When Travis Jones first sat down to sketch ideas for a board game, he likely didn’t imagine that moment would mark the beginning of an eight-year journey full of redesigns, rewrites, and personal growth. But that’s the story behind Ibyron: Island of Discovery—his first published board game, and the product of nearly a decade of creativity and perseverance.
In a Designer Diary on BoardGameGeek News, Jones offers a candid look into the process, roadblocks, and revelations that helped shape Ibyron into what it is today. The result? A city-building strategy game with a strong thematic core and layered mechanics—one that has evolved far from its original idea.
How It All Began: A Pencil Sketch and a Big Idea
Ibyron started as a cooperative game about settlers working together to build a new civilization on a mysterious island. The objective was shared success through teamwork and discovery.
But as development unfolded, the game took on a more competitive tone. What eventually emerged is a strategic city-builder involving modular tiles and resource management. Each player leads a unique faction, vying to develop their portion of the island in the most impressive way.
As Jones puts it, “Eight years later… it didn’t become the game I started making, but it became exactly the game I needed to make.”
Finding the Heartbeat: A Theme That Finally Clicked
Initially, Ibyron emphasized mechanics over narrative. While the systems worked, the experience felt incomplete. That changed when Jones had the idea of a forgotten civilization awakening to reclaim its past.
This moment of inspiration transformed the game’s identity. Players don’t just grow cities—they breathe life back into ancient lands. It created emotional resonance and a sense of purpose.
“The theme became the glue that held all the mechanisms together,” Jones explains. “When the theme showed up, everything started clicking.”
A Game That Refused to Settle
Refining Ibyron meant embracing tough decisions. At one point, the game leaned in the direction of a full 4X strategy title, but Jones recognized that its true strength lay in the joy of building.
He stripped away elements that caused bloat and refined the experience to emphasize player decisions and slow, satisfying growth. The exploration component remained—now optional and player-driven—but the heartbeat was clear: develop, transform, and thrive.
- Focus on meaningful choices over actions-per-turn counts.
- Explore at your own pace or build inward—your strategy, your city.
- Game growth mirrors island growth—incremental, adaptive, evolving.
Under the Hood: How the Game Plays
At its foundation, Ibyron is a grid-based city-building game drawing inspiration from classics like Suburbia and LUNA Capital. But it also carves out space for unique ideas:
- Asymmetrical factions with distinct abilities and tech trees.
- Exploration mechanics that reveal a modular, ever-shifting island map.
- Engine-building systems that reward strategic upgrades and chaining resources.
Every piece of the system is tied into a thematic whole, making each decision feel both strategic and narratively rich.
What’s Next for Ibyron?
With the design finalized, Jones is aiming for a Kickstarter launch in 2025. Early details suggest lush artwork and naturalistic themes, reflecting the game’s island inspiration and ancient cultural motifs.
For those hoping for the original cooperative vision, there’s good news. A solo and co-op mode is also in development and may be included in the campaign.
More Than a Game: A Personal Journey
One of the most impactful elements of Jones’ account is his willingness to share the emotional landscape behind the game. He opens up about creative fatigue, scrapped designs, and the personal growth he experienced while shaping Ibyron.
“Building this game has sometimes felt like building a real city,” he reflects. “Nothing is ever truly finished, but every new layer adds movement forward.”
This isn’t just a game born out of passion—it’s a reflection of its creator’s resilience and willingness to adapt.
A Game Worth Watching
Will Ibyron: Island of Discovery make a splash when it lands on crowdfunding platforms? That remains to be seen. But with its thoughtful mechanics, compelling theme, and years of love behind it, it’s definitely a title that city-building and adventure game fans should have on their radar.
For a deeper look at the development journey, be sure to check out the full Designer Diary on BoardGameGeek News.
Join the Conversation
What do you think—are asymmetrical city-building games the next big thing? Does the sleeping-civilization theme inspire new ideas or feel familiar? Sound off in the comments and share your thoughts!