Kickstarter campaign for "The Game of PEDIGREE" launches Nov. 1

The Christmas season is fast approaching, and soon, Black Friday deals, toy catalogs and coupons will fill your mailbox and email account. While many shoppers will line up at the nearest Best Buy to purchase the latest gadget, iPad or smartphone, there's a counter-cultural shift that is getting people excited about disconnecting from the Internet and finding entertainment in a more traditional way - sitting around the table and playing a board game with friends and family.
According to ADWEEK, "In the last year, board game sales in the U.S. grew by 28%, and global sales increased to $9.6 billion in 2016 from $9.3 billion in 2013."
What's more, it's not just traditional board games like Scrabble, Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit that are making a resurgence. Thanks to self-publishing services and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, independent board game creators can now introduce their concepts to audiences who are eager for games that appeal to their specific interests and hobbies.
"Some of my favorite memories from my childhood were spending time outside with the animals and playing board games with my family," said Duane Wulf, who grew up on a cattle ranch near Morris, Minn. "I wanted to create something that brings people together for some wholesome fun without being plugged in."
That's what drove Wulf to create "The Game of PEDIGREE," which will be available for sale via a Kickstarter campaign launching on Nov. 1.
Pulling from his experiences of growing up on a ranch, receiving three degrees (bachelor's, master's and doctorate) in animal science, working as a professor at South Dakota State University for 14 years and raising Red LimFlex cattle on his ranch in Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico, Wulf created The Game of PEDIGREE with animal lovers in mind.
"My reason for designing The Game of PEDIGREE is to provide a great family fun board gaming experience for those who are passionate about animal breeding, and to bring the joy of animal breeding to those who enjoy family board games," said Wulf. "I have been quite intrigued how the mechanisms of genetic selection mesh so well with board game mechanics."
The launch of this board game has been 25 years in the making. Wulf first had the idea of creating a game surrounding genetic selection of breeding animals when he was in graduate school. Fast forward to 2013, he finally sat down to write the first set of rules for his idea, making a rough prototype with paper and scissors.
Through trial and error, and countless rounds of The Game of PEDIGREE with friends, family and even a professional play testing company, Wulf has revised and perfected the fun and fast-paced game, which challenges players to compete in real-life cattle ranching practices such as animal health, nutrition, breeding selection, calving, showing and marketing.
The board game will be available for sale on Kickstarter for $49 on Nov. 1 through Nov. 30 with an expected delivery date of summer 2019. The first 100 backers will get to name one of the animals in the game. A pledge of $950 will buy the rights to customize the game using a specific breed of cattle, another species of livestock or even an individual ranching outfit.
Wulf needs to raise a minimum of $14,700 to get the project off the ground, and if he's successful, a portion of all proceeds will benefit his non-profit organization, The Fatted Calf, which provides jobs and career training in Wulf's three businesses - a cattle ranch, butcher shop and hamburger restaurant - to the fatherless and underprivileged in Mexico.
Learn about The Fatted Calf by visiting www.thefatcalf.com . Discover The Game of PEDIGREE by visiting www.thegameofpedigree.com . To be a backer of the game on Nov. 1, visit: https://kck.st/2Rr2Ehi .