Press Releases
11.06.03
| Visit the PRODUCTIVITY, INC. Web site at: Media Contact: Bob Bovie FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
http://www.productivity.net or
Darin Tambascio |
FAMILYLORE TRANSCENDS THE BOARD GAME EXPERIENCE
AND TAKES FAMILIES BACK TO THEIR ROOTS
Perfect for a Reunion and a Timeless Holiday Gift,
FamilyLore Encourages Family Bonding While Teaching Families About Themselves
and Their Heritage
New York (November 2003) – Everyone knows families who take their board games too seriously, often berating each other when someone doesn’t know the answer to a game-clinching question. But rather than competing with relatives, FamilyLore, a new board game that centers around the players’ family history, genealogy, ancestors and traditions, encourages families to bond and share stories together … so every player is a winner.
“Everyone has stories to tell about their lives and families and this game provides the motivation, structure and setting that turns them loose,” says FamilyLore creator, Bob McClure. “FamilyLore brings people together and unites generations as players tell their own stories and recount their history. And as our definition of the family unit changes and people seek new ways to connect and return to their roots, this game brings all types of people together - from nuclear and alternative families to multi-ethnic households and family friends - around facts, events and values that are important to them.”
Spawned from McClure’s tradition of making homemade Christmas gifts for his family, FamilyLore consists of a game board and questions that fall into 20 categories covering topics from ancestors and family rituals to birth stories and pets. Half of the questions are generic Story Cards and the other half are to be personalized by family members. As families play, they can write their own questions, with the eventual goal of replacing the generic question cards with customized Story Cards, making the game unique to each family. Players can even customize game pieces with pictures of their family members.
“Ultimately, the game can become completely customized for each family that plays,” says McClure. “And it’s cross-generational so young and old alike will enjoy playing and take something different away from the experience.”
In addition to the question cards, Serendipity Cards must be picked up if the player lands on one of the four corners of the board, and then that player is directed to advance or move back a few spaces. Every time a players complete a trip around the board they are awarded a Round-the-Board chip, and the player who receives the most chips wins. But McClure maintains, “the game isn’t about winning or losing.”
“FamilyLore is really about sharing stories. It encourages players to help each other, remind others of good anecdotes, jokes or long-forgotten facts,” says McClure.
Three to 10 family members and their friends can play and even young children can participate – others can read the questions for them and easier questions can be selected if necessary. Players choose a matriarch or patriarch – the player who knows the most about the family – to judge the accuracy of the answers and decide whether an answer deserves the maximum or minimum amount of points allocated for the question.
Reunions Magazine editor, Edith Wagner, sees the value of incorporating a game such as FamilyLore into a family reunion. “It’s a way to foster interaction and have fun while learning about family,” says Wagner. In fact, according to familyreunions.com, a Web site resource for family reunion planning, playing games is the most common activity at reunions. And with the recent trend toward reuniting with family and old high school classmates, what better way to break the ice and get people talking than with FamilyLore. It’s also a great gift for the holidays, anniversaries, weddings and birthdays.
FamilyLore can be purchased online at www.familyloregame.com or call 1-800-869-9769. It is also featured and available to order in the Museum Tour catalog and the Made in Buffalo catalog.
# # #