Aromohola

Aromohola has been around since May 2020 and ever since created board and card games. The work is very diverse and offers each team member the opportunity to fully develop his or her creativity and passion.
In the meantime, we have managed to bring our own card game Imunio to the market, and are already working on new games! We are also working on Aroshops – our new project. If you are reading this article, it is very likely that you already know our shop, Aroshops.
We built this shop with the intention that we built a platform which allows small publishers to sell their games to a wider audience, because as small publishers we all share the same problem – visibility.
There are so many people who want to buy games from small publishers, but nobody knows that they exist. That’s exactly what Aroshops is made for. With our team spirit and such a great community, we are convinced that we will increase the visibility of this store, so that in the future more games from small publishers will be found by the public.
We are also happy to answer a few questions that we have sent to our publishing partners, and those that we get often asked 😊

Where does your company name come from?

Aroshops is only the name of the store. The name of the company is actually Aromohola. We are sure that this sounds strange to some, but it also has its advantages, because you can then secure the domain without problems 😉
Anyway, the name Aromohola came from the books of Harry Potter – because Markus is a big Harry Potter fan. In the story of Harry Potter there is a spell called Alohomora, which allows you to open locked doors. If you have been paying attention, you will notice that our company name is this spell, only spoken backwards.
Thus, we want to be perceived as a door opener for a world full of games that most people don’t know yet.

What should your company logo resemble?

Besides our cute Aro which we use as a mascot for our store, we also have our own company logo, which shows a 2 and a 7, together with some symbols that you typically know from regular card games.
Everyone who knows the game of poker knows that a hand of those two cards (2 and 7) is the worst hand in the whole game – so the chances of winning the game are very slim (though not impossible!). When the company was founded, it was clear that this is not an easy process. The competition is big and profits are small. But sometimes in life you have to take the hard way, to make your passion your profession. For this reason, we have decided match the logo with this slogan:
“A bad hand!? We don’t care, we go on, no matter how hard it seems!”.

What is your mission?

To develop and distribute impressive games from small publishers.
This means both our own games and those of other small publishers who cooperate with us.

Where are you located?

Our office is in Munich – Germany. Feel free to get in touch if you want a little tour through our office 😊

Why have you decided to create your own game?

I always wanted to create a game. There is nothing I enjoy more than crafting a game engine which entertains people, no matter how often they play it. I believe that anyone who accomplishes this successfully can call themselves a true artist. Also, I used to work as a consultant myself. In the industry you face many stereotypes which I wanted to address in our new game (in a strategic but funny way). We ended up that players will take on a role as consultants (either as a Handworker, Lobbyist, Bullshitter, or Smart-consultant) and need to find a way to outsmart their colleges and clients. That way, everybody gets to explore their strategic skillet while having a laugh every now and then.

What interest you the most about developing games/ and what not?

What I enjoy the most is the versatility when I am working. Each time you create a game, you have to come up with a new game mechanism, and just as important, a great story! Both, the mechanism and the storyline allow you to be as creative as you can possibly be. What I like less about the game development is that it can become quite frustrating if you have worked on a game for several years and even today, people have recommendations of improving the game. After such a long time, it is easy to convince yourself that this feedback is very subjective and most people would prefer the game how it is now. Most often, though, this is not the truth speaking but the tiredness of correcting the game over and over again for years.

Tell us about the funniest failure or situation that you encountered as a developer.

It did not happen to me, but a fellow game developer was really desperate during corona to get his games shipped as fast as possible from China to Europe. His solution was to purchase containers with a cooling function. That way, people thought the container contains products that need to be shipped asap otherwise the inside of the container will depreciate^^ I actually do not know if the games were sent faster than games that were not shipped in cooling containers. I will have to ask him that.

If you had to play only three games for the rest of your life, which games would these be?

Chess, Though the Ages, and Catan (only with expansions). These games, except Though the Ages, have followed me through my childhood. There are not just great memories attached to those games, but the games are still fun, when I play them today. With regard to Though the Ages, I think the games is perfect. I could not think of a better way to match historic events with a great strategic worker-placement-play.

What makes your game/games unique?

We work on several games. I would argue that what distinguishes our games from others is the fact that we put a lot of effort into our story line and try to raise awareness about things that our society should be made more aware of (without making the game less fun to play – we do not want to lecture our players!).

What was the best moment you had as a game developer?

There were several moments that were amazing. I believe the best time was, when we got a first customer who was neither a friend or family member. The person knew she was the first customer and gave an amazing review too. The feeling when a stranger truly appreciates your game is something that can not be replaced.

You want to sell your games in Germany. Why do you think Germans will like your game in particular?

As a former consultant, I have never faced so many stereotypes about consultants as in any other country about consultants. Naturally, people strive for a game that confirms their thoughts. I am sure they will have plenty of fun, tricking their clients and colleagues into contracts that they actually do not wish to sign 😉

Games sold: Imunio