The Cones of Dunshire, the hyperbolically elaborate board game invented by Parks and Recreation‘s Ben Wyatt (played by Adam Scott) is now on Kickstarter. This is the most exciting news in fictional board games turned real since Adventure Time: Card Wars. The campaign’s release is well-timed with the recent premiere of the show’s final season. At the time of this writing, it has raised just over $30,000 of its ambitious $300,000 goal, with two months to go.
The show’s writers teamed up with Settlers of Catan publisher Mayfair Games to design a game that toed the line between plausibility and the rabbit-holing passion project of an obsessive nerd. Mayfair took the game to GenCon 2014 for a limited, charity event. At long last, more fans will be able to get their hands on those sweet, sweet cones.
The Kickstarter video, from Mayfair and the aptly-named Cone Hill Games, is presented by the employees of Tilton and Radomski Accounting, the fictional, Pawnee, Indiana firm to whom Ben bequeathed the game when he quit. Laden with mountains of dice, miniatures, cones, and a multi-level, 10-foot-square board, this is a big box game in every sense of the term, and won’t come cheap.
The lowest reward tier that actually includes a copy of the game is a whopping $500, so this is a game for only the most dedicated enthusiasts. $300 nets you a pass to GenCon 2015 and dinner with the game’s team. Lower tiers include goodies like shirts, posters, and a coveted Ledgerman hat.
Just remember, though: it’s about the cones.
