Lead Game Design Interview! | Chat with Kevin from Smithy By Day

Forging the Future: Inside Smithy by Day with Kevin Fornari

Interview by Christen

If you’ve been lurking on BlueSky, you might’ve stumbled across Smithy by Day, an indie game blending cozy management sim vibes with real gameplay grit. We sat down with Kevin Fornari, lead designer and community manager, to talk about how the project came to be, why tarot cards might be your new favorite game mechanic, and the balancing act of staying ambitious without losing your mind (or your timeline).

“We all had fine jobs. But we wanted more.”

Like many indie studios, the Smithy by Day team is a passionate bunch that came together through a shared urge to build something of their own. “All of us had stable careers, but we hit a point where we said, ‘I want to create something,’” Fornari recalls.

The team includes four members: Fornari, programmer Jodapon (who’s working full-time on the game), artist Nia (who runs her own art shop), and a project management consultant. “Jodapon does 99% of the programming. He even taught me some basics,” Fornari laughs. “Nia has this great style from her sticker work—it really shines through in our concept art.”

From Vampire Survivors to... Blacksmithing Sims?

Originally, the team brainstormed a hybrid between Vampire Survivors and Slay the Spire. “But we weren’t passionate about it,” Kevin admits. “It was more of a shower-thought prototype.” Instead, they pivoted to an idea that had a much stronger pull: blacksmithing, with Dave the Diver-style management and turn-based gameplay elements.

The result? A game that appeals to what Kevin fondly calls “medium beans" or more familiarly put: cozy game fans who like a bit of challenge but don’t want the punishing edge of roguelikes or permadeath. “Think Stardew Valley, but for people who actually go into the caves,” he says.

Tarot Cards and Turn-Based Tinkering

One standout mechanic? Tarot cards. Originally a quirky idea to help manage game pacing and design scope, the tarot system blossomed into a full-on feature. “We had to get creative,” Kevin explains. “Mini-games for every single smithy station would’ve taken months. Tarot cards let us maintain depth while keeping development realistic.”

Plus, it turns out: “100% of our informal study—seven women on Discord—love tarot cards,” he jokes.

Balancing Ambition with Reality

Managing creative vision versus feature creep is a constant challenge. “You need someone to bounce ideas off,” Kevin says. “But that also means the scope grows fast.” For example, adding armor crafting? “That would’ve cost us months—unless we designed a flexible system, like tarot cards, that scales.”

Testing has also been key. The team runs board game-style simulations using Tabletop Simulator to test mechanics before coding them. “It helps strip everything down to the core logic,” Kevin shares. “If it works on paper, it’ll probably work digitally.”

Designing for Community

Unlike massive studios where community management is mostly PR, Kevin takes a hands-on approach. “We want to show people they’re actually being heard,” he stresses. “Our Discord is active, and we’re responsive. Like, if someone gets accidentally banned for saying ‘crypto’ in a joke, we’ll fix it in five minutes.”

That philosophy extends to development itself. “The game will change based on feedback. We’re committed to a 1.0 release no matter what—but post-1.0? Who knows. Could be DLC. Could be something new. But we’re listening.”

Advice to Dreamers: Dip Your Toes In

Kevin closes the conversation with a word of advice for aspiring devs: you don’t need to drop everything to pursue a passion. “I work 10–12 hours a week on this. It’s okay to start small. You don’t need to jump off a cliff—just wade in a bit. That’s how Smithy by Day started.”

Stay in the Loop

🛠️ SmithybyDay.com
💬 Join the Discord for updates, game recs, and tarot-card-coded chaos
📸 Follow along on BlueSky and Twitter (@smithybyday)