Go directly to Gael with islands’ own Monopoly
WITH miles of windswept machair and moors, they are a world away from the bustle of Piccadilly and Park Lane.
But the culture and crofts of Harris and Lewis are to feature in a new version of Monopoly inspired by the Hebridean isles.
Entrepreneur Steve Ferguson is working on an edition of the classic game that would offer among other twists, ‘crofts’ rather than houses and a black pudding-shaped counter to move around the board.
The 33-year-old offshore oil worker, from Portvoller, a village on the north tip of Lewis, has titled the game Stornopoly. He has swapped traditional London landmarks such as the Strand and Kings Cross for the quieter locales of Stornoway and the
‘This will be a staple in homes’
isles. Even the Community Chest cards would tell players to collect £100 because ‘You got a good price at the auction mart for your livestock’, or to lose £100 because ‘CalMac have cancelled the ferry due to bad weather and you miss an important business meeting in Ullapool’.
Mr Ferguson said he was inspired to create the new edition during a 100-day stay in hospital following a motorbike accident last summer.
As he recovered, he doodled to pass the time and put some drawings online that went viral and snowballed into his current project.
He is now looking for more suggestions for what can feature on the Stornoway board.
‘I got the idea after seeing local editions for the Isle of Arran and the Isle of Man,’ he said. ‘They’ve got a smaller population than we do so I thought it would be a good idea.
‘I put in a few things that islanders would get. There’s one about your sheep winning first prize and there’s a cheeky one about putting a motor on your loom.’
Winning Moves, the firm that makes local editions of the game, will only manufacture it if 1,000 units can be sold. Mr Ferguson’s idea has gathered more than 1,000 likes on Facebook and a crowdfunding page on Kickstarter has raised almost £2,000, but he needs £21,000 to properly fund the game.
He said: ‘The demand is there, by the look of it. There seems to be quite a lot of interest in it. They’ll twig on that it’s a lucrative idea. Several businesses and companies in the islands wanted to put the cogs into motion.’
He has created mocked-up images of what the game would look like if it was made, complete with local place names and transport links. Instead of passing ‘Go’, as is done traditionally once players make it all the way around the board, players in Stornopoly collect £200 for a croft grant.
Locals could land in the cells for poaching and croft tenancy fees could also be levied against players if they land on the wrong field.
Robert Osborne, custom games manager for Winning Moves, said he has been working closely with Mr Ferguson to ensure Stornopoly can be made. He added: ‘I know the passion and overwhelming pride has ensured there is high interest and I believe this edition will be a staple in homes for many years to come.’