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Hey there, I'm Marina! I'm a SoCal-based game designer and voice actor with a love for the world of gaming! I have been a lead developer for multiple projects with 6 of them now published games and 3 of my own that are currently being developed. The games I have worked on have made it into retailers such as Target, Barnes and Noble, and more!Feel free to check out more in-depth of what I've done in the gaming community, or reach out via email or Twitter to contact me. Thanks for stopping by!

• Design With Me!

Sonic Roll

Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy as you battle your way to Eggman! Collect rings, obtain power-ups, and smash Badniks in your path!

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Tome

A trick-taking inspired card game with a magical twist. Play with friends on teams or battle it out in a free for all!

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One Piece: Luffy's Bento Panic

Play as the Straw Hats as you fight for your favorite foods in this chaotic 3-9 player game! Can you pack your bento box with your favorite foods before your greedy crewmates, or Luffy’s hunger, steal it all away?

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Sonic Speed Battle

Race against other players, blast opponents that stand in your way, and search for the lost Master Emerald Shards. Gather your friends and rivals to compete in the ultimate challenge!

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SONIC ROLL

A true love letter to the classic Sonic franchise. Officially licensed by Sega, this was my first big box game I had the honor of helping create!

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LUFFY'S BENTO PANIC

Who doesn't love a little chaos in their party games? Luffy's Bento Panic is all about gearing up for a grub-grabbin' free-for-all! Helping design each Straw Hat ability was definitely some of the most fun I've ever had working on a game!

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SPY X FAMILY: MISSION FOR PEANUTS

Gather your team, world peace is at stake! Right from the start, we knew we wanted a simple and light card game, but with a set of only 8 different cards, getting them to synergize well with each other was my main focus on getting it perfect.

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SONIC SPEED BATTLE

The second Sonic game in my lineup. Based on Modern Sonic, this game is actually 3 games in 1 box! Helping design 24 different character abilities that worked together was definitely no easy task!

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TOME: THE LIGHT EDITION

My introduction to the genre of trick-taking games, this was the first game I got to be a developer for! Alongside The Light Edition, there have been 3 expansions published that I helped develop!

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MURDER WE WROTE

A prompt response game with a morbid twist! This was the first project I was lead writer for! I also lead the writing for each expansion including the Target Exclusive Edition.

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Design With Sy

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• Backstage

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Sonic Roll was my introduction the design world of big box board games. It started out as a simple proof of concept: match dice rolls to numbers on the track as quick as possible. A good direction, but there was a lot of work to do. From there, I researched and discussed games that could help push along the creative process. I pitched the idea of looking to more simple push-your-luck games like Sharp Shooters to base the core off of, and the idea stuck. We couldn't let the game be too chaotic, but it also needed to feel like players were playing a typical fast-paced Sonic game.With a deadline inching closer, it was important for me to get the balance of every character just right. Not only did I create and test numerous changes to the character's abilities, but also all Badniks and power-ups. I ran countless playtests both internally and externally to ensure we had as much data as possible to help shape the game.When my testing and mechanical balancing was closer to finished, I began writing the rulebook, making sure it was technically as clear as possible before sending it over to the lead designer. Once that was done, I took it back to finalize everything, communicating with both the other game designer and the graphic designers to ensure it not only was comprehensive to outside players, but also that it looked amazing. With every game I'm apart of, I work extremely closely with every step of the process to help shape the vision the team has for the project.

GAMEPLAY

Sonic Roll is a semi-collaborative multiplayer game for 1-4 players in the style of 16-bit classic Sonic. Each player chooses Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy to play as they make their way through four classic Sonic Zones. You can challenge a single Zone or adventure through all of them in campaign mode.As you traverse these iconic Zones, you can save the woodland creatures the evil Dr. Eggman has captured, using character-unique abilities to roll dice and take out obstacles in your path. Place dice to run through Zones, collect rings, power-ups, and Chaos Emeralds, and defeat the Badniks that stand in your way. A Zone isn't complete until the players face off against one of the bosses from across the Sonic franchise, where they must try to score enough hits to defeat Dr. Eggman and his army before time runs out!

• Read the Rulebook!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

My second party game I've worked on but with a lot more complexity than the first! There were a lot of guidelines given with this project including a large player count, chaotic but simple enough for new players, and of course evoke the feeling of a true One Piece game. There was also the limitation of not having cards included in the game, so creativity was a major factor in getting this game to work.The idea started off as a simultaneous action game by placing multiple plates in the middle of the players, and the decision was to pick a plate of food to point at in hopes of snatching all of its contents. The biggest issue with that was running into the problem of resolving ties between players and who got the first pick of food. I began with solutions for the collecting food mechanic, suggested grabbing food from a bag in the center instead while still keeping the vision of the designer's dexterity gameplay. Players could now point to the bag to grab more food, or try and steal from their neighbors! With so much more room for quick chaotic rounds with some bluffing gameplay, I was ready to add some extra spice to this chaotic dish!With the core gameplay down, I was tasked with helping create, balance, and test special abilities. I wanted players to feel like they were playing as one of the iconic Straw Hats. Making a few flavorful abilities for a couple characters is one thing, but I had to keep in mind the balancing between 9 separate characters. It was incredibly rewarding and fun getting to watch testers play for the first time and happily tell me that it truly felt as if they were playing as their favorite Straw Hat. Seeing everyone excited for a licensed game that had a lot of hard work, love, and thought put into it was truly the best feeling as a designer.

