Tags
Facebook’s algorithms have decided I like to look at pictures of old rock bands, taken when those bands were in their prime. As a reader of this blog, you know the era (and the kinds of bands from that era) that draw me in. Facebook knows this as well.
For reasons not shared by Facebook’s algorithm designers, these things tend to come in waves. That is, rather than a gentle prodding across all those things that might strike my interest on Facebook, on any given day (or days, more likely) their software will hit me with a mountain of pictures and stories from one band or one movie. One of those waves that keeps washing up on my shore of the moment is The Runaways.
Typically I am hit with photos of the band accompanied by stories of their time together. The focus is predominantly on Joan Jett. This makes sense, both because she took the lead with The Runaways and the success of her post-band solo1 career. The Facebook campaign broke with their mold a little bit when the most recent photo that popped up for me was of Jackie Fox. She’s shown alone in her parents house posing in a very era-specific pair of gold lamé jeans.
What drew my attention even more is that the photo is posted by the Facebook identity belonging (via the “public page”) to Jackie Fox herself. A couple of clicks brought me my biggest surprise of the night. The blurb that identifies the page’s owner explains that it is “board game designer and Runaways bassist Jackie Fox.” First and foremost a designer of board games. I knew I needed to learn more about that.
The game reference is to Rock Hard: 1977 and it is featured on BoardGameGeek as a prototype while it is prepared for final release. Her BGG biography nods at a prior game-design credit, for The Adventures of the Chubby Slugz, although that title is not featured on the site.
I have to think that if I ever became a famous rock and roll star, I would expect that the status of my accomplishment would relieve me from the burden of ever again working a boring day job. Of course, I’m already approaching that age where society will expect me to forgo all boring day jobs by just retiring, so my personal lack of ambition is probably less than telling. If you leave your big thing at 18, an age when most of us are still trying to figure out what to do first, it makes sense to get on with your life. While Joan Jett, Lita Ford, and Micki Steele stuck it out successfully in the rock business, other band members went on to, shall we say, regular careers.
Jackie Fox earned a BA from UCLA and then a law degree from Harvard. She focused her career on the entertainment industry working mostly in promotions. Creatively-speaking, she wrote a script with fellow-bassist-gone-straight Vicky Blue and has done some paid writing. On top of all of that, though, she has quite the resume on the games front.
She has appeared on a number of game shows, including The Dating Game, The Chase, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and Jeopardy! In the last, in a 2018 appearance, she won a not-too-shabby $87,089 over four shows.
Realistically, describing yourself first-and-foremost as a “game designer” right before your release your new game is smart marketing. I would expect marketing smarts from a Harvard-educated lawyer who has spent a career in show biz. Nonetheless, it feels cool – almost personal2.
Press releases say the game is aiming to retail in August. The concept looks fun. I’ll be eager to check out some reviews once it’s out.
![](https://ettubluto.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/lilrunaway.png?w=1024)
- When I was young, the first I ever heard of The Runaways was (if I recall) when Lita Ford did her duet with Ozzy. Who is Lita Ford, young minds wanted to know? She was in a band with Joan Jett, I was told; a band called The Runaways. ↩︎
- Don’t take this as a jab. When she writes about her game she writes like a game designer, not a marketeer. I have no reason to believe it’s not genuine. I’m just also saying it is also smart. For what it’s worth, her top-ranked game (from a player’s perspective) on BGG is Twilight Struggle. You gotta respect that. ↩︎