About us

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

The initial meetups took place in 2006. The group found a way to communicate and reach a broader audience through the Abre o Jogo website, which allowed for more organized and regular meetups, from March 2007 onwards.

The group's first home was XXL, a now extinct venue dedicated to networked computer games, Magic: The Gathering tournaments, remote-control cars racing, paintball, airsoft, and even indoor climbing. It was also here that the "embryo" of InvictaCon took place in 2007. During that year, the group became acquainted with the Tropical Burger venue at Shopping Cristal Park.

GBP's regular meetups moved there where they remained for over a decade.

The group continued to grow and broaden its geographical range. Monthly meetups began in 2008, alongside occasional gatherings in Espinho and demonstrations in shops and schools. The second edition of InvictaCon 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, such as 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 June 23rd 2017, allowing closer relationships with public entities and access to venues capable of hosting the growing InvictaCon.

The Covid-19 pandemic inevitably slowed activities and forced 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 forced the search for new venues in the Porto metropolitan region for the weekly and monthly events.

Monthly events are currently held at Casa do Alto, a space gently provided by Maia City Council and the weekly ones at Ponto 2, a boardgames café in Porto.

These are the aggregating places for the group that commemorates its 20th year in 2026. We await you. - See you soon!