How Did The Old Shanghai Game Start?
How About the Name?
The Old Shanghai Game got its start beside the historic ships of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. The ghosts of the Barbary Coast still haunt the streets near old Meigg’s Wharf, and sturdy wooden row boats from the South End still slide across the bay in a fight with the flooding tide. Sailors took big chances in their work and in their play, so a game of chance seemed perfect for telling their stories. I created this game to highlight one of the dark, intriguing chapters in San Francisco history. The Shanghai System was a key part of the maritime economy on the Pacific Coast, and stories of Shanghai Kelly and the legendary gangs that ran wild in the late 1800’s add excitement to the game.
The design inspiration for the game comes from “Clipper Cards”. These cards were advertising for the fast ships that sailed “around the horn” from the east coast to San Francisco in the 1850’s. It was a race to California, and the quicker a miner could get a stake, the faster his fortune was made! I’ve added a gallery of Clipper Cards under the History tab. Thanks for taking an interest in my game! If you have any questions or ideas, please contact me at John@kismetSF.com
The Old Shanghai Game got its start beside the historic ships of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. The ghosts of the Barbary Coast still haunt the streets near old Meigg’s Wharf, and sturdy wooden row boats from the South End still slide across the bay in a fight with the eternal tide. Sailors took chances in their work and in their play, so a game of chance seemed perfect for telling their stories. I created this game to highlight a dark, intriguing chapter in San Francisco history. The Shanghai System was a key part of the maritime economy on the Pacific Coast, and stories of Shanghai Kelly and the legendary gangs that ran wild in the late 1800’s add excitement to the game.
The design inspiration for the game comes from “Clipper Cards”. These cards were advertising for the fast ships that sailed “around the horn” from the east coast to San Francisco in the 1850’s. The faster the ship, the quicker a man could stake his claim and get rich! I’ve added a gallery of Clipper Cards under the History tab. Thanks for taking an interest in my game! If you have any questions or ideas, please contact me at John@kismetSF.com or sign up for updates
Game Creator John MacDougall has an extensive background in the Toy & Game world. He owned a Toy Store for many years, and most recently managed Marbles the Brain Store and the San Francisco Maritime Retail Store. He also operates SFBay Bike Tours, as a bicycle tour guide. This is him practicing his Shanghai’ing skills on San Francisco Bay along with members of the South-Enders gang.
Special thanks to all who helped: Karen Johnson for design work; Chris MacDougall for artwork on the Drink Up & Drunken Sailor (and model work); Gamescape for play testing and the SF Maritime Research Library for image help.