Santimanitay: Race to the Stage

The game gets its name from the term commonly used by calypsonians to punctuate their extempo verses and is derived from the French, “sans humanit?” – without mercy. “These extempo battles see calypsonians indulging in freestyle competition with one another in a battle of lyrical quality and wit,” says Le Platte, likening the game’s play to the feisty spirit that enshrines such extempo showdowns. “Santimanitay … is a board game which oftentimes shows no mercy,” he explains, elaborating that one minute players may be moments away from winning, then suddenly be last in the race. “Being able to think and adapt to change are important keys to becoming victorious.”

Le Platte makes note that the game is a true representation of TT’s Carnival season, going beyond the Monday and Tuesday. “The characters, the traditions, the music, the history, all of these aspects come together to create the greatest show in the world. Santimanitay explores them all,” he explains of the game’s inclusive spirit. He is also proud to point out that the game contains all-local content from the character designs and illustrations, to the trivia questions, to the game’s namesake. And while the board game boasts iterations of our rich cultural history, Le Platte says no prior knowledge of TT Carnival is necessary as the game is designed to encourage players to learn about the festival while playing and having fun.

The gameplay follows the similar classic format of board games we have grown up with and love. Two to eight players compete to reach their ultimate goal – The Stage. He explains, “The path to their ultimate goal is filled with challenges; players must avoid Hard Luck spaces, get past Midnight Robbers, take advantage of Warrahoon cards AND display their knowledge of TT Carnival.”

The game is Le Platte’s homage to our festival of beauty, colour, and pageantry while keeping the rich and nuanced history of the festival at the fore: the music, costuming, and performance. He says as internationally renown as our festival is, many do not know some of its earliest and deepest roots. He gives examples such as the year the first Panorama was held or when the Canboulay Riots occurred in Port of Spain – such knowledge is shared and preserved through Santimanitay, with its engaging gameplay, cadre of memorable characters, and challenging questions.

Designed for two to eight players, Santimanitay is suitable for various occasions, “from a quiet evening at home to the highlight of a Friday night lime.” As Le Platte says, “From age eight to 80, choose a character and start the race!” These characters each have their own attributes and personalities, such as Matilda, an enterprising corn soup vendor and Daniel Piper (D. Piper), a “dedicated Associate Native Environmental Waste Acquisition & Monetisation Enterprise Specialist” (or, in layman’s terms, a bottle collector). The varied characters make it easy for persons who may be unfamiliar with Carnival to connect with the game through each of their unique personalities and histories.

A seasoned freelance graphic designer, illustrator and photographer, and a part-time lecturer in layout, graphic design, and photography, Le Platte has felt as one with the fabric of Carnival since childhood and has great adoration for its rich history. In creating Santimanitay, his goal was to capture the spirit and fun of TT while preserving inherent aspects of our country’s history and culture. “From the beautiful designs and illustrations to the carefully crafted trivia questions to the hilariously funny and fun characters and gameplay, Santimanitay is a must have in every household,” believes the creator.

While the game’s development is completely local in origin, it was produced in China – an experience Le Platte describes as a rewarding learning experience, especially having received the finished product. The game’s design is eye catching and incorporates the artist’s knack for colourful designs that can further entrance players. He shares that before the thought of producing the game entered his mind, he engaged in much research and prototyping. “When I was satisfied with the overall look of the game and the mechanics … I began seeking quotations from manufacturers both local and foreign,” he says of the process of deciding on a mode of production. Given the game’s niche style, he was initially interested in producing 500 units but says our local production markets start at a minimum production of 5000 units and could not facilitate the printing of his foldable game board. “I approached companies in the US and China and China ended up being most cost effective,” he states, adding that he paid special attention to the quality of materials (specifically the thickness and weight of stock). He comments that there was a “fair deal of back and forth” between the game’s manufacturers and himself, including further redesign to reduce his final production costs and assures that he was pleased with the quality of the finished product.

His advice to fellow citizens who may be seeking production options for personal projects is research, prototype, test, and research some more. “The more time you take refining your product, the less potential mistakes and bad decisions will be made when it’s time to produce and the cheaper it may end up being,” he recommends.

He plans to have Santimanitay available in stores and online for delivery in the near future. Initially, he made calls to various retail outlets to enquire about the possibility of stocking the board game but at the time did not have an actual product to show. Now, he is in the process of setting up meetings to continue to push for local distribution as he reiterates the game is an engaging creation that perpetuates appreciation for our cultural past. He notes that some locally conceived board games are strictly targeted to the TT population, which can exclude foreigners who may have a hard time following along. “Santimanitay takes that into consideration, making it more accessible to a wider audience, especially since the primary goal is to preserve and promote [our] culture.”

Lastly, Le Platte commends our raw local talent in the creative fields and expresses his hope that Santimanitay can encourage more local artists to explore their creativity and produce quality products of an international standard to “help put and keep Trinidad and Tobago on the map.”