Board game celebrates Philippine modern art

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New and localized titles to launch at tabletop gaming convention

PLAYING board games is a cherished pastime among family and friends, especially now that people taking time away from screens is rare. There are various tabletop gaming clubs, organizations, and informal groups that cater to everyone from casual hobbyists and social players, to serious board game enthusiasts, who meet up weekly to sit down and spend hours at the tabletop.

While the likes of Scrabble, Monopoly, and Clue continue to be the most popular games, modern strategy games are also in demand. In the Philippines, local and localized titles provide a unique experience — the latest of which is Modern Art, a highly acclaimed international board game which now has a Philippine edition.

Following a collaboration between the Gaming Library and Fundacion Sansó, the art auction board game Modern Art by Dr. Reiner Knizia has been adapted locally to feature works by Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Abdulmari Imao, Larry Alcala, Raul Lebajo, and Juvenal Sansó.

“The game is played by three to five players. Basically, you guys will be playing as museums and participating in auctions to sell and to collect paintings, and, depending on the season or the market, be given a return of value based on which artist is trending,” said Gaming Library Chief Executive Officer Hans Kenner Fernandez, at the media preview held at Fundacion Sansó in San Juan City.

“What’s exciting is that there are different types of auctions that you can participate in,” he added.

Gaming Library, aside from being a board game shop, is the organizer of All Aboard Expo, a tabletop gaming convention which is now in its second year. From May 28 to 31, it will be the venue for various board game tournaments and new title launches, including Modern Art.

Other local titles to be launched at the event are Sinigang (a card game of bluffing and timing where the goal is to cook the perfect pot of sinigang) and Kalikasan (a localized version of the habitat-building game Cascadia, featuring Philippine animals like tarsiers and tamaraws).

FINDING COMMON GROUND
While one would think there isn’t much overlap between art enthusiasts and board game enthusiasts, Mr. Fernandez noted that the gap need not be too wide.

He explained that reaching out to Fundacion Sansó was the perfect move, as it happens to have the Initiative for the Continuation of Artist’s Estate, a program to help manage artists’ estates (not just Mr. Sansó’s) through legacy-building, skill transfer, and copyright management.

“What we’ve learned last year was we shouldn’t just focus on people who already play games,” he said. “If we can find similarities and common ground together, especially now when our political climate is trying to divide people, I feel like we can do the opposite. So, Modern Art came to be because we believe that art is really a big component of board games.”

Considered by gaming enthusiasts as a masterclass in game design, Modern Art is a classic board game centered on the dynamics of the art market. The Philippine Edition introduces works by five contemporary Philippine artists — National Artists Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Larry Alcala, and Abdulmari Imao, Filipino surrealist Raul Lebajo, and Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sansó — with works ranging from comics to classic oil paintings, from sculptures to tapestries.

The board game’s layout and visual design were led by graphic artist Tanya Mallillin, in collaboration with Mr. Fernandez and Duane Galang from the Gaming Library. Select releases of Modern Art: Philippine Edition will include a limited-edition archival print of Juvenal Sansó’s Fat Cat, produced in strictly limited quantities.

The original creator of Modern Art, mathematics whiz Dr. Reiner Knizia, is revered among game designers with over 900 published games and books.

“‘Monopoly but for art’ is the easiest way to grasp what Modern Art is about,” said Tenie Santos, Fundacion Sansó’s assistant director, at the preview. “Not a lot of people know how big the gaming community is in the Philippines. We actually have the biggest gaming community in Southeast Asia. And we’re so happy because board games are actually a form of art, with visual components, storytelling, culture, and even math.”

She added that the project will help the five artists’ estates gain visibility among younger generations.

“Many of them don’t know these artists anymore, so we need to do something about it. We have to be flexible to the changes, trends happening outside the museums,” Ms. Santos said.

Part of proceeds from the sales of the game will go to Strays Worth Saving, which Fundacion Sansó donated to for the first time last month from the deluxe preorders of the board game.

“We’ll keep doing it while we still have stocks of the game and of the Fat Cat archival prints. We hope to reach out to the entire Filipino community, to support local and to support arts and culture,” she said. “Hopefully this will encourage people to be into art and not be intimidated.”

BIGGEST GAMING CONVENTION IN SEA
The official launch of Modern Art: Philippine Edition will take place at All Aboard Expo 2026, to be held at the MICE Center inside the Quezon City Hall complex from May 28 to 31. Representatives from the five artists’ estates will be present.

Mr. Fernandez said that, since it is the biggest tabletop gaming convention in Southeast Asia (SEA), they are expecting 15,000 attendees throughout the weekend. Last year, they had 10,500 attendees.

“We have 40 international brands flying over and visitors from Poland, Portugal, Vietnam, South Korea — about 30 countries in total,” he said. “People have volunteered to teach the new board games, so a demo team will guide you if you want to try to play some.”

Games will be labeled from Stages 1 to 5, indicating increasing level of difficulty, with Modern Art: Philippine Edition assigned to Stage 2.

“It will only have 100 copies at All Aboard Expo, so come and try it and get yours when you can!” Mr. Fernandez said.

Entrance to the event is free for Quezon City residents and priced at P150 for everyone else. More details can be found here: . — Brontë H. Lacsamana