Pensacola Beach, Florida
February 19 – 22, 2004
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH
The Crokinole tournament began on Friday, but I generally do not participate. First, I’m not a huge fan of Crokinole and I generally avoid contests, preferring to participate in “open” gaming. As such, we had no other specific events scheduled.
10 Days in USA
I must say that I really enjoy the Out of the Box versions of Europa Tour. The boards are larger and less cluttered. Plus, the components are top-notch, including heavy wooden tile holders. Unfortunately, I am still terrible at the games! Julie Weston proved the best travel agent.
Players: Julie Weston, Kim Berg, Craig Berg, Greg
Hase und Igel
It has been awhile since I played this David Parlett classic. Fellow Westbank Gamer Jim Fairchild had just arrived and this was his very first Gulf Games . and his first game. What a way to begin as he sped to the victory!
Players: Jim Fairchild, Ian Borthwick, Leon Hendee, Ed Rozmiarek, Chris Lohroff, Greg
Crokinole
No, I wasn’t in the tournament, but did manage to do some finger-flicking nonetheless. Kim Berg and I were partnered against Stven Carlberg and Ben Huber.
Finals: Kim & Greg 55, Stven & Ben 0
Attika
Along with Tongiaki and Oasis, Attika was probably amongst the top 3 games played at the convention. Although there certainly is a “luck of the draw” factor, I still find the game quite strategic, with plenty of opportunity for clever play. We all jostled to make connections and to deny connections to our opponents, but Michael Labranche managed to sneak around the rear of a temple and make a connection.
Ratings: Jeff Stephens 8, Greg 8, Michael Labranche 7.5, Mark Engelberg 7
Tahiti
The Atlanta crew has been playing quite a bit of this older title, so I was anxious to learn the game. Stven Carlberg was gracious enough to teach me. Money is EXTREMELY tight, so I found the auctions quite constrained. The game just didn’t do much for me.
Finals: Stven 21, Greg 7, Jim Fairchild 13, Ward Batty 11
Ratings: Stven 7, Ward 7, Jim 5.5, Greg 5
Arena Maximus
Another chariot racing game – how could I resist? Truth-be-told, I wasn’t too enthused about the idea that magic was involved in this latest Fantasy Flight release, as I’m still searching for a “pure” chariot racing game. However, since none of the participants had played before, we decided to omit the optional magic rules and run the basic race.
I found the game OK, but nothing special. It seemed very repetitive. Perhaps we weren’t being aggressive enough. I did grab a copy off the prize table, so will play it again soon.
Keith and I raced passed the finish line on the same turn, but I had more movement to spare, thereby capturing the victory.
Players: Keith Canova, Ward Batty, Joe Bennett, Sheldon Smith, Greg
Tongiaki
Yet another playing of this recent UberPlay release. My opinion and rating is holding steady at solid “7”. The game ended in a tie, with Sharon winning the tie-breaker by being on the most islands.
Finals: Warren Madden 23, Sharon Madden 23, Greg 22, Matt Albritton 21, Craig Berg 10
Ratings: Sharon 7, Matt 7, Greg 7, Warren 6, Craig 6
Exxtra
A few Gulf Games back, several of us were involved in a silly game of Exxtra wherein we invented names for each rolled result. For instance, “63” was a “Kennedy”, while 76 was “trombone”. Think about it. Well, we laughed ourselves silly, so now playing a game of Exxtra using these names has become a tradition. Stven Carlberg was dragged into the madness and actually emerged victorious.
Players: Stven Carlberg, Craig Berg, Dave Vander Ark, Chris Lohroff, James Miller, Greg
Nuggets
James Miller had introduced me to this game prior to Gulf Games and I found it very interesting. This was the first opportunity I had to play it in partnership and enjoyed it just as much, if not more. It does have a tendency to drag a bit as players ponder their moves.
Finals: Tim Watson & Greg 26.5, Charlie Davis & Lenny Leo 21.5
Ratings: All 6’s
Zirkus Flohcati
One more game before retiring for the evening. In spite of being exhausted, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with two folks with whom I had not yet played!
Finals: Greg 52, Charlie Davis 46, Mindy Engelberg 45, Angela Gaalema 44
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST
The last full day of gaming for the convention. Sigh. It seems to come SO quickly.
There were several activities scheduled for Saturday. The first was the traditional Liar’s Dice tournament. Eight tables of dice rolling and cup slamming commenced, followed by a finals consisting of eight players. The Westbank Gamers were well represented in the finals, with Shanna Labranche, Jim Fairchild and myself qualifying. The Douds family was also well represented, as both Shay and Ariel qualified. In the end, it was little angelic Ariel who ousted all of us grizzled veterans (sorry, Shay and Shanna!) to capture the title.
