Savage Islands (aka Nate and Hayes)
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I met our customer for this one at Birmingham Collectormania. She was looking for something different and unique for her brother's upcoming 40th birthday. He was, apparently, 'somebody who had everything' - if he liked it, he bought it - making him almost impossible to buy for!
Originally taken by our Chuck boardgame at the show, but wanting to mull it over with months to spare until his birthday, our client got in touch a couple of weeks later, deciding that what she really wanted for him was a game themed around the movie that they'd both loved and watched many times as children.
Admittedly, I'd never heard of it, and it was a bit more confusing to find once I'd learned it also went under the alternative title of 'Nate and Hayes'. I tracked it down on dvd, and watched it back-to-back several times in a row to get a feel for it and to make notes regarding characters, moments and quotes.
Working back-and-forth via email with my customer and ensuring she was happy with every step of the design, it fell together quickly, and I even developed a soft-spot for the film.
Arranging to collect the game from us in person at London Film & Comic Con, our customer commented that I'd made her feel that I had loved the movie as much as she and her brother did as kids, and couldn't believe the amount of time and effort I'd put into getting it just right for her. Still one of my highest compliments and makes all this worthwhile.
"Oh, I never flew the skull and crossed bones. That's for your fictioneers. But I have sought pleasure and profit all my life at sea without regard for any man's law. That's not to say I didn't have my morals and standards. I got morals and standards. I never killed anyone who didn't have it coming. I never cheated an honest man. I never pillaged and I never raped."