I have always loved the way board games bring people together through a unique perspective. Thought, socialization, meeting new people, creativity, and competition are all valuable takeaways from gaming. In 2004 as a student in dental school, I still remember the moment the idea of 44 BCE hit me! Drawing inspiration from several of my favorite games at the time, I fleshed out the first version of a rotating all vs. one design in my head. With the help of several friends, we developed a working prototype over the next year and after many enjoyable playtests. A wonderful wife, two daughters, and fifteen years later, Christian approached me about dusting off the prototype. We agreed, this game is too fun and deserves to be published. After two years of refinement, professional artwork, and input from many gracious people, 44 BCE is now becoming a reality! Like most things in life, a group approach leads to a superior product, and it won’t be long before our lifelong dream of publishing a board game comes to fruition!

In 2004, I moved back to Birmingham when some college buddies invited me over for a game night. This is the night I was introduced to 44 BCE! It was still in development and called “Et Tu Brute?” at the time. I instantly loved it and spent our game night for the next few months working with them to refine and enhance the game! It was my new favorite game! I was ready to publish it then and there but was not sure where to go next. Life continued, family, children, and work derailed my early efforts. Eventually, game nights became increasingly difficult to schedule. In 2019, as I was cleaning out my closet, I rediscovered 44 BCE. I decided that it was finally time to make my dream of publishing my favorite game a reality! With more life experience, school-age children, and an incredibly supportive wife, I was finally ready to really bring 44 BCE to life. With the advent of the platforms like Kickstarter and Fiverr, I knew that we could make 44 BCE a reality for gamers everywhere!

Years ago, Christian came home from his game night with a plain cardboard box. Inside were homemade game pieces and rules in a three-ring binder. He said, “This is a game that Holt, Dusty, John, and I created years ago. I really want to publish it someday.” It then sat in our closet for several years. Then, in 2019, our children were old enough for us to devote time to the creation of 44 BCE. Christian and I devoted months to developing the theme, getting artwork, and laying out the graphics. We showed Holt the progress that we had made and brought him back into the game development process. We formed Gray Forrest Games, LLC. From there, the game continued to be enhanced, and now it is something of which we are incredibly proud! My interest is mainly the layout and graphic design. Each of us brings a unique perspective, and together we created something amazing! I know you will love 44 BCE too!