Our next scheduled event was heavily dependent upon the weather – a sand sculpture contest. Fortunately, as Warren Madden predicted, the weather cooperated and was actually sensational! Participants were given one hour in which to create a sand sculpture that was somehow related to games. Numerous teams rushed to the beach, buckets and shovels in hand, to create their masterpieces. Just about everyone took some time to roam out to the beach and view the various creations, which included a Liar’s Dice set, Crokinole boards, meeples, Survive ensemble, Whack-A-Mole and more. It was a fun event and the talent of these folks continues to amaze me!
The final event of the evening was the announcement of our contest winners and the prize table giveaway. We also had a special treat for everyone. For quite awhile, it has been a tradition for attendees to bring various items (food, snacks, souvenirs, etc.) from their locale. Formerly, these would be assembled into several gift baskets and awarded as prizes. Well, we wanted everyone to share in the wealth, so we opted to construct a “Beach Bazaar”. We had over 100 items donated and these were separated into various groupings. As people were called to the prize table, they would also stop by the Bazaar and “purchase” items using the sea critters they had earned during the course of the convention. This proved to be extremely popular and will be continued at future Gulf Games.
Craig Berg handled the announcement chores during the prize table giveaway. Each person walked away with at least 3 games. This was probably our best prize table ever, with nearly 150 top-notch games available. Thanks to everyone for bringing some outstanding games.
Games played on Saturday:
Feurio
We decided to use two variants: (1) When placing a tile as a fire-break, the player does NOT have to discard a pawn; and (2) The tiles with a value of “1” are treated as a “2”. Both of these variants seemed to work extremely well and created a VERY tight game.
Finals: Michelle Corbin 13, Greg 13, Keith Canova 12, Earl Bailey 9
Ratings: Michelle 8, everyone else 7.5
Sticheln
As much as I enjoy Sticheln, this was the first time I’ve ever played it with just 3 players. Michael Weston insisted that this is the best way to play, as it offers the opportunity for some extremely clever – and nasty – plays. He is correct. One has much more control when playing cards. I MUST try it again with 3 player with my Westbank Gamers group.
Finals: Ed Rozmiarek 33, Michael Weston 29, Greg 26
Liar’s Dice (2x)
Two games as I managed to advance to the finals. My first game was tremendously tight and tense, coming down to Marcia Baldanza and I. We had over a dozen folks standing and watching our head-to-head confrontation. I managed to bluff my way out of a jam two times in a row, ousting Marcia 1 – 0.
Game 1: Bradford Gaalema, Angela Gaalema, Marcia Baldanza, Ed Rozmiarek, Jay Jones, Greg
Game 2 (Finals): Shay Douds, Ariel Douds, Jim Fairchild, Shanna Labranche, Kevin Gonzalez, Chris Lohroff, Tim Watson, Greg
Dwarven Dig
Kyle Berg had been itching to play either Warcraft or Dwarven Dig. Since Dwarven Dig was the shorter of the two, I gladly agreed to teach him the game. I normally don’t care much for “dungeon crawl” style games, but I find this one rather fun and not tedious. Our 4-player match was quite fun, with treasures changing hands a few times. Julie managed to be the first to rush to the exit and claim the victory.
Ratings: Kyle Berg 7, Ed Rozmiarek 6, Greg 6, Julie Weston 5.5
Silberzwerg
I enjoy this rather obscure title, which has its roots in Sid Sackson’s classic game Bazaar. Sadly, we had to abort our match early as several folks were involved in the judging of the sand sculpture contest, while Philip had advanced in the Crokinole tournament.
Players: Philip Sasse, Cary Cleaver, Julie Weston, Greg
Trendy
The most elusive person at Gulf Games in undoubtedly Henry Hunger. Henry is Lenny Leo’s long-time friend and roommate and he really doesn’t play that many games. Still, he loves the people, so attends just about every Gulf Games. It’s hard to corner him, though, so whenever the opportunity arises, it is best to grab him for a game.
We had a fun time with Trendy, assuming various designer names and doing a bit of role-playing.
Finals: Greg 118, Kay Jones 116, Jay Jones 114, Henry Hunger 112, Chris Jones 103
Tongiaki
Yes, yet another game of Tongiaki.
Finals: Tim Watson 16, Greg 11, Ian Borthwick 11, Jim Fairchild 10, Vickie Watson 7
Winds of Plunder
This is Al Newman’s design and it is currently on GMT’s Project 500 list. I had been anxious to play it, having missed out on the opportunity at Gulf Games 12 in Williamsburg. Al was nice enough to send a copy to me so I could play it at Gulf Games and with my Westbank Gamers group.
