Late pledges are open for Hair Band - a dice placement, engine-building, and resource management game where you form an upstart ’80s glam metal band in Hollywood and compete to become the most awesome new act on the Sunset Strip.
Write songs, play shows, post flyers, and party your way to rock stardom. Be the first band to earn a record deal to win!
🎸 Limited Kickstarter content available while supplies last.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
YOU DID IT! Hair Band Just Played to 721 Legends 🤘
2 months ago
– Thu, Mar 26, 2026 at 01:58:29 PM
721 backers. 300%+ funded. WOW.
That’s incredible - and it’s all because of you.
Whether you jumped in early or came in clutch at the end, every pledge, comment, and share helped bring Hair Band to life. I seriously can’t thank you enough. You will all be forever a part of the history of this game.
I wanted to say this properly, so I recorded this for you:
What Happens Next?
Here’s what’s coming up:
• Final files & manufacturing - I’ll be verifying final files with Boda Games (our manufacturing partner) and moving Hair Band into production.
• Pledge manager - In the coming weeks, you’ll get an invite to confirm your info, select add-ons, and handle shipping.
• Updates along the way - I’ll continue to keep you updated here with progress and previews.
• Delivery - Then we get this thing to your table 🤘
One More Thing
As of now, Hair Band won’t be heading to traditional retail after the campaign (aside from retailers who backed here), so this group is truly the core crew who made it happen.
🤘 Thank You
This has been an unreal ride. I’m incredibly grateful to have you along for it.
Final Call: Hair Band Ends Tonight 🤘
3 months ago
– Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 10:20:29 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
🎸 FINAL WEEK – Don’t Miss Your Chance to Join the Band
3 months ago
– Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 05:10:32 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Rocking Dice Tower West / Meet The Clowns
3 months ago
– Tue, Mar 17, 2026 at 11:22:20 AM
Hey Rockers! First off, another heartfelt thanks for being part of this project and for helping to make Hair Band happen. The project is now 200% FUNDED and rapidly approaching 500 backers. I'm so humbled and so grateful. Seriously, dudes - thank you!
Dice Tower West 2026
I spent this past weekend demoing Hair Band at Dice Tower West in Las Vegas, and it was a freaking blast. I met so many great people - some were already backers, and many became backers after playing! We swapped stories about our favorite '80s rock bands and concerts, and about how awesome it was to grow up with this music. Many of you know hair metal better than I do, so I even learned a thing or two. It was also great seeing how much fun everyone had identifying the easter eggs in the game. Such a great time - thanks to everyone who stopped by!
Just a few of the awesome people who totally kicked ass with us at Dice Tower West 2026. Some were even brave enough to rock the wigs we brought.
Something a little different in the spotlight this week. Thought you might dig learning a little more about the 2 clowns primarily responsible for this crazy game. Let's kick it off with a brief Thwapped Magazine interview with game designer and Frown Clown #1, Dickie Chapin.
1999 vs. now. I miss that purple pinstripe suit..
Thwapped: So tell us about yourself and how you got into game design.
Dickie: Sure! I'm a Gen X guy raised on pizza, movies, and MTV. I grew up in the Midwest, moved to Chicago after college, and now live in the Los Angeles area with my awesome wife and two amazing daughters.
As an artistic only child, I occupied my time creating games I could play by myself, including many dice-based sports sims. I spent thousands of hours playing out entire baseball and football seasons in my room. Fast forward to 2018, when I discovered modern board games and the TTS/Discord game design community. I went down the rabbit hole and never looked back. I started Frown Clowns Games in 2021, and Hair Band will be our third self-release. I've also signed several designs with other publishers, most of which will be coming out over the next few years. The design community is full of awesome people, and I'm loving every day of this journey.
Thwapped: Why did you design a game about hair metal bands? Were you in one?
Dickie: Having grown up on MTV and Headbangers Ball, hair metal was one of the first themes I knew I wanted to design a game around. Being a teenager in the '80s was the BEST, and these bands were everywhere at the time. They inspired me to grow my hair, learn to play drums, and pursue a music career. By the time I was in college and started playing in bands, hair metal was no longer cool - but we all secretly still loved it, and glam and guitars became the foundation for all my future bands.
Thwapped: Where did you turn for inspiration/research when creating Hair Band?
Dickie: I had a good deal of general knowledge of the genre from seeing it on TV, along with plenty of personal experience from playing in rock bands for two decades. I read (or re-read) books like Nothin' But A Good Timeand Motley Crue's The Dirt, and re-watched movies like Decline Of Western Civilization Pt II: The Metal Years, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, and of course This Is Spinal Tap. I even got together with several ex-bandmates to brainstorm Drama card scenarios, which was a total riot. A lot of those stories made it into the final game.
Thwapped: For those of us who know the genre, are there any references or easter eggs in the game we might recognize?
