Behind the scenes with India’s boardgame creators

India’s independent boardgame makers are subverting expectations through lockdown, constantly creating for a clientele that is hard-pressed for some fun

In 2018, Phalgun Polepalli and Shwetha Badarinath could not find a single person to make dice, much to their dismay. “Dice were practically invented in India; but all major boardgame manufacturing these days is in China. It took us a long time to find a woodworker who could make what we needed,” recalls Phalgun over a phone call from Bengaluru. In May that year, the duo formally launched Dice Toy Labs, to publish games by Indians, set in an Indian context. Today, Dice boasts over 10 boardgames dreamt up by various creative minds for different age groups (“Boardgames are not just for children,” emphasises Phalgun), and has more in the pipeline. It is one of many brands that have cropped up across India, reclaiming the country’s boardgaming traditions with a little help from families resigned to staying at home during lockdown. “Board games have a long shelf life because of their replayability,” explains Phalgun, “You can have the same starting point and roll the same dice, and yet have a different outcome each time.” Brands like Dice Toy Labs and Go India Games are creating fresh games set in familiar contexts, thus filling a gaping hole in the market.