Ever notice the number of computer and tabletop games out there that have mining in them? And ever notice that nobody's done a game that's actually about mining itself?

Well, we did. Quite some time ago in fact. What's more, we also have some experience with the real mining industry. (Doing mining communications, mining websites and what not. In fact, we've even worked out in the field.) And we thought this subject was really cool. (Hey - any industry where you have to take "Blasting 101" as a university course [we are not kidding] has to be cool!) We thought it was so cool that we've gone out and designed a realistic boardgame about the business and industry of mining.

So we are pleased to announce the arrival of Miner: The Boardgame - the game about mining.

Miner: The Boardgame is a sophisticated tabletop game about the world of mining. Think 1830 or Avalon Hill's Civilization and that's the basic kind of game it is - only this time it's about mining. Miner:TBG is a fun tabletop game that puts you in the shoes of a mining expert. You can choose a number of paths to specialize in as you work with (and against) the other players. And, if you're lucky and make the right deals, you can build a mining empire that lasts for hundreds of years.

This isn't the kind of "mining" you see in Starcraft or Mule or Civilization or whatever - where you can land and start extracting "crystals" sitting right there on the surface; explore an entire property through an "assay"; or basically just "mine the mountains" for hundreds of years (whatever all of that is supposed to mean). No. This is a game where you have to be concerned with the real work and challenge of mining. About what focus you and your company will take; about the image of the mining industry; about absorbing new properties and developing reserves; about the commodities markets; about anticipating the environmental and political challenges involved. Basically, it's the first game that shows you what mining is really about.

Of course, we would also be crazy not to be aiming toward leveraging this work toward building a computer game version. (After all, 1830 begat Railroad Tycoon; and Avalon Hill's Civilization begat Sid Meier's Civilization.) And we have built up a lot of work toward that. But for now, we're just having fun polishing up this tabletop game.

(Miner: The Boardgame has been under development since October 2003. It is currently in the beta-testing stage. If you wish to acquire a copy for demo purposes, or would like any other information, please contact us.)