EXCERPT
Only 3 years but it felt like an era past. Last month we returned to Essen Spiel. This month we prepare to restart our signature event, the BGC Retreat! And what better way than to look back to the past (we are hosting it at the same place we did our last Retreat in 2019) to reach for the future (by introducing for the very first time, a BoardgameKids Retreat and an optional 3rd Day)! Get the deets here and see you (and your kids?) this Dec 10-12!

Anchor the PAST, launch the FUTURE

Our modus operandi has always been to seek a new location for our Retreat each year. After all, we only do one Retreat a year, and there are so many new places to explore. We’d recce-ed and found a new suitable place in Hulu Langat, but after some internal chats, we decided to go back to our 2019 location Klana Beach Resort in Teluk Kemang.

Topic Quick Jumps

• About the Retreat
• When & Where
• Who is this for
• How Much – BGC Retreat
• How Much – BGK Retreat
• Event Programme
• After-8 Gaming
• Sign-up!

Why return? This question might be on some of our returning pax’s mind so let me share some of our reasons.

1. It’s been three years since we did our last Retreat. An unusual gap in our Retreat pattern. We thought repeating it in a familiar place will help us reconnect to our past Retreat cycles.
2. We really love the Observatory Tower! It’s a rare state-of-art complex that we are fortunate to have in our local vicinity.
3. We just opened a new event place BGC Space and Klana Resort with its Observatory Tower jives with the SPACE theme (haha, I know this is a weak one but just need to plug in the advert :P).
4. Lastly and this is the key reason among all, we are launching the Boardgamekids (BGK) Retreat this year so our ideal setting is to have both the BGC and BGK pax in the same event hall to avoid me/Wai Yan having to shuttle hall-to-hall. Once we’ve our logistics down for this inaugural BGK year, we should be better prepared for next year to have it in different event hall if need be.

WHAT

Event Mode:
– Boardgamecafe (BGC) Retreat Semi-Competitive Sat/Sun (for gamers)
– BoardgameKids (BGK) Retreat Relaxed Mode Sat/Sun (for young children 6-10 yo and their parents)
– Quasi (free-n-easy) Mon (for everyone)

Event Days:
– Main Programme (Sat/Sun)
– Optional Extension (Mon)*

*Note: The Optional Extension on Monday depends on us getting at least 15+ participants in order for us to get access to an event hall.

Our Retreat is an offsite event over one weekend devoted primarily for like-minded boardgamers like yourself to gather and enjoy each other’s company over two days of (semi) intense boardgaming! This year we are experimenting with adding an optional 3rd day for those who can’t get enough of boardgaming over one weekend.

We’ve booked a hall that’ll be available to us from 9am on Sat till 5pm Mon. We should have the keys to the Hall so technically it’ll be available late into Sat night, possibly all-night-long if you got da staying power. 🙂

In order to prevent hungry gamers from chewing on the cardboards, we’ll provide coffee/tea breaks and lunches daily, with breakfast on Sun (and Mon) morning (so that’s 7 meals over the two-day event). Dinners are on your own. We usually break into a few groups for dinner. TLDR: Daily two coffee/tea breaks and one lunch, dinner on your own.

Non-stop Sessions

Here we would like to emphasize one key point. The gaming sessions in our Retreat are unlike going to a Game Convention or Meetup, where you can moderate the intensity and duration in which you play, rest or just chill out. In our Retreat, you’ll get to savor the experience of learning, playing, cramming and competing over 7-8 sessions of mid-heavy Euros (interspersed with some light Euros) back-to-back over two intense days.

You do not rest nor stop. There is no break in the gaming sessions; you simply move from one session to the next. You just game, game and game even more. Leave the resting / chilling till you get home. 🙂

For those who find a non-stop 9-6 gaming too intense, we’ve the much anticipated After-8 session at the end of Day One for you to decompress. Do a few sessions of Throw Throw Burito!

WHEN

Our Retreat is usually scheduled 4-6 weeks post-Essen Spiel so that our latest Essen games can be shipped back on-time for the event. This year’s BGC Retreat shall be held on the weekend of 10th & 11th of December (Sat/Sun), with the Optional Extension Day on 12th of December (Mon) which happens to be a replacement public holiday for Selangor (Sultan Selangor’s birthday).

Note: For those not working in Selangor, signing up for the Optional Extension Day will require you to take a day off from your work.

WHERE

The Retreat has always been hosted at some place close by – or at least no longer than 1.5 hrs away by car – to minimize travel time and maximize playing time! We’ve done this at Genting (2010), Port Dickson (2011 & 2014), Bukit Tinggi (2013), Kuala Selangor (2015), Broga (2016 & 2017), Sepang (2018) and Teluk Kemang (2019). For this year’s Retreat, we’ll be returning to Teluk Kemang, a place where we can take you to Space and back.

Teluk Kemang Observatory

One unique feature of this venue is that it’s home to the famous Teluk Kemang Observatory, reputedly one of the best facilities in this region. It maintains one of the largest and sophiscated 24-in telescope. For a nominal fee, hotel guests can gaze the star or sun thru this telescope. Or maybe just Mars.