GAMEPLAY

The Straw Hats gear up for their greatest battle yet: lunch! Luffy's Bento Panic features an all-out battle between your favorite pirates for a piece of Sanji's delicious cooking. Play as the Straw Hats as you fight for your favorite foods in this chaotic 3-9 player game.To play, sit in circle formation and point to grab food, mischievously steal from fellow pirates, or eat food you've collected for points. Eat the most food to win, but watch out! Any pirate bold enough to leave extra meat on their plate may just be left empty handed when Luffy shows up. His appetite is endless, and he won't stop until he's eaten any unclaimed food on the table!

• Read the Rulebook!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Throughout my game design journey, this fast-paced card game quickly stole a special place in my heart. I have been a fan of Spy X Family since its release, and when I was asked to be brought on to help guide this project, it was such an honor not only working with an amazing license, but also with an amazing team. I originally had just been a playtester for the first build of this game, but seeing how passionate and inspired I was with just the rough proof of concept to work with, I was immediately brought on to help the lead designer build the game even further.What really intrigued me about this game was how tight both the mechanics and the card effects needed to be. With only 8 different cards included in the game, each character and their effect needed to work with each other, both mechanically and flavor-wise. It definitely helped knowing the ins and outs of the show itself and how each character's personality would shine through their effects. I remember going through each card and feeling like things were off for Anya and Yor's cards. With some tweaks to both their effects, they were changed so that Anya could not be eliminated by Yor while Yor herself could not be traded for any other card. This felt much more balanced and also tied into how they appear in the anime. Attention to details like these is a design aspect that is very important to me. However the characters are presented, I make sure they translate clearly from on screen to on the table!Out of every step of the game design process, running playtests is one of my absolute favorite things. Being able to work closely with others who may perceive and challenge the game in ways even I as the designer never saw is fascinating and incredibly helpful when trying to collect data. While balancing card effects, I also ran playtests with each change, collecting data on how people responded to each new version of the game. After several months of testing, I couldn't be happier with the result of how the game turned out.

GAMEPLAY

SPY x FAMILY: Mission for Peanuts is a game of deduction and deception for 3-5 players. Assume different roles to try to outmaneuver one another, building the best 2 card team for the mission. If a player can bring the Forger family together, they win the round instantly!A player begins their turn by drawing a card, then taking only one of the following actions:
• Discard a card for its ASSIST action: discard a card from their hand face up in front of them, then takes the ASSIST action.
• DEPLOY a new Role:
The player discards their current Role face up in front of
them, then replaces it with a card from their hand and takes the DEPLOY action.Be careful though, if a player is caught holding the Spy then they are out! Rounds are lightning fast, and with a deck of only 24 cards, each decision matters.

• Read the Rulebook!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The second Sonic game in my design lineup I've worked on! Or you could say the second, third, and fourth game. Sonic Speed Battle had a different kind of design challenge for me as a developer: create a game that has 1 deck but played 3 completely different ways.Action Race was the first to be developed but ironically became the most difficult, and final, game to be fully finished. At first, players were racing to complete a tableau of specific numbers and must play them in that order to win. It functioned, but mechanically things weren't clicking. I started to help rework it by coming up with some proof of concepts to help shape it. Eventually Action Race was put on pause to focus on the other two games. Sometimes a refreshing break is exactly what is needed when working on any kind of project. Giving this game some space, it finally allowed me and the team to take previous ideas and concepts and sculp them into what Action Race is now.Shooting Battle was the first game that was fully developed. This battle mode was actually in decent shape and didn't stray far from its original gameplay throughout the entire design process. Besides getting the character abilities down, the core mechanics were shaped very quickly and there was a lot of time to focus on how each of the abilities could alter the game.Treasure Hunt was another game mode that had a rough start to it. I had pitched several ideas for what the core could look like, but nothing was sticking. Eventually, I helped reshape Action Race's original skeleton and restructured it to fit a treasure hunt rather than a race. This minor tweak of bringing old ideas back into a project sometimes can help immensely when designing a game. Certain mechanics may not be right for your game and have to be cut, other times they come up at the wrong time but can be visited later and that's exactly what had happened here.On top of designing 3 separate games, with 8 characters per game, there was the gauntlet of coming up with 24 different abilities that fit both the characters and complimented each core gameplay. I had a great time flavorfully helping create each ability, and I couldn't be happier with how this simple card game turned out.

