About us

Grupo de Boardgamers do Porto (GBP) began and grew organically as people interested in board games—particularly modern board games—met and worked together.

The first activities and meetups took place in 2006. The group found a way to communicate and reach more people through the Abre o Jogo website, which made the meetups more organized and regular from March 2007 onwards.

The group's first home was XXL, a now-closed venue dedicated to networked computer games, Magic: The Gathering tournaments, remote-controlled car racing, paintball and airsoft, and even indoor climbing. It was also where the earliest version of InvictaCon took place in 2007. During that event, the group first became acquainted with the Tropical Burger terrace at Shopping Cristal Park.

GBP's regular meetups moved there and remained at that location for more than a decade.

The group continued to grow and broaden its activities. Monthly meetups began in 2008, alongside occasional gatherings in Espinho and demonstrations in shops and schools. The second InvictaCon also took place in Espinho that year, now attracting people from across the country.

There was now room for meetups dedicated to specific kinds of games, especially wargames. The group entered a period of steady growth and regular activity, while InvictaCon increased both its attendance and its impact in promoting the hobby.

This growth led to the creation of the Grupo de Boardgamers do Porto Association on 23 June 2017, enabling closer relationships with public bodies and access to venues capable of hosting InvictaCon.

The Covid-19 pandemic naturally slowed activity and led to the cancellation of InvictaCon in 2020 and 2021. The group sought to remain active through online meetups and gaming platforms. The closure of Tropical Burger also meant finding new venues for the group's weekly and monthly events.

The meetups initially moved to Associação Quebra-Dados. Monthly events are currently held at Casa do Alto, in a space provided by Maia City Council.