Pensacola Beach, Florida
February 21 – 24, 2002
There’s not much to add to the eloquent expressions of gratitude others have already posted here.
All the same, I do thank you all for welcoming me into your midst, for patiently teaching me 22 new games(!), and for allowing me to feel a part your Gulf Games family from start to finish. Now that I’ve been home for a while, I marvel all the more at the wonderful opportunity afforded me last week, to meet and game with a crew such as yourselves. I was honored to have even been invited; now that I’ve been to Gulf Games, I am humbled all the more to have been included, sight unseen, in this event that obviously means so much to so many of you- and for good reason. (Meanwhile, backstage, Greg, Ty and Ted are hastily comparing notes: “Did you invite her?!” “Never heard of her before in my life.” “Whoa, what’s going on here?!” 🙂
Some Highlights:
– The incredible hospitality of Tim and Vickie, who retrieved me from the airport Tuesday evening, and made me feel welcome from the first. Thanks!
– The Lohroff Family. Meeting you, listening to you, gaming with you, seeing you with your Sarah– yep, that was a highlight for me. Thanks again for your kindness and generosity!
– Meeting Greg, Mark J., and Stven, and finally getting to put voices/inflection/personality to the images and text I’ve known them by online. What a treat. Quality gentlemen, all 🙂
– The Newbies James, Rob D., Charlie– I’m glad your first-ever Gulf Games was mine as well; it wouldn’t have been the same without you.
– Larry, I realized later that I was bruised up after that Welcome Party game, as well [But I won]. Liar’s Dice is *not* a game, and Brewmasters shouldn’t count, either. I liked Web of Power, and I’m always up for another Crokinole match, but- let’s look for a game of San Marco together (3-player) next time. Deal?
– Crokinole tournament: my, the tension! Don’t get me wrong, I really wanted to Win(!), but I can’t say I regret not having the rest of my Saturday freed from the time and tension of those Crokinole matches! Vickie, you played wonderfully; it was my botched shots that gave more than an edge to the deserving team of Tim and Bryan. Which leads me to:
– Bryan’s prize table generosity. I wish you could have seen my boys’ faces when I returned home and unveiled… Battle Cry! So, it’s almost okay that you and Tim beat us in Crokinole (nice going :-).
– Playing 32 games (only 4 of which were Crokinole), including 22 games entirely new to me. From that experience, I learned:
* Game themes and presentation are more important to me than I realized. If the theme and artwork appeal to me, I am much more likely to enjoy a game than otherwise. I had thought I was more of a ‘purist’ than that! Conversely, well, I just don’t enjoy… dinosaurs, or evolution, or [what was that grey mash I was looking at on the Volldampf board?]. There, I said it.
- Now that I’ve played and viewed a greater variety of games, I realize that in choosing games for our family up to this point, I’ve done well. That’s encouraging to me- and the direct result of the excellent job so many of you have done with the reviews, session reports, impressions, rules clarifications, etc. you’ve posted online. Because you’ve been so thorough and articulate in writing about games, I’ve been able to make well-informed and satisfying choices. Thank you!
- I appreciate the patience and skill with which many of you taught me (and others) game rules. In watching you, I learned a lot more than the rules to the game(s) at hand, which will stand me in good stead as I seek to broaden my local base of game-playing friends.
- Games now on my List, to play again as soon as possible and hopefully to own someday (which at this point will have probably have to happen before I can play them again!):
- Atlantic Star
- San Marco
- Metro
- Web of Power
– Regrets? That I didn’t get to play Just One More Game with so many of you (or, any games with the Cobbs :-)! I am richer for having met and spent time with all of you last week. Thanks again, everyone.