Yes, blockbuster video game releases get all the buzz and rake in a lot of money, but the tried-and-true board game still has a following. And it's even made a mini resurgence in the past decade.
Some of the best-selling modern board games, including
Ticket to Ride and
Dominion, feature compelling back-stories, are fast-paced and require strategic thinking.
Just in time for summer, a Cincinnati board game developer with a track record of success is working to get his latest game, Family Vacation, on retail shelves.
Philip duBarry, with the backing of Jolly Roger Games, has launched a
Kickstarter campaign to fund the game's production.
Children and adults alike can play Family Vacation, a game where each player takes their family to various cities and attractions across the United States and racks up or loses happiness points through travel experiences (including chances for bonus points). The player with the most points at the end of the vacation earns the title of "Vacation Master." You can see a video will a complete explanation of the game
here.
"Family Vacation is a lighter, more casual sort of game," duBarry says. "It takes about an hour to play." DuBarry previously designed
Revolution! by Steve Jackson Games,
Kingdom of Solomon by Minion Games and
Courtier by AEG.
So far, the Kickstarter campaign has raised about one-fourth of its $12,000 goal.
When he's not creating games, duBarry is a children's pastor at Addyston Baptist Church. He has a B. A. in elementary education from Middle Tennessee State University, and has lived in the Cincinnati area for the past 13 years.
He began designing games as a hobby in 2007, when he created Revolution! and sold a few dozen on the Internet.
"Then Phil Reed of Steve Jackson Games bought one and asked if I'd thought of publishing the game," he says. It was the end of a hobby and the start of a side job.
"I've thought about starting my own company, but really my favorite part of this is designing and making games, so that is what I'm sticking to," duBarry says.
By Feoshia H. Davis
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