Barbara Paikuli watches as Jon Sedillo throws the dice.
The game comes with colorful fish tokens.
By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Barbara Paikuli watches as Jon Sedillo throws the dice.
The game comes with colorful fish tokens.
By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Game inventor hopes to
reel in a winnerIt hasn't landed in stores yet, but keep an eye out for "Big Daddy Ulua." It may become the catch of the day.
Game inventor Jon Sedillo was hooked at an early age, and often created board games on the spot for his family during Christmas. An early version of the off-shore fishing game sat on the shelf for more than 20 years while he worked in fuels for the Hawaii Air National Guard.
In the meantime, he played a lot of strategy board games, like "Risk" and "Screaming Eagles."
"And then my girlfriend Barbara (Paikuli) said, why don't you do something that makes you happier?" said Sedillo. So he dusted off the board game, played and played it, refining it, making it simpler to play while also making it more challenging to win.
The venture is financed by savings, and Sedillo credits artist Leslie Hata with the excellent illustrations and graphics that dot the game. Those who play will get a crash course in Hawaiian fish and values.
The game now has a kind of generic island with a trail of fishing spots. Shores are populated by various types of fish, some more valuable than others. You want to mass enough marketable fish to call it a day, the holy grail being the legendary big daddy ulua, which costs plenty per pound.
Like casting a line into unfamiliar waters, a roll of the dice determines whether or not you come up empty. "It can be real close. We've had people way behind who got ulua, ulua, ulua, who came from behind to win.
"What's ironic is that the really big ulua (in reality) are usually female," laughs Sedillo. Big Mama Ulua doesn't sound quite right, though.
"Big Daddy Ulua" is being marketed only in Hawaii to test the waters, and will retail in the $25 range. Sedillo is talking to Milton Bradley about a mainland version to center around bass fishing. Maybe they'll take a bite - hook, line and sinker. For information, call 262-9827.
By Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin