Dice Maestro Limited has announced that Wildlife Rescue, the first in its range of dice-centric games that combine the portability of travel games with the quality play of a standard board game, has already become a success. In just a few months since its launch, Wildlife Rescue has been stocked by more than 50 retailers nationwide, despite difficult trading conditions in the toy and game market this year.
“Wildlife Rescue was one of our bestselling games over the summer,” says Pat Quirke, manager of Roundabout Toys in Romsey, Hampshire. “We’re expecting it to do well for Christmas as well. It is an entertaining game, comes in a compact package, and 10 percent of profits go to charity, so you're supporting a good cause too.”
“Our primary route to market is the independent toy shop and the independent bookseller,”
Wildlife Rescue is the first title in a range of games that are designed to appeal to modern lifestyles. They are simple to learn, highly portable, complete quickly and appeal to both adults and children. One retailer has described the concept as “Top Trumps with specialty dice”. Wildlife Rescue uses six unique dice with animal symbols on their faces and a pack of beautifully designed cards. The game is played in its box, the size of a typical hardback novel, with the result that it can be played virtually anywhere. The rules are simple: you have to throw the six wildlife dice three times to obtain three or more of the same species. If you are successful, you take a card marked with the same species. The cards all have a different value depending on how difficult they are to obtain. Bonuses are available and you can take cards from other players, providing a tactical edge to play.
“One hallmark of Dice Maestro games is that they are simple enough for even young children to play, but sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy,” adds Carla Brown, co-founder of Dice Maestro. “Our four-year old daughter enjoys rolling the six wildlife dice, even if she cannot appreciate the tactical subtleties of the game. Wildlife Rescue really is a game for all ages and a game for our times.”
The family-run company hopes that its business ethics will also make a difference in an industry dominated by corporate behemoths that have entrenched the manufacture of toys and games to countries that often have inferior working conditions and environmental laws. Dice Maestro makes its games entirely in the UK, maximizes the amount of recyclable materials used and donates a percentage of gross profit to relevant charities. “It is pointless for governments in the West to pass legislation to regulate our manufacturers if we as consumers are then prepared to buy products that are manufactured in low-cost countries precisely because they don’t have the same standards,” Antony points out. “It’s a free lunch that’s slowly giving our economy indigestion.”
Dice Maestro is giving ten percent of the game profits to ARKive, an online multimedia library of the world’s endangered species. It was an invaluable resource for the research of the game. “We are delighted that Dice Maestro is making this commitment to ARKive,” says Richard Edwards, Director of ARKive. “The financial contribution from the game will allow us to profile more species on ARKive, helping us raise awareness through our unique audio-visual portraits. We are delighted that our freely available library of facts, images and films was used by Dice Maestro to put together their game.”
Wildlife Rescue costs £10.99 and can be played by up to six players, ages 7 and up. For more information, including list of stockists, visit: www.dicemaestro.com.
