About

Georgios, a physicist by training, spent most of his career in the laboratory, inventing new materials for various industrial applications. At the same time, he has always been sensitive to human issues, which led him to found one of the world's first fundraising platforms for humanitarian projects in 2009: www.fengarion.org.

Today, he is focusing on marketing his board game and is launching his own mediation business.

Around 2014, he discovered Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication (NVC) method. This encounter marked a turning point in his life. After undergoing in-depth training (35 days of training) and leading numerous workshops and conferences, he dreamed of sharing the concepts of NVC with a wider audience. This is where the idea for a board game was born.

But he didn't think he could create a game himself... until one day in 2018, when he discovered a documentary about the inventor of Monopoly, Elizabeth Magie. She had designed the game to show that cooperation was preferable to the unbridled capitalism of the early 20th century. Unfortunately, her game was hijacked and its social message completely erased.

This story inspires Georgios in two ways: first, it gives him the confidence that it is possible to create a game, even without being a professional in the field. Second, it made him understand the importance of how to convey a message. His own message is simple: learning to build peace is more interesting than winning wars. He therefore decided not to put this message at the forefront, but to subtly integrate it into the mechanics of the game, through cooperation, strategy, suspense... and above all, elements of NVC in the questions and answers of the mediation phase.

The idea for the basic mechanics of the game was born around 2020, and the adventure began. A first prototype was cobbled together at home and tested with family and friends. Confident, Georgios even created his own company, Ultimediation Sàrl, to market the game. But everything changed the day he went to a ‘board game’ event organised by the Espace de Vie Sociale in Saint-Genis-Pouilly and asked Romain, a passionate facilitator and co-founder of darxfantastiques.fr, to test his game. A month later, Romain tested the game and said: ‘Just because you have good meat doesn't mean you're a good cook!’ This came as a shock to Georgios, who realised he had launched his company too soon.

But this meeting proved to be a turning point: Romain offered to come every week for several months to help improve the game. Georgios recalls a funny moment: after a week of working on adjustments, he proudly presented the new rules... and Romain simply commented, ‘Not interesting.’ Thanks to this candid feedback, their collaboration bore fruit, and Romain played a major role in the final version of the game (even though he refused the title of co-author).

Another enthusiast then joined the team: Ludovic, a chess player and fan of board games and escape rooms. He brought a fresh perspective and new ideas, and participated in countless hours of testing.

In 2023, at the Ludidarx trade fair in Gex, another decisive meeting took place. The Ultimediation stand was next to Paria's. After a few exchanges, Alexandre and David agreed to test the game. After only 20 minutes, they made several comments and suggestions, which would inspire months of modifications!

Over the course of four years, the game was tested in numerous clubs in France and Geneva, at trade shows, and even in the laboratory where Georgios works.

During these four years, the game was tested in numerous clubs in France and Geneva, at trade shows, and even in the laboratory where Georgios works.

The collaboration with Paria also proved valuable in other ways. It allowed Georgios to meet Coline de MACO, who would be responsible for all the graphics. Paria also helped him write the rules of the game and other written elements.

At the beginning of development, Georgios was looking for an illustrator to depict benevolent, powerful but non-threatening aliens. After several unsuccessful attempts (the first proposals depicted hostile aliens!), he met Nana, who immediately understood his vision.

Nana also did a great job illustrating the game board and attack cards, the basic idea of which was to show the contrast between the richness and beauty of humanity's natural and cultural heritage and the devastation caused by wars.

Today, the game is ready. It's your turn to play!