To the Summit Battle of Board Games! Board Game Iron Man Advent Calendar December 3rd

Hello, I am MonoBeads.
The one making the games is 10-year-old Sara, but since those 13 and under cannot use social media,
her mother handles X and note.

Sara: Game Design
Mother: Public Relations and Miscellaneous Tasks
Father: Calculations and Quality Control
Older Brother: Harsh Tester
We are a family circle. We look forward to getting to know you.

Knowing that an advent calendar project would start ahead of the 2nd "Board Game Iron Man" to be held on December 15th,
and since we plan to participate for the second time following the first, I raised my hand to join.

What is the Board Game Iron Man Advent Calendar?

The "Board Game Iron Man" (Bodo-Tetsu) was a hot topic even before the first event was held.
This advent calendar is an unofficial project to dissect it from various perspectives, from the front to the back.
The project initiator, Majin-san from the RayArc New Business Unit,
has summarized the episodes everyone wanted to know in the first day's note!

Sara herself was in the middle of it, so she looked back on it with nostalgia, but reading it again, it really was a whirlwind of days.
It felt like storms occurred many times in a short period, and everyone was swept into the vortex.
I think the first tournament on June 9th was a day where that energy gathered, caused a chemical reaction, and exploded.

Before that, who is Sara?

That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet.

Sara (10 years old)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a board game boom arrived in our home, and she learned about Game Market.
She went to Game Market and began to admire game designers.
At age 8, she devised a word game using pistachio shells called
"Pistaword" and exhibited for the first time at the 2023 Spring Game Market.
Since then, she has made a new game for every Game Market,
and her 4th work, "Daigyoretsu" (Long Queue), won an honorable mention in the 2024 Arclight Game Awards.

Click here for more details about Pistaword

Click here for more details about Daigyoretsu

(The new game for Game Market Autumn isthe ski resort game "Suberunder the 1st", but
I haven't written the note for it yet. Sorry...)

Participation in the first event

While producing "Daigyoretsu," I went to many test play sessions and study groups,
and thanks to making many acquaintances in the board game community,
I started being invited to various projects and events.
One of them is this "Board Game Iron Man."

If my memory serves me correctly, it is an unprecedented board game event where 16 elite designers who have made a name for themselves in the industry, including those with big hits and commercially published works,
form teams of 4 on the spot and create a game in 2 hours.
The article by Ham-san of Nanaban is summarized very clearly.

It was the height of nervousness to participate mixed in with these 16 people
(and I had broken my bone just before and couldn't use one arm),
but Suita-shi-san, Tono-san, and Shinohara-san from the same Team Blue
listened to Sara's opinions as a member of the team,
and it seemed like her tension eased at an early stage.

Team Blue made full use of the materials they each brought,
kept creating new games every 10 minutes,
and with the execution power to repeat testing and improvement and solid teamwork,
we were able to win the honor of being the first champions.

(Naturally) Sara has never been taught board game design by a teacher,
and has continued to create through advice from Game Market and test play sessions.
Her parents also had zero knowledge of board game production and were always fumbling in the dark.
In this Board Game Iron Man, while discussing with team members and

instantly moving hands to give shape to ideas,
she witnessed the power of imagination, the process of embodying thoughts,
and the brushing up of trial and error, and
it seemed she was greatly influenced.
(I myself watched it in front of me, and was surprised and moved.)

Records and memories of the previous event

And the second time

This time it will be an individual competition.
In addition to the invited player, Factory Manager Kawasaki, the top 3 candidates will be selected
by vote from the applicants.
Each player can bring up to 3 assistants.

Last time, "brought materials: free," but
this time, "brought human resources: free."

Although I, Sara, was intimidated by the illustrious candidates including Factory Manager Kawasaki and decided to pass on entering,
since Shinohara-san, who fought alongside me on Team Blue as the defending champion, entered,
I was allowed to join as a humble assistant.
I was added to the very end of the assistant list.

And then, after a fierce and heated election, Shinohara-san was brilliantly elected!

On the upcoming December 15th, the curtain will finally rise on a heated battle between the four strongest ironmen.

Factory Manager Kawasaki
Oink Sasaki-san
Shinohara-san
Ham-san of Nanaban

It is truly a summit showdown chosen by the will of the board game community.

The assistants for Team Shinohara are Daishin-san and Hiroki Takahashi-san, which is another amazing lineup,
and while I am a bit nervous about what I can actually do,
since I don't have a broken arm this time, I will literally be Shinohara-san's hands and feet
and do my best.
If you'd like, please come and cheer us on as an audience member.

The audience also serves as judges who actually play the games and provide evaluations.
They are the unsung protagonists of 'Board Game Ironmen'!

This is a rambling piece written just as I felt, without much behind-the-scenes talk,
but thank you for reading.
I hope to see you in Omotesando on December 15th!

Also, thank you again, Majin-san, for giving me this opportunity!

Monobeads