-
Anthony Boydell
United Kingdom
Unspecified
Unspecified
-
For a small company like Surprised Stare Games Ltd, one is often forced to wear many hats to keep the whole thing ticking along. Below is a selection of les chapeaux hanging from my particular hat-stand:
Director - The Business Hat
All that tiresome paperwork (approving the Company accounts) but not a lot else, as Mr Paull kindly deals with most of the correspondence. When it comes to game production, we treat it like any other Project - gathering of quotes, timescales for artwork, payment, dispatch etc. Those Stands don't book themselves at the Essen Messe and someone has to scrounge 'the van'. This is a neat, professional hat - a bowler with matching umbrella (pin-stripe underpants optional)
Designer - The Fun Hat
Obviously, this is the fun-est bit - messing about with wood, paper, plastic and pens. Firing up a standard template in Powerpoint to make up the prototypes. This is a floppy, flamboyant hat - a cavalier-esque head-covering that is enhanced with pot pouri and dead fauna. Paint-splashes and an outre flourish positively demanded.
Developer - The Objective Hat
A serious, unprepossessing bonce-sheath suitable for candid / constructive criticism, mechanic-bending and the breaking of none, some, all of what's been offered. A working class 'smart' hat such as a jauntily-angled Trilby or a rakish 'pork pie' - sleeves rolled up and 'calling a spade a spade' mandatory. Must remain cool, unemotional and polite - lest the designer insert the prototype into an orifice singularly unsuited for such an intrusion.
Demonstrator - The Smiling, Ever-Courteous Hat
Endless days of repeating the same mantra to interested potential financial contributors and/or media types (BGG live demos I'm looking at you) - a hat that needs to be clean and fresh regardless of the day you've had up to that point. Perhaps a recyclable, elasticated plastic surgical hair-scruncher that should be incinerated along with used needles and unsold copies of Scandaroon? After all, five days of explaining something from 9 until 7 pretty much means you never want to wear THAT hat every again!
Disseminator - The Salesman's Hat
Definitely not the same as the medically-styled Demonstrator, this is more a derivation of the Director's bowler - perhaps leaning more towards 'Topper' - part-businessman, part-showman (a sort of ringmastery skull-adorning affair). Blogs, trade fairs, unsolicited email 'introductions' and so much more - how to let the world know that you exist? How to make them see they REALLY want a copy of Snowdonia (because you do - it feels like Agricola with trains)
Deliverer - The Labourer's Hat
Sweating like the proverbial, this flat cap (earthy, practical) represents those jobs that the bigger players leave to someone else - the packing of components, the loading/driving/unloading of vans etc. You may have a 'bit of a bad back', but if it saves you £50 then it's worth doing yourself!
Drawer - The Artistic Hat
You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how much it costs to get someone to do artwork and/or art layouts for you - luckily, SSG is able to cover all of this off ourselves saving a stonking amount (we're talking 'in the thousands' per product!). Floppy and elaborate like the Designer hat, they're often one-and-the-same (MORE cost savings!). Mind you, you have to be reasonably good at it...not that I'm blowing my own trumpet (chance would be a fine thing - TBH I'd never get any work done)...
Hats in papers, hats in books
Hats on tv, hats for crooks
Hats of comfort, hats of peace
Hats to make the fighting cease
Hats to tell you what to do
Hats are working hard for you
Eat your hats but don't go hungry
Hats have always nearly hung me
What are hats worth?
|
|
