Politics can be a confusing subject for many, and with the US Elections underway and the upcoming referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, it’s a wonder why people are baffled by the spin that is pumped out by the media outlets. I’m sure there have been many conversations down the pub where a group of mates are discussing politics over a nice cold pint of Cider. Of course, one of them will utter the words:
If I was in charge…
Well, now they can be in charge of their own policies. Inside The Box Board Games are launching a new game on KickStarter called Statecraft – a Political Strategy Game. It is a game for 2-6 players and it is described as a game where you can build your own political party and develop a manifesto of winning ideas to gain as many supporters as possible. As a player, you will to need to use everything you’ve have got – sabotage, slander and subterfuge – to survive the political chaos and dominate your opponents.
“President Trump has just renovated the White House to include a casino”
“In other news, millions of ex-pats from Spain have hit the United Kingdom shores after Britain leaves the European Union”
“Since we no longer want to be in Europe, France have bricked up their end of the Channel Tunnel”.
“Hillary to star in Season 4 of ‘Orange is the new Black”
Just like real-world politics, you’ll probably end up with u-turns, contradictory policies and scandals abound. How will you fare when assassination hits, or an international emergency throws your well honed plans into disarray?
At the UK Games Expo, their booth was insanely busy with the demo tables always full.
Here is their press release:
Fed up with the EU referendum? Inside the Box Board Games has launched Statecraft, a new political card game, where you can run your own political world
The game combines political theory and carefully engineered mathematics to represent real politics, creating the same incentives which drive the choices that face real politicians. For example, the supporters on the table will determine whether a player should choose to remain a member of a certain political union…
As social media teems with posts from ardent Brexiteers and Bremainers “the appearance of Statecraft is particularly timely” notes Riad Al Khouri, Former UN Political Consultant.
Live on crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter, Inside the Box Boardgames aims to raise £8500 to fund the first print run of Statecraft. To many, board games might seem to be a dying industry. However, in 2015 alone over half a million people backed tabletop games on Kickstarter and they raised $88 million – almost twice as much as video games in the same period.
The market is clearly booming, but it’s not all plain sailing, with only 33% of games projects reaching their funding goals. Peter Blenkharn, Managing Partner of Inside the Box Board Games, knows this feeling only too well; despite raising over £6,500 for Statecraft earlier this year, they didn’t quite reach their fundraising goal. Due to the all-or-nothing Kickstarter model, they’ve had to go back to the drawing board to make the project better and more viable.
“All of the original backers were really involved in reforming the project for the second time round and their ideas were instrumental in the relaunch of the project” said Peter “you’re not making things for customers, you’re making them with customers – in fact they’re not even customers at all, they are a whole community of fellow enthusiasts, brought together by Kickstarter.”
The collaborative vibe of crowdfunding, along with a revamped campaign, means Inside the Box Board Games are optimistic for the future of Statecraft; it is now up to individual backers to make it into a reality.
- Two school friends, both recently graduated from Oxford, are looking to raise £8500 by 14th July to make their political board game a reality.
- Bucking the board gaming trend of orcs and wizards, players take on the role of politicians, fighting to win the support of demographic groups.
- The game is now live on the crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter, which has given a new lease of life to the board game industry.
OXFORD,UK – June 14, 2016 – In 2015, Peter Blenkharn and Matthew Usher turned their board game hobby into a business, when they launched their first game, Molecular. This June, they are launching their newest title, Statecraft. Players take on the persona of a political leader, making manifesto promises in order to win supporters as well as employing some more underhand tactics to survive in the cut-throat world of politics.
About Inside the Box Board Games (ITB)
Inside the Box Board Games LLP is an independent tabletop publishing and design partnership, based in Oxford, UK. ITB was founded by two Oxford University alumni in May 2015 and successfully funded its first title, Molecular, through the Kickstarter platform in July 2015. ITB is now developing half a dozen new titles with an international team of creatives and has received critical acclaim from educators and hobbyists alike. To find out more visit: itbboardgames.com.