Designer, developers introduce Sanibel board game
The SanCap Chamber held its business luncheon meeting on Dec. 10 at the Sundial Beach Resort & Spa on Sanibel, featuring a guest panel from Avalon Hill games — a division of Hasbro.
“The determination of this community to rebuild, protect and preserve your own, as well as your paradise, was and is beyond inspiring to us all,” Tori Helm, who spoke as part of the panel introducing a new board game based on Sanibel shelling, said. “(After our first visit,) we departed the island feeling that Sanibel the game really had the opportunity to be more than a game.”
Sanibel artist and entrepreneur Rachel Pierce emceed the panel, consisting of esteemed game designer Elizabeth Hargrave and the team from Avalon Hill, which worked with her to create the board game.
“I think we all expected a rousing sales pitch from the Sanibel game team,” chamber President and Chief Executive Officer John Lai said. “What we didn’t anticipate was such a sincere, touching and very concrete tribute to our community.”
Hargrave, whom Helm called “board game royalty” for her past award-winning creations, told attendees that it was her father’s idea for her to design a shelling board game after numerous family visits to Sanibel.
“It is such a universally beloved activity, right? So, I started working on it,” she said.
Narrative designer Tess Hogan said the team spent hours making the game realistic and accurate.
“We all became shellers,” she said.
For creative designer Samy Ventura, the authenticity and beauty of the artwork mattered most.
“I wanted the art to be a love letter,” she said, adding that the details of the shells to the portrayal of the lighthouse give the game the authenticity that Sanibel deserves.
A self-declared “game nerd,” brand and product manager Michael Scurti told attendees that editions in German, French and Spanish are in the works, and it has been well-received all over the world by the gaming community.
The team emphasized the game’s accessibility — easy to learn but challenging and strategic. The board simulates a beach where shells wash up and players collect them puzzle-like in their shell bag.
“You’re literally just walking down the beach,” Helm said.
She ended her accolades of the island community by presenting a check for $10,000 to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation for its support keeping the island natural and protected.
“We didn’t want to launch a game called ‘Sanibel’ without it really, truly reflecting this community — sounding like this community, looking life this community, feeling like this community,” Helm said.
All attendees received a game to take home.
Sanibel will start rolling out in January, first in mom-pop stores.
It will retail for $40 and is recommended for two to four players ages 10 and older.
Island businesses that wish to carry the game can apply for distribution at tinyurl.com/sanibelgame.
The luncheon was sponsored by Bank of the Islands and the city of Sanibel.