BLOG: Be like Bruno!

Late Spring season is the moment of the year when geeks read reports from two famous exclusive conventions: Alan Moon’s Gathering of Friends and Bruno’s Faidutti Gathering of Friends. One takes place in Niagara Falls, the other in a small village in France. Both events look so cool.

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It was 12 or 11 years ago when for the first time I read a report from Bruno’s Faidutti Gathering of Friends. I looked at every picture, every photo posted on Bruno’s blog and I was imagining how cool that would be to attend such event. Back then board game scene in Poland was extremely small, there was no board game revolution yet, there were no publishers, no designers, we were at the very dawn of the whole thing. Looking at the photos from France was like daydreaming.

I am not a dreamer though. I am the executioner. I do stuff. So I simply decided I will copy Bruno’s idea and I will do such a convention myself in Poland, I will gather my friends and I’ll see what happens.

And I did. I invited friends, I asked them to invite their friends, and here we were with 20 fans of board games playing games all weekend long. Back then it was probably 10% of the whole population of board games fans in Poland. We had a blast. The whole concept of the gathering was dead simple and it worked so well.

What are the ingredients?

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The place. Find a nice place that can facilitate both – board gaming and relax. Alan Moon chooses Niagara Falls, and there is a ton of attractions other than board games if you only cross the Canadian border Visiting Snake and Lattes in Toronto, or Canadian part of the Niagara Falls with all these awesome restaurants is always a part of the event. Bruno, on the other hand, went for the countryside, the convention is in the middle of nowhere and trust me, this is one of the most awesome countrysides you’ll ever see. Old, small French villages look stunning. Both events have these feeling of board game retreat, of you packing your favorite games and going for an awesome trip to meet other geeks.

Speaking of games. At Alan’s Moon Gathering participants bring their games and man, this is an epic view (and I showed some of it in the Informant video recorded at the event). Some gamers bring games along with their very own shelves for games! At Bruno’s it is mostly Bruno’s epic collection – each year he brings the whole trunk of games. You’d need months to play each of these games. Both conventions have a crazy mix of the newest releases and some old gems, unique boxes that are out of print for years. When you invite geeks, each geek brings something exceptional, huh? Such gathering is the easiest way to create the most diverse and interesting con library – just ask your friends to bring something rare and awesome.

Last ingredient? The easy-going atmosphere. Both cons have the same vibe – you just enjoy the moment. People on one hand play games, on the other drink beer and talk about the games, discuss the hobby, chill out, enjoy the fact that they are in their natural habitat, surrounded by games and freaks like themselves. Whatever you play a game or you are having a lunch with gamer friends, it is a treat. It’s no regular convention rush, it is not regular convention crowds and noise, it’s just a small gathering of friends who all share the same passion.

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It’s that simple. Find a place for a weekend retreat, invite your friends and their friends and have a mini board game convention with a good food, with a great selection of games and with hours of a great time. Play games you never had a chance to play at home. Discover gems from other players collection. Play your fav games with somebody new, not your regular group and discover how other gamers approach the game. Socialize. Have fun. It’s really that simple.

My very own Ignacy Trzewiczek’s Gathering of Friends is called Trzewiczkon, it takes place in September, when all the games I was designing and producing during the year are ready, sent to print and I can relax, when Essen fair is just around the corner and it is finally a time to take a deep breath and just chill out. I rent a place for a weekend, I invite friends, we bring games and we just have a great time.

Be like Bruno. Be like Ignacy. Gather your friends. Have a great weekend.


Originally posted on BTTS Blog on BGG Forum: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/77121/be-bruno

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.