YORKTON - When it comes to board games it’s always fun to give some exposure to an indie-produced Canadian game, in this case ‘The Oilman Game’.
The name pretty much tells the game’s theme. Yes, you are gaming in an oilfield in this Alberta-produced effort.
From the box: A game that captures the true to life excitement and drama, success, and failures of the international oil magnate. Using the unique 3-dimensional board, oil companies bid for leases world wide, drill for oil, and erect oil wells. The object ... to become the most successful oil company in the world. The amazing game board design ensures the game will never be played the same way twice. For two or more players or teams.
To start with it’s interesting to note, based entirely on theme, that this one reminds of Black Gold, which sticks in one’s mind since it was created in Rhein, Sask.
Next, when you open a game box and you see a stack of paper money, your mind will automatically flip to a memory of Monopoly, which some will be encouraged by, while others might cringe.
So what is Oilman all about?
Well, Sanford Greve explains the game is not exactly new, but the edition is.
“The original game came out in the 1980s and was called International Oilman Game,” he explained.
Through the 1990s and early 2000s, the name was changed to The Oilman Game and in 2004, production came to a halt.
“We owned an early copy of International Oilman Game and had lent it to some friends for their family Christmas gathering in 2017,” said Greve. “It went missing and we never saw the game again.
“This began a quest to find a replacement game and many visits to garage sales and second-hand stores came up empty-handed. Demand for the game was growing as it was difficult to find a copy and prices of used games on eBay and Kijiji had gotten as high as $400-500 for a game that originally sold in 1994 for $42.95.”
But the search continued.
“In my online search for a game, I stumbled across an article about the guy who had been producing the game until 2004,” said Greve. “This piqued my interest. Was he still around?
“After a few online searches and a phone call to one of his prior businesses, we made contact.
“A few months and several meetings later, a deal was agreed upon and three oilfield guys from Drayton Valley, AB were in the board game business.”
For Greve he came to the business as a game fan.
“I enjoy playing games with family and friends and have a fairly extensive collection of board games from the 1970s through the present,” he related. “One of the most frequently played games in our home is Sequence, which is a great game for three people to play. Many games are designed for even numbers of players. The Oilman Game also works well for three-person play.”
So with Oilman what were the trio trying to achieve?
“In my own search for a game, I saw that demand was growing and that many people were hunting for a copy,” offered Greve. “A 15-year hiatus was long enough and in 2019 production began on the new version of The Oilman Game. Much had changed since 2004 in graphic design and printing, so the look of the game was updated to utilize the tools of the high-resolution world we live in today while maintaining a connection to the previous versions of the game.”
Greve said the game is one he believes can have broad appeal.
“From eight to 80 years of age, just about anyone can enjoy this game,” he said, adding the goal is rather straight forward.
“The goal is to be the most successful oil company in the world.
“Players name their oil company, purchase property through bidding, collect a salary with each turn, and then make decisions between purchasing more property, drilling for oil to try to increase their salary, passing on their turn and collecting salary only, going for it and drilling full-depth on the hole of their choice.”
In terms of game play there are 180 holes in the game top where players can choose to drill using the three different lengths of drill stems.
The deeper you drill, the more it costs and off-shore is more expensive than drilling on land but has better returns if oil is struck.
“If you spend all of your money buying property, you won’t have the money to drill on it,” noted Greve.
“If you drill all of the holes on your property and don’t strike oil, you won’t have the funds to buy more property.
“You need to find the right balance between buying property and drilling.”
The score cards assist players as they track their costs and salaries each round.
So in Greve’s mind what is the best element of the game?
“A couple of years ago, two gentlemen in their 70s or 80s drove several hours to come and buy a game from us in person,” he relates. “They had been playing the game for decades and wanted to buy a new one.
“They brought along their old well-used game to show us and we gave them some new game money and score pads for it.
“As they were about to leave, one of the gents asked, ‘Do you know what the best thing is about this game?’ I asked him to tell me. He responded, ‘You make all of the decisions. There are no dice to roll, you don’t rely on chance. If you want to bid on property, you bid. If you want to pass, you pass. If you want to drill for oil, you decide’.”
Greve said the game has some replayability built into its design too.
“There are three hidden levels inside the game that need to be randomized prior to play,” he said. “This is a very hands-on action and many households have their own rules as to how to go about it to ensure that nobody gets an unfair advantage.
“One family makes sure that each player has a hand on the game as it is shaken.
“There are many other styles of shaking the game that players use. The hidden pieces inside determine where oil will be found on three different depths and the randomization makes it so the oil will never be in the same place twice.
It is the game’s most unique feature.
“The feature that sets this game apart from other games is the randomization of the game board prior to play,” reiterated Greve. “The players begin the game with nobody having any knowledge of where they might find oil hidden within the game, but gain clues of where or where not to look for it as the game plays out.
“There are always surprises as a player will be absolutely certain of striking oil on a particular hole, but then hits a duster.
“Also, because there are three levels, a duster on level 1 does not mean that oil will not be found in the same hole on levels 2 or 3 deeper below.”
In addition, Greve noted; “Another special feature is that this is a game that has been developed and manufactured in Canada and helps support Canadian workers and suppliers.”
For more information, or to order a copy check out theoilmangame.com
