An Oshkosh creator is getting ready to launch what he hopes will become America’s next favorite party game — well, a favorite for at least half of America.
Enter “Trump Roast.”
Think “Apples to Apples” and “Cards Against Humanity.” Now imagine them getting into a high-speed collision with the president’s Twitter feed.
Drew Mueske of Oshkosh started the game in 2016 after Donald Trump’s nomination. As an impeachment inquiry unfolds and election season swings into gear, it’s the right time to head to market, he said.
“We’re at such a ridiculous time in our history,” he said.
It’s an opportunity to make fun of politics in a far more active manner.
The game includes policy questions to which players answer by playing real-life Donald Trump quotes.
It struck Mueske that Trump’s words were getting lost: tweets that drew eye rolls were forgotten following media comments that drew gasps and those fell away following speeches that drew exasperation.
A full slate of those quotes are memorialized on game cards.
“With each passing week, you’d forget about what he said last week,” Mueske said. “He’s such a unique figure and he’s said so many ridiculous things; so many things that are flat-out untrue.”
It’s a game of ridiculous questions and ridiculous answers. It just happens the answers were authored by the leader of the free world.
The game includes some specialty cards that add an element of strategy such as the “Trump card,” the “collusion card” and the “veto card.”
Test play is under way.
They’ve held several events including a session last week at Appleton Beer Factory. They’ll play on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Point After Pub and Grill in Stevens Point. They’ll deal out the cards again on Nov. 14 at Green Bay’s Glass Nickel Pizza Co.
Keep an eye of their Facebook page for opportunities to take it for a spin. It’s quick to learn and simple to play.
The team is down to the fine tuning. The little things that would make it sharper have come out during game play. They found out when cards are long winded and get in the way of the rhythm and humor of the session.
Adrian Mulloy came on board and is handling the marketing side.
Every session elicits all sorts of laughter, but also gives players some pause.
“We want it to be fun and we want to make people think,” Mulloy said. “He really said that?”
They’ll launch the game on Kickstarter on Jan. 28.
The game has evolved since its first inception.
In 2016, “there was more of a political element,” Mueske said. “It was a darker game. The questions were serious. Now, the questions are as ridiculous as the quotes.”
There’s no worry about shelf life.
Trump was a quotable figure of interest before reaching the White House and there’s little doubt that would continue once he moves on from his seat of power — whenever that might be.
The bank of material continues to grow with each passing news cycle leaving visions of expansion packs. They’re thinking about alternate rule sets, such as a drinking game version, to keep things fresh play after play.
“We hope people will stick with us and back it,” Mulloy said.
