This province has inspired all sorts of wacky business ventures over the years, but a new board game about making jam must be a first.
Newfoundland Jam was created by board game developer Jason Wiseman, who goes by and is perhaps better known by his industry moniker Jason Anarchy.
Wiseman achieved indie stardom in 2011 when his first board game, Drinking Quest: The Original Drinking RPG, became so popular it spawned a series of games.
Within a year, he quit his day job to make board games full time.
“Making funny games has basically been an obsession since then and Newfoundland Jam is my attempt to go in a more personal direction and make something really different than I’ve done before,” he says.
Newfoundland Jam can be purchased by backing Wiseman’s Kickstarter campaign.
His $6,000 goal is well surpassed — it’s currently at $10,174 with 247 backers — which means “stretch goals” are unlocked for the game.
Essentially, that means the game can be upgraded because of the extra funds, so Wiseman was able to add extra cards as well as a linen finish to the box.
He said his success in creating board games is partly because we’re going through a “golden age” of tabletop games and he theorizes people are tired of sitting in front of a screen.
“We’re seeing all kinds of games based on fantasy adventures, farming simulations, offensive party games and everything in between. Inspiration can come from literally anywhere and in this case, it was just a story I was told when I was a kid. I’ve been specializing in comedy games, and Newfoundland Jam is no different.”
The humorous game about “making some friggin’ jam in Newfoundland” was inspired by Wiseman’s Newfoundland roots.
He was raised in southern Ontario, but his mother is from Springdale.
She would often tell him stories about “back home,” regaling him with tales about mummering, eating Jigg’s dinner and making jam.
“Years later I would tell her about this game idea I made and she doesn’t remember telling me the original story or making any actual jam, but she knew people who did. Regardless of whose memory is foggy, it still inspired a great game that is really different from anything I’ve done before,” he says.
Wiseman has been to the province only twice, so he relied heavily on stories from other people, such as his mother and his friend Lonny, who lives in Newfoundland and gave the game his seal of approval.
“He is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He’s my old college roommate (who) would tell me epic Newfoundland stories. … The game has some colourful jam, but also some colourful language, including the term ‘juice arse,’ which I think is possibly the funniest combination of words I’ve ever heard. I have to thank Lonny for bringing that into my life.”
Conception Bay South-born artist Kelly Bastow did the artwork for the game.
Bastow has been living in Toronto for the past five years, which is where she met Wiseman.
“He had some impressive games under his belt,” she said. “When he pitched the game idea to me I absolutely loved it, because it was cute, simple and had tons of Newfie flavour.”
Bastow said much of the artwork is inspired by “what you’d see at nan’s house” and, in terms of the game’s appearance, she knew it had to be “bold and colourful.”
The gameplay is designed for two to four players and is appropriate for age 14 and up. Players have to gather ingredients to complete jam recipes while a “mainlander raccoon” tries to steal their jam.
There are also three types of each jam recipe — “generic” (easy), “big jib” (medium), and “best kind” (hard).
The game is also available in a deluxe version, otherwise known as the “Lord tunderin’ Jesus” edition.
“Theme-wise, it’s a little off-kilter with it being an outsider’s kind of fantasy vision of Newfoundland,” Wiseman says. “It doesn’t have the accuracy of a textbook, but it might show some players that Newfoundland is a fun place and hopefully they’ll put it on their travel radar.”
Wiseman said both times he has travelled to Newfoundland he “had a really fun time” and especially noticed that the people “had a great sense of humour.”
He said he is thinking about coming back again, perhaps to promote the game at the comic convention Sci-Fi on the Rock.
People who back the game on Kickstarter are first to get a copy and at a lower price, at $24. To purchase the game, search “Newfoundland Jam” on the Kickstarter website.
Twitter: @juanitamercer_
