In Black and White: November 2020

It’s been two years since the creation of this blog. A starting point for a journey with no destination, and with no set direction, with games as route companions. In particular, those I own, some of which have been around for time long enough to be measured in decades, while others are newcomers. Wandering in the land of games.

For a long time, these were mostly worlds to explore and, as they say, (well) spend some time. In solitary, with family, with friends. By then, I knew nothing about the creators of the said games. Many of the boxes did not even displayed their names. Best known were some publishers, such as Majora and Karto, here in Portugal, or Avalon Hill and JeuxDescartes, abroad.

Much has changed since then, as I have been discovering thanks to the bends and crossroads of this path of mine, and my desire to explore the emerging trails. From the blog, solo project, to occasional translations. From translations to proofreading. From proofreading to the analysis and suggestions regarding game rules still in development. Hence the writing of narrative texts, to enrich the stories beneath. From the rules to play tests, in which processes and balances are put to the test. Always moving upstream in the development process, meeting the creators.

The number of contacts increased quite rapidly. Some of them mere one-offs, others regular ones, some others half-way in between, undefined, waiting for this story to unfold. Those collaborations that stem from the mere will to contribute, proper to the hobby spirit, now coexist alongside professional collaborations.

Games now have people behind them, and at their forefront. So many people, with their own history, projects, dreams, challenges, anxieties, difficulties, with similar or radically different paths. People.

To list them all is a risky business, because I may forget some ... Not least, since they have grown in numbers! But it is a risk worth taking! And so, follow a list of people and companies with whom I collaborated, or have been collaborating, in one way or another.

David Mendes - Pythagoras Games José Antonio Garrido - MasQueOca

Gil d'Orey - MEBO Games Orlando Sá

Mateusz Kupilas Francisco Álamo - Maldito Games

Paul Grogan - Gaming Rules Colin Webster Pablo Garaizar

Martin Zeeb - Board Game Circus Janice Turner - Wren Games

Chris Anderson - The BoardGame Workshop André Santos

Pedro Kerouac Petr Vojtěch - Time Slug Studio Shayan Sharks

David Liu - Moaideas Game Design Joel Bodkin David Digby

Andrew Bosley - Witts End Przemek Dołęgowski - Lucky Duck Games

Caezar Al-Jassar - Alley Cat Games Matteo Gravina - 3 EMME

Eric Francis João Quintela Martins - Art and Games Pedro Silva

Fabian Fischer - Crimson Company Jeff Beck - Uproarious Games

Dawson Cowals - Cohort VIII Games Lukus Adam Robert Elliott

Jonathan Gilmour - Pandasaurus Games Steffen Rühl - Funtails

Scott James - Minerva Tabletop Games Jordi SamRod - 2Tomatoes

Carla Kopp - Weird Giraffe Games Robert @StartPlayer

Wonmin Lee - Pegasus Games Gottani

At the same time, the participation in events were also increasing, joining scores of people around game tables, now shared with both acquaintances and strangers, players and designers, editors and organizers.

Invicta Con 2018 (Gondomar)

Leiria Con 2019 (Praia da Vieira, Leiria)

Ria Con 2019 (Estarreja)

Invicta Con 2019 (Gondomar)

AFK Party (Cacia, 2020)

The meetings of Grupo de Boardgamers de Aveiro.

Then ..., well ..., then the pandemic arrived, with the ensuing trail of cancellations. The meetings were suspended, postponed, rescheduled; some reopened, just to close again. The games returning to more confined circles.

Well, not entirely. Some have been dematerialized, migrating to the now common digital platforms, or to the new ways of playing at a distance, where regular mail has long been replaced by video or chat systems.

It is true that it is not quite the same thing, not having the same proximity nor the relationship with the game as a physical object. But it is also true that it not only makes it possible to continue playing at a larger scale, but also allows encounters that would not otherwise be possible.

And that is how I participated in my first virtual convention, Virtual Gridcon, organized by Paul Grogan.