A Journey into Board Game Design
Welcome to my design journey, where I explore the creativity behind my favorite board game, inspired by my experiences as a First Master Cook under the guidance of Francois Relborg.
Relborg Games
About me
Hi, I'm Francois Relborg — the one and only member of Relborg Games, and a first-time board game designer who stumbled into this strange and wonderful world somewhere between a dream, a lockdown, and a very persistent love of cardboard.
My board game journey began in 2012, when I co-owned a local game store in South Africa called Unseen Shoppe. What started as a home for Magic: The Gathering soon became a portal into the broader world of modern board games — not just for me, but for my entire family. We were hooked. We still are, 14 years later.
In 2016, I packed up our lives (and an unreasonable number of board games) and moved to Melbourne, Australia. There, board games became more than a hobby — they became how we made friends, built community, and most importantly, survived Melbourne’s marathon COVID-19 lockdowns. While the world shut down, we played through The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine together, one tense, hilarious mission at a time. Those games kept us grounded when everything else felt like it was floating away.
Then in July 2024, something unexpected happened. I had a dream — a vivid one — about a mancala-style game that used cards. I woke up, grabbed a pen, and started scribbling. That idea became First Master Cook, a prehistoric strategy game about foraging, flavor, and fierce culinary competition.
Designing this board game has been a journey filled with doubt, delight, and lots of homemade prototypes. I’m still learning every day, still in love with the creative process, and still amazed that something dreamed up in the early hours could lead me here.
Welcome to Relborg Games — thanks for being part of the adventure.