Note: We’ve been informed they are doing some upkeep services on the Observatory. While it was scheduled to finish in September, some delays are making them revise the completion date to end November. We hope it’ll be ready for us when we visit in December. #fingerscrossed

WHO

Who is this Retreat suitable for? Our Retreat Persona is someone who loves boardgames – not Monopoly or Risks but Euro games like Terra Mystica, Concordia, Brass, Power Grid among others. You are more than a social or casual gamers – i.e. while you may love to play Splendor, it’s games like Terraforming Mars and Voyages of Marco Polo that scratch your itch. While you do not necessarily have to love Russian Railroads or Dominant Species, it would be helpful if you do since we expect our Retreat participants to be able to sit thru two days of full 8-hours of almost non-stop gaming day (yes, you still get time to take food & bio breaks) and some of the game sessions may last up to 2+ hrs per game.

If you feel our Retreat Persona matches you (and have not made you click the Back button yet) and you are excited about trying out the latest Essen Spiel games with a bunch of friendly and at times semi-competitive but always fun gamers, then dun wait – sign up now!

p/s Those who feel the above sessions might be too intense/heavy, our BGC Quasi-Retreat would be a great fit for you. Do check back on us next year when (and if) we flop back to the Quasi-Retreat format.

HOW MUCH?

MAIN PROGRAMME (2-day weekend). Standard fees per person is RM450 which includes all meals (except dinners), accommodation (twin-sharing), our exclusive BGC Retreat t-shirt, and a commemorative finisher “token” direct from Essen Spiel! Getting yourself to/from the venue would be at your own cost and we suggest car-pool if possible.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION DAY (Mon). As we are experimenting with this 3-day format this year, we are offering a special package for those who are signing up for all 3 days for just RM650 (usual RM730). For accommodation reservation reason, we’ll only accept the Optional Extension Day sign-up until 18-Nov (Fri).

Note: If you are bringing your children to join our inaugural Boardgamekids Retreat, please see package below.

What about the Kids?

Oh yes, I almost forgot the Kids!

Beside the 3rd Day Extension, we are also branching out into our very first BoardgameKids Retreat this year! Our daughter is now 7.5 yo and is all excited to host/play in a Retreat of her own (after joining us for the past five Retreats).

We do want to keep the BoardgameKids Retreat simple – at least for this year – so this will be done in our Quasi (free-n-easy) style (agenda for this will be shared later).

• For children between the ages of 6 and 10
• To be accompanied by at least one adult (parent/guardian) who is not taking part in the BGC Retreat
• The accompanying adult is expected to take part in the Kids Gaming sessions as we believe parents playing with the kids during the session enriches the experience for everyone!
• Max 2 adults (to a room) with 2 children

Find out why we believe in the value of play, and how children can pick up skills in an engaging and effective way through playing board games. #playlearngrow

BOARDGAMEKIDS MAIN PROGRAMME (2-day weekend). Your Retreat fees (adult/children) will include all meals (except dinners), accommodation (twin-sharing, kids sleep with parents in the same room), and our exclusive BGK Retreat t-shirt (adult+kid)! Getting yourself to/from the venue would be at your own cost and we suggest car-pool if possible.

A) PACKAGE BGC+BGK. This package is for two adults, with one of the adults participating in the BGC Retreat (see above). For the adult taking part in the BGC Retreat, your event fee is included in the package below.

• Two adults + one child (2 days) – RM980
• Two adults + two children (2 days) – RM1,160
• Optional Extension Day – Adult RM200 / Kid RM90 per pax

This package includes the following:

• One adult for BGC Retreat
• One adult for BGK Retreat
• One or two children for BGK Retreat

B) PACKAGE BGK-ONLY. This package is for family who’s not taking part in the BGC Retreat and are coming only for the BGK Retreat.

• Two adults + one child (2 days) – RM880
• Two adults + two children (2 days) – RM1,060
• One adult + one child (2 days) – RM600
• One adult + two children (2 days) – RM790
• Optional Extension Day – Adult RM200 / Kid RM90 per pax

Your package includes the following:

• One or two adults for BGK Retreat
• One or two children for BGK Retreat

If you have questions on the above and prefer to speak to us, feel free to whatsapp Wai Yan at +602 2081780.