Dickie:Hair Band is FULL of them! Almost every component is a tribute to, and/or spoof of, actual hair metal lore: the titles on the Song cards, the venue names, Drama card scenarios, and even the Rockers themselves. I packed in as much nostalgia as possible. In fact, I recommend adding this house rule: whenever an easter egg comes up, the first player to identify the source gets an Awesome point.
Thwapped: What does the future look like for Hair Band? Are you planning any expansions?
Dickie: We're already working on new Content Packs (in addition to the Afterparty pack we're currently offering). Each will include a set of new Drama cards, along with one or two other elements to enhance and expand gameplay. One will even include a solo mode (by popular demand!). In fact, our illustrator Bambang is already working on new Rocker illustrations for the Divas & Dregs pack.
Thwapped: Do you have anything else on the horizon we can look forward to?
Dickie: I designed a beefed up, more gamer-focused version of my first game, Joystick Heroes, that got picked up by one of my favorite publishers (set for release in 2027). I also have a few more titles with other excellent publishers coming out over the next year or two. On the Frown Clowns front, we'll be crowdfunding a bundle of card games later this year. And I'm especially excited to announce another '80s arcade-themed co-design with my good friend Nate Heater (Garage Rock), coming to Kickstarter next spring.
Bambang is the artistic genius behind Hair Band's incredible illustrations. Also known online as B.A.W or Matatridatu, he says:
"My basic drawing skills are self-taught, so my techniques are sometimes different. I enjoy working with pencil, watercolor, oils, and creating digital art. As an art director at an advertising agency by day, I also make videos and films. In addition to commercial illustrations, I also love creating character artwork for comics and games, both locally and internationally. I am very proud and appreciative of being part of the team behind Hair Band!"
When I came across Bambang’s work in a Facebook group, I reached out and asked if he was familiar with '80s glam metal. He replied with an enthusiastic “YES!” and immediately rattled off a bunch of obscure bands I’d barely heard of. Starting in 2018 and continuing over the next few years, he pumped out Rocker after Rocker until we had more than 75 unbelievable illustrations. I still can’t believe my luck in finding this incredibly talented artist, and I’m convinced there’s no one better on the planet for Hair Band.
Here's a short video showing Bambang's process:
DDR Rocks
I also want to quickly thank my friends at DDR Music Group for providing the music featured in the Hair Band trailer and our social media ads. Be sure to check them out - there are so many great bands you might remember if you were on the Strip back in the day, along with some new ones. DDR’s artists provide the perfect soundtrack for your Hair Band sessions.
Fav Guitarist?
Lastly, tell me in the comments below - who was your favorite guitarist from the '80s hair metal / hard rock scene?
Mine was Vito Bratta (White Lion). Zakk Wylde said his solo in Wait was one of the best he’d ever heard. And here’s a fun one - KISS once asked him to replace Ace Frehley, but he declined. Go back and listen to his solos - they’re bonkers.
As always, please keep spreading the word! As a small indie publisher, every backer matters. There are only 8 days left in the campaign, so let’s finish with a bang!
You Screamed, We Listened! 🎤
3 months ago
– Wed, Mar 04, 2026 at 03:14:15 PM
Hey Rockers, we're 1 week into the campaign! Thank you again for being part of the show. Some fun stuff to share in this update, but first the big news...
Expanded Shipping!
After receiving messages from disappointed gamers in regions of the world where we didn't plan to ship Hair Band, I'm thrilled to announce that we've partnered with a new fulfillment company that allows us to open the doors a little wider. Australia, New Zealand China, Japan, and several others... you're IN! Check the updated Shipping chart on the campaign page for full details.
This leads us to some good news / bad news for those who backed the All Access Pledge that includes our 5 Wards game. Bad news first. Since 5 Wards is already manufactured and warehoused with a different partner here in the U.S., we'll need to ship it to you separately. The good news? It'll now ship immediately after the pledge manager closes! So you'll get your copy of 5 Wards several months earlier than expected. Since your pledge will now require 2 packages, I'm eating a chunk of the shipping cost.
Future Hair Band Goodies?
You: Hey, Frown Clowns! The base game is cool, and the Afterparty Content Pack gives me extra stuff... but do you plan to expand Hair Band in the future? Us: YES, and you can help!Join the Hair Band Facebook group now and participate in our poll to let us know what you'd like to see added to the game. With your support we can't wait to give you more mayhem to play with.
Hair Band's Show cards represent the venues where your band can perform. Their parody names pay tribute to 6 of Hollywood's most famous rock clubs from the 80s. How many can you identify? Answer in the comments!
Best Concert Experience?
Lastly, I want to hear about one of your most memorable concert experiences. I'll start:
Blind Melon at Bogart's in Cincinnati, early 90's. The band was unexpectedly amazing and the venue was jam packed. We were pressed so hard against the stage that when my petite friend had to pee we just formed a little circle around her and she went in the floor (she never would've made it out OR back in). She squealed with laughter till the last drop. Glad we weren't barefoot like the band was.
