Author: 7Hodo-)8UJns

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Neil Crompton Endorses Brrroom Bathurst 1000

Neil Crompton x Brrroom

Neil Crompton Endorses Brrroom Bathurst 1000

Neil Crompton x Brrroom

“The attraction of motorsport outside of the spectacle and speed is the strategy and tactics that goes into achieving a race win and delivering a Championship for your team. Bathurst is an iconic event that relies on astute tactics, nous and a little luck, like no other major sporting event. The Brrroom Bathurst 1000 board game brings these elements to life in your own home and will provide hours of fun and enjoyment for all motorsport fans and any lovers of strategy games.“

Neil Crompton
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRRROOM BATHURST 1000 BOARD GAME
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Brrroom Bathurst 1000 Features on the V8 Sleuth Website for Melbourne GP Weekend

Brrroom Bathurst 1000 Features on the V8 Sleuth Website for Melbourne GP Weekend

Bathurst 1000

THE Repco Bathurst 1000 is the jewel in the crown of the Repco Supercars Championship and fans of Mount Panorama can add a board game to their collection of ‘Mountain memorabilia’.

The ‘Brrroom Bathurst 1000 Full Throttle Strategy Board Game’ is available now and is a Supercars Official Licensed Product that commemorates the 60th anniversary of the ‘Great Race’ at Mount Panorama.

Read more

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Board game Squatter is an ode to Australian farming. Here’s the secret behind its longevity

Board game Squatter is an ode to Australian farming. Here’s the secret behind its longevity

It started as a side hustle, a way for a travelling salesman to get home to his family, but turned into a love letter to the land, an educational tool and one of the most successful Australian board games of all time — and it’s all about sheep farming.

Squatter simulates the highs and lows of earning a living as a farmer and is still in production six decades after it was launched.

Its inventor was Bob Lloyd, a city lad from Melbourne who gained a deep connection to rural life working as a farmhand on his in-laws’ property in Loch, South Gippsland.

Bob, who died in 2019, is remembered by his son, Richard, as a fun-loving bloke, a dreamer who loved the latest toys and gadgets.

Read the full article here

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The Iconic Games Company Attends Bathurst 1000

The Iconic Games Company Attends Bathurst 1000

The Supercars Bathurst 1000 is another celebration of our unique Aussie culture. With millions of viewers tuning in and hundreds of thousands attending the race in person, it has become a highly anticipated event.

Campsites around the track are in high demand, with families returning year after year to their favourite spots. Barbecues and portable generators are set up for catering and enhanced viewing experiences. The drivers and their teams show appreciation for their fans by signing autographs for enthusiastic supporters who patiently wait in line.

Brrroom Bathurst 1000, our game, received very positive feedback from drivers, with some even joking about using the game to determine their race strategy. Betty Klimenko, owner of Erebus Racing, mentioned playing the game with her husband Daniel at their bush property. Brodie Kostecki the current Supercars series leader, expressed interest in the game and commented on its well-thought-out design and enjoyable gameplay.

Photo Gallery

Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
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The Deni Ute Muster

The Iconic Games Company Hosts Squatter Tournament at Deni Ute Muster

This year, The Iconic Games Company organized a Squatter Tournament featuring the Squatter Holden edition to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Holden Ute and show support for the Deni Ute Muster. Additionally, we participated in the 60th Anniversary of the Bathurst 1000 race and launched our new game, Brrroom Bathurst 1000.

Both the Deni Ute Muster and Bathurst 1000 hold significant cultural value in Australia. The Deni Ute Muster originated as a response to a drought crisis in 1999, with the aim of attracting tourism and supporting the local community. Over the years, the festival has grown with the help of dedicated volunteers, raising $100,000 annually for local community groups.

Our Aussie culture is difficult to define precisely, but it is something that evokes pride and is cherished by Australians. At the Deni Ute Muster concert, John Williamson’s performance of “True Blue” exemplified the value of loyalty and standing by one’s mates. Beyond the excitement of activities like “Circle Work” and the sound of “Exhaust Popping,” the event brings together families, showcases impressive utes, and demonstrates the community’s commitment to supporting each other.

Photo Gallery

Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
Deni Ute Muster
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Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda — Squatter’s History

Slim Dusty — Waltzing Matilda

Have you ever wondered why Australia’s most successful board game is called “Squatter”? Well, the inventor, my dad Bob Lloyd, loved Banjo Paterson’s poems, as do I and many others. But for Dad, Banjo was able to capture the essence of something Australian of which we could all be proud.

In late 1950’s and early 60’s “Australian Made” was poorly regarded. Most of our school textbooks were published in England, and most of our toys were “Made in England”. “Australian Made” was widely considered to be of inferior quality and was hence somewhat despised. I know Dad rejected this idea; in fact, I think it infuriated him. He was very proud to be an Australian, and it was important for the game to reflect something that was quintessentially Australian.

When the game was invented in 1956 it was also the year of the Melbourne Olympics, and Waltzing Matilda was at that time often referred to as Australia’s un-official national anthem. It was played a lot during the Olympics and was internationally associated with Australia. In that era, within the Australian vernacular, the word “Squatter” as referred to in Waltzing Matilda, almost universally was accepted to mean a pioneer farmer. And because the “jolly swagman” was gleefully stowing the Jumbuck (a sheep) into his Tucker Bag, it more particularly meant a pioneer sheep farmer.

Again, in that era, there was hardly a better, more Australian word to describe an Australian game that was about sheep farming and wool production. It wasn’t until the mid to late 60’s that there was a growing awareness in Australia that “Squatter” also meant an illegal tenant not paying rent and difficult to evict.

