Destin, Florida
October 21 – 24, 1999
Well, I finally got around to putting my Gulf Games experience down on (electronic) paper. I can tell you without a doubt that what I am about to write will not do it justice. This is truly something that needs to be experienced.
I’ve read a few other’s recaps on Gulf Games and decided that I am going to take a slightly different tack. Where most have written from a “Game-centric” view, I am going to write from a “People-centric” view, because this is what impressed me the most about Gulf Games. The best way for me to put it is: Gulf Games is an incredible, family oriented, social event…and, by the way, we play games there too. That is it in a nutshell. The people that participated, to a person, were some of the warmest, friendliest people that you will ever meet. Their patience with children and their acceptance of people they know only by name is unparalleled in my experience.
My only danger in writing this recap about the people that were at Gulf Games is in repeating myself. I found as I started to write this that I wanted to begin every sentence with “<name> is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.”, because that truly is how I felt about everyone there. That said, it is up to you, the reader, to assume that every sentence starts with that phrase.
So, here are the participants, in no particular order:
Ben and Marcia Baldanza: A great couple to be around. Ben is always smiling, always happy, and always ready to teach a game. He taught me Zum Kuckuck and was the brunt of the “look at your hands” joke that Greg already described. He was also witness to my puzzling logic in Vector when I was Frank Branham’s partner. I had the opportunity to play a game with Marcia when we sat down to the Baldanza’s homegrown game Weinerdog. It was getting close to the time when I promised my family I would meet them for dinner when we sat down to play. The game lingered on past the time I said I would meet them and I was getting a bit antsy. Marcia helped my anxiety by announcing to me “It’s for you!” every time the door to the room opened. Thanks Marcia. I’ll get even at Gulf Games 5.
Chip, Carla and Matthew Triplett: Probably the quietest people at GG4 and a pleasure to spend time with. I was able to play a game of Pepper with Chip (and 8 other people) and talk to him on several occasions during the course of the weekend. Carla had the misfortune of sitting to my left during a game of Pass the Bomb. I was able to pass the bomb of to her with a couple of questionable calls, but she was nice enough to never challenge me…or maybe its just the “panic” of the game! One of my more extreme cases was when “GG” was displayed as the letters to include in the target word. We had gone through a bunch of words already (ragged, dogged, haggard, etc.) and it came back around to me. I was stumped and just stared at the “GG” sitting on that card. Suddenly, it came to me, “Gulf Games” I said, and passed the bomb to Carla. She didn’t challenge me, tried to think of another word and the bomb went off. Sorry, Carla. It’s your turn to get even with me at Gulf Games 5. I should also mention what a good little guy Matthew was. He was always so quiet and content, even amid the ruckus going on around him.
Ken Girton: Part of the “Texas Trio”. I enjoyed Ken’s subtle humor and dry wit. I was always laughing when I was with him. He was also a favorite with my family. He taught Kyle how to play Pit, he kept egging Kayla on in Can’t Stop, and he was part of Cassie and Kim’s most enjoyable Gulf Games experience, a raucous game of Die Erbraffer. He was one of those people that you always saw playing games with the kids, teaching them if they didn’t know the game. The world needs more people like Ken.
George Michaels: Part 2 of the “Texas Trio”. In going through my notes, I found that I played more games with George than I played with anyone else. I think it’s a tribute to how much I enjoyed being around him. He has a very analytical mind, and it was great fun to watch his decision making process while playing. He was equally at home playing Ra as he was playing Pit. George was the one that talked me into staying that night for the 2:00am game of Pit. I’m glad he did. It was one of the most memorable games of Pit I’ve ever played. Hey George, let’s do it again at Gulf Games 5 and turn it into a tradition!
Derk Solko: The third, and most vocal, member of the “Texas Trio”. You could always find Derk by making a comment that, in the game you were playing, it looked like George was winning. Suddenly, from somewhere in the room you would hear Derk say “Kill George!” I got to play a game of Torres with Derk in which he would encourage me to screw one of the other two players (Jon and Rich) at every opportunity. I also heard Derk utter what, to me, was the greatest phrase to come out of Gulf Games 4; as a group of people were setting up a game (I don’t recall the players or the game), Derk walked up to their table and asked, “So, does this game not suck?” I was only able to play the one game with Derk at Gulf Game 4. I hope to remedy that at Gulf Games 5.
