Pet puppers in the pub with the Hair of the Dog board game
Beer and a bichon frise.
Attempt to pet as many pups as possible in a local pub with the upcoming board game, Hair of the Dog.
As a group of people who do not own a dog, but dream of doing so, the players in Hair of the Dog are desperate for some quality pup petting time. Luckily for them a new pub has opened up with local dog owners flocking there with their pooches, making it the perfect location for the dog lovers to go. With their drinks in hand, the players must attempt to pet as many dogs as possible making sure to keep their glasses topped up and the dogs they’re stroking happy.
Hair of the Dog is a family-friendly board game for two to eight players that has players competing to pet as many different kinds of dogs in the pub as possible. However, the pups at the pub won’t just let anyone pet them as the players will need to fulfill specific criteria before dogs will let people touch them. At the same time, players will also need to regularly purchase new drinks from the bar or otherwise risk being called out by the staff.
The dogs that players want to pet are all scattered across the pub and will get riled up whenever they’re petted. Should a player want to pet an excitable dog, then they’ll need to fulfill one or more of the pup’s conditions - which can be things such as offering a squeaky toy or being near to their favourite staff member - before they can do so. Players can either pay attention to what their opponents do or ask people in the pub to find out a dog’s specific requirements.
As the players make their way through the pub, petting dogs and acquiring the things they need to calm pups down, they will have to take sips of their drink in order to perform actions. Players can even force their opponents to drink more by proposing a toast. Should a player be caught by a staff member without a drink in their hand, then they risk being judged for using the pub space in place of paying customers - earning them more shame. Whichever player manages to pet as many different dogs as possible by the end of the game is the winner.
Hair of the Dog was created by Alex Jerabek, the designer behind the co-op space-themed board game Far Away - that has two players exploring randomly-generated worlds together - as well as a party game called Drink! and a social deduction title called Conspire. The artwork for Hair of the Dog was made by Jules Naujoks.
Jerabek and Naujoks are both part of a publisher called Cherry Picked Games, which is set to release Hair of the Dog and is responsible for launching the previously mentioned Far Away, Drink! and Conspire.
The Kickstarter campaign for Hair of the Dog is live until October 31st, with a pledge of $35 (£25) getting backers a copy of the game that’s estimated to arrive in September 2022. Alternatively, a print-and-play version of the game is available for a pledge of $5 (£4).