Tim Welch

Designer of "Championship Rugby" and extensions.

I love rugby, and I love board games - and thanks to the internet I became aware of Terry Goodchild and Lambourne Games and sports replay games.

They had a game called "Line-out" which simulated highlights from a rugby match - and soon I had volunteered my services as a researcher for some of the team expansions, and designed the first domestic team set that he published.

From there came "Between the Posts", and some advanced rules I suggested which are now included in the published game, and further team sets that I researched. I also helped with the PC conversion of the game, "Ruck and Maul", with research, testing, and suggestions (at least, I like to think I was helpful anyway!)

By now though I had a young family and time to play these games was at a premium - finding an hour to play a full match was no longer possible, especially if I wanted to play out an entire season.

An old World Cup dice game, and a magazine with a scoring variant for Ironman Football gave me the idea for "Championship Rugby". With just a few dice rolls I could generate statistically accurate results, and with a bit more effort, I was able to make it compatible with the longer playing versions that were now published by Owzat Games.

Especially pleasing has been the feedback I've received from people who have played it - especially as it was originally just something to get my son more interested in sports games, and rugby!