Frank Branham: Everyone always mentions Frank’s wacky games. Its true he does have some very unusual games, but what about Frank. I have to say I really got a kick out of playing games with him. I don’t know that the feeling is mutual, but I do know that the most puzzling looks I got during GG4 were from Frank. We were playing one of his many strange games, Vector (although this one is probably less bizarre than most; kind of like Roborally on acid) and Frank was my partner. We were playing against Ben and Magnus. I decided to try a different strategy and bluff. I guess Vector isn’t a good place to try out a bluffing strategy, as I managed to bluff Frank also. Or maybe I’m just not very good at this type of partnership game (most likely the latter). Anyway, we lost horribly thanks to me. The next day, however, during a game of Bretonenboule in which I was regularly about 8 feet to the right of the target, Frank backed me up that my poor aim was caused by a severe caffeine induced twitch. Although I noticed he didn’t ask me to be his partner…hmmm.
Greg, Gail, Lindsay Schloesser and Karie Rodriguez: Our never tiring host and his family. You cannot say enough nice things about them. Greg was everywhere, all the time. Making sure everyone was having a good time, playing games, comfortable, etc. If he saw someone looking around for something to play, he’d suggest a game and a couple other players that he saw wandering around. He is just as happy teaching people a new game and sitting out as he is sitting down to play. Without Greg, Gulf Games would not be the success it is. Thank you, Greg. In my quest to play everyone at GG4 at least once, a managed to snag Gail on our last night there as she was about to leave for the evening. We played a quick game of Schampus, a champagne glass stacking game, so I could put a sticker on her name on the chart. However, Gail managed to make it back to the game room and I was able to sit down with her and play a great game of Zum Kuckuck. Gail also talked to Kim quite a bit about husbands that play games. I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not, until Kim informed me that I better make sure I get my registration fee in for The Gathering. Thanks, Gail 😉 I also got to teach Lindsay and Karie how to play Piratenbilliards. We had a lot of fun playing, even if Karie was unable to keep a single ball on the table. Lindsay, Karie and I also played the world’s friendliest game of Twitch with Kyle and Ken. These two girls were terrific in helping Kyle when it was his turn to play a card. Karie, we’ll try Piratenbilliards again at GG5 and see if you’ve improved. Lindsay, I understand you’ve discovered a new game. Look for George, Ken and I at GG5 when you want to start up a game of Pit!
Henry Hunger: Henry is a great sport! I corralled Henry into the aforementioned marathon game of Weinerdog. As I said before, it was already past the time when I said I would meet my family for dinner while Henry and I (and Marcia Baldanza and Timothy McCarthy) were playing this game. At one point in the game I decided I just had to bail or incur the wrath of my lovely wife. Henry, in his oh so friendly way, shamed me into staying; “You talked me into sitting down to play with you and now your leaving??” How could I quit? We did finish the game, I was only a half an hour late (only?) and Henry and I got quite a bit of mileage out of it. I suspect we will continue to get mileage out of it in future Gulf Games too. Henry also helped my wife carry a cooler back from the ice machine when I wasn’t around to help out. Thanks, Henry. I hope to see you at GG5 when we can sit down to a more leisurely game.
Buster Williamson: I only managed to play one game with Buster. It was a great little game Frank had brought along called Himmelsturmer. We didn’t really get to talk that much, something I hope to remedy at GG5. I do know, however, that Buster had to endure the world’s longest game of Can’t Stop with the ultra-conservative Kayla Berg. Just another testament to the patience people showed with children during the course of GG4. When the game was finally over, Buster stopped by our table and said, “Kayla won.” Of course, I think she could have won 45 minutes ago too!. A word of warning Buster, Kayla wants to play it again with you.
Jon Pessano: Jon and I played a game of Torres. That’s the same as saying “Jon and I played a game at GG4″. Everytime I turned around, Jon was playing Torres. I had a lot of fun playing it with him too. Whenever Jon would play his piece he would look up and say something like, “Good move, wasn’t it?”, or, “Liked that, huh?” Jon left a day early to watch the Philadelphia Igels (that is how you spell it, right?) game, so I didn’t get to game with him again. I look forward to seeing him again at GG5 where I will be able to make up for that. Jon did have the most militant hat at the beach party though.
