Designer Interview: Ken Franklin

Hello everyone and welcome back to another look into the life of a board game designer! Today we will be talking to Ken Franklin, designer of one of my favorite group games Mansky Caper! So let’s get right into it!

Tell us a little about yourself and your role at Calliope:

I am a retired family physician, who served 25 years in the Army Medical Corps, then 15 more in a small group practice in VIcksburg, Michigan.  I designed and signed The Mansky Caper with Calliope at GenCon 2011, and have volunteered for them at cons ever since. In March 2020, I was hired as their Senior Yeoman, a title I coined. My job is to do anything necessary to care for customers, and to smooth the development and delivery of games to game stores and the public. In short, I’ll do whatever Ray Wehrs needs.

What started you into game design?

I have been designing games since age 5. I loved game shows on TV, and when my parents bought me a “52-game chest”, I used all the components to design my own games. It’s been my main hobby for 59 years.

Who are some of your game designer inspirations?

Chris Leder has been a friend since 2012, and we have discovered that our creativity is synergistic. We can create games together with a delightful speed. When I first discovered Jason Glover on Kickstarter, I became a big fan, and I went all fanboy when I met him at Protospiel Michigan. I admire Paul Peterson, Mike Mulvihill, Daryl Andrews, Seth Johnson, and Peter Wocken for being genuinely positive human beings in addition to passionate designers. I’m sure I’m leaving too many out.

What is your ideal game night? Games, group size, snacks, etc:

After my first wife, Terri, passed away from colon cancer in 2010, I began having weekly game nights at my home to try and bring folks together that might otherwise never connect. My Godgift, Debi, embraced that, and now we have 10-30 people every 2 weeks for a 3-hour game night. We start with a group party game to open each evening, and then split up to several tables. I try to teach at least one new game very session. They’re pot luck, so the food is always great. Three years ago, Debi started KenCon as a birthday celebration for me each October. We collect nonperishable food as the entry fee, which goes to local food banks. We’ve actually had over 50 people playing games at 7 tables at some point.

What are the current games we could play of yours?

Please play “The Mansky Caper”. It took 7 years of love to make it the game it is, and I am immensely proud of the art by my son Matt Franklin, who has illustrated over a dozen games. I also collaborated with Chris Leder on “Imagineers” by Maple Games, and was on the design team for “Tsuro: Phoenix Rising”.

What is coming down the pipeline from you in the near future?

Starting June 1st you’ll be able to play Ravensburger’s “Back to the Future: Dice Through Time”, Which was designed by Chris Leder, Kevin Rodgers and myself. It’s a cooperative dice game that will immerse you in all three of the movies in a really fun way. Chris is THE Back to the Future fan – and when Ravensburger offered us the chance to compete for the IP, he called me up and said, “We HAVE to design this game.” I could feel him vibrating with excitement from 150 miles away. I have three prototypes under consideration by different publishers, and I’m working on my “grail games” – Competitive games that require the strategy of positive interactions with other players. I’m a huge fan of non-zero-sum games.

What was the first game you remember playing as a kid?

I remember playing “Cootie”, “Candy Land” and “Hi-Ho Cherry-O” at age 5. I was bored right away. My grandfather taught me chess and gin rummy when I was about 7.

What inspired you to design The Mansky Caper?

I read an article by the great mathematician and writer Martin Gardner. He proposed a thought experiment: suppose you have a million boxes in front of you. All but one have a $5 bill. The last one has a thermonuclear bomb. How many would you open? From there, I wrote an Apple 2gs shareware game called “Plunder!” in 1990 that raised several thousand dollars for homeless relief. After Terri passed, Matt landed a spot in GenCon’s Artist Alley. I had no idea cons like this existed. I took a chance and tried to port “Plunder!” to the tabletop, and with no clue about what a sell sheet or pitch meeting was, I headed to Indianapolis. Miraculously, Calliope gave me a pitch appointment, and picked it up. Over the next few years, the theme morphed to robbing Big Al Mansky’s mansion, and Debi suggested the idea of using Favors to force others to use their special abilities to help you. That concept is what makes “The Mansky Caper” unique.

What games (if any) influenced this one?

“The Mansky Caper” has been compared to Alan Moon’s classic “Incan Gold”, but to be honest, I had never heard of it. I’ve worked hard to make it unique, and shine on its own.

What are your goals and hopes with your role as a designer?

My hopes and goals have already been surpassed by orders of magnitude. If I never sell another game, I will consider myself massively blessed. But if I had my way, I would find a home for one of my Grail Games. I want to demonstrate the fun – and practical benefit – of developing the largest possible network of positive relationships.

If you could have any IP to use in a game design what would it be? 

Wow. Great question. Deb thinks I should design a game set in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” with the humor of “The Big Bang Theory”. LOL. I’ve toyed with the Metroid franchise – I think that would be fun.

Any extra information you’d love to share? 

My motto has always been, “Some play to win; I play to grin.” I am convinced that my calling, for the rest of my earthly life, is to love God back by spreading joy across the gaming table. I’m surprised constantly at how rewarding and fun that calling has been.

Check out our review of The Mansky Caper here: http://gamingwithsidekicks.com/2018/11/28/game-review-the-mansky-caper/

Thank you Ken for your insight and your time! Everyone make sure to check out his work and keep an eye out for the great new games coming from this designer!