Saturday, March 1, 2014

Trekking the National Parks Board Game




Why is it that people do some of their best thinking in the shower? Several months after completing our 42nd National Park visit, an idea surfaced.  Why not combine the artistic talents of our son Charlie with the passion for the Parks that Terry and I share? Let's create an educational board game that will allow families and friends to "trek around the country" in a fun and competitive manner!

Over the past five years, we've trekked deep into the Grand Canyon and high up into the Rocky Mountains. We've explored the depths of Carlsbad Caverns and marveled at the heights of mighty Sequoias. We've wandered through fields of wildflowers and felt the cool mist of mighty waterfalls. All outdoor experiences that have given us incredible joy and priceless memories.

I knew Charlie appreciated our quest to visit the Parks and he has enjoyed the Parks himself. What I didn't know was how Charlie would take to the idea of working with me developing a Game!  He has been involved in the past designing and developing board games with another colleague. But what about working with dear ol' Dad? When I approached him with the idea...he loved it!

For the past year, we've been working on publishing our Board Game - Trekking the National Parks. We've been play testing it for the past 6 months - tweaking it - getting feedback from friends - perfecting the mechanics of the game. In March, we will be attending GAMA - the Game industry's major Trade show where we hope to find domestic manufacturers who will assist us in producing our game!  We will be posting the game on Kickstarter some time early this summer if you'd like to get a copy of the 1st edition!



If you'd like to learn more about the game, Charlie has created a website for Trekking the National Parks. The web address is: www.trektheparks.com.  Until we meet again....Happy Trails!