Mike Elliott (game designer) explained

Mike Elliott (sometimes credited as Michael Elliott) is a Seattle-based board game, card game and mobile game designer whose titles include , Thunderstone, and Battle Spirits Trading Card Game. Magic head designer Mark Rosewater called him "one of the most prolific Magic designers in the history of the game."[1] He was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame at the 2017 Origins Game Fair.[2]

Career

While living in Phoenix, Arizona in the early 1990s, Elliott and several of his friends were active bridge players and competed regularly in tournaments. One evening after a tournament, a friend introduced the group to the trading card game. When Elliott returned home he purchased the game and began playing in Magic tournaments. While at a Magic tournament at Arizona State University Elliott told two fellow attendees what he thought was wrong with the game. During the conversation they revealed that they worked for Wizards of the Coast. One of them, Joel Mick, invited Elliott to fly to Seattle and interview for a position with the company.[3] [4]

Wizards of the Coast

Elliott started at Wizards of the Coast in January 1996 as a developer. Afterward he was promoted to designer, and then senior designer. He worked on approximately 30 Magic expansions and introduced new mechanics such as slivers. His Magic related expansions and project included:

Designing

Developing

While at Wizards of the Coast he also designed non-Magic games including Harry Potter Trading Card Game, Neopets Trading Card Game, Hecatomb, and Duel Masters Trading Card Game. Elliott left Wizards of the Coast at the end of 2005.

WizKids

After leaving Wizards of the Coast, Elliott worked for WizKids until the company closed its Seattle office.[5] His titles for WizKids included Star Wars PocketModel Trading Card Game, Halo ActionClix, and DC HeroClix: Batman (Alpha).

Freelance career

As a freelance game designer and developer, Mike Elliott, has designed dozens of games.[6] Notable titles include Battle Spirits Trading Card Game, Thunderstone, Quarriors! and Star Trek: Fleet Captains[7] He also designed Card-Jitsu, an online mini-game in the Club Penguin children's MMO[8] and worked on Hearthstone in early 2017.[9]

Battle Spirits

In 2008 Elliott designed the Battle Spirits Trading Card Game for Bandai. Part of the Battle Spirits franchise—which also includes several anime series, manga serializations and other merchandise such as toys and video games—the TCG was released in Japan in September 2008. Battle Spirits became one of the top selling trading card games of the year.[10]

The game's popularity led to Elliott's appearance in promotional videos,[11] and a new character based on him being added to the anime series Battle Spirits: Shōnen Toppa Bashin. The "Michael Elliott" character was an eccentric American game designer who created the titular Battle Spirits card game played in the series.

Battle Spirits Trading Card Game was released in the United States by Bandai of America on August 14, 2009.

Thunderstone

In 2009 Elliott designed Thunderstone card game for Alderac Entertainment Group. The game won several awards and nominations, including 2010 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee, 2010 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters' Selection Nominee, 2010 JoTa Best Card Game Audience Award, 2010 JoTa Best Card Game Critic Award and 2011 Fairplay À la carte Winner.[12] Alderac relaunched Thunderstone in 2017 as Thunderstone Quest with a Kickstarter that raised more than $500,000.

Quarriors! and Dice Masters

In 2012 Elliott designed the Quarriors! dice building game.[13] Published by WizKids, the game won the 2013 Origins Awards for Best Family, Party or Children's Game.[14]

The Quarriors! Dice Masters system expanded to include The Lord of the Rings Dice Building Game, Marvel Dice Masters, DC Comics Dice Masters, Dungeons & Dragons Dice Masters, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Dice Masters.[15] WizKids reported that Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men sold out within its first week of release[16] and in 2015, Marvel Dice Masters won the Origins Vanguard Award.[17]

Shadowrun: Crossfire and Dragonfire

Eliott helped design Shadowrun: Crossfire, The Adventure Deck-building Game for Fire Opal Media and Catalyst Game Labs. Released in August 2014, the game is a cooperative card game that combines elements of roleplaying games and deck-building card games.[18] Dragonfire, a cooperative deck-builder game based on the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game and using the Crossfire game engine, was launched in 2017.[19]

Credits

Magic: The Gathering

Computer games

Original game design credits

Trading card games
Single deck card games
Miniatures games
Board games
iOS and digital games
Other brands

Notes and References

  1. [Mark Rosewater]
  2. News: 2017 Origins Award Winners. 2017-08-28. en.
  3. Little Metal Dog (September 17, 2013). "Episode 66 – Codes and Keys". Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  4. (September 10, 2003). "Magic Dossier: Michael Elliott". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  5. Ryan Sturm and Geoff Engelstein. Ludology. (August 7, 2011). "Episode 13 - CCGs & DBGs". Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  6. BoardGameGeek. "Mike Elliott". Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  7. WizKids Star Trek: Fleet Captains. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  8. John Goodenough. AEG News. (April 8, 2013). "Agent Hunter Design Diary: Espionage and Deduction". Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  9. Web site: Brode Post Roundup. 2017-01-29. BlizzPro's Hearthstone. 2017-08-28.
  10. ICv2 (March 9, 2009). "Bandai Brings ‘Battle Spirits TCG’ to U.S.". Retrieved October 4, 2013
  11. (Nov 18, 2011) "Galaxy Watanabe VS Michael Elliott". YouTube. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  12. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/53953/thunderstone Thunderstone (2009)
  13. http://wizkidsgames.com/quarriors/ "Quarriors!"
  14. (June 15, 2013). "The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Announces 39th Annual Origins Awards Winners". Origins Game Fair. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  15. ICv2 (September 5, 2013). "'Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters' Due in Q1". Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  16. Escapist Magazine (April 25, 2014) "Marvel Dice Masters Meets Incredible Response, Sells Out Rapidly"
  17. News: Origins Vanguard Award Winners Announced. 2017-08-28. en.
  18. Mike Elliott "Shadowrun: Crossfire". Game Trade Magazine #161. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  19. Web site: CATALYST GAME LABS PARTNERS WITH WIZARDS OF THE COAST ON NEW DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DECKBUILDING GAME Catalyst Game Labs. Randall Bills. 2017-08-28.

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