In 2004, Steve had a dream. He wanted to create a fun, entertaining—yet educational—way to connect people with Milwaukee's rich history. Little did he know that he was about to hatch the idea behind the 3 History Geeks.

One day, while working in the research library at the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Steve and Kevin were musing about ways they could use their history degrees to augment their salaries. (Steve received a master’s degree in history from Marquette University, while Kevin and Laura both have Ph.D.’s from Marquette.)

As Steve drove home that evening, all sorts of ingenius thoughts filled his mind. Then, in a flash of green light, the simple yet brilliant idea came to him – a board game based on Milwaukee history. It made perfect sense. He loved history, and he worked in the ideal place to gather the information. Then the real green light flashed, and impatient drivers jarred Steve from his dream, cursing and blaring their horns so he would move through the intersection. The next morning, Steve shared his idea with Kevin, who agreed that it was sheer genius – mostly because Steve was Kevin’s boss but also because it was genius. Steve and Kevin invited Laura to join the venture, and the venture known as the 3 History Geeks was born. We discussed various names for the game and settled on Laura’s clever play on words, All About Town. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over the next four years, the game lurched forward in fits and starts. Our real jobs and personal lives often slowed things down, but after much blood (from paper cuts), sweat (no air conditioning in the research library) and tears (Steve cries a lot), we came up with a product of which we are very proud. We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Any success that we may enjoy would not be possible without the help and support we received from numerous people. We’re history geeks after all—not business managers, accountants, marketers, graphic artists—or any of a number of other skilled individuals with the talents we have had to tap to publish the game. Above all, there is Steve’s wife, Shelley. She has been a rock and with her business savvy, a font of good advice. And if we don’t mention her, Steve will be sleeping on the couch for a long time. Many other friends, too numerous to mention here, also helped. Needless to say, they have our eternal gratitude.