Play your way through history and along the Mother Road in Illinois with a new, limited edition card game: Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66.
We partnered with one of our volunteers, who just so happens to be a professional board game creator, to bring this card game to life.
Ben Rosset is an award-winning game designer who lives in Bloomington and has been volunteering in our Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center & Gift Shop for nearly five years. “As a board game designer, history lover, and museum volunteer, this project has been exciting on several levels,” Ben commented, “I know firsthand the joy that the museum brings to local visitors and Route 66 tourists alike, and I am excited to share two of Bloomington's claims to fame, Route 66 and Abraham Lincoln.”
The Museum’s Executive Director Julie Emig adds that the game is a unique and fun way to celebrate and commemorate both the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and the 250th anniversary of the United States. “What better way is there to learn than through play?” she asks. Lisa Novak, the Museum’s Director of Visitor Experience notes, “this is where Route 66 meets Lincoln’s legacy – the game highlights that connection like never before.”
The game takes about 20 minutes and accommodates two to five players over the age of seven. Each player receives a set of attraction cards, featuring iconic stops along Route 66, including several in McLean County. Players then take turns placing their cards along either the chronological line, spanning 1776 to 2026, or the geographic line, following the Mother Road from Chicago to St. Louis. The first player to correctly place all their cards wins.
Developing the game was a year-and-a-half-long collaborative effort, made possible by the generosity of Dianne and John Hollister and Gay Dolan.
Ben first designed the mechanics for two different versions of the game. A group of volunteers then participated in a series of test plays. Concurrently, Museum staff, volunteers, and interns developed the trivia questions and began collecting images from iconic stops along the way. Illinois State University student, museum intern, and aspiring game designer, Malia Bermijo, was part of the process from the beginning. She designed the box, card layout, and overall visual appearance of the game, with assistance from local graphic designer, Morgan Lair, of Jovial Graphics.
The game debuts on Saturday, May 2, during the Red Carpet Corridor Festival, and is only available for purchase in the Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center & Gift Shop. Ben will be on-site and set up in the Museum’s courtroom from 9 a.m. to Noon, facilitating gameplay and answering questions.
Visit cruisinwithlincolnon66.org to view the game online. Head over to www.benrosset.games for more information about Ben and his work. Click here to contact us with any questions or for more infomation.
