Board game revival inspires Australian entrepreneur

A resurgence of interest in board games has led an ex army crew commander to create an innovative new game – and a home-based business.

After serving for almost eight years with the Royal Australian Armoured Corp, Tim Oldham needed to create a new career path for himself.

“There obviously isn’t much call for armoured carrier crew commanders outside the army,” he said, “and I needed a job that I could do from home so that I can care for my wife, Judie.”

Judie was also in the Australian Army and was forced into retirement when she was injured during service. She now requires part-time care and will gradually become more dependent on Tim as time goes by.

“Judie is a Gold Card holder, which is unusual for someone under the age of 60,” said Tim, who is clearly proud of her bravery and devoted to her care.

In searching for a new career, Tim turned to an old hobby – board games – and combined it with military experience and an interest in the Second World War.

The result was Call Sign 7 – a board game company named after Tim’s sub-unit. The Battle of Britain is the first in a planned series of military strategy games.

This year, he will be taking the game to the international games convention, Spiel, which is the global hub for games manufacturers, enthusiasts and associated media. He has already received enquiries from a UK wholesaler interested in distributing the game in Britain.

“War and games are a powerful juxtaposition,” said Tim. “The strategic side of warfare is particularly engrossing.

“I chose to design a game based on the Battle of Britain because it allows for a unique 3D structure – something I haven’t seen done effectively in any other board game.”

To simulate the air battle situation, Tim created a multi-level game of strategy that mirrors the movement of aircraft.

Play is arranged in a series of missions, each generated by the game itself, so no two will ever be the same.

It took Tim five years and 26 versions to get to the final product, which has received nothing but positive reviews since he launched it.

He is convinced that Australians have never given up their devotion to board games, despite the influx of electronic and Internet games.

In fact, the Internet itself has been credited with the boost in interest, by helping board game enthusiasts to connect through sites such as BoardGameGeek, BoardGameNews and BoardGamesAustralia.

The trend towards ‘cocooning’ is seeing a higher investment in home entertainment. While this often means electronic and home theatre systems, board games apparently remain an attractive option for many families and groups of friends.

Dedicated to the idea of getting the family back around the table, Tim carried out his own market research by visiting games stores and asking questions.

“The more people you talk to, the more you see they are looking for something different,” he said.

“There are very few truly Australian-made games on the market. And although this one is based on a European battle, there were a number of Australians involved in the Battle of Britain.”

Tim sells and distributes the games himself, mostly via his website, and ploughs a proportion of profits back into charitable organizations such as the RSL as a way to “give something back to those who have given so much”.

Further information
Battle of Britain retails at AU$85 including postage within Australia. For more information, go to:
http://www.callsign7.com.au/

Evidence of a global board game revival
NPD Group market research reported an increase of 150% in board games sales in the US between 1998 and 2007: reported in the Boston Globe, 29 November 2007.

The international games convention, Spiel, continues to see an increase in attendees now up to 148,000 with over 750 exhibitors from 30 countries.

Trivia
A vital link was established between board games and the Second World War when Monopoly was used to smuggle escape gear to Allied forces in Germany:
http://www.discovergames.com/board_game_frees_pow.html