Dad commented much later that he regretted choosing the name “Squatter”, and he might have preferred “Jumbuck”, which is also mentioned in Waltzing Matilda. However, since then, that name along with many other suitable alternatives, has been registered by other companies and is consequently unavailable.

Nevertheless, while it is a significant undertaking to embark on a name change for such a well-known brand as Squatter, we are poised to launch this famous game internationally. And because outside Australia, the word “Squatter” is unacceptable, a name change is in the pipeline!

Stay tuned!

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FARMING TERMS EXPLANATION

AN EXPLANATION OF FARMING TERMS USED

SQUATTER

A term used in Australia to describe the owner of a large livestock farm.

Historically, after European settlement of Australia, the demand for grazing land was greater than the rate at which the government could survey the land and release it for sale or lease.

Today, when we purchase land, a Title Deed is issued as proof of “title” to the land. The transaction is recorded in the titles office. Every block of land in Australia can be traced back to an original “Crown Allotment”, which has been created by the “Crown” (the government) after it was surveyed, and subsequently released for settlement by way of sale or lease by the government. The “survey” describes the exact boundaries of the Crown Allotment, and the subdivisions of each Crown Allotment. This provides the underlying legal basis for holding a “title” (a legal claim) to ownership of land.

In the early 1800’s there was a great need for agriculture; livestock and crops to provide for the needs of a colony that was very isolated and growing rapidly. The early “Squatters” took possession of land that was claimed by Lt James Cook on behalf of the Crown in 1700. Under British law, technically they were Squatters, because they occupied land they did not have title to. Although in their defence, there was no method available to them at that time to purchase or lease the land. Nevertheless by their hard work the Squatters developed the land and provided for many of the needs of the colony. They became the pioneers of Australian agriculture.

SHEEP STATION

A large livestock grazing property.

BORE

A well to tap underground water.

DRENCH

To dose livestock for control of internal parasites.

JETTING

Spraying of sheep with insecticides to prevent them from becoming blown, or struck, by the sheep blow-fly.

FOOT ROT

A highly infectious disease affecting the hooves of sheep, frequently causing severe lameness and consequent malnutrition. (Usually confined to the higher rainfall areas or irrigated properties).

SHEEP DIPPING

Treatment of pests on sheep by spraying or immersion in insecticidal solutions.

LIVER FLUKE

A leaf shaped parasite which bores through the liver of sheep, and other animals, frequently causing death.

PULPY KIDNEY

A disease mainly confined to young sheep, when grazing on lush pasture.

STUD FEES

Fees charged by the owners, for mating their well-bred rams to ewes owned by another stock-owner.

UNIMPROVED PROPERTY

A property not improved by cultivation, clearing, etc.

PASTURE

Grasses and herbage on which stock graze.

NATURAL PASTURE

Pasture consisting of native grasses and herbage.

IMPROVED PASTURE

Pasture which has been sown down with grasses of higher nutritive value, and clovers (or other medics which improve soil fertility).

IRRIGATED PASTURE

Pasture which is artificially watered to supplement rainfall.

CARRYING CAPACITY

The maximum average number of stock, which can be profitably grazed per acre throughout the year.

AGISTMENT FEES

Fees charged by an owner of surplus pasture, to another stock-owner, for the right to graze stock for a specified period.

BLOWFLY WAVE

A period of intense sheep blowfly activity; usually when the weather is hot and humid.

BILL OF SALE

A document, signed by the seller, giving evidence of the purchase.

SOIL CONSERVATION

Preventative steps taken to prevent soil erosion by wind or water. Also to prevent or reverse land being affected by salt.

TUCKER BAG

A bag for carrying food (tucker). Horseman may use a saddle-bag.

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Roll the Dice!

Tournament store house 2017-10 (27)

Roll the Dice!

There is so much to learn with DICE.

If you watch children you can see that things we take for granted, we had to learn somewhere. For example most adults would recognise the dice above as “double six” and most would know that that means “twelve” and that means move your piece 12 spaces around the board. But children don’t get all that. If you watch them, and as they discover for themselves, younger children will count the “dots”. And if they don’t miss any and they don’t mistakenly count some dots twice, they will arrive at “6”. What happens next is very interesting, because younger children will then count the dots on the second dice and arrive at 6 dots on that dice they will then proceed to add the two 6’s together to get to twelve and then proceed to move their piece 12 spaces around the board. But slightly older children will count the dots on the second dice by continuing on from 6 so 6, 7, 8 … 11, 12 and arrive at 12 without needing to add two 6’s together. Note, that at this stage, children need to count the dots. It is only after some practice they come to recognise the shape of the numbers on the dice, and say that is “six” without need for counting. Even so, they will need to add the recognised number patterns to end up with the total. Other strategies begin to emerge. “Doubles” are more easily remembered combinations. Two “six’s” are soon remembered as being a total of twelve, and so on with the other doubles. Once this is established there is no need to count dots and very soon there is a further strategy – double “six” is twelve, therefore “six”& “five” must be eleven. There is so much to learn from dice and Squatter is so much more than a game.

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The History of the Squatter Circular Sheep Heads

Tournament store house 2017-10 (27)

The History of the Squatter Circular Sheep Heads

Trivia

Did you know that Bob Lloyd used white shirt buttons to represent the pens of sheep in the original Squatter prototype. Sometimes sheep can become trapped and crushed in the corners of sheep yards (called pens).

To prevent this from happening circular sheep “pens” were developed, which removed all the corners. Looking down from above, 200 sheep in a circular pen would look just like a white button. John Sands, who published the first edition of Squatter, changed the buttons to sheep heads, to give the game more character. The irony is that when the sheep heads were changed back to buttons for one edition of Squatter, there was such an outcry from the Squatter lovers, that the sheep heads were reinstated to the game.