Kurt Vonnegut’s Long Lost Board Game Is Finally Found

Who Is Kurt Vonnegut?

Board games have spanned back since the dawn of human civilization, when friends and family began to make up ways to entertain themselves. Over the years, archaeologists have dug up some examples of tabletop titles that were played by our ancestors. However, strangely, there was one game that seemed to allude even the most avid of researchers. The one created by Kurt Vonnegut across 1956 and 1957. 

Vonnegut may be a familiar name for some, but he is certainly not a prolific designer in the tabletop space. Instead, Vonnegut was a celebrated American author, whose dark and comedic work won him numerous awards throughout his career. As a World War II veteran, former prisoner of war and intelligence scout, Vonnegut served his country at the hour of need, after his family had abandoned their German culture during and after World War I. A fascinating historical figure, Vonnegut struggled as a writer during his early years in the field, getting by with magazine shorts and low-performing novels. It was during this period that he turned his hand to a different medium altogether. 

GHQ Was Born 

Vonnegut began working on a brand new board game, which he hoped to sell to cure his financial woes. Titled GHQ, or General Headquarters, the title was inspired by his experiences in the Second World War. Vonnegut created extensive notes concerning the game, with an admirable pitch put together to persuade potential publishers that they could also profit from the piece. 

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Despite the accolades that may have rained down on Vonnegut in the years since, GHQ would never get that same opportunity to be celebrated and marvelled at. For not a single publisher decided to pick up the game for future development. The notes went into the filing cabinet, the game went into hibernation, seemingly forever. GHQ had barely begun to take form, but it was lost to time; a hidden treasure that the tabletop community coveted. 

And yet, game designer and historian Geoff Engelstein wasn’t ready to give up on Kurt’s vision. Decades later, Engelstein would work with other experts and Vonnegut’s family to piece together the title, until they finally discovered its most essential elements. What do you do with a game that audiences were never able to play? You publish it. 

GHQ Is On Sale Now

Teaming up with Barnes & Noble in the United States, GHQ was finally put on sale in October. The title, which retails at roughly $35, is a masterful recreation of the writer’s original concept, based entirely on his notes, pitch documents and other supplementary material. 

The two player title is said to take around 30 minutes to complete and is aimed at players aged 9 and over. Published by Mars International, the tactical game is designed on a classic 8 by 8 checkerboard, where players take control of vehicles, infantry, artillery and the like, in a bid to gain dominance on the battlefield. The game also comes with an additional booklet that outlines Kurt Vonnegut’s process in crafting the experience, complete with his original notes. 

For those fascinated by the history of this newfound game, and want to experience it first-hand, you can purchase the piece from American retailers right now. There appear to be no plans, as of yet, to publish the game in the UK and Europe, but we will keep you updated on all the latest developments.