Jake Grant has always loved board games. For his family of five, board games are an integral part of quality time, so he decided to make his own called Tribe: Total Eclipse.
In an age of phones, consoles, TVs, and more, Grant said meaningful moments have to be made.
“I decided to translate my love for games like Chess, Settlers of Catan, Risk, Texas Hold’em, and dozens of other card games into something not only for my family and friends to enjoy as I did as a child but also for my community,” he said.
Grant said it’s been difficult and time-consuming, but his goal was to create something as iconic and engaging as the games he grew up with. He described Tribe: Total Eclipse as easy to learn for strategy game beginners yet thought-provoking and exciting for strategy experts.
The game is a limited first edition. Though a solar eclipse is headed this way in early April, he said the game is named for its gameplay mechanic, which may catch unsuspecting opponents unaware.
“I’ve been dreaming about making this a reality since 2019,” he said. “After many prototypes, rule rewrites, and playtests, the gameplay and beautiful artwork will now speak for themselves.”
He added that his faith is a strong element of his identity, something he tried to preserve in the game.
“The game is themed after the ancient tribes of Israel, with spicey modifier cards, the pursuit of ‘inheritance,’ and each aspect of the art full of meaning,” he said. “I also decided to model the playing cards after some of the oldest forms of the modern poker deck, which draws from the military-styled games of strategy and chance found in ancient China and Egypt.”
He aspires to have the game into as many hands as possible and give families more quality time with their friends and loved ones.
“I have released a Kickstarter page to garner interest,” Grant said. “Those interested in backing my project early will have until April 20, 2024, to reserve their copy.”
Grant is asking game enthusiasts in the Owensboro community to help get the word out so Tribe can pass the Kickstarter funding threshold and ship as early as June 2024.
