Meet the inventor of game Kitsune at Batavia library

There's a new game in town, and Kitsune is its name. Kitsune: Of Foxes and Fools is a card game for three to eight players based on Japanese folklore.

The game's inventor, Ian Price of Warrenville, will be at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave., from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 26, to teach students age 13 and older how to play this game of luck, strategy, and tactics.

Kitsune (kit-soo-nay) are Japanese fox-spirits who try to trick unwary mortals to earn nine tails. Playing cards include foxes, fools, tricks, and consequences.

Price, an avid game player since age nine, developed the game's concept over a period of about three years. Once he had the concept down, he enlisted the help of his brother Charles, then a student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, to create the fox and fool images, playing cards, and game box. Charles Price graduated from the college in 2013 and is now an illustrator and graphic designer and the art director for the game.

The brothers took the project to Kickstarter.com and the project was fully funded by August 2013. The brothers and their mother, Susan Price, who is also the venture's third partner, have taken the game to science fiction and gaming conventions throughout the Midwest for play-testing and demonstrations.

Young Adult librarian Christine Edison said that hosting the event is a logical choice for the library. The library has an active Anime Club, a monthly "Magic the Gathering" card game night, and frequent "Gaming Nights" for teens.

Learning the game takes about 15 minutes. Participants can arrive at any time between 1 and 3:45 p.m. to learn the game and are welcome to stay play the game until 4 p.m. According to Susan Price, a game usually takes an hour to an hour and a half to play. But if play gets very involved with trickery and tactics, the game could last longer.

Registration is not required. For more information, call the library Reference Desk at (630) 879-1393, Ext. 200.