Michael Sohre, one of the owners and managers of Theta games along with Werner Falkhof, was a game designer and toy inventor. He died unexpectedly in 2011, 62 years old. Michael, with Werner, developed a plastic material for game pieces that looked like stone, referred to as “Theta-stone”. His diminutive size was the antithesis of his enthusiasm, warmth, personality and talents.
I met Michael and Werner a few years ago at the Game Authors Meeting in Göttingen. They sat down and played one of my card games (Fuse) and loved it, saying they wanted to add it to their line. I asked about the card games they produced. “We don’t have any!” Michael replied. But they liked my game enough to want to start a line of card games. I will always remember that honor.
Two of my favorite games (balance games) are Theta games, shown below. They will now help me think of a man I knew for too short a time.
Tri Balance, aka Saturn, 1994, Theta, Germany
Saturn, 1997
Saturn, 1997