GAMEPLAY

Sonic Speed Battle consists of three separate card games, each being 2-4 players that use the same deck but in completely different ways!Action Race has players revealing cards to compete in a fast-paced race to the finish line.Shooting Battle lets players play cards to challenge their friends and blast their way to be the last player standing.Treasure Hunt is all about searching for the lost Master Emerald Shards before anyone else can by creating a tableu of cards.Gather your friends and rivals to compete in the ultimate challenge!

• Read the Rulebook!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The project that marked my debut into the world of game development! One of the very first aspects I learned about game design was how important the playtesting process was, as I saw first hand how crucial new data could be for a designer. I had noticed while playing that despite the core being solid, some spells needed some serious work. The designer and I began working more and more together, eventually leading me to be part of the team as an official developer!After the base game was done, my Tome work was far from over! With the Kickstarter launch creeping closer, I helped shape the Kickstarter page and lent my voice over experience to create the main page's video. Not only that, there were tons of expansion plans in the works to get done. One of the basic suits for the expansion still hadn't been finished, so I was ready to help create some unique spells.Luckily, not only was The Light Edition and the Gold Codex expansion a huge success, but even more expansions have been funded with even more on the way!

GAMEPLAY

Classic trick taking action, with a magical twist! Tome is a fresh take on the age old-genre. In the normal mode, 4 players are split into 2 teams where teammates sit across from one another. Teams compete for points each chapter (trick) by playing 1 spell (card) to see who can win victory for their team. 3-4 players can also square off against one another in survival mode, to see who is tough enough to be the last mage standing.Each spell can affect the chapter or the other spells, shifting the game in your favor. Beware, the rules of magic are strict and the punishment severe when they are broken. Combine strategy, cunning, and a bit of luck to trick the competition!

• Read the Rulebook!

EXPANSION: THE SOUND CODEX

In addition to the Light Edition that has its own Gold expansion, two more expansions were able to be funded! Tome is an exceptional game in that any expansion and any suit can fit in with all the others!Raising over $15k over two campaigns, Tome has dedicated fans actively looking for new content. It is currently in over 20+ hobby stores across the US and has sold hundreds of copies at each convention.

EXPANSION: THE SILVER CODEX

With the success of both The Light Edition and the Sound Codex, the Silver Codex was created in 2024!Adding 3 new suits that can be swapped into the game, the newest Tome expansion brings players a whole new experience and was incredibly getting to help design.

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

A deathly hilarious prompt response game that I lead the writing on! I really got to express a more creative writing side with this project. I had to keep in mind the target demographic and age range to make sure that both younger and older adults could enjoy the references on each card.While most of the Victim cards are household names or iconic cartoon characters, the Witness and Death cards especially were where I was able to really have some extra fun. I'd brainstorm anything from internet references that have stuck around, to anything witty I could come up with. Whatever made people laugh the most, I kept it in.With the success of the base game, I then was tasked with leading each expansion! I wrote the cards for the Millennial, Horror, Arcade, and Convention expansions! Some were convention exclusives while others have gone on to be exclusives for big retailers such as Target and 5below.

GAMEPLAY

Get ready for mystery, intrigue, and a bit of morbid fun! Murder We Wrote is a true crime podcast themed adult party game for 3 to 8+ players. As the host of the podcast, reveal the name of the victim for that round. Other players will assume the role of someone close to the victim, playing cards and giving an interview on who they think murdered the victim and how.At the end of the round, the host will decide what the true ending is. With hundreds of different potential witnesses, victims, murders, and deaths, there are infinite stories to tell!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

My first game I was the lead on! Taking what I had learned from every project beforehand, I wanted to create a game based off a set of adorable critters who's main goal was to have the perfect day with their friends! I originally had taken inspiration from Old Maid, where players would be trying to find matching sets of outfits to wear on their playdate. The idea eventually evolved into players trying to end the game with their critter's favorite activities on the board. Along the way, players could change the weather to try and get extra bonuses, or pick up snacks worth points!The game started off with people playing Activities, Snacks, or Weather cards to try and create their friend's perfect day. This ultimately left players feeling like there was no meaningful end to the game as the result of the rules made it so the only cards that mattered in a player's hand were the very last ones. This was not what I wanted for my game, but despite the hardships of those first playtests, I had gathered so much data that not only helped me clear a path forward in my design, but it showed me what wasn't working, something that is just as important as figuring out what does. Eventually, the game evolved into playing cards onto a board that could help them collect Snacks for points, change the Weather to get an extra effect, or intentionally end the game by exhausting their hand. This push and pull of wondering when to end the game and when to hold off for an even better day was something I strived very hard to achieve, and in the end did just that.Even though this game had to be put on an indefinite pause, I learned so much about the development process as well as creating a full Kickstarter. I couldn't be happier with this project!

