A new board game, themed around life in Muskoka, is now available.
Trent Hansen, his wife, Brenna-Lynn, and friends Darrin and Alicia Henein, created Muskoka: The Board Game that shares a similar concept to the popular Ticket to Ride board game.
“There is a map of Muskoka, and you have to travel around by various forms to different locations,” Hansen said. “There are some really fun advantage cards that incorporate a lot of Muskoka-themed activities and concepts.”
The game includes Muskoka “icon elements” such as water skiing and campfires.
“It’s a fun, lightweight, and a little bit of a strategy board game,” Hansen explained. “It’s geared toward a cross-section of ages.”
Hansen, 38, says the game is intended to be played at the cottage or for those who currently or previously resided in Muskoka.
“We’d love to see families, kids, adults, and seniors, get together around the table,” he said. “It’s a fun activity.”
The game requires a minimum of two players and can be played with a maximum of six.
Hansen, a New Zealand native, has worked two summers at Muskoka Woods, a summer camp off Highway 141.
“I loved the camp and being in the area of Muskoka,” he said. “It’s beautiful up there.”
Hansen moved to Canada permanently in 2009; he currently lives in Guelph, and while his friends Darrin and Alicia live in Aurora, they grew up in Muskoka.
The idea for the board game came to Hansen during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was stuck at home looking for something to do.
“I was drinking a Muskoka beer one night, thinking of ideas, and I thought about a board game,” he said. “I was thinking about activities you do up at the cottage and it all kind of came together.”
Hansen called Darrin, a graphic designer, pitched him the idea, and had him do up the artwork and create the game from scratch.
“He did a beautiful job bringing the game to life,” he said.
The team of four Muskoka lovers ran a kick-start campaign last summer and gained almost 3,000 backers who were willing to fund the project.
The game is now available for purchase here. It costs $59.99.
“Right now, we have limited stock,” Hansen said. “We are seeing how it does through the website.”
If the game is successful, Hansen says they will manufacture more games and potentially make them available to retailers.
Hansen hopes that local people who pick up the game can “conjure up the nostalgic feeling” of being in Muskoka.
“For people who reside there maybe it will give them a sense of ownership and pride about their area being made into a game,” he said.
“For people who visit Muskoka or now reside outside of Muskoka, maybe it will re-create that feeling of reminiscing or as if they are actually in Muskoka even though they aren’t physically there.”
