< Experience

NRMA
Help! The Board Game

Collider was engaged by Che/Proximity and NRMA to create a highly unique, original and engaging way for NRMA to better prepare their staff for the different needs of everyday Australian’s looking to insure their way of life.

We played a lot of our favourite games and learned what we liked and didn’t like about each one. We absorbed everything, from the experience of playing the games, to how the game pieces were designed, packaged and explained.

Collider developed a custom game simulator for the board game that would allow us to run 1000s of games to tweak the game mechanism and improve game play.

We created custom testing software that could simulate how our game might work better, allowing us to iterate and test ideas across thousands of virtual game sessions to improve the experience of the game.

The production of the game set was meticulously overseen by Collider to create a crafted and well-made object.

Physical rapid prototyping through to hand-painted final.

The 3D characters (re-articulated from original designs by Julian Frost) were all meticulously colour specified for hand-painting.

While the game was at first created as a limited edition of 300, given the success of the concept NRMA gave the green light to produce a further 30,000 units and find distribution through some of Australia's largest retailers. The campaign led to a 32% increase in brand awareness for NRMA and thousands of dollars raised for the Australian Red Cross.

Help! won a Silver Spike for Design at the 2021 Spikes Asia.

Find out more about the game here

Medium. Experience
Client. NRMA
Title. Help! The Board Game

With COVID-19 and its unavoidable impact on normal life, Australians found countless ways to entertain themselves while locked indoors; from indoor hobbies to puzzles and board games. As board game sales started to spike, NRMA Insurance saw an opportunity shift from a low involvement category and get into the hands of consumers at a time when they are turning the television off, and turning to their families and loved ones.

HELP! makes confusing lawyer-jargon fun and mimics the real-risks of living down under. With every roll of the dice, players can either protect their assets with giant domes (insurance) or risk losing them to everything from bushfires to snakes to storms, cyclones, sharks and burglars.

We began to think about what it means to play a game about insurance...without ever mentioning insurance. But first, we had to understand what makes a good game and why anyone would want to play ours? We had a lot to learn. We played a lot of our favourite games and learned what we liked and didn’t like about each one. We absorbed everything, from the experience of playing the games, to how the game pieces were designed, packaged and explained.

We wanted a truly Australian experience. So we created a board game that would capture our unique natural and cultural diversity and all the nuances that make us who we are. A large part of the game experience came through good design and every aspect of the game was a highly considered element.

With Che/Proximity and NRMA we created a highly unique, original and engaging way for NRMA to better prepare their staff for the different needs of everyday Australian’s looking to insure their way of life.

Credits:

IAG

Brent Smart — Chief Marketing Officer
Zara Curtis — Director of Content and Customer Engagement
Sally Kiernan — Director, Brand
Caroline Hugall — Group Brand Strategy Director
Luke Farrell — Director of Marketing Operations
Mahsa Merat — Creative & Innovation Specialist
Anna Jackson — Brand Strategy Lead
Sam McGown — Creative & Innovation Lead

CHE Proximity

Ant White — Chief Creative Officer
Wesley Hawes — Executive Creative Director
Ashley Wilding — Creative Director
Daniel Davison — Creative Director
Nico Smith — Senior Art Director
Mark Carbone — Senior Copywriter
Zac Pritchard — Senior Copywriter
Holly Alexander — Director, Strategic Production
Darren Cole — Head of Design
Reece Lawson — Digital Design Lead
Michael McGregor — Designer
Nick Andrews — Head of Strategy
Olivier Boulbain — Senior Technology Project Manager
Chris Howatson — Group CEO
Shane Holmes — Group Account Director
Tyson Mahon — Senior Account Director

Collider

Murray Bell — Experience Director
Andrew van der Westhuyzen — Creative Director
Mitchell Brown — Senior Designer
Naomi Iland — Producer
Hugh Carrick-Allen — Technical Director
Guy Robinson — 3D Modelling
Game Simulations — Andrew Wright

Character Illustration

Julian Frost (Jacky Winter)

Techcreators

Ted Esdaile-Watts

Game Theory Consultant

Brendan Keogh