WHAT: BGC Boardgame Retreat 2022 (FB Event Page)
WHERE: Klana Beach Resort, Port Dickson (website)

WHEN: Dec 10 (Sat) 9:00 am – Dec 12 (Mon) 6:00 pm

• Main Programme (2D): Dec 10 (Sat) 9:00am to Dec 11 (Sun) 6:00 pm
• Extension Day (1D): Dec 11 (Sun) 8:00 pm to Dec 12 (Mon) 5:00 pm

FEES:

• BGC Retreat – from RM450 per pax
• BGK Retreat – from RM350 per pax (adult) and RM180 per pax (child)

AGENDA (all timings are tentative and will be finalized closer to event date)

Dec 10, Sat
8:45 am – Arrival of gamers (pls be punctual)
9:00 am – Retreat Briefing
9:15 am – Game Zero starts
9:30 am – Retreat Day One starts
10:30 am – Coffee/tea is served
12:30 pm – LUNCH BREAK (1 hr)
3:30 pm – Coffee/tea is served
6:00 pm – Retreat Day One ends
7:00 pm – DINNER BREAK (not included in Retreat package)
8:00 pm – After-8 Gaming (till late) or Free-n-Easy
10:30 pm – Night Sky Observatory (optional and subject to availability)

Dec 11, Sun
8:00 am – Breakfast
9:00 am – Retreat Day Two starts
10:30 am – Coffee/tea is served
12:30 pm – LUNCH BREAK (1 hr)
3:30 pm – Coffee/tea is served
5:30 pm – Retreat Day Two ends
5:45 pm – Closing & Prize giving

OPTIONAL EXTENSION

Dec 11, Sun
6:00 pm – DINNER BREAK (not included in Retreat package)
8:00 pm – After-8 Gaming (till late)

Dec 12, Mon
8:00 am – Breakfast
9:00 am – Event Hall is open
10:30 am – Coffee/tea is served
12:30 pm – LUNCH BREAK (1 hr)
3:30 pm – Coffee/tea is served
5:00 pm – Retreat Day Three ends!
5:30 pm – SAYONARA!!

What do you get?

• 2.0 (or 3.0) days of gaming (Sat: 9am-6pm, Sun: 9am-5pm + Sun 6pm – Mon 6pm)
• Accommodation on twin sharing basis
• 4-6 coffee/tea breaks as scheduled, 2-3 lunches, 1-2 breakfast
• One exclusive BGC/BGK Retreat 2022 t-shirt
• One special commemorative finisher token (from Essen Spiel 2022) (for BGC Retreat only)
• Opportunity to play the latest Essen Spiel 2022 games, some older titles, and even OOP games
• Access to the BGC Game Library (of over 3,000 games) for After-8 session
• Learn lots of new (and old) games – rule-teach is included during Retreat Proper Sessions, while After-8 are self-teach or you can join tables hosted by our regulars
• Get to make friends, trade woods, or joust with new and friendly gamers!
• Opportunity to win exclusive hot prizes from Essen Spiel in our LUCKY DRAW!
• Finally, bragging rights as the BGC Retreat Champion! (for one year la)

What’s not included in the package?

• Your travel to / from the location. If you need help with transport, pls ask us.
• Fine Dining (tsk tsk). Dinner is not included (all days) so you are free to take a break and go out for a nice dinner before resuming the evening gaming (or sleep). Or do some stargazing.
• Mosquito repellant (yes pls bring your own unless you are not a mosquito magnet)

BONUS – Generous Discount on Game Purchase (for BGC Retreat only)

Finally to thank you for your support, all paying BGC Retreat attendees would get to buy one game from our BGC webstore at 30% discount (from webstore price)! Click here to check the list of games we currently have in stock. T&C applies.

Note: This discount is valid for 3 months (after the event). Some games from our webstore eg Essen Spiel titles, Kickstarters, NoDiscount items are excluded from this promo. To qualify for this discount, you need to be a paying participant for this event, and completed the event in full from Sat-Sun. No deserters!! 😛

SPECIAL BONUS – Hot Games & Prize from Essen

Beside getting the chance to have an early testdrive of Essen 2022 releases, there’ll be spot prizes and podium prizes at the end of the Retreat. CAT IN THE BOX (Deluxe Edition) for Lucky Draw?

AFTER-8 GAMING

Our BGC Retreats are famous for its After-8 Gaming session, which is known to be the “real deal” after a full day of gaming! After-8 Gaming is a closed-door gaming session held after dinner where anyone can bring to the table games that are of longer duration (epic games), out-of-print games and/or those with higher level of complexity. Or just some crazee, fun, party games!

After-8 gaming is self-organized and we leave it to the attendees to decide among themselves what are going to hit the tables (and who’s going to read the rules). It’s also an optional event as some attendees may prefer to have an early night or spend the time on their own.

WHERE DO I SIGN-UP?

To sign-up for this Retreat, please checkout this item from our webstore. Seats will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis subject to receipt of your full payment to our CIMB acct (details provided in the order notification email from webstore). We’ll close the registration once we hit our target 24 participants.

GOT QUESTIONS?

If this is your first participation to our Retreat, do check out the Frequently Asked Questions for our BGC/BGK Retreat event.

BGC RETREATS IN THE PAST

BGC Quasi-Retreat 2017 @ Broga Hill	BGC Retreat 2015 @ The Kabin
BGC Retreat 2014 @ Port Dickson	BGC Retreat 2013 @ Kin Tick
BGC Retreat 2011 @ Port Dickson	BGC Retreat 2010 @ Genting Highlands