Chattanooga, Tennessee
March 2 – 5, 2000
Gulf Games has become such a special part of my life that I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it. The friendships that have been forged thanks to this event will last a lifetime.
I gushed about the beauty of Gulf Games in my previous report and promised a full, game-by-game account. Well, for better or worse, here it ’tis!
Wednesday, MARCH 1st
ON THE TABLE: Sky Runner (2x), Schotten Totten, Die Siedler von Nurnberg, Katzenjammer Blues, Piratenbilliards
It’s really difficult to say that Gulf Games begins on a particular date since the planning and organizing never seems to stop. Officially, Gulf Games 5 began on Thursday, March 2nd, but many of us arrived early in order to begin the physical preparations of decorating, organizing, etc. And, of course, we managed to squeeze in some games and begin the ritual of defying sleep by remaining awake until 3 AM.
Thanks to the contributions and assistance of many folks, we were able to get the meeting room decorated and set-up in far less time than I had anticipated. Once again, Tim and Vickie Watson outdid themselves with visually stunning decorations and incredible attention to every detail. It’s these special touches which tremendously help elevate the Gulf Games experience to heights unmatched by any other gaming convention.
With most of the decorations and preparations handled, the gaming began.
Sky RUNNER
In spite of some mediocre reviews, I couldn’t resist the $17.40 price tag and the fact that the game appeared to be visually stunning. So, I called Jim at Boulder Games and had him ship a copy of Sky Runner directly to the Hawthorn Suites so we could all give it a try at Gulf Games. I am VERY happy that I did.
Sky Runner uses the same card-play mechanic as found in Raj / Hols der Geier / Montgolfierre, but, in my opinion, to much greater and more satisfying effect. There are more opportunities in the card play to hinder the progress of your opponents, and a wider variety of cards to use, giving a player more options on his turn.
The game uses an impressive 3D board representing a huge skyscraper, measuring approximately two feet in height, with players racing to climb to the top. Players each have a set of numbered bid cards (1 – 8 in value), two climb cards with a value of 3 and 4 respectively, an equipment card and a ‘parasite’ card.
Each turn, a card from the common deck is revealed. This card can be a climb, equipment, sabotage, lost equipment or crash card. Players then simultaneously play a card face down from their hand then reveal them. The player playing the highest bid card takes the card which was up for bid. As in Raj, ties disqualify each other. This can be extremely nasty … and devilishly fun! Any bid cards played are set aside and a player cannot reclaim his cards until he has played ALL of his bid cards. Therefore, proper timing and planning are essential.
The captured card can be used immediately (to climb or sabotage another player, causing him to fall), or held in one’s hand for use in a later round. The only exception is if the card was a crash card, in which case the player playing the LOWEST valued bid card immediately suffers the effects of the crash, falling the listed number of spaces.
Instead of playing a bid card, a player may play any other card from his hand (climb, parasite, lost equipment). He then takes the action indicated. A parasite card allows the player to confiscate any climb cards which were played by opponents during that round. A lost equipment card forces an opponent to lose an equipment card. Equipment cards are vital as they are needed to climb over other players and the three ledges on the skyscraper.
The game continues until one player successfully scales the building and reaches the top.
I’ve now played the game five times and, although I’ve yet to win, find it highly entertaining and enjoyable. I feel this is a superior game to the basic Raj or Montgolfierre as players have many more options during the course of a turn. It’s drawback is it can tend to drag, but this is easily correctable by simply removing the top level of the skyscraper.
We played two games. Our first game consisted of Ty Douds, Shay Douds and three ‘teams’: Lenny Leo & Zane Douds, Kenny & Calvin Douds and Ariel Douds and myself. Ty managed to hoard a bunch of climb and equipment cards and make a sprint to the top, capturing the victory.
In our second game, the climbers were Michael Bland, Mark Jackson, Tim Watson and myself. After leading throughout the game, Mark was passed at the last moment by Michael.