I did have the opportunity to play it again subsequently with my Westbank Gamers group, so I will write a full report on the game soon. I will state here that I found the game to be highly enjoyable and filled with interesting choices and decisions. I put it on par with Pirate’s Cove, but a bit deeper in the strategy pool.
Finals: Sheldon Smith 62, Ed Rozmiarek 58, Ty Douds 57, Greg 56, Kenny Douds 54
Ratings: Ed 8, Greg 7.5, Kenny 7, Sheldon 7, Ty 7
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND
The worst day of the convention. Why? Well, because the arrival of Sunday means that another Gulf Games is just about over. Many folks are departing for home early and we begin taking down the decorations around lunchtime. Although the convention doesn’t officially end until 3:00PM, most people are gone by then. It is truly sad to watch everyone depart, knowing that I won’ t see many of them until our next Gulf Games.
Much to my surprise, when I had arrived at the hotel on Tuesday, I was informed that there was a Mardi Gras parade that was going to pass directly in front of the hotel on Sunday. And I thought I had escaped Mardi Gras when I left New Orleans! In addition, the entire highway would be closed between 1PM and 5PM, so folks who had a flight to catch during that time were forced to leave early. Sigh.
Truthfully, though, the parade was a lot of fun. Several of us took time to walk out of the hotel and participate. The crowd was rambunctious and loud, adding to the spirit.
In spite of the un-decorating chores and the depression of having another Gulf Games come to a close, I did manage to get in a few games.
Atta Ants
I continue to enjoy this little gem from Essen. This is the first time that I’ve played wherein the game has ended by placing the final tile. Usually, someone managed to get all of their ants onto the board to claim the victory. The spiders had a feast as we all had most of our ants devoured. Susan had the most ants on the board when the game concluded.
Players: Susan Hendee, Leon Hendee, Chris Comeaux, Greg
Tongiaki
One more visit to the East Pacific!
Finals: Angela Gaalema 35, Greg 30, Michael Labranche 21, Shanna Labranche 16
Big Top
I was anxious to learn this Ray Mulford design, particularly since I had been sent an advance copy but was unable to understand the rules. Some of the terminology used in the rules can be confusing to non-card game players, of which I am one. Michael and Shanna are both huge card game fans, so Michael read the rules and explained the game.
We were just about to begin when Ian returned from the parade. So, I gave up my seat and played as a team with Shanna.
I was pleasantly surprised by the game. Although it may initially feel that one’s options are limited and the game plays itself, there really are some decisions to be made. I have since played it a few times more and find that good strategy will generally win out.
Players: Shanna Labranche, Michael Labranche, James Miller, Ian Borthwick, Emma Labranche, Angela Gaalema
POST GULF GAMES
Gulf Games 13 was held at the same time as the big Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans. Parades actually begin up to 4 weeks prior to the main event, but the really, really big parades are on the weekend prior to Fat Tuesday.
David Vander Ark and his family left Pensacola Beach fairly early on Sunday in order to join Henry Hunger for some of those big parades. James Miller, Gail and I joined with that group on Monday for a nice cruise down the Mississippi River aboard the steamboat Natchez. Yes, it looks similar to those paddle boats in Mississippi Queen, except that the big paddle is actually on the rear of the boat. We experienced a bit of rain, but it did stop periodically, allowing us to venture outdoors and enjoy the scenery.
We then browsed through the French Quarter and Farmer’s Market before heading back to my place for some food and gaming. We played Pick 2, the fast reaction crossword-puzzle word game that is always tense and exciting . and sometimes frustrating. Gail proved the “Queen of the Crosswords”. Fittingly, our last game of the evening was Tongiaki.
On Tuesday, the Vander Arks, Schloessers and Henry joined the Cortazzo family for Mardi Gras parades and festivities. Although the day was overcast and chilly, it didn’t dampen our spirits as we had a wonderful time hollering for beads and trinkets, and consuming enough food to feed a small army. It is always fun to experience Mardi Gras through the eyes of “newbies”, and it sure seemed as though the Vander Arks had a blast.
And so, another Gulf Games is now history. The memories will certainly linger for a long, long time. Pensacola Beach is simply a superb location for Gulf Games and will quite likely become part of a regular rotation. The hotel is outstanding and caters to our every whim. But, as has often been said numerous times before, it is the people that make Gulf Games so special. Everyone seems to put aside any personal prejudices and quirks, giving love and friendship freely to everyone who participates. The word “magical” has been overused in our society, but it sure fits here. Gulf Games is an incredible event, one that has touched me deeply. The friendships I have formed thanks to this event have been deep and lasting. The moment I depart from a Gulf Games is the very moment I begin anxiously awaiting the next one.