When it comes to board games, a few spring to mind when playing with loved ones.
There is the financial strategy, and sometimes family arguing, Monopoly, to the intense card game known as Uno. There is the simple yet classic Candyland or the strategy based warfare Risk and the classic Pictionary.
But now a new board game that was created here in Wimberley has been slowly taking over the town and looks to make a big splash come this Saturday.
Created by Scott Merriman, the dice based board game known as Texas Stampede is set to host a series of tournaments across two days, Friday and Saturday, starting at 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The tournament will take place behind Blanco Brew.
For Merriman, this will be an opportunity for not only Wimberley residents but also for out of town visitors as well with the tournament taking place during Market Day weekend.
“There really isn’t much to do in town, so why have something that is family friendly and safe,” Merriman said. “Just have a wholesome place to go do something whether it’s residents or visitors. It seems like a no-brainer.”
The Texas Stampede tournaments will be in conjunction with the Market Days taking place during the first Friday of every month.
Texas Stampede takes inspiration from another marble based board game known as Wahoo with the objective being to move your marbles across the board.
It was a game Merriman would watch his grandfather play with his siblings that was made with his own two hands.
“When we were kids growing up, my grandfather made this wooden marble game,” Merriman said. “We had no idea about it other than we would watch him, his four brothers, and two sisters, who were all World War II veterans, sit around, play this game and have a great time.”
The game became a household tradition with Merriman also hand making the game itself.
“The funny thing was you only saw it at their house,” Merriman said. “Over the years, we always love playing the game and I would make a dozen or two board games like this for Christmas presents. It was such an engaging game that people really do have a fun time playing.”
When Merriman moved to Wimberley, it gave him the inspiration to make his very own board game based on Wahoo.
But it couldn’t be just an ordinary marble board game but rather a game that could be tied to the Lone Star State.
“After making a dozen or two of these board games, it got me thinking,” Merriman said. “When we moved to Wimberley in 2017, I knew I wanted to make a Texas version of Wahoo, even though I didn’t know what that meant.”
Merriman began experimenting with a variety of items before coming out with his final product.
“I went and got a map of Texas,” Merriman said. “I laid it out and I started experimenting with nickels, dimes, poker chips, washers, just anything I could find to try and map out how this game could potentially work.”
The final entity was a eight player board game made into the shape of Texas which Merriman makes himself.
“What we came up with was an eight player game that could be played with the entire family,” Merriman said. “We wanted it to be about Texas and look really nice so the board, which is handmade, is made out of birch wood, stained, sanded, burned, just a lot of touches that go into it.”
Of course the theme of the Texas Stampede has to tie in with the state’s deep roots with cowboy culture.
“We came up with this little funny theme which is you have to be the first Texas Rancher to get your cattle from the ranch all the way to the market,” Merriman said. “You start in one spot and move around Texas to the market. It’s a race to see who can get all their cattle to finish first.”
While getting the basics of the game down, Merriman still wanted to make this game different from the rest.
That’s where the family came in.
“All of that is fun but we needed something unique,” Merriman “So me, my dad, my brothers, brother-in-law and son-in-law went up for a guys weekend, and I brought over this prototype saying ‘Alright guys we need to hammer out some rules.’” After hours of toying and tinkering, Merriman and the group finally found the chaotic spark the board game needed.
“We came up with the Stampede,” Merriman said. “That is what makes the game fun in a group setting… When you trigger a stampede, everyone playing must move their marbles 25 spaces all at once. It’s there when it really gets funny.”
With everything finalized, Merriman and his board game started making the rounds around Wimberley in September of last year and gained popularity within the community.
In the end, whether the game takes off big or small, it’s an adventure Merriman will take regardless.
“We are just having a good time and not trying to worry about it,” Merriman said. “We just know when people play, they cannot get rid of the smiles on their faces.”
For more information about the upcoming tournament, visit the Texas Stampede Facebook, Instagram page or visit their website at www.rowdytexasstampede. com.
