Our Story
We Floyd brothers (Erik, Ryan, and Lucas) have always made up games.
Whether it was mixing poker and Monopoly (we called it Smalltown Swindlers, and it was truly a good time), or a version of pool that incorporated a pingpong ball, entertaining ourselves with our own creations is in the DNA of our brotherhood.
So it’s about time we took a game from goofy brotherly fun to something we think a lot of folks will enjoy!
Cutthroat Cannons was born when Erik and Lucas gave Ryan a vintage re-release of Battleship for his birthday. As we played, we thought “Wouldn’t it be a lot more fun if you could move your ships?” Four years later, along with countless tweaks, and several prototypes, our game has emerged as a totally unique experience. Our play-testers love the tension between offensive and defensive moves, the piratey theme, and the fact that it’s a strategic, weightier 2-player tabletop game.
We can’t wait to share this game with you. Join our waitlist and follow along on social as we enter the next phase of our journey—bringing Cutthroat Cannons to market!
See how our game developed…
April 2020. The very beginning. Our game was born out of asking ‘what if you could move your ships?’ while playing Battleship. Over the next two years, we’d tinker with it, testing different mechanics and adding components.
July 2022. Once we settled on a pirate theme and added a deck of cards, our game took on a whole new dimension. We began to ask ourselves if this game was becoming bigger than just a fun brotherly collaboration.
July 2022. Our game was morphing into something totally unique, and we knew it was time to develop our own prototype, breaking away from Battleship.
September 2022. Our first crude prototype. Note the hexagonal spaces, and ships made from pieces of cardboard and cork!
December 2022. The next iteration of our prototype featured a colored grid, handmade wooden ships, and printed cards.
December 2022. Ryan playing with his son.
January 2023. We had a workable prototype and solid set of rules for the game and began to play-test it with more people. This is Lucas’ friend Dan.
April 2023. The next iteration of our prototype takes shape, hand-crafted by Erik.
April 2023. In this version, we added holes for the ships to lock into the grid, metal coins, and quill pens.
December 2023. Continuing to play-test with friends, gaining valuable feedback and making tweaks to the game. Lucas’ friend Evan had some great ideas for the Voodoo Priestess card which we incorporated!
January 2024. The outside of our game box, which we wanted to look like a treasure chest.
January 2024. Various game components. Over the next several months, Erik created custom artwork to replace the temporary art shown here.
July 2024. Our current working prototype! A turn overview on the underside of each game chest helps players learn and follow the rules.