Bored millennials get hooked to Shasn, the newest modern board game

The newest entrant into the board game fray is SHASN, a multiplayer political strategy board game created by Zain Memon, 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

Since time immemorial, board games have been the mainstays of quiet entertainment for various civilisations. Some of the earliest shreds of record in connection with board games come from Indus Valley Civilisation in the form of archaeological finds. Chaturanga was one of the more popular aristocratic games of ancient India. This immensely popular game has undergone various changes from chaturanga to shatranj to finally modern-day chess.

Bored millennials get hooked to Shasn, the newest modern board game

The newest entrant into the fray is SHASN, a multiplayer political strategy board game created by Zain Memon, 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.

In an ever-increasing digital world, all thanks to the pandemic induced boredom, board games have made a surprise comeback. Typically set on hard surfaces, including boards, game pieces, figurines, cards, dice, and other accessories, the board game market is growing by miles and leaps. Another one that has captured the imagination of many modern-day dwellers is Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy tabletop role-playing game which has legions of adoring fans all across the western world.

“SHASN managed to introduce a lot of players to the exciting world of modern tabletop games. Our vision is to keep expanding the market by creating fun, engaging games across genres and ages, and remind the country of its rich tabletop legacy,” quotes Zain Memon, designer, SHASN.

And AZADI, the sequel to SHASN takes the political experience of its predecessor one step forward by plunging players into the shoes of revolutionaries attempting to overthrow a tyrannical Imperial power. The semi- cooperative board game is an effort to reclaim and rewrite history through the lens of the oppressed. Now that sounds like a reboot of your favourite Game of Thrones, doesn’t it?

Coming to the era of internet civilisation, most of us have sneaked our way around a dragon’s lair to a heavy, hours-long strategic game about running a fast-food franchise, or have played at least one fantasy dungeon-crawler with the classic human/elf/dwarf/wizard party on a static board.

“Pandemic induced lockdowns have made board games pretty popular. SHASN is one-of-its-kind game, the production values of SHASN which appear minimalistic in design but are just amazing. SHASN not only looks good but has high-quality linen cards and thick card stock of other elements. I hope AZADI is as fun as SHASN. This one will be in my collection for a long while. I highly recommend it,” says Karan Juneja, a gaming enthusiast.

Board games that provide an intellectual challenge, or an opportunity for strategic thinking lures millennials and seniors alike. Understanding rules, finding an optimal placement for a piece, making a move that surprises your opponent—all of these are enormously gratifying.