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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — There's a new board game in development that makes competitive entertainment out of an unlikely subject: Boston traffic.
"Boston: Gridlock" is the brainchild of Justin Richer, who is raising money for the self-published board game on Kickstarter. With 66 backers, the game has almost reached its $5,000 goal already.
It works like this: Two to four players start off at a random point on the board, and have to visit five random Boston destinations—like Boston Common, Copley Square, or Faneuil Hall—before their opponents do. Players place hex tiles on the open squares of the board to build their road network—but "since the city's always under construction," the tiles can be rotated to change direction.
You build intersections, and then you deal with it when they fall to construction, closures, and impassable traffic. You win when you finally get where you're going.
Navigating the city's traffic woes may be baffling and frustrating in real life, but Richer said that as a board game, it's fun.
"This lets you live in that kind of chaos in a safe world," he said. "You're not actually sitting in a car getting yelled at by people."
There's even a special "Masshole Edition" of the game, available only through Kickstarter, that includes a buzzer with authentic "Boston traffic sounds" like honking, construction, insults, and more.
"If somebody's taking a little bit too long on your turn and you have this special edition, you can just whack that and it will play the realistic noises for you to help encourage people," Richer said.
"Please note: The buzzer is likely to include some salty language, and so probably shouldn't be used with kids," his Kickstarter reads.
Richer's considering tackling other cities, too—he says San Francisco is only slightly less insane than Boston when it comes to traffic.
To learn more about the game and pitch in support, check out Richer's Kickstarter.
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports
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