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about 10 hours ago·Interview·24:31·27·Watch on YouTube

From Phoenix to ASHES: The Making of a Board Game

The Hungry Meeple

The Hungry Meeple

Watch “From Phoenix to ASHES: The Making of a Board Game,” a board game interview for ASHES: Blackout Protocol from The Hungry Meeple on BoardGameVideo.

Description provided by The Hungry Meeple on YouTube:

🔥 What happens to the great ideas that don't make it into a board game? Sometimes, they become an entirely new game! At **SPIEL Essen 2026**, The Hungry Meeple sits down with **Jesús “Chus” Fuentes**, founder of Perro Loko Games, and **Jorge J. Barroso**, designer of *Phoenix New Horizon* and co-designer of *ASHES: Blackout Protocol*, to explore the fascinating creative journey behind ASHES. And here's the twist: **ASHES was born from mechanisms that were left behind during the development of Phoenix New Horizon!** In this interview, we dive into the philosophy behind Perro Loko Games, what makes a game worth publishing, and how discarded ideas evolved into a completely new board game. 🎲 What we explore: - How Perro Loko Games approaches game selection and development. - Why ASHES emerged from ideas originally explored in Phoenix New Horizon. - How the designers embraced pick-up-and-deliver despite their reservations about the mechanism. - The challenges of designing a worker-placement game where you must rescue your own workers. - Why the team abandoned a shared action area in favor of individual colony boards. - How vehicle movement evolved into a system of strategic combinations. - The challenges of balancing twelve asymmetric characters. - The collaborative process, playtesting, and creative decisions that brought ASHES to life. From abandoned mechanisms to unexpected breakthroughs, this is a conversation about the creativity, experimentation, and persistence behind board game design. Whether you've played *Phoenix New Horizon*, are excited about *ASHES: Blackout Protocol*, or simply love discovering how board games are made, this interview offers a look behind the scenes. 💬 Join the conversation! Have you played Phoenix New Horizon or ASHES? What's your favorite example of a board game mechanic that was reinvented or given a surprising twist? Let us know in the comments! 👍 If you enjoy board game interviews and behind-the-scenes stories, give this video a like and subscribe to **The Hungry Meeple**, where we connect through board games and food! 🎲 Featured Games: ASHES: Blackout Protocol | Phoenix New Horizon 🏢 Publisher: Perro Loko Games 🌍 Recorded at: SPIEL Essen 2026 🎤 Guests: Jesús “Chus” Fuentes & Jorge J. Barroso 🎙️ Host: Ramon Mercado - The Hungry Meeple 🔗 Find us online: 🌐 Website: [https://thehungrymeeple.com](https://thehungrymeeple.com) ▶️ YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@TheHungryMeeple](https://www.youtube.com/@TheHungryMeeple) 🎲 Perro Loko Games: [https://www.perrolokogames.com](https://www.perrolokogames.com) #ASHESBlackoutProtocol #PhoenixNewHorizon #PerroLokoGames #TheHungryMeeple #SpielEssen2026 #BoardGames #BoardGameDesign #DesignerInterview #TabletopGaming

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ASHES: Blackout Protocol

ASHES: Blackout Protocol

2026·Jorge J. Barroso, Jesús Fuentes, Eduardo Pavón

Videos
8
Creators
7

Mainly how-to-play and reviews. ASHES: Blackout Protocol is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 2 reviews, 3 how-to-play guides, 1 recorded sessions, and 2 other videos.

1 - 4 players
60 - 120 min

About ASHES: Blackout Protocol, from BoardGameGeek:

A.S.H.E.S. (Artificial Shelter & Human Evacuation Sequence) From the ashes, the Phoenix will rise. After decades of political tension, the world fell victim to the Great Nuclear War of 1989. In a matter of days, cities were reduced to rubble and the skies burned with fire. Amid the devastation, the remaining survivors united to secure humanity's future. Ancient evacuation systems were reactivated, and the first underground shelters were built. Thus, the A.S.H.E.S. Protocol - Artificial Shelter & Human Evacuation Sequence - was born: a vast network of underground colonies designed to preserve what remained of the human race. Two years later, the last survivors work tirelessly to rescue civilians, rebuild civilization, and develop a project capable of restoring life to the surface: Project Phoenix. In A.S.H.E.S.: Blackout Protocol, you will lead one of these colonies in its struggle for survival. Rescue civilians, expand your shelter network, construct new facilities, and contribute to the development of Project Phoenix-the initiative that may one day restore hope to humanity. HOW TO PLAY The game is played over three rounds. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins. On your turn, choose one of the following actions: 1. Perform one protocol at Your Base Take a survivor from your base and place them on an action space of your personal board to perform one of the game's main actions: Build Shelters, Install upgrades in the Project Phoenix, or Rescue Survivors. You will also gain a production bonus: Fuel, Data, a Mission Card, or Colony Strength. Build Shelters Use your Colony Strength to construct new shelters capable of housing additional civilians. Gain immediate rewards and receive valuable income at the end of each round. Install upgrades in the Project Phoenix Craft materials and gather data to unlock upgrades for your colony while contributing to humanity's most ambitious undertaking. Rescue Survivors Bring survivors from the wasteland into your shelters to gain immediate benefits and recurring income. Once a shelter is filled, you may flip it to its completed side, sacrificing its income in exchange for a greater Victory Point reward each round. 2. Move Your Evacuation Vehicle Spend Fuel to move your vehicle to a different location on the board. Your vehicle allows you to transport civilians to safety, perform additional actions, and collect materials needed to support Project Phoenix. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS In addition to your main action, you may: Complete a Mission Card from your hand. Craft materials for Project Phoenix. Decontaminate survivors. Seal completed shelters. Search for new survivors. END OF THE ROUND At the end of each round, radiation spreads across the wasteland. Any civilians who remain unrescued on the board will suffer its effects, reducing your Happiness. END OF THE GAME The game ends after the third round. The player with the most Victory Points wins. A.S.H.E.S. Protocol completed. Active shelters: 12 Civilians evacuated: 1,742 Project Phoenix - Phase I initiated "From the ashes, we endure."

Designers

Jorge J. Barroso, Jesús Fuentes, Eduardo Pavón

Artist

Jorge Tabanera Redondo

Publisher

Perro Loko Games

Categories

CivilizationScience Fiction

Mechanics

End Game BonusesResource Management
View on BoardGameGeek ›
ASHES: Blackout Protocol

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From Phoenix to ASHES: The Making of a Board Game