Jeffrey D. Allers left the corn fields of Iowa for the European metropolis after studying architecture and journalism at the university, and has called Berlin home since 1994. He worked for several years as an architect during the post-reunification building boom, later becoming an inner-city youth pastor and, most recently, the director of a Christian community center.
He enjoyed playing boardgames during his childhood and youth with friends and family, but was always frustrated by the lack of variety available at the local department stores. Ironically, after moving to Germany, he was too overwhelmed by the number of games on display, and too intimidated by the apparent complexities of the rules to try any of them. When friends introduced him and his wife to Carcassonne after dinner one evening, however, they began seeking out new games and gaming groups, and were soon immersed in the vibrant German boardgaming culture.
One of those gaming groups included published designers, and Jeff could not resist practicing his design skills in a new medium. With the encouragement of the other inventors, Jeff began pitching to German game companies, and has now had several games published.
The internet also played a role in Jeff’s interest in the larger boardgaming hobby, and he regularly read a variety of articles online. In 2005, he decided to begin his own series of articles, entitled “Postcards From Berlin”, which have focused on his experiences as an American expatriate who plays and designs games in Germany. The articles have appeared on GameWire, BoardgameNews and now, the Opinionated Gamers.
In 2008, Jeff also started Berlin Game Design, a blog usually dealing with subjects more specific to game design and our local group of game designers who meet regularly to playtest and critique each others’ work.