Rich McKiernan: The same game of Torres that I played with Jon I also played with Rich. I was able to make a move during that game that hurt Rich pointwise. His retaliation? He called me a Scumbag!! All in good fun, of course, right? Rich? Right? Anyway, even though that was the only game I got to play with Rich, I had a lot of fun. I hope to get another chance at GG5.
Lenny Leo: Lenny is a remarkably generous person. One of the highlights of the weekend was on Prize Night. Before any prizes were given out, Lenny got up in front of everyone and pulled out a big sack of goodies. What was in it? Something for every child at GG4. He looked like Santa opening his sack of toys. Lenny had gone out earlier in the day and got something for each and every one of those kids. The kids went nuts. Lenny was a favorite among all of them. Proof of this happened that same night, when I noticed several children milling about as the adults were playing games. I caught Kayla’s eye and asked her if she would like to play a game with me. “Not now”, she said, “we’re waiting for Lenny”. He’s going to play Mamma Mia with us.” Five minutes later, there he was at a table full of giggling kids as he dealt out cards; complete with Italian accent! I played a late night game of Carabande with Lenny in which he had almost as much difficulty as I had in Bretonenboule.
Michael Bland: I played a bunch of games with Michael. The first day I was there, I was a little unsure on how to proceed. Michael helped me feel right at home. He came up to me and asked if I wanted to play a game. When I said “Sure”, he would grab one of the many laying around the room and we would play. He was really the one that made me feel right at home immediately. An incredibly friendly guy with a quick smile and always ready to play anything, anytime.
Magnus Lundgren: Magnus was great fun to be around as he played every game as if it were the world championship! I taught Magnus how to play Mamma Mia and then watched him agonize his way though the entire game. When it was over he declared, “I hate this game!” How much did he hate it? Well, I did see him playing it again the next day…with a table full of children no less! Magnus also brought along a contest and several prizes for it. It was a box with several game pieces inside it. There was a hole in the box so you could stick your hand in to feel the pieces, but you couldn’t look in. That was a lot of fun, even if I was awful at guessing. I had also corresponded with Magnus prior to GG4 about an extra Loopin’ Louie coin he had for me. When he arrived at Gulf Games I inquired about it and he was very vague about it. I figured either he didn’t remember the coin or he didn’t know who I was. So the next day I asked again and, again, he was a bit cryptic about the coin just saying, “Yes, I know. You will get it.” So, jokingly I asked him if it was gift wrapped or something. He laughed and said, “In a way.” I later came to find his reason for avoiding my question. The coin was one of the game pieces in his “Mystery Box”!
Sus Henrikson: Sus, I’m listing you separate here so you don’t feel like one of Magnus‘ appliances 😉 Sus was an incredibly warm and fun person. My kids took a real shine to her and everyone I know enjoyed her company. But, I learned early on, underneath that kind exterior was a ruthless gamer! 🙂 As an example, I sat down to a table to learn Giganten along with Sus, Michael Bland and Tim Watson. It was my first time playing the game as it was for Sus. You would never know by the final scores though. I came in second place with what I thought to be a respectable $66,500. Sus’ score? $121,000!! I was humbled beyond belief. Sus, I hope you can return to Gulf Games someday, because I want a rematch! Oh yeah, you can bring Magnus with you if you want to.
Mark Jackson: Mark was a big surprise to me. I only knew Mark through his postings and have never really had any direct email conversations with him. His emails always seem so insightful, thoughtful and, well, reserved. Make no mistake, Mark is not reserved. True, he is still insightful and thoughtful, but he is very full of energy and spirit. When you are with Mark you can’t help but have a good time. He can catch you up in the momentum of his dynamic personality and bring you along for the ride! It was Mark and his copy of Die Erbraffer that caused such a stir on Saturday night. I have the feeling that it may have been the people playing it more than the game itself. I simply cannot wait to see Mark again at GG5.
Mike Adams: My very best friend and gaming buddy. Mike is a member of the Kitchen Table Gamers and he and his son, Marc, drove down to Destin with us. Mike and I play a lot of games together when we are home, so the thing that I enjoyed with Mike the most about GG4 was not playing *with* him, but playing with other people and then comparing notes on games afterwards. We found that playing with other people gave us some insight into how games can change with different styles of play. It was also great to see Marc playing games all weekend. He was always sitting at a table somewhere playing something. I don’t know that I ever saw Marc wandering around looking for someone to play with.
