I Prefer to Let Things Flow, Says Tomáš Holek

The entire board gaming world focuses on the annual Spiel Essen trade fair in Germany, where you presented your games for the first time this year.

"Imagine seven halls full of people just as passionate about board games as I am (laughs). Spiel Essen is a major event in the board gaming world—this year, around 1,500 new games from 900 publishers were presented, and over 200,000 visitors came to check them out."

And you did something extraordinary—you exhibited three of your games! Tea Garden, SETI, and Galileo Galilei.

"Some time ago, I told myself that if I wanted to pursue board game design, I needed to dive headfirst. Each of these games has a different publisher, but they all came out nearly simultaneously—and even better, they performed beautifully."

So, immediate top rankings?

"According to the votes on GeekBuzz, where visitors to the fair rate new games, SETI placed 1st, Galileo 4th, and Tea Garden 21st."

It's not very common for one author to bring several of their games to the fair, let alone such successful ones.

"That's true; it caused a bit of a stir. People wanted photos or autographs. I'm not used to attention—I'm more of an introvert. In Essen, I didn't even realize why strangers approached me (laughs)."





You've been creating games since childhood.

"Since I was about twelve. I enjoyed not just playing games but also customizing them. As a teenager, I even brought one game to Albi, but they rejected me because they weren't dealing with designer games at the time. I was unknown, and it was tough to break through. But I decided to focus on making my games as good as possible, and I put that first game away in a drawer, thinking I'd come back to it someday.

It seems like you know how to be patient…

"I knew the game had to be perfect before I offered it again. I focused on creating more prototypes and played a lot of games—it's a great way to learn."

What happened to that first game?

"My first attempts at board games, including my own expansion for Settlers of Catan and games inspired by favorite video games, unfortunately, got lost. But I still have my first major game, set in ancient Egypt, which I created fifteen years ago, tucked away as a memento."





Do you still have unfinished games in your drawer?

"I have quite a few (laughs)—when something doesn't feel right with a game, I put it aside and might return to it years later. I started working on Tea Garden in 2020 and then put it in a drawer for two years."

Didn't you feel like going back to it sooner?

"Not at all. I got stuck on one problem, so I just let it flow. Most designers will present their prototypes to publishers right away, but I want them to be the best they can be. That requires testing with more people than just family (laughs). Because they'll praise you or be surprised you managed to create a game."





And now let's talk about Tea Garden, which was released this fall by Albi.

"It's a strategy game that takes you to ancient China, the Yunnan region, where the first tea gardens were established. You become a tea farmer, and the goal is to expand your plantations and establish new gardens in the valleys along the river. You grow tea, but you also ferment it and learn a lot about the history of this drink."

The game is also beautiful to look at—the illustrator Barbora Srp Žižková used interesting oriental colors…

"The most dominant color is a sort of orange-pink, which isn't very common in board games, but it's one of the reasons the game stands out."

What are your professional plans for the future?

"I'm working on several other titles and also trying out simpler games for families and children."

It looks like you live and breathe by board games.

"I told myself that I want to make the most of it as long as I can. We'll see what I tell you in a few years (laughs)."


Text: Viola Černodrinská  Foto: Tomáš Holek, Albi