Splotter’s brilliant strategy game turns convenient cuisine into a hardcore competition that’s as meaty as a quarter pounder and as heated as chip fat. Who knew working in fast food could be so much fun?

FOOD CHAIN MAGNATE

Words by Owen Duffy

Among hardcore board gamers, Dutch publisher Splotter Spellen has something of a reputation.

Where some studios chase simplicity and mass-market appeal, the company has carved out a niche with complex, strategic releases. Their games consume entire evenings, taxing players’ brains with hours of tough decisions and difficult dilemmas.

It’s enough to leave a faint-hearted gamer trembling in a corner desperately clutching their copy of Munchkin. But while Splotter’s relentlessly elaborate gameplay might not be for everybody, it’s found a receptive audience among players who relish a challenge, and in 2015 the company hit on its biggest success to date.

Food Chain Magnate casts players as CEOs of rival fast food companies vying to dominate their local market. Starting from almost nothing they battle to recruit staff, build an effcient corporate structure and sell more waistlineexpanding snacks than their competitors.

It’s become something of a breakout hit, lauded by critics and rapturously received by fans. Along the way it’s also picked up multiple awards and secured a coveted spot on the Top 100 list at online gaming hub BoardGameGeek. We spoke to its designers to discover the story behind its creation and find out about the appeal of unabashedly brainburning games.

ALL WORK, ALL PLAY

Food Chain Magnate is the brainchild of co-designers Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wiersinga. Wiersinga co-founded the Splotter brand in 1997 and, alongside Doumen, designed games including the transport-centric civilisationbuilder Roads & Boats, Far- Eastern trading game Indonesia and the medieval Antiquity.

While their previous games have garnered the company a loyal following, their most recent release is their most successful yet.

On first inspection, Food Chain Magnate looks a bit like, well, actual work. Players deal with recruitment, hiring employees from restaurant managers to kitchen staff. They oversee marketing campaigns, organise training sessions, set food prices and pursue a variety of goals for their business. It all adds up to a formidable challenge, a complex array of strategic choices and a game that revels in diving into nittygritty details.