2 local women invent new card game and they’re hoping to sell it nationwide
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IDAHO FALLS – There’s a yak on the track and your train won’t move until it’s gone.
That’s the premise of the new card game, “There’s a yak on the track!” created by Kara Lagerquist and Barbara Keckler of Idaho Falls.
The duo recently launched a Kickstarter campaign about it and Keckler tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s a fun game for all ages.
“The game itself is simple, but it involves a lot of strategy,” Keckler says. “You match characters and colors to each other. You build a train and when somebody decides to play a yak card, they get to steal all the train cars.”
Keckler says there are several cards that can steal the yak or the train cars from the person who played the yak card. It’s designed for two to four players.
Keckler and Lagerquist formed their game business, One2Crew, about three years ago after spending many years developing team-building games for corporate retreats at Potandon Produce in Idaho Falls.
“We started to write games for other corporations as well. A lot of them are puzzle-based, where you split into teams (and work together) to beat the other teams,” Keckler says.
Making these games available to the general public seemed like the next natural step, Keckler says. Spud-O-Rama is the first one she and her business partner produced three years ago. Others include Ogre Sandwich and Crash Master.
“Ogre Sandwich is still in production so that one hasn’t quite hit the market yet, but Crash Master has been pretty popular,” she says. “It’s one of those puzzle hunts where you open up the box and start an adventure.”
Keckler says games are a good way for families to get to know each other because it allows people to highlight their individual strengths. Working together to achieve a common goal can be a unifying experience, she says.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Keckler says she’s seen an increasing trend of families playing games together.
“The board game world is really exploding. There’s a lot of great games out there, but a lot of them are very complex. One of the No. 1 games in the world right now is over 90 pages,” she says.
Keckler says her card game is ideally suited for families because it’s easy to learn and only takes 10-20 minutes to play it.
She’s hoping to spread the word about it and she’s asking you to donate so that it can be mass-produced for customers.
“A pdf version of the instructions is available (on our website) so people can see exactly what it takes to play … and get a feel for it before they back it,” Keckler says.
To donate or learn more, visit the Kickstarter page or website.
