The PopCult Toybox

cover_lgIt has to be rough being a Hipster. Aside from the seething contempt from mainstream drones and the constant co-opting of their culture by poseurs and wannbees, the Hipster demographic is the most under-served social class by the toy and game industry.

Steve Jackson Games has taken steps to remedy this with a new dice game intended to be ahead of the curve, Hipster Dice.

Based on the underground German phenomenon, Nichteinechteswürfelspiel, and updated with vintage rules, Hipster Dice is poised to be the perfect game to play while you’re waiting in line at the second-hand clothes store. Get it before it’s cool.

We quote from the rules:

“Hipster Dice is a game you can play over mocha lattes at your favorite coffee bar, or at the organic grocery, or while you’re waiting in line at the secondhand clothing store.

The game includes this rulesheet and one die. You’ll need a few other things:

Tokens. To track your hipster cred. You could use coins, but that’s mainstream. We used moustache combs and coffee stirrers. Now you have to find something hipper than that. Or wave off our pretension and use coins. Whatever. Put them all in the middle of the table.

Friends. You know what we mean. People who aren’t too mainstream and haven’t sold out yet.

A device connected to the Internet. If your coffee shop doesn’t make this easy, you’re in the wrong place

Of course, rules are subjective, and there are several more challenging alternative sets of rules, but only if you know where to look.

I asked Brian Engard, one of the game’s developers, about how Hipster Dice came to be and how the Hipster public is reacting:

PopCult: What inspired this game?

Engard: Phil, our COO, was all, “We should make Hipster Dice.” And then we made Hipster Dice.

PopCult: Have there been any tournaments?

Engard: Hierarchical structures undermine the self-worth of the individual. Tournaments are a tool of the establishment.

PopCult: Are the dice organic or gluten-free?

Engard: They’re organic, gluten free, cruelty free, and fair trade. We even have a locally-sourced version of the game.

PopCult: Will there be an expansion set with Fedoras and PBR?

Engard: There already is. For the Fedoras expansion, go to a local thrift shop. For the PBR expansion, most convenience stores carry it.

PopCult: Are there optional “Portland” rules?

Engard: Portland. Pft. What a bunch of poseurs.

PopCult: Are there purists who will only play with the original German-language rules?

Engard: The guy in the office who translated the game for us still won’t play the translated version. He says it lost its soul when it made the jump to English.

PopCult: Is it true that the people who seem to hate Hipsters the most are, in fact, Hipsters themselves?

Engard: In the dark, we are all hipsters.

You could get one of each color of dice, but that'd be awfully materialistic.

You could get one of each color of dice, but that’d be awfully materialistic.

You can purchase your own Hipster Dice at really cool specialty shops, but only the ones you probably never heard of yet, so you’re better off buying them directly from Steve Jackson Games. The game comes in seven different styles, but only one of them is genuine.