Tripped! New board game invented by local company

Local inventors of “The Game of THINGS...” Quinn & Sherry, (Q&S) go on an adventure with North Bay resident Éric Boutilier for a crowdfunding launch of their new board game TRIPPED.

See: Party game app to launch at Hops & Vines

And: Award winning local party game now a mobile app

“TRIPPED” is a rally across North America where you leave your hometown, race to six other cities and get back home before any of your friends. But watch your step because at some point you are going to get Tripped.

Promotion for the campaign starts this week with inventors Éric Boutilier, Mark Sherry, and Tom Quinn playing TRIPPED with customers at Creative Learning, 181 Main St W., North Bay on Sunday, April 21 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

TRIPPED was created by North Bay resident Éric Boutilier, a local journalist, who has been tinkering with board games for years.

“I created my own versions of existing map games as a hobby but decided it was time for an original. After a few months, I had the basic premise and a working prototype. I added the concept of getting Tripped to mimic real-world travel, and then 'Tripping' each other to make it fun and unique."

Boutilier says friends and family really enjoyed it.

"So I kept playing, taking advice, and reworking the gameplay. I knew nothing about the board game industry and wasn’t sure of my next step when, coincidentally, a good friend began working for Quinn & Sherry, developing an APP for The Game of THINGS...!"

His friend agreed to show it to Mark Sherry, president of Q&S.

“We were hooked from the moment we started playing,” says Sherry who has become TRIPPED’S biggest fan. “Travelling across the continent is elegant and entertaining but what makes the game unique are the Tripped cards. They keep all players competitive right to the finish. Everyone we introduce it to wants to play again immediately.”

The TRIPPED crowdfunding campaign will begin at the end of May and anyone who pre-orders before the campaign starts will get a further VIP discount and an exclusive “I got TRIPPED First” t-shirt. (“get.trippedgame.com” for more info/pre-order).

Crowdfunding connects inventors with their community. Without a big company or retailer in the middle, inventors can offer a big discount to the consumer while also calculating the viability of their product.

“You’ve never had this much fun falling down,” says Tom Quinn, Creative Director at Q&S. “To promote the TRIPPED launch, we have some interesting surprises in store for northern Ontario over the next couple of weeks.  All we can tell you now is there’s more than one Near North Mayor involved.”

“TRIPPED is beautifully designed, easy to learn, with unique twists and turns," says a news release."Travel by road for free, or collect tickets to go faster by train, ship, or plane. Tripped Cards make the race unpredictable, and exciting and keep everyone in the race right to the finish line. To win players must plan the best route, collect enough tickets, and use the Tripped Cards to their advantage. But they are still going to get Tripped."