Meet Connie Vogelmann, the Washington D.C.-based designer who has achieved what most consider impossible: in just two years, she went from federal grants attorney to full-time game designer, powered by not one, but two massive hits with Stonemaier Games.
It all started with Apiary in 2023—her debut game inspired by her real-life beekeeping hobby. But this wasn't just another nature-themed game. Connie created something extraordinary: a biomimetic design where actual bee behaviors became elegant game mechanics. The hibernation system alone turned traditional worker placement on its head, proving that sometimes the best move is strategic rest, not relentless action.
Then came Wyrmspan in 2024—the follow-up to Elizabeth Hargrave's beloved Wingspan that nobody thought could be improved upon. Yet Connie found a way, introducing spatial cave puzzles and resource tension that made dragons feel genuinely different from birds while preserving everything fans loved about the original.
But here's the remarkable part: in 2024, Connie earned more money from game design than from her federal attorney salary. That's when she made the decision that many would call either incredibly brave or slightly crazy—she left stable government employment to bet her future on game design.