. It even had me stumped (not an easy thing to do)!

I got the chance to talk to creator Keith Tralins about developing the game (from just watching the trailers and reading the script!) and his plans for future Twilight-related fun...

Q: What book are you looking forward to turning into a game?

Keith: Definitely Eclipse – I'm just waiting for the green light on that one, by the way. Chomping at the bit, actually. It's my favorite of the four books. You have that fabulous tension between Edward and Jacob, it's action-packed, and you have tons of characters.

Q: Have you seen New Moon?

Keith: Actually, I haven't... I'll be there on the 20th like everyone else. But I feel like I have, because I've looked at just about every image, and read the script probably ten times. I have it practically memorized. Because of the long lead-time in manufacturing, we actually had to finish the design of the game well before the film was finished. It presents a good challenge for us... at least until someone can invent a time machine!

Q: What process do you go through to make a game?

Keith: The first step, for me, is making sure I truly understand the story. Then, I start to develop mechanics that are appropriate for that story. We create mock-ups and get together groups to "play test." The trivia is written by a fabulous professional trivia writer. Once I'm happy with it, it goes to the publisher, Cardinal, for the graphic design of all the pieces and board, and then off to manufacturing!

Q: What do you want players to get out of your games?

Keith: For something like Twilight, I want them to have an evening where they felt like they entered the world of Forks and got to live there for a couple hours. I want the players to have a wonderful time together, spending time with each other, be it family or friends. I want the player who came in last place to have just as good a feeling as the player who won, because winning is just a small part of the experience. No Monopoly-style fights here!

Article by Heidi Bennett from the Official Twilight Fan Page.

New Moon The Movie Board Game is available in all major retail stores.