Shasn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

SHASN () is a multiplayer political strategy
board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...
created by
Zain Memon Zain Memon is a game_design, game designer and entrepreneur based in Goa, India. He is the co-founder of Memesys Culture Lab, a studio that works on films, board games, and virtual reality. Early life Zain grew up in Versova,_Mumbai, Versova, M ...
, and published by Memesys Culture Lab, where each player takes on the role of a politician contesting elections and is required to take a stand on various political and ethical issues. The game was launched on the global crowdfunding platform,
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
on 16 July 2019, and raised $339,045 from 4,209 backers. SHASN was inspired by the documentary '' An Insignificant Man'', on the rise of the
Aam Aadmi Party The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP, ) is a List of political parties in India, political party in India. It was founded on 26 November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions, following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement against then gover ...
politician and Delhi chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal Arvind Kejriwal (; born 16 August 1968) is an Indian politician, activist and former bureaucrat, who served as the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi. He was the chief minister from 2013 to 2014 and from 2015 to 2024. He is also the national conve ...
.


Gameplay

SHASN is a competitive strategy board game played between two and five players which gives players an opportunity to influence the maximum number of majority voters in the 9 zones (or constituencies) on the game board. Voters are influenced via combinations of resources such as
funds Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm us ...
, clout,
media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
, and
trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust (law), a legal relationship in which one person holds property for another's benefit * Trust (bu ...
. These resources are gained by answering questions on the Ideology Cards which are about real-world political, social, and ethical issues. The game ends when a majority has been formed in all possible zones on the board. There are 4 ideologies in the game including The Capitalist, The Supremo, The Showstopper (originally called The Showman), and The Idealist. Players gain Ideology Cards by answering questions. The type of ideology card players gain depends on which ideology their chosen answer falls under. Within the game, The Capitalist focuses on free trade, The Supremo focuses on identity politics, The Showstopper focuses on gaining media attention through shock tactics, and The Idealist focuses on making the world a better place. If the players gain 2, 3, or 5 cards of one ideology, they gain powers specific to that ideology.


Development and Release

The development of the game began in January 2018 and continued over the course of one and a half years.
Anand Gandhi Anand Gandhi (born Anand Modi, 26 September 1980) is an Indian filmmaker, entrepreneur, media producer, innovator and systems researcher. He is also the founder/CEO of the Mumbai-based new media studio and systems think tank Memesys Culture Lab. ...
is the executive producer of SHASN. The game was also produced by Vinay Shukla and Khushboo Ranka SHASN released to widespread critical acclaim. Stephen Gulik of Everything Board Games said, "They nailed American politics better than any other game I can think of.” Dan Thurot of Space Biff called it “one of the most unhinged, perceptive, outlandish, and timely games… simultaneously laugh-out-loud funny and… disquieting..” Jeremiah Slack of g33k-HQ said, “The game reels you in from the start... once you start playing you cannot help but get excited about your next turn.” Jessica Fisher of gameosity commented on the “Razor-fine aesthetic that drew me in instantly." SHASN has a huge player base internationally and is now played in over 60 countries. As of September 2021, three editions of SHASN have been launched- Standard Edition, Essential Edition, and the Founder's Edition. Taking players across many nations and eras, SHASN launched with 5 campaigns - India 2020, USA 2020, UK 2019-20: Brexit, Fall Of The Republic: Rome 40 BCE, and The Future Of Humanity: Earth 2040.


Standalone Expansion

SHASN: AZADI, co-designed by Abhishek Lamba and Zain Memon was launched on
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
on September 8, 2021. It met its funding goal within an hour, and went on to raise over $200,000 over the course of its campaign. AZADI brought stories of revolution from across the world to the fore. It launched with 5 campaigns: * South Asian Independence 1947, * Russian Revolution 1917, * American Revolution 1776, * Egyptian Revolution 2011, and *
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
: 2165. Since its launch, campaigns for the French Revolution, Indus Valley Revolution, and an undisclosed campaign depicting an ongoing struggle have been made available as additional campaigns.


Awards


Tournaments

In 2019, the first Shasn tournament was organized by the game creators. Subsequent tournaments were postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Tournaments resumed again in 2023.


Season 1 (2019)

For the first official Shasn tournament, 8 semi-finalists were selected from the following 4 cities (2 semi-finalists per city):
Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
, and
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. These 8 semi-finalists then played against each other in two tables; each table having a semi-finalist from each of the 4 cities. The semi-final winners were as follows: * Table 1: Adil Aziz (Mumbai) and Sahil Parsekar (Delhi) * Table 2: Austino Paul (Bengaluru) and Viraj Kaoshal (Delhi) These 4 finalists then had a final match in Mumbai on August 15, 2019. The winner was Austino Paul (Bengaluru). Austino won by taking control of the central zone (5/9) while holding majorities in the 6/11 and 9/17 zones and being in a coalition majority with Adil in the 11/21 zone. The coalition scoring was split 8 points to Adil and 3 points to Austino. Note: the ability to create majorities using a coalition has been cut from subsequent versions of the game.


Season 2 (2023)

The second official Shasn tournament took place in India from November to December 2023. Five finalists were chosen from the following 5 cities/states (1 finalist per city/state):
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
,
Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
, and
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. The only returning finalist from last season was Sahil Parsekar. The finals happened on Friday, December 15, 2023 in Doolally Taproom in Mumbai using the new India 2022-23 campaign deck. The results were as follows: The prize for first place was a golden trophy and a 10,000 INR cheque. The prize for second place was a 5,000 INR cheque. The tournament was won by Dhruvie by holding the 6/11 and 9/11 zones and completing the last 3 remaining majorities in a single turn. He did this by buying 9 voters and taking over the second 9/17 zone, gerrymandering Sahil into a majority in a 6/11 zone, and using Anant's "Cult-ivating Obedience" conspiracy card against him. The "Cult-ivating Obedience" card protects one of the majorities of the owner, but it also allows any other player to convert 3 of their voters as a cost to take the card for themself. Dhruvie converted 3 of his voters into Anant's voters, giving Anant a majority in the 11/21 zone and ending the game.


Season 3 (2024)

The third official Shasn tournament took place in India from November to December 2024. Eight finalists were chosen from the following 8 cities/states (1 finalist per city/state): *
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
- Arsheya Joshi (did not attend the final game) *
Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
- Harsha Prabhu *
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
- Arush Pasricha (did not attend the final game) *
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
- Jay Jarosz *
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
- N Ravi Teja *
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
- Sahil Parsekar *
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
- Ankur Mishra *
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
- Mukund V. (did not attend the final game) On Saturday, December 21, the plan was to split the 8 finalists into two tables with 4 players each. Then the 4 finalists with the highest scores were to face off on Sunday, December 22. However, 3 of the 8 finalists were not able to attend and so the remaining 5 finalists faced off in a single game on Saturday, December 21 at Toco Bar in Andheri, Mumbai using the India 2022-23 campaign deck. The results were as follows: The prize for first place was a trophy and a 1,00,000 INR cheque. This was the third time in a row that the SHASN championship was won by the finalist from Bengaluru.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Official website
Board games Indian board games IndieCade winners Board games introduced in 2019