If you’ve wandered through Forest Books and Media in Winkler, Morklers in Morden, or found yourself in the Home Hardware in Holland, you may have spotted a pixel-art duck staring up at you from a bright little card box.
You’ve just encountered DuckShot: a homemade card game designed and produced by 14-year-old Caleb Giesbrecht.
Yes, 14.
This young creative from the Pembina Valley is cutting out cards, writing game rules, and coding websites by hand.
“I just had an idea one day, and I just sat down and wrote the rules out,” Caleb explained. “And then I started making the graphics.”
The graphics—intentionally pixelated—give the game a nostalgic feel from the 80s that can be found in many indie video games today. Caleb designed them simply because, as he puts it, “I like the pixelated look. I think it looks cool.”
Introducing DuckShot
So, what is DuckShot? It’s a strategic, often chaotic card game that blends quick thinking with a healthy dose of duck-related sabotage. According to Caleb, “The goal of the game is to get 3 ducks and not let your opponents take them away before you get 3.”
Simple enough—until you’re faced with shotgun cards, steal cards, ducklings, pelicans, and even decoys.
“There’s a spoil card, and you can spoil someone’s duck, and then you put it at the bottom of a discard pile,” Caleb explained. “And then there’s a swap card, and that one will bring the bottom card of the discard pile to the top—so that’s how you can shoot spoiled ducks again.”
It’s clever, offbeat, and full of just the kind of zany interactions and logic that you’d expect from someone who once modified a toaster to launch toast two feet into the air.
Related stories:
- ‘It was unbelievable’: Winklerite achieves personal best at famed Boston Marathon
- Morris robotics team sees success on Day 1 of world championships
Making DuckShot a reality
Giesbrecht shared that the journey from idea to finished product took a fair amount of work, researching printing companies, balancing cost versus quality, and finding ways to keep production within his budget.
His very first copies were painstakingly cut out by hand, complete with carefully rounded corners.
Eventually, he found a more affordable option and ordered professional copies. Now, DuckShot is available for around $20. And for those wanting to learn more or get updates, Giesbrecht coded a full website himself: duckshot.ca, which he built in HTML.
“Currently, it says where it’s for sale and it talks a bit about it, and then I’m planning on putting on there the rules in a video and in more detail.”
And for now? Caleb’s just hoping his hometown supports his duck-fueled vision. “I’m thinking they will. I hope they will.”
So, the next time a game night comes around or you’re packing for the lake, consider passing on Monopoly, Catan, or Unstable Unicorns, and look at maybe grabbing a copy of DuckShot: the chaotic card game dreamt up right here in the Pembina Valley.