Ratings: Shay 7, Michael 7, Greg 6, Ty 6, Lenny 6, Kenny 6, Mark 6, Tim 5
SchotTEN TOTTEN
I introduced Mark Jackson to this 2-player Lost Cities descendent from Reiner Knizia. Many folks have reported that they enjoy this game more than Lost Cities and find it more strategic. I’ve now played probably a dozen times and, although I enjoy the game and will readily play it, I still prefer Lost Cities. I find Lost Cities always ‘tightens my gut’ as I agonize over which cards to play and when. Schotten Totten doesn’t give me that same feeling on as consistent a basis. I also feel the luck of the draw plays a greater role in Schotten Totten … a position I probably can’t logically defend!
Still, the game is fun and plays in a much shorter time than does Lost Cities. My wife Gail likes this feature a lot!
Well, Mark is a quick learner as he thoroughly thrashed me. That’ll teach me to teach him a new game!
Die SIEDLER VON NURNBERG
I hope everyone is sitting down here. Jay Tummelson actually requested a game to play … and it wasn’t a RioGrande game! Jay’s request was Die Siedler von Nurnberg, a limited edition part of the Settlers of Catan juggernaut. Mark Jackson, Tim Watson and I were more than happy to oblige. As it turns out, I think this was the last game Jay actually played during the course of Gulf Games as he was more than content to simply teach and demonstrate his new Rio Grande games. I couldn’t even entice him into a 2 minute ‘Blue vs. Grey’ Button Men match!
I’ve described Die Siedler von Nurnberg on previous reports published on the Westbank Gamers website, so I won’t delve into great detail here. It does combine many of the familiar Settlers mechanics with those used in the Historical scenarios. The most crucial element is the victory points awarded for holding the Council positions, which are earned by having the most status points. SP’s are earned by constructing walls and towers to protect the city of Nurnberg.
This was only my second playing, but I honestly feel there are fairly obvious paths to follow. One, players must construct towns early on key resource junctions. I failed to accomplish this in my first game and was begging for resources throughout the entire game. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. Then, it is important to secure a road and build a factory inside Nurnberg which allows you to sell the goods produced along this route. Thus, you don’t have to pay a toll to an opponent each time you produce a good. Third, one MUST build walls in order to secure one of the three Council positions. You can’t win without one (or, if you can, it is exceedingly difficult).
I have several problems with the game. One, the path to victory seems pretty obvious. Follow the method I’ve outlined above and you will have a very good chance of winning. The game is also too quick; it ends before it really gets going. Finally, I still do not like the card deck method of determining resource production each turn. I much prefer a dice roll as you at least have a chance that your needed number will be rolled every time. With a card deck, once all cards depicting a certain number have surfaced, that number CANNOT be chosen again until the deck is reshuffled.
In our game, I pursued the path I discussed above and cruised to a victory. Tim made it close, but I was always a few steps ahead of him. Following the game, Jay stated that his initial impression of the game was now confirmed … he didn’t much care for it.
Finals: Greg 13, Tim 11, Jay 8, Mark 4 Ratings: Tim 6.5, Greg 6, Mark 5, Jay 3
KATZENJAMMER BLUES
Mark Jackson suggested this Reiner Knizia card game. It piqued my interest as I had never played the game. The theme is one which didn’t hold much interest (jazzy cats?) and I’d heard mostly mediocre to poor things about the game. So, I wasn’t expecting much.
I was pleasantly surprised … so much so that I purchased a copy from the local game store in Chattanooga later in the week. I found the game required quite a bit of decision making, when to bid, what to bid, when to fold, etc. Managing one’s hand was very important, and how to best utilize those pesky, yet sometimes useful jokers was always tough.
Many have complained that a round ends too early before one can execute a long-term plan. I didn’t have a problem with this. So long as everyone knows that a round plays quickly, then one can plan and act accordingly. Granted, this one will never rate up there with Euphrat & Tigris or El Grande, but it still is a pleasant game to play, especially with family and ‘non-gaming’ friends.
