Danny Quach from Ravensburger
Ravensburger recently celebrated 50 years in the industry—an incredible milestone! Their dedication to gaming and community has made them a standout sponsor for all of our events, and this year, they’re going above and beyond. With Danny leading the charge, Ravensburger is bringing an exciting lineup of giveaways and surprises for our attendees. I can’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces!
I had the chance to sit down with Danny to talk about Ravensburger’s latest projects, favorite gaming moments, and what makes board games such a special part of our lives. Read on to hear his insights, stories, and maybe even discover your next favorite game!
Questions by Kevin Craine (KC), answers by Danny Quach (DQ).
KC: Does Ravensburger have any upcoming projects or products that board game fans should be excited about?
DQ: This is going to be another huge year of games for Ravensburger! We recently just annouced the new extension to our Horrified line: Horrified Dungeons and Dragons. As a D&D fan AND a board game fan, I'm personally very excited for this. We also have a few family-friendly games that are both exciting for gamers and casual players alike, including Sandcastles of Burgundy and Disney Villainous: Unstoppable! Both of these are from the designers of their respective games but with minor changes to make them more approachable, faster, and brings the fun to more tables around the world.
KC: Have you sponsored or attended other conventions? Any favorite memories or fun stories?
DQ: PAX Unplugged is one of my favorites, and this year, we got to run a "Ho-Ho-Horrified" event where Horrified fans came together to play the newest release of Horrified: World of Monsters and the limited-edition promo monster, Krampus! It was very exciting to see how many players came out to play and enjoy each other's companies in a spooky and festive day of play. We also held other tournaments like Disney Villainous and a "Ravensburger Party Game Gauntlet", so we always have events that bring gamers of all levels together to meet and be part of the fun at the convention!
KC: If you had to describe Ravensbuger's mission using a board game mechanic, what would it be?
DQ: I think my personal mission as the North American Games Marketing Manager for Ravensburger would be best described as Worker Placement. I can't be everywhere or go to every spot, but slowly and surely, I'm going to show you that there's a board game for everyone if you haven't found one yet! There are so many amazing board games with fantastic art and stories that are put together by brilliant minds and my goal is to show you your new favorite board game (even if it's being blocked by another "worker" temporarily, like, let's say Video games [LOL] or time constraints).
KC: If you could play a board game with any historical figure, who would it be and what game would you choose?
DQ: My gut reaction was "Alexander the Great" so that if/when I do happen to beat him...maybe I'll get to be called "Danny The Great" as well! I love playing STRIKE! with everyone (a dice chucking dexterity game) but if we wanted something a bit more thematic, I'd love to play Raiders of the North Sea (a worker placement game about vikings).
KC: What inspired you to get involved in the board game industry?
DQ: Gaming has always been a big part of my life. From video games, to storytelling/TTRPG's, to being part of Chess Club in school or playing random card games with family, to diving head first into "hobby" board games. I know the feeling and the connection I feel when I'm around the table with strangers that soon become friends, or having a weekly/monthly meet up with the besties that provide us time to connect and have fun together. I whole heartedly believe that the idea of play has no age limit and want to fight against those who have lost that sense of play because of circumstances. I want to bring that sense of play to all ages and have folks connect around games!
KC: What are some of your favorite board games of all time?
DQ: I mentioned Strike! and Raiders of the North Sea in an earlier question. Another one of my go-to's for a more casual setting is "Fun Facts", a game that spurs a lot of fun conversations as you're trying to place yourself in order of different numeric-answered questions. Although I have a collection of games that are near and dear to my heart, I do enjoy playing new-to-me games, so off the top of my head my favorite board games as of recent include Fromage (a workerplacement game about cheese!), Rebel Princess (a trick taking game about not wanting to marry the prince!), and Let's Go to Japan! (a card drafting, tableau planning game about setting out for adventures in Tokyo and Osaka)!
