The sound of fireworks still lingers as barbeques fire up, adding to the already miserable heat that lay over us like a blanket. When the breeze is just right, you can hear the squeak of the swings from the park around the corner.
The sun finally hits the spot where the numerous trees in the neighborhood block its harsh, fiery rays. Kate and I sit in our somewhat remodeled backyard, eating freshly grilled carne asada street tacos, sipping tequila, and playing BoozeHound Battle Pong.
Oh, you wanna know what BoozeHound Battle Pong is, don’t you? We’ll have to take a trip back to the old times when BoozeHound was fresh from the womb.
It was then as it is today. The Summer heat drove us from the stuffy hotbox that is our 100-year-old house with no air conditioning to the breeze-chilled air of the outside yard. If we’re being honest, it wasn’t any cooler, but it offered a change of scenery and a ping-pong table. Well, a patio table we converted into a ping-pong table with an inexpensive kit from Amazon.
Ideas about the next episode of The Weekly Howl show bounced back and forth mimicking the small white ball on the table. One thing led to another, and somehow – the details are a bit fuzzy all these years later – but, BoozeHound Battle Pong sprang to life on that Phateful day.
We didn’t know it then, but this was the beginning of something.
Fast forward several years later. This time, it was cold outside. Snow, probably even a major blizzard, belted the house as we hunkered down in our speakeasy. We sipped cocktails and played Sorry! It was fun for a while, but we got bored, so we started making up “house rules”. The crazier, the better. To say we went overboard is an understatement.
By the end of the weekend, we had scribbled three or four pages of rules for “Sorry! Hit Man Edition”. It was the most fun we’d had playing a board game in ages, and that’s not the booze talkin’.
Unfortunately, those rules have disappeared. I think the ghost that haunts our house hid them from us, but Kate isn’t convinced. In our attempt to rebuild the game, we’ve created a brand-new version revolving around Prohibition.
After Kate’s injury, we sifted through our projects and random ideas over the last few months, getting ready to get back into things. We came across an image we created for BoozeHound Battle Pong. With creating a new entertainment company, this simple, yet amazingly fun game had inadvertently been pushed to the archives, lost from our minds, waiting patiently for us to rediscover its delightful joy.
We alternately read the rules and looked outside. The snow had melted, giving way to brown grass begging to be green once again. Trees, nothing more than giant sticks in the air, dreamed of offering the shade we desperately need during the hot days of Summer. Spring had reared its ugly head. It was time for something fresh. Something new. And we had it.
Now, just a few weeks later, things have come full circle. The wrath of Summer’s heat has taken us hostage, but while Summer may be a time for heat, it’s also a time for fun. The kind of fun that makes you do crazy things (we blame the booze or the heat).
Kate now has an evil grin on her face. In one hand she holds a Twister game and in the other, a badminton birdie. So, before I join her for a game of Twisted Birdie, chips, and guacamole, Kate and I want to share something with you.
We have many creative interests that we showcase here, in this little thing we lovingly call BoozeHound Entertainment. Since we started BoozeHound, we’ve created imprints to showcase not only our talent but the talent of others. These imprints go beyond our podcast and video productions to include publishing, music, merchandise, and today, we’re adding games to that list.
BoozeHound Games is now officially the newest imprint in our repertoire of things.
BoozeHound Games creates games that weave their way into our lives. This will sound cheesy, but our goal isn’t to kill time but rather to create experiences. Memories. Stories you tell ten years from now (“Remember that time we were playing Bean There, Won That and…”).
BoozeHound Games brings mayhem to the games you grew up with, blending those old ideas with new ones to create a one-of-a-kind hybrid of shenanigans. BoozeHound Games is like your childhood games had a love child with happy hour!”
Who else would combine the already psychotic game of Twister with badminton? Or blending the concepts of golf and baseball with a Slip and Slide in the middle? Or taking the revenge-laden Sorry! board game and adding a prohibition-era twist?
If you think that’s all, you’ve got another thing comin’ (said in my best Rob Halford voice).
In addition to our stand-alone games, we’ll release original games alongside our podcasts. These games complement the podcast but are pretty fucking awesome on their own.
Sometime next year, our other new imprint, BoozeHound Studio, will turn our games into apps and web games so you can play them anywhere.
To celebrate this monumental occasion, we’re launching the first annual “BoozeHound Summer Games”. It’s just like the Olympic Summer Games, except completely different.
Beginning August 8th, we’ll release a new backyard game each week during the hellish hot month of August. Perfect for your backyard BBQ, happy hour get-together with friends, or a not-at-all romantic night with the one you love.
To wet your whistle, here’s the list of the games we’ll be releasing:
- BoozeHound Battle Pong (new and improved) – Thursday, August 8th
- Par For The Bases – Thursday, August 15th
- The Twisted Birdie – Thursday, August 22nd
- Bean There, Won That – Thursday August, 29th
We’re also pairing original Summer game cocktails with each game so you can stay properly hydrated. Oh, did I mention there’s an optional drinking game component to the games?
This is only the beginning!
Join the Bad Influence Club (below) to be the first to get updates on the 2024 BoozeHound Summer Games and new game releases.
Stay cool.
Love,
Phil & Kate
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