29 November 2023
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NatWest is best known for its banking, yet has waded in on the action where hobby gaming is concerned, by launching "All Mod Cons", with a view to educating the consumers about modern day scams. The game, which you can play in branch, sees the player seeking to avoid such scams and hold onto their cash.
It's perhaps not the pairing anyone saw coming, but UK highstreet bank NatWest are now encouraging you to pop into branch not only for your every day banking, but to sit with the family and have a play of their new board game. Its goal is to "smash conversational taboos around family finances, and educate the British public about modern scams – just in time for Christmas".
What is NatWest's Board Game?
Although light on the details, it's a traditional roll-and-move around the board style game, with a few extra flavour cards – so perhaps less exciting for those confident with hobby games that have been playing games with additional complexity and less luck – that will certainly offer familiarity to the wider audience. Though playing differently, it likely draws inspiration from the prevalence of Monopoly at Christmastime, as a money related movement game. Spotting things like suspicious text messages will put you in good stead, but falling for false investments or clicking dodgy email links will put you behind. It's for 4-6 players, and draws on NatWest data and research.
The game centres around the top scams that have been identified by research, such as phishing, fake emails, refund scams, romance scams, and more. It has been made with the intention of educating the general public on such scams, given their increase in prevalence recently. The choice of a board game seems to have been as a result of it being a Christmas tradition, plus, of course, a little PR friendly. How many will opt to sit inside their branch for a game remains to be seen, but with Jeff Brazier the face of the new adverts, describing it within as "all in good fun", it'll likely get people talking.
Why have NatWest made a Board Game?
NatWest are aiming to teach about modern day scams with their board game, citing increases in purchase scams in the last four months of 2022 of 41%, and on the back of 61% of their surveyed Brits wanting to know more about how scammers operate. Using a game to do so is likely a mixture of its popularity over Christmastime, and the popularity of board games in general – something we can attest to!
Is NatWest's Board Game any good?
That remains to be seen, as it doesn't launch until 1st December. However, if it meets it's educational goal, then potentially yes, and if it gets gaming a topic of conversation at Christmas once again, it's a small step from "I enjoyed this game" to, "Let me introduce you to Gloomhaven"*.
*Steps may be bigger than they appear.
Where to play NatWest's Board Game
To get your gaming and fiscal responsibility education in the same action, you'll be able to play the game in a number of NatWest's branches from the 1st December.
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