GAMEPLAY

In the sleepy town of Moon Jelly Bay lives an inseparable group of critters who love to spend time with one another. Their one flaw as a group? No one can ever decide what the plans are!That's where you come in!2-6 players compete by playing cards and collecting snacks in an attempt to give their friends the best possible playdate. Once a player runs out of cards, whoever planned the perfect day wins!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

A social deduction game for those who love the romantic fantasy world! I had a big hand in the playtest side of the project, understanding how each role and item worked was imperative to relaying the info back to the lead designer who had lived across the country. Whether a project is being developed in person or online, I have every tool to help make your game the best it can be!

GAMEPLAY

The Romantasy Social Party Game!Two kingdoms are attending the royal masquerade ball. Rumor has it that the human Princess will be proposing marriage to the Fae Prince, but not if the dastardly usurpers have anything to say about it!Social deduction, fantasy intrigue, and fun collide as players assume the roles of this star-crossed court inspired by the popular romantasy book genre. Will the loyalists root out the usurpers or will the night end in tragedy?

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The second game in the Spy X Family line. The mission this time was a simple game for any and all ages. We ended up going with a classic memory game with a small Spy X Family twist. Players would have to avoid Tonitrus Bolts or else their turn would immediately end. The game also came with Season Tokens that allowed players to gather bonus points if they found Forger Family matches with that specific season. I wanted players, mainly parents, to enjoy a classic with their kids that included a few extras twists to their typical memory game nights.

GAMEPLAY

A classic game of memory but with everyone's favorite telepath!Collect matching characters as you try to find the Forgers while
avoiding getting into trouble with Tonitrus Bolts! Reveal one and your turn is immediately over! If you can match the Forgers in a complete outfit and season set you get extra points. The player with the most matches and sets wins!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Methods of Madness was a really creative project I lead that took your typical office job and simulated the real life horrors of corporate email chains. Minus the all-powerful Eldrich god running each department. At first, I had thought of a safer choice of another prompt response game but with a little more meat on it. Players would traverse an office picking up bits of gossip or new office lingo to then use in the Meeting Phase. During this phase, one player acted as the manager while the other players would use the cards collected and give a presentation about a policy they'd like to enforce. When all players were done, the player who was acting as Manager that round would pick the funniest, or most insane, winner. A decent start to a game idea, but it wasn't exactly what I had wanted.With a bit of brainstorming, I decided to go in a different direction with the gameplay. Players would have a department god they were trying to appease by completing email chains without losing too much sanity. These cards would include draining other player's sanity, boosting your department's Fear or Misery, or avoid any bad effects from other players. Whoever could please their god by raising their preferred Work Environment stats the most by the end of the work week would win the pizza party! A very silly interpretation of office life, but one we all can relate to.

GAMEPLAY

Take on the role of your everyday office Joe! Except your boss is an actual Eldritch god and not just a metaphorical one.Take turns adding to the corpo email chain that may help boost your sanity or give you a leg up on your fellow coworkers during the next corporate meeting. If you've managed to accumulate enough points to please the Eldritch god by the end of the game, you win a pizza party for your department (and also win the game)!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

A quick and snappy "crabs in a bucket" type of game featuring the characters from Poppo's Perfect Playdate! Another I was the lead on, but had to put on pause for other projects. I had never designed any "take that!" type of game before, but it was a great intro into new core mechanics that I never worked with. I really tried to push myself by creating a system with a small amount of cards that all worked well alongside each other. While the development time was cut short, this game left so many playtesters hungry for more!

GAMEPLAY

The goal of Lunchboxers is to end the game with the best lunchbox. This is achieved by having your character's favorite foods in your lunchbox as well as any combos and Meal Packs you've collected along the way.A player starts their turn by drawing up to 3 cards. From here, they must:•Choose which of the 3 they put into their box.•Resolve the effect of whichever Dish they put in the box.•Decide which of the last 2 cards to keep and which to discard.Players continue until the deck runs out. Whoever built the best lunchbox with the most points is the winner!

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

This was a project I helped develop early on in my career. It took inspiration theme-wise from tarot decks while mechanically working similarly to Blackjack. Players could win by either drawing their matching card or by flipping cards until they hit 13. Other players could then bet on what they think the outcome of the player's turn will be. There was a lot of fun design work to be found within this simple core. It really showed me a way to draw inspiration from other basic games, allowing a designer to take a simple core and elevate it into a new experience for anyone's game night. Fortunately, there may be some future plans for this project!

GAMEPLAY

A tarot inspired betting game! Players bet on the fate of their fellow players to see if they will succeed in hitting 13 or bust trying. Will you take control over your own destiny to win, or will the cards end up not in your favor?