Marc Saunt Email & Phone Number

It is fair to say I’m a board game addict. Given half an opportunity, I’ll be grabbing a game off a shelf, to try and convince whomever is in the vicinity to colonise an unknown land with me. Or create an aviary with me. Or battle a virus with me. All from the comfort of the dining room table, with cardboard pieces and wooden meeples, by rolling dice and flipping cards. The games themselves I find fascinating – the designers who created these games have balanced the theme and the mechanics of the game itself, with strict control over the manufacturing costs to ensure a marketable product. However, it is the social element of sitting around a table, talking and teaching, that keeps me coming back to these sessions time after time. I love being able to introduce a game to someone who hasn’t tried it before, or even has a negative preconception of what ‘board games’ are. It is often a struggle to get someone excited about a game when you break down its core mechanics – however when you ‘sell’ them on the experience, the theme and specifically the fun, everyone tends to become instantly more amenable.That ethos transfers to my professional life – I try to get my staff excited about their role without mundane explanations of their duties. Instead I’ll discuss what they want from the role, the impact of their role on the business and the benefits for them personally. I’m a big believer in empowering your team and colleagues, giving them the tools to succeed. Plus, as a bonus – if I can convince them to play a game of Terraforming Mars, Wingspan or Pandemic, all the better. “When playing a game, the goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning”- Reiner Knizia

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  University Of Reading

  Mathematics