It all started when a 10 year old boy who loves to play games was going to see his cousins for Thanksgiving in 2014. He didn't want to bring a game that he had already played a lot. According to his father, that limited his options since they both like to play games. Before leaving, Travis Cleveland had come up with the idea and found the supplies he would need to play a new game. This would be the first version of what would eventually become "Mission: Flag Recovery," an active game that is similar to a cross between Capture The Flag and a scavenger hunt. Travis' father, Matt Cleveland, remembers Travis asking him if he wanted to play a game with his cousin, "It was a lot of fun. We played it for a long time that day. And, it is pretty amazing it is the exact same game that we are selling right now. We didn't have to fine tune the rules at all. We just made it nicer looking!"
The premise of the game is that Player 1 has captured your flag and locked it in a hidden location. Player 2 must find the 10 keys to 10 different locks in order to get the flag back. These keys can be hidden all over your house so you are not just sitting around looking at the same board every game. Travis had the imagination to use a simple piece of notebook paper for a lock. He had some various keys that he had collected over the years. He drew an outline around the key on the paper. You had to match the key to the outline in order to "unlock" the lock. That way, one key would unlock only one lock. "It's actually very easy to play. You just need to play it once and you'll get it," Matt explains.
After returning home from Thanksgiving, Travis and his dad continued to play the game. Eventually, Matt suggested to Travis they could produce copies of the game and sell it. Travis liked the idea. They each put in $20 to buy supplies and they began making the game with the purchased supplies and material already in their home. "We made a few and they turned out great for our first try," Matt recalls. "I thought we could sell these, but maybe with a little more capital investment we could produce a better product. I was very impressed Travis agreed. I mean, he had already invested $20 and he was only 10 years old!"
Over the course of the winter, Travis and his dad made almost 100 copies of the game. They began selling them at festivals, fairs, and other events in the spring. "Travis is a great salesman and people were really amazed at the game when he would explain it to them. There was one woman who thought we were a charity preserving American flags. She tried to make a donation. I refused it but Travis started to explain the game to her. She ended up buying a copy!" Matt said with a laugh. "We never made a ton of money at an event, but it was all worth it. From seeing Travis invest his time and money into future reward, to seeing him learn sales, to having the two of us do something together, it has been a rewarding experience for both of us."
After returning home from Thanksgiving, Travis and his dad continued to play the game. Eventually, Matt suggested to Travis they could produce copies of the game and sell it. Travis liked the idea. They each put in $20 to buy supplies and they began making the game with the purchased supplies and material already in their home. "We made a few and they turned out great for our first try," Matt recalls. "I thought we could sell these, but maybe with a little more capital investment we could produce a better product. I was very impressed Travis agreed. I mean, he had already invested $20 and he was only 10 years old!"
Over the course of the winter, Travis and his dad made almost 100 copies of the game. They began selling them at festivals, fairs, and other events in the spring. "Travis is a great salesman and people were really amazed at the game when he would explain it to them. There was one woman who thought we were a charity preserving American flags. She tried to make a donation. I refused it but Travis started to explain the game to her. She ended up buying a copy!" Matt said with a laugh. "We never made a ton of money at an event, but it was all worth it. From seeing Travis invest his time and money into future reward, to seeing him learn sales, to having the two of us do something together, it has been a rewarding experience for both of us."
Even if people don't buy the game, the universal response is that it is very clever. After selling a member of the local Rotary Club a copy, Travis was invited to talk to the group about his game. The owner of The Fancy Unicorn, a children's consignment boutique in Elizabethtown, PA, asked Travis if she could stock his game in her store when she bought a game. "In order to be put on the waiting list to be a vendor at next year's fair, one organizer asked that potential vendors come to this year's show and introduce themselves and their product," Matt said talking about a craft fair they tried to join that was full. "While Travis was explaining the game on the first night of their 2-day event, a shopper passing by asked where she could buy the game. Travis sold the game to her. Then, the organizer made room for us for the next day of the sale!"
Travis has a lot of diverse interests. He plays baseball, soccer, and basketball. He follows the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens. He enjoys biking, collecting stamps, and astronomy. He still makes loom bands and recently started to learn how to crochet. He loves to play games. His father says that being creative is just one part of Travis. "At the last craft fair we did, several other vendors told me he is 'well spoken,' 'very helpful,' and 'a great conversationalist.' I knew he would be successful at anything he did. It's even better to know what a good person he is."
It's been a year neither father or son could have predicted. "I'm surprised at how much we've done with the game. It's gone beyond anything I imagined," Travis said.
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Mission: Flag Recovery would make a great stocking stuffer or gift this Christmas for any child ages 8 and up! To purchase a copy and for more information,
visit Mission: Flag Recovery or email victory@missionflagrecovery.com.
The game can also be purchased locally at The Fancy Unicorn in Downtown Elizabethtown.
visit Mission: Flag Recovery or email victory@missionflagrecovery.com.
The game can also be purchased locally at The Fancy Unicorn in Downtown Elizabethtown.
***Giveaway!***
Two lucky subscribers will each win a Mission: Flag Recovery game!
