Keymaster Games

Keymaster Games is a tabletop game publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee, best known for games that combine accessible rules with strong visual themes. Its most recognized release is PARKS, a game about hiking through the United States national parks. PARKS was designed by Henry Audubon and features artwork from the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series, an art project that created posters celebrating individual American national parks. Players collect resources such as sunlight, water, mountains, and wildlife while moving along a trail, then use those resources to visit parks and obtain photographs. The game’s subject is therefore tied directly to real public lands rather than an invented fantasy setting.

PARKS was released in 2019 after a successful Kickstarter campaign and received attention for its production design, including illustrated park cards, wooden resource tokens, and a distinctive trail system that changes during play. Keymaster later published Nightfall, an expansion that introduces new park cards, equipment, and weather-related challenges. The publisher also released Wildlife, a larger PARKS expansion that adds animals, camping, and additional strategic options.

Keymaster followed PARKS with TRAILS, a related but separate game designed by Henry Audubon. TRAILS condenses the hiking concept into a shorter route and uses illustrations from the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series. Instead of simply copying PARKS, it gives players a different movement structure, including a trail that reverses direction and a system for collecting resources while encountering wildlife. This allowed Keymaster to build a recognizable series around the same real-world conservation theme while offering a distinct play experience.

Another Keymaster title is Caper, a heist game in which players draft cards to recruit thieves, equip them, and compete to control locations across Europe. Its card-driven structure focuses on assembling complementary crews rather than resolving a conventional combat campaign. Keymaster also published Control, a strategy game centered on political influence, and Camp Pinetop, which uses the setting of a summer camp for a lighter competitive experience.

Across these releases, Keymaster Games has established a catalog defined by specific settings, illustrated components, and relatively approachable strategic systems. PARKS remains the company’s signature work because it connects modern board-game design with the recognizable geography and identity of America’s national parks. The partnership with the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series also gives the game a direct link to contemporary poster art and conservation awareness, distinguishing Keymaster’s flagship title from generic nature-themed games. Through PARKS, TRAILS, and its other releases, the Nashville publisher has built a clear identity around polished presentation, inviting themes, and games that encourage players to explore a place, community, or shared activity.