BLOG: I created a monster

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(article was previously posted at Board Games That Tell Stories in 2011)

A long time ago in a far away galaxy, My Wife didn’t play board games. Then I showed her Cash & Guns and Citadels and she began to play games. My mates were jealous. My Wife played board games. Lucky me. It was a great time. But months passed…

***

One day I came back home and said that I just sold Adel Verpflichted. ‘What do you mean, you sold it?! Why haven’t you asked me?! I like that game! Bring it back!‘ Man, I felt like hit by a big hammer. She was serious. She was damn serious. I wasn’t allowed to sell Adel Verpflichted!

That day I discovered that there are games she likes. Games she wants us have at home. That was something new. That discovery cost me 14 euro. I had to buy Adel Verpflichted back again. No more my games collection. It was our games collection since then.

***

We were in a car, driving back from board games convention in Vienna and talking about games played there. ‘I want you to buy me Ingenious‘, she said. She was serious. She was damn serious. She wasn’t talkin’ about flowers. She wasn’t talkin’ about perfume. Nor about a new dress, handbag, ring. She was talkin’ about a board game. She wanted me to buy her a board game. Woow!

That day I discovered that My Wife – like my true gamer friends – fell in love with new titles. She plays a new game, she loves it and she wants it. That was something new. That discovery cost me 20 euro. I had to buy Ingenious.

***

Early September, few days after holidays. Kids sleep, silence at home. My Wife ask me to play Race for the Galaxy with her. In the last few weeks we played more than 50 games of RtfG. I am sick of it. I can not look at it. ‘No, thanks‘, I say. I hear my voice and I can’t believe it. I just refused to play board game. My Wife wants to play board game. I don’t want to play board game. This is crazy.

That day I discovered that I am not the only one at home who ask to play board games. And what is more, perhaps, I am not the truest gamer at home. It seemed that My Wife was more ‘geeky’ than me. I was scared. Terrified to be honest.

***

Few days ago. ‘Do you want to play The New Era?‘ she asks. No way. I am sick of it. She knows it. I refuse to play it since few weeks. I am asked to play every day and I do refuse it every day. This is deep deep defense. I refuse and refuse. This is terror. Seriously, I am in a corner, terrified. I feel like “a geek’s wife”, forced to play board game every single evening.

Never mind‘ she says ‘I asked Romek to come. He will play with me‘. She is serious. She is damn serious. They play New Era. I only watch. I don’t play. I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe this is happening.

This is my newest discovery. I created a monster. There is a true dangerous geek at my home. Help me.

Welcome to PORTAL GAMES

We are bookworms. Movie maniacs. Story addicts. We grew up reading Tolkien, Howard, Herbert, Dick, Lem… We were watching Willow, Blade Runner, Never Ending Story, Robin Hood…

And yet, we don’t write books… we don’t make movies. We don’t make those things, because we make games. We make games that tell stories.