Hey, I’m Jabari.

Software engineer by day, game-design addict since age 10. I started by tearing apart Risk and Monopoly to build poster-board mashups (sorry, Mom).

Then came a lot of gaming:

• Starting off: TI-99/4A (16K RAM!). Tons of games, plus Extended BASIC with system-controlled sprites — my first “game engine.”
• Strategy of all kinds: Dune 2, Alpha Centauri, Master of Magic, Netstorm (underrated gem), Starcraft, MoO2, Civ IV;
• Board & Card: Chess, Backgammon, Poker, Catan, endless Magic drafts, Hearthstone;
• RPGs: Ultima I-IV, Bard’s Tale I-III, Final Fantasy I-XII, Diablo 2, far too many WoW raids.;
• Shooters: Not many - Doom2, Unreal, Quake 2, UT, Half-Life.

Then the realization that what I really love is building systems that challenge people to think. So now I’m making my own!

Why Angry Turtle Studios?

The name comes from a fearless little turtle who swam around a pond smacking bigger turtles with its flipper.
Ridiculous, Confident, Strategic - a perfect mascot.

I try to make games with the same energy.

Design Philosophy

“A game is a series of interesting decisions.” – Sid Meier

Dave Sirlin’s Balancing Multiplayer Games is also foundational.

My goals are simple:

• Reward the 100th game, not just the first
• No pay-to-win, ever
• Perfect information, imperfect information, and controlled randomness all have a seat at the table

What I’m Building Next

• Fantasy RPG Deckbuilder — Mix class talent trees freely, build your own hybrid
• Games for Kids — Educational systems that grow with the player
• More PBEMGS Titles — Asynchronous strategy via email — Catan-with-armies, subatomic skirmishes, and more

Tools of the Trade

• Graphic Design: GIMP, MS Paint (yes really), generative art;
• Prototypes: Posterboard, checkers/dice/pawns as units;
• Code: A mostly Java software stack
• Design: An unreasonable amount of Excel - the real game engine.

The Original Angry Turtle