Special Guest

This photo always makes me laugh because, if you’re into modern board games, you’ll recognise exactly who that tall guy is. If you’re not, let me introduce you properly. That’s Eric M. Lang… the Stephen Spielberg of tabletop design. One of the modern greats.

I first reached out to him when my good friend Minqi, one of the original Game Gurus of the Google Board Game Café, decided to leave Singapore. I wanted to give Minqi a goodbye gift he’d remember for the rest of his life. So, doing what any emotionally stable adult would do, I started messaging Eric across every social platform I had at the time. Eventually, his wife responded on his behalf (she’s the unsung hero of this whole story), connected us, and before I knew it, I was arranging for Eric Lang to walk into Minqi’s last game session at our Cafe.

I will never forget the moment. I told Minqi we had a “special guest” joining us, and he assumed it was an unintentionally hilarious member of our extended game group. I went down to reception, picked up Eric, and when we walked in, Minqi genuinely froze. We sat down to play Minqi’s favourite game, Blood Rage, which was designed by Eric himself. It’s the board-gaming equivalent of watching your favourite movie with the director or sitting next to Messi during a match. If you know, you know.

The wildest part is that the story didn’t end with one surreal game. Eric kept in contact with me. He’s joined several GAMEAPALOOZAS. He met my wife, my girls, and even my dog. I think he visits to see Dingo more than me (can’t blame him). We’ve spent hours wandering around Singapore, deliberately trying not to talk about board games, which, for two people wired like us, is basically a monk-level discipline. Somewhere along the way, the hero in the photo quietly became a friend I genuinely look forward to seeing.

I had the pleasure of seeing him again just a week ago, and every time we meet up, I’m reminded that most of the best relationships in my life started with a bit of nerve and a willingness to reach out to someone you admire and say, “Hey, want to hang out?” It’s that touch of bravery kids don’t need when they ask “Wanna be friends?” to the kid next to them on the swings.

It’s funny because the work I do now with Teamwork Unlocked isn’t that different. Whether it’s in an escape room or at a board game table, connection is built the same way: through shared moments, shared pressure, and shared fun.

If your team needs more of that next year (in terms of human resources), I’d love to host you. Teamwork Unlocked is now open for bookings in 2026. If we can get your team solving puzzles together as well as Eric does in my living room, you’ll be in very good shape.