Peter, Kim, Timothy and Colin McCarthy: Peter and Kim were another quiet couple. I got to play a few games with Peter (he slammed me in Ra), but he was always willing to sit down and play with anyone. I also had the opportunity to play Pass the Bomb with both Peter and Kim one night. What a blast! I give them both a lot of credit too. It seemed that one of them always had Colin with them and they were still able to play games and have fun. Colin was happy just to sit there and watch as the rest of us played. And then there’s Timmy. What a trooper that little guy is. I think he probably played more games than many of the adults present. He was always friendly, and always ready to play. He also had no problem holding his own against a table full of adults. He was able to keep up with most of us during Carabande, and even beat a few adults (right, Lenny?) Watch out for him. When he gets a little older, he is going to be one heck of a gamer!
Sheldon Smith: Sheldon was pure joy to be around. With all of those great games lining the walls, I felt like a kid in a candy store, but Sheldon *looked* like a kid in a candy store. I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile on his face. I got to play a number of games with him and his enthusiasm was absolutely contagious. One of the things that impressed me the most about Sheldon was how he was with the children. On Saturday morning, he sat down at a table with my son, Kyle, and Zane and Calvin Douds to teach them Pokemon. 2 1/2 hours later he was still sitting at that table with those boys playing. What a great guy. We managed to pull him away from the table, but not before he had those little guys hooked on Pokemon. By the way, Sheldon, I’ll be sending you the bill for all those Pokemon cards I have to buy now! 😉 Sheldon also gave me my first lesson in Fencing 101.
Tim and Vickie Watson: Tim was actually the first person I met at Gulf Games. It was the night before it started and I was down at the front desk the same time he was. I didn’t know who he was, but I asked the desk clerk if he knew where Gulf Games was meeting the next day. Tim overheard me and introduced himself. Good thing too, because the clerk had no idea what I was talking about. Tim was also involved in that game of Giganten that Sus hammered us in. Also, words cannot do justice to the decorations that Tim and Vickie made to decorate the game room. Hanging from the ceiling were all these giant replicas of game pieces. There were cards from Klunker and Bohnanza, pieces from Euphrat & Tigris and Carabande to name just a few. It was awesome! And Vickie was amazing! She was always making sure the snack table was full, there were plenty of drinks, and tables were clean. It didn’t matter what time of day or night you were there, she was there too. I left one night at 3:00am to go to bed and Vickie was still there making sure everything was running smoothly. From the bottom of my heart, thank you both for such a wonderful job!
Kenny and Calvin Douds: It seemed like I was always running into Kenny in the hallways or the lobby or the elevator. When I finally saw him uninvolved in a game up in the game room, I corralled him. We played In Teufel’s Kuche and he always managed to get the devil to pop up out of that stove on his third push of the button. We started thinking there was something wrong with it until I managed to push it eight times before it popped up. Anyway, we had a lot of fun playing it and I hope to see him again so we can get in a few more games. Calvin gave me my first glimpse into the fact that the kids at Gulf Games were of a different caliber. The first game I played with him was Mole in the Hole where he absolutely trounced me! Over the next few days, we played several other games with him beating me in every one. Some of these games, I thought, would require a slightly higher age bracket, but Calvin set me straight on that. I look forward to playing more games with him so he can continue to hand me my hat!
Ty, Shay, Ariel, and Zane Douds: What a terrific family! The entire family is so much fun to be around. They are warm, friendly and a pleasure to spend time with. Our children struck an immediate kinship with theirs and spent most of the weekend together. Wherever one group of kids were, the others were close by. Shay is a joy to be around. I can’t say that I ever saw her not having a good time; she was always smiling and laughing. Ty and I had corresponded several times though email, so I felt like I already knew him when I met him. We played numerous games together and shared a ton of laughs! This was true whether we were playing a serious game (isn’t that an oxymoron?) or trying to figure out how to politely bail out of a game that was going on way too long. I knew that if Ty sat down to the table to play we were going to have a blast. While I can’t wait to play some more games with Ty, more importantly my family can’t wait just to see them again. You can bet that the Bergs will be actively seeking out the Douds at the next Gulf Games.
With all these wonderful people is it any wonder that Gulf Games 4 was so much fun? Like I said at the beginning of this message, “…and, by the way, we play games there too.”
Stay tuned for Part 2…