A managed to score impressively in round one and respectfully in rounds two and three to claim the victory:
Round-by-round scores:
Greg: 9 + 5 + 5 = 19
Michael Bland: 1 + 5 + 8 = 14
Mark Jackson: 8 – 1 + 0 = 7
Tim Watson: -3 + 6 + 2 = 5
Ratings: Mark 7, Michael 7, Tim 7, Greg 6
PiratENBILLIARDS
With the hour now past 2 AM, we couldn’t resist the lure of Piratenbilliards Piratenbilliards is part of the larger, manual skill style games being released from Abacus Spiele.
Imagine this: An elevated wooden 8 x 8 (I think) grid covered on the bottom with canvass. Each player has six colored balls along their side, one in each grid. The object is to use a wooden mallet to tap the balls from underneath the canvass, eventually maneuvering the balls to the opposite side. If you land in a space containing an opponent’s ball, you capture it and it is worth a point at game’s end. For each ball you manage to maneuver to the opposite side, you earn two points. Any balls knocked off the grid are out of the game.
Further spice is added by the presence of the large black ‘death star’. This ball can be whacked by any opponent, and if it lands in a space you occupy, that ball is vaporized.
There’s quite a knack to whacking the ball at the right angle and with the correct amount of pressure to cause it to go where you want it to. I apparently had this ‘knack’ during my previous two games, but it abandoned me in this match. Tim, who owns the game, proved he had been practicing as he trounced us.
Tim 7, Greg 4, Michael 4, Mark 2
At that time, we finally succumbed to exhaustion and headed off for bed. Due to a slight room mix-up, Mark, Lenny, Michael and I shared a room for the first night. Sleep was elusive as I endured stereo-phonic snoring, courtesy of Mark and Lenny. Oh, well … one week of lost sleep can’t kill someone … can it?
Thursday, MARCH 2ND
In spite of getting to bed at 3 AM, I was up and in the game room by 8:00AM Thursday morning in anticipation of the official beginning of Gulf Games at Noon. New and old friends began arriving and continued appearing throughout the day. It’s always a joy to greet them and introduce them to the Gulf Games experience.
ON THE TABLE: Stratego Legends, Ohne Furcht und Tadel (Citadels), Morgenland (Aladdin’s Dragons), Can’t Stop, Torres, Taj Mahal, Hallo Dachs, Sky Runner, Vampire, Time Pirates, Flying Carpet
StratEGO LEGENDS
Mark Jackson stumbled into the game room shortly after my early arrival. Following some more last-minute decorating, we chose a game of the new Stratego Legends: The Shattered Lands. This is a new game from the newAvalon Hill (aka Hasbro) and is visually impressive. The artwork on the pieces is extremely professional, as is the quality of the castle pieces themselves. Unfortunately, the artwork on the board is not up to par, being very basic. Further, the interlocking frame which holds the board pieces together is very flimsy.
The game itself certainly does offer an interesting twist on the old, time-worn Stratego. Each piece has a special power which can be activated to somehow alter the normal flow of the game. The big, BIG problem, however, is that the powers are NOT listed on the pieces themselves and must be found on a baffling series of charts. Each player has three charts, which are ludicrously printed on both sides. To complicate matters, the pieces and charts are not numbered, so one has to locate the correct power by matching the picture from the piece to the picture on the chart! This resulted in a seemingly endless series of chart flipping and searching, which delayed the game interminably. Eventually, we figured out that the powers were listed on the charts in accordance with the value of the pieces, but there were still three charts to navigate and filter through before the correct power could be found. It would have been SO easy to place a number on each piece and a corresponding number on the charts. How this ever got by the play testers is beyond me.
Frankly, this spoiled my experience. I’m sure if one played the game several times, many of the powers could be learned and the charts would not have to be continuously consulted. However, the game just isn’t THAT enjoyable to make me want to play that often. This is one title that seems destined to appeal to youngsters and early teen-agers, but isn’t deserving of the proud Avalon Hill label.
