In 1986, local contractor Ken Flett had an idea for a board game, based on his experience in the construction industry. Nearly 40 years later the game, called Contractor, has a new lease on life, and is once again captivating players as they compete to see who can successfully bid on a major construction project, get it built, and end up with the most money.
Flett, who has lived in the Ashcroft/Cache Creek area for decades, got into contracting some 40 years ago, and says that the idea for Contractor came to him while he was a contractor and heavy equipment operator running a D9 dozer on the Coquihalla Highway project.
“I grew up playing Monopoly, and it came to me that there were a lot of interesting aspects of the construction industry that could be made into a game,” he says. However, there were a couple of things about Monopoly that he didn’t like, and which he thought he could improve on.
“One was that people could be eliminated, and were out of the game. What were they supposed to do then? The other was that the game could go on for hours. “
In Contractor — which is a game for two to six players aged eight and up — everyone keeps playing right to the end. And unlike Monopoly, the game only takes between 45 and 90 minutes to complete, even if six people are taking part.
The game has six major jobs up for grabs, with players bidding on the construction of a dam, a highway, a tunnel, a bridge, a powerline, and a high-rise building. The low bidder on a project is awarded the job at their bid price, then people start moving around the board as they complete each of 10 separate phases on their job.
Each time a player completes a phase by paying for the necessary equipment and material, they receive one-tenth of their bid price. The game ends when the first player completes their job, and the contractor that made the most money wins.
As players move around the board they have to draw cards based on where they land. End up on the weather space, for example, and you have to draw a weather card, which you can either keep for yourself or pass on to another player before you look at it.
“It could be a hurricane that costs whoever gets it $20,000,” explains Flett. “Or it could say it’s warm weather and the job is going well, so you collect an extra $10,000.”
Players can also end up drawing different workers for their crew, such as Production Pete and Inefficient Ike. “When they show up you make or lose money,” says Flett. “Every construction company has these people.”
He adds that the worst card to draw is when you land on the work day square and get the archaeological card. “It means that you can’t work, so you have to miss a turn.” Just like in real life, if you can’t work you don’t get paid, which might mean you have to take out a loan. And if your job is uncompleted at the end of the game, you have to pay for any unfinished phases.
“Another thing like real life is that the more you play it the better you get at bidding, so it’s very educational. Kids learn how the major construction projects they see are awarded to a bidder and then built. In the game you buy equipment and materials. You have to pay for the equipment required for that phase, so just like in real life, if you already own that equipment you don’t have to pay for it.
“One aspect I took from Monopoly is that if you land on someone else’s piece of equipment you can rent it from them. The main way you can make money in the game is if someone needs your equipment while working on a job.”
Flett says that after he came up with the idea for Contractor in 1986, a number of games were made up out of cardboard, and extensive test playing and revisions were done to add play value. In 1988 he had 1,000 games manufactured and consigned 600 of them to a distributor, who shortly thereafter went broke and disappeared, with Flett never recovering any games (or money) from him.
With six children to raise, life was busy, and Contractor gathered dust until recently, when Flett revisited it. “I’m trying to be retired. I’m working on one job, so I’m slowing down, but not quite there yet.
“I didn’t have to make many changes to the rules, just changes to the graphics to bring them up to 2023. Game stores like the way it looks. Things haven’t changed much. It’s always a risk whether you’re going to make money or not. There are so many variables. Even the weather can make a tremendous difference for a contractor. With this mild weather we’ve been having the contractors are happy, because they’re still moving dirt.”
Two thousand copies of the updated game — which retails for $40 — have been manufactured, and are available at 15 stores in B.C. and Alberta, including at IDA Pharmacy, Home Hardware, and Quality Glass in Ashcroft, and at Horsting’s Farm Market in Cache Creek. A full list of outlets stocking the game — some of whom can ship by mail — can be found at www.contractorgame.com, and Flett says he’s always happy to hear from a reliable distributor.
“It’s a lively game with a lot of player interaction, and tremendous play value. I’ve had teenagers play it all day, and they always think they’ll do better at bidding next time. It parallels real-life contracting: the more people play, the craftier they get at bidding, just as in real life.
“A contractor’s duties goes beyond digging holes, moving dirt, and putting up walls. All you contractors and construction workers out there, you don’t have to keep explaining your job: you can play it instead!”
