Savannah, Georgia
August 1 – 4, 2002
I arrived home safe and sound (and exhausted) early yesterday afternoon; as much fun as I had, arriving home just confirmed that it will be ever more fun with the family. I’ll do up a full report,but some random thoughts in the meanwhile…
* Thanks to everyone for making it such a wonderful experience.I knew it would be, but the fact that it didn’t surprise me doesn’t make it any less appreciated.
* Thanks to everyone who put their time & energies into pulling the event off. Not just the herculean efforts Greg & Vickie & Tim & so on put into coordinating the event as a whole, but also the small things &behind the scene work that make Gulf Games run more smoothly than many professionally organized conventions.
* Speaking of which – these efforts are definitely inspiring. I would be more than happy to organize an group outing to BUSch Gardens next summer when we’re in Williamsburg. It is my very favorite amusement park, and one well worth visiting even if you’re not a fan of roller coasters &other thrill rides.
* I know Dave took one copy of Boston Tea Party; if whoever took the other would email me, I realized during the event that a small change would improve the game and I’ll send it out if I just know who to send it to…
* A special thanks to Sheldon, James,Peter, Ward, Jeff and Tim for helping me to demonstrate that Outpost & Funkenschlag really can be played in two hours. B^)
While I’d certainly agree that it’s the people who make Gulf Games what it is, it’s hard to say more than has already been said on that front. So instead, a report of games played:
Games I’d never played before:
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San Gimignano: interesting little abstract which didn’t seem to adequately reward going after the player who has successfully blocked himself off. Initial rating:4.
Trendy: one of the many Knizia games I’ve missed over time; a decent one, too. Nothing more than a filler, but acceptably fun and short. Initial rating: 6.
Papua: A racing game that I think would have worked better with the correct rules. Still worked OK, I suppose, but was more of a relief when over than something I want to play again. Initial rating: 3.
(Two prototypes that weren’t mine, and which therefore I won’t be reporting on, save to say that each had something to recommend it.)
Traumfabrik: another Knizia I hadn’t played previously. For good reason; it’s an auction game, and nothing more. Not bad as such things go, I suppose, but among auctions zero-sum auctions are among my least favorites, and overall that brings it to an initial rating of: 5.
Too Many Cooks (2 plays): Interesting trick taking game, which I think might fall just short of being a keeper. The only new-to-me game I was inclined to acquire (and did,when my turn at the prize table arrived). Initial rating: 6.
Stimmvieh: Another interesting game I’d missed. Thankfully for my wallet, I think it’s broken to my preferences, and so I can live without it. (Specifically, I believe there should be a way to win with a pure money strategy,and I don’t think there is.) Initial rating: 5.
Blokus: very popular game during the week; I finally played it on Sunday. Yet another abstract, albeit a well conceived game; I enjoyed the experience but feel no need to play again. Initial rating: 5.
Midnight Party: believe it or not, I’d never played this. It’s a cute little family game; initial rating:6. Along with Trendy & Too Many Cooks, my favorite new games, though Too Many Cooks is probably the only one I’ll ever own.
(Selected) Games I’d played before:
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Cape Horn: the only game I played before the official start of GG10. One of those games that’s problematic because the game ends before the game ends, and one that will eventually hit my trade pile – but not quite yet. Updated rating: 6 (was 7).
Puerto Rico (5 plays): I continue to enjoy exploring this game. I did see one thing I hadn’t before – a shipping strategy win in a short game. Rating remains an 8.
Outpost: I took Outpost figuring (a) if I didn’t, no one would, and(b) it would take some doing to get in a game. But thanks to Sheldon, James and Peter, I did get to play it. And I quite enjoyed it; it was odd to buy two data libraries, but never buy a scientist or laboratory, but it had the distinct advantage of actually working. Rating remains a 7.
Kanaloa: nothing really to say about Kanaloa itself (I still enjoy it, but need to get in a few more plays to see where it stands long-term),but it was one of the many games I got to teach over the four days,and I must say – it was never a burden, and was frequently quite fun in and of itself. I’m used to teaching games – I buy most of the games I play – and under the wrong circumstances it can be quite tiring. I can’t think of a single time during GG10where it was anything other than smooth and enjoyable. I can only hope I was as good a pupil…
Volldampf: I’ve _really_ got to play New England Railways again. NER seemed to get better with every play; Volldampf just seems to get more odd.Updated rating: 6 (was 7).
TransAmerica: one of a number of games I got to play with one (or more) of the children at Gulf Games. And without exception, the games were just as enjoyable as those with adults; I can not wait to see my sons at a future Gulf Games.
Africa: Though we couldn’t drag Greg in, he did promise to play Res Publica – just wish I’d gotten a timeline on that… B^) It’s odd to say so, since I’ve enjoyed the game from the start, but it’s actually growing on me – as players have begun playing more strategically, I’ve found that multi-turn planning is becoming more and more vital.Rating officially remains an 8, but moves from a low 8 to a middle 8. Which really means that Africa has moved from around #30-35 on my all time top game list to #20-25.
Funkenschlag: A wonderful game all around. We kept the mechanical pieces moving, so that players could focus on the critical elements. Rating remains an 8; #3 on my Happiness Product list for 2002 (behind perennial winner Bridge and Puerto Rico).
That’s enough. I can honestly say that I can’t remember a single negative gaming experience over four very full days.