Due to the totally random initial set-up procedure (all pieces are mixed face-down and then placed on the board), most of my powerful pieces were stuck in the rear of my ranks. Mark, however, managed to maneuver his powerful pieces into key positions early and annihilated my front rank troops. Eventually, I was able to wreak some havoc of my own, but by then it was too late. Mark captured the victory.
Ratings: Mark 5, Greg 4
Ohne FURCHT UND TADEL (CITADELS)
Many folks had the opportunity to try this Bruno Faiduti title at last year’s Gathering of Friends when it was in its infancy. I was one of them and wasn’t as impressed as most. Turns out the reason is likely that I played the game with seven players and the game seemed to drag on forever.
Jay brought the German version along and it was the first new ‘Nurnberg’ release I played. This time my experience was MUCH better as we had only four players and the game flowed much smoother and quicker. I was very impressed with the game, as were my opponents. Sadly, the game will not be released in English for what appears to be a VERY long time (but that’s another story!), so I have already placed my order with Adam Spielt for several copies.
The title means “Without Fear and Nobility”, but will probably always be known as Citadels for those who originally played it. The game borrows the central mechanism of choosing powers from Verrater, but vastly improves on the game play.
Each turn, players choose a character, which conveys upon them certain powers. On a turn, a player may add buildings to his city, with the ultimate goal being to construct buildings of the greatest value. Of course, the more valuable a building, the more expensive it is to construct. So, players must balance the task of acquiring income versus constructing buildings.
The powers add a neat twist to the game as, depending upon the character selected, players can steal gold, assassinate opponents, switch hands of cards with opponents, protect buildings, construct extra buildings, etc. No one is quite sure which of the 8 powers is active each round, which adds a nagging sense of uncertainty to one’s plans and actions. One’s best laid plans can be wrecked by a nasty play of an opponent.
This was also my first ‘official’ game of Gulf Games, as the hour was now past the Gulf Games official start time of Noon. The contestants in our game were Shay Douds, Mark Jackson, Jeff Buckey and I. I was actually doing quite well … unfortunately, too well. Mark Jackson immediately spotted my good position and slammed me several times. This allowed Shay, perfectly playing the innocent ” I have no idea what I’m doing” routine, to sneak in for the victory.
Shay 31, Greg 25, Mark 21, Jeff 14
Ratings: All 7’s.
The game was extremely fun to play and with four players lasted just under an hour. Bravo, Bruno.
MorgENLAND (ALADDIN’S DRAGONS)
This is the revamped re-make of Richard Breese’s much ballyhooed Keydom. I won’t describe the mechanics here as I have a full review of Keydom on the Westbank Gamers site under Game Reviews.
Jay Tummelson said that the revised edition ‘fixed’ the many problems I (and others) had with the original game, including the length of the game and the endgame kingmaker problem.
Well, he’s right. These problems appear to be fixed. Sadly, the revised edition created a new set of problems. First, one of the spaces the players compete for is the right to have the ‘start’ token, allowing that player to place his tokens first. Well, in our game, we found that going first is actually a disadvantage, NOT an advantage. Thus, one of our players got stuck with the ‘start’ token and never relinquished it, much to his detriment. So, it was a wasted space.
Another problem was that the ability to use magic was very weak since in order to evoke the spell, one must possess the proper token. In our game, the required tokens didn’t surface until very late in the game, rendering magic non-existent. Plus, by that time, nearly everyone possessed a ‘veto’ token and could easily have vetoed the casting of any powerful spell. So, it was a non-issue. I don’t think this would occur in every game, but the potential is certainly there.
I’ve since discussed these two concerns with Richard Breese, the game’s designer, and Volker fromHans im Gluck. It appears that we may have overlooked a few rules, especially in regards to the magic powers. Each player is supposed to begin the game with one ‘lamp’ token, which is needed to cast any magic. This certainly would have given the magic powers more impact.
The main problem I have with the game, however, is that I just don’t seem to enjoy the basic mechanic of allocating tokens face down and then revealing them once everyone has placed all of their tokens. This seems to be such a crap shoot that it really mitigates any careful and precise planning. Many seem to enjoy this mechanic. I don’t.
