Bruce Allen

Born in 1957, I have been living in Germany near Marburg since 1965 and am presently working as a software designer.
The following symptoms of game-designer fever already appeared during my years of study:
•    the urge to improve games with self-made rules, and
•    the gathering of strange items, mostly geometrical shapes or small figurines, which certainly will be used in a game design some day, sooner or later.
But an early first attempt at designing a soccer board game was aborted in favour of playing it live with friends on the football field.  
The decisive turning point was my visit to the very first “Spieletage” in Essen in 1983. From then on, the yearly pilgrimage to Essen has lead to a fast-growing game collection. These games are in constant danger of being plundered to provide parts for my new designs.
With the growing number of “finished” game designs, a new symptom has developed: Friends and acquaintances mutate into possible and actual play-testers.
Now, by the way, is the time to thank them all for their effort, patience, and valuable feedback.
Concerning the game-designer fever, a certain relief came from meeting other designers, mostly through their help and advice and the realization that I am not the only one infected. A deeper relief is felt when a game of mine is received favourably by the play-testers and naturally, I am most happy when it is picked up by a game publisher and is given the chance to be played by a large audience.

Hobbies:

Board games, fantasy role playing, movies, badminton and playing the drums.

Games I would take with me to a remote island:

Tichu, Nexus Ops (Best of two worlds), Taluva (to stay alert, the island might be volcanic and still active), Bausack Sac Noir (to improve dexterity, and great for building an earthquake early-warning system), Dawn Under (for memory training in case the stay lasts longer than expected), The Princes of Machu Piccu, Ghost Stories, Galaxy Trucker, Race for the Galaxy, Navia Dratp , Once Upon a Time, Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow (main reason: if there are enough players for that, then the island cannot be not too lonely), Kubb.

First games I remember playing:

Hector Heathcote – The Minute-and-a-Half Man
(obviously responsible for my interest in games with a tongue-in-cheek theme).

Games

• 2009 Tobago