ROUTE 66: LURE and LORE

“Highway 66, the long concrete path across the country, waving gently up and down the map…the Mother Road, the road of flight.”       John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

 

Route 66. The Mother Road. The Main Street of America. 

Like a 2,448 mile concrete umbilical cord, Route 66 stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles and provided a window to see much of the United States in the late 1920’s thru the early 1980’s. It reveled in man-made Americana as well as magnificent natural scenery.  Classic cars, nostalgic neon, Burma Shave billboards, and Mom-and-Pop-run cafes, motels, and gas stations competed for the attention of Mother Road travelers with the cornfields of Illinois, the Mississippi River, the rolling hills of Missouri, the low plains of Oklahoma and Texas, the high plains and mesas of New Mexico and Arizona, the Grand Canyon, and the Pacific Ocean.

Thanks to the sustained efforts of many devoted lovers of Route 66, as it approaches its 100th birthday in 2026, many of the nostalgic glories of this iconic Highway are still with us today, though a few are a bit less accessible than in days gone by.

Rick and Joanne Soued, founders and majority owners of Eagle-Gryphon Games, are celebrating their 51st wedding anniversary, and the 15th year of Eagle-Gryphon Games, by traversing the entirety of Route 66 in 2021.They covered California and half of Arizona in May; parts of Missouri and all of Illinois in July; the rest of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Kansas, and Missouri in August (finishing while this Kickstarter is still going).  They are visiting as many shops, museums, motels and cafes and attractions as possible on this trip and taking lots of photos along the way.  The icons, images and graphics used on the boards and boxes of each of the games are continuing to develop and change as a result of these visits! We hope to make Updates to this Kickstarter from the road (past and present) — reflecting this on-going tour of Route 66.

 

 THE MOTHER ROAD, Route 66 & THE GREAT RACES  by Sid Sackson

Sid Sackson is thought by many to be the greatest American-born game designer. Sackson designed The Great Races in 1974 (published by Gamut of Games).  He also designed Can’t Stop in 1980 (published by Parker Brothers). Eagle-Gryphon Games has integrated elements of these two Sackson designs, and developed a new game called The Mother Road, Route 66.  Its publication in 2021 celebrates the 101st anniversary of Sid Sackson’s birth.

The Mother Road is a press-your-luck race across Route 66 by 2-4 players (5 can play if using the Pink Cadillac expansion).  The player pieces are wooden cars, representative of classics found on Route 66 in days gone by — a canary yellow 60’s Mustang; a pale blue Thunderbird from the 50’s (with portholes); a cherry red Ford pickup truck (featured in the Eagle’s first big hit Take It Easy); and a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  A Pink Cadillac can be a FREE add-on to Kickstarter backers as well (see below).  Lots of Route 66 iconic landmarks are represented by photos and graphic images on the nearly 4 foot long neoprene mat board for the game; and the dice are all in player colors too! Races are usually closely-contested and take 30-45 minutes. The rules are easily learned, and this game can be enjoyed by serious or casual gamers ages 8 & up.

 

The Pink Cadillac expansion

All Kickstarter Backers of The Mother Road at the $44 Pretty in Pink Pledge Level or the Six for the Road $49 Bundle will receive a FREE Pink Cadillac expansion which allows a 5th player (or substitutes for one of the other player colors). Following this Kickstarter, this expansion will be available for purchase for a $5 MSRP.

Here’s an added plus: If you happen to own a set of Kanban EV Deluxe metal cars (an expansion to the EGG production of that Vital Lacerda title) they are scaled such that they are compatible with The Mother Road mat board.

The Great Races

ALL Kickstarter Backers of The Mother Road at any $30 or up level will receive a FREE copy of The Great Races, the original 1974 Roll and Write by Sid Sackson that The Mother Road  is based upon.  The Great Races consists of a 25 page (50 copies) scorepad and the rules necessary to play one of the earliest-ever roll and write games (you can use the 4 dice provided in The Mother Road to play The Great Races).

Following this Kickstarter, The Great Races will be available for sale at a $3 MSRP.

 AMERICA’S MAIN STREET —

2 Games in 1 box

Inspired by the research and development into Route 66 required by The Mother Road, Rick Soued, President of Eagle-Gryphon Games, designed America’s Main Street — two fast and fun games in a light-weight (12 oz.), travel-sized edition (7″ by 9″ box) playable by the whole family while on the road or at game nights. Both of these “filler” games are suitable for play by 1 to 5 players (or as many as 10 players in teams of 2); younger or older players, as well as both casual and serious gamers will enjoy these games; which are playable in 10 to 25 minutes. The America’s Main Street box contains two separate games: Get Your Kicks andYour Mileage May Vary.

 

 GET YOUR KICKS

Visit Casino 66! On each of your turns, try your luck at covering as many of the U.S. States on Route 66 as you think you can without going bust.  Score more points on the Route 66 map and highway sign than your opponents using strategy…as well as a healthy dose of luck!

• Playable solo and by up to 5 players individually or 6-10 players in teams of 2
• One minute of short rules and hours of fun (each game takes only 5-10 minutes)
• Lots of laughs and player interaction for players of ages 4 and older

 

 YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY

Fill up with fuel and begin your journey across the States on Route 66. Each State requires a different type of fuel and different quantities of it.  You can risk going those extra miles to complete more States on each turn, but if you get too ambitious you might just run out of the “right” fuel and have to start all over again.  Luck certainly plays a role in this game, but so does good strategic thinking as well!

• Playable solo and by up to 5 players individually or 6-10 players in teams of 2
• Two minutes of short rules & then hours of fun (each game takes only 20-25 minutes to play)
• A competitive and strategic race between players ages 6 and older