The contestants in our game were Desmond Middleton, Ian Borthwick, Tim Watson, Michael Bland and I. Ian stormed his way through the game, collecting an impressive array of artifacts and captured an easy victory.
Ratings: Michael 7, Ian 7, Desmond 6, Tim 6, Greg 5.5
So, if you are a Keydom fan and are looking for a version you can play MUCH quicker, then Morgenland is for you. Otherwise, I’d pass.
Can’t STOP
Time for a game with the kiddies. Ian Borthwick, Kim Berg and I joined Calvin, Zane and Ariel Douds for a game of Can’t Stop. I teamed with Ariel and Kim with Zane, while Ian and Calvin played individually.
It was a very close game, with Ian capturing the victory:
Ian 3, Ariel / Greg 2, Calvin 1, Zane / Kim 0
Torres
Dennis Mills from the Nashville gang had just arrived and we browsed the room looking for a game he hadn’t yet played. When I mentioned Torres, he said he hadn’t played, so I immediately grabbed it off the table. We were joined by another Torres novice, Desmond Middleton, and the wily veteran Lenny Leo.
Throughout most of the game, Dennis and I led the pack. I managed to keep one small step ahead of Dennis and claim the victory, my first ‘official’ win, allowing me to capture a medal!
Round-by-round scores:
Round 1: Greg 29, Dennis 28, Lenny 24, Desmond 23
Round 2: Greg 86, Dennis 83, Desmond 73, Lenny 70
Round 3: Greg 186, Dennis 181, Lenny 163, Desmond 148
Ratings: Greg 9, Lenny 9, Dennis 8.5, Desmond 8
Torres continues to be one of my all-time favorite games. I find the game to always be tense, exciting and thoroughly challenging. A true winner and a game for the ages.
Taj MAHAL
Knizia’s latest game does not disappoint. This time, the theme is set in India, and although it still isn’t a perfectly matched and strongly tied-in theme, it is better than most of Reiner’s thinly pasted efforts.
The game board depicts twelve provinces, with struggles for each province being resolved in a definite order. For each province, players vie to capture the influence of various groups, represented by symbol tokens. Control of these tokens is contested by playing cards which match the the symbols. Card play continues until a player is satisfied that he has achieved his objective, which is usually having played cards which give him the majority in certain symbols. He may then ‘fold’, taking possession of those symbols which he has the majority in and constructing a palace on one of the several locations within the region being contested. He is also then allowed to choose three of the nine (or ten … I can’t recall the exact number) face-up cards to re-fill his hand. Card play then continues until all symbols have been captured by the players.
Construction of a palace is critical as players can earn bonuses for building on certain locations or capture certain tokens which can later yield points. Further, if a player is able to construct palaces in various regions which are connected via roadways, even more points are earned.
Certain tokens captured allow a player to gain certain powers which can be used each turn until that power is stolen from them by another player (which is accomplished by … yes … capturing more tokens of the same color). This adds yet another objective to strive for.
The game continues until all twelve regions have been resolved. This is the only complaint I have with the game. It is too long and gets to feel a bit repetitive. Our game took close to two hours, as did most of the Taj Mahal games which were played during the course of the convention. However, the mechanics of the game and the test of wills was so good I can live with the length.
Taj Mahal has a strong ‘poker’ feel to it. One has to know when to fold and grab whatever tokens he can, or when to stay in the contest of card play and go for potentially greater rewards. This one seems destined for greatness.
I played the initial 1/3 of the game in a fog as throughout Jay Tummelson’s rules explanation I was scooting away from the table to greet new arrivers and get them oriented. It wasn’t until the first special powers card was captured that I had any idea what those cards were for! However, I quickly learned and somehow managed to scoop the +2 card and hold it throughout most of the remainder of the game. This, coupled with a nice collection of ‘elephant’ tokens helped me overcome my poor road connections and capture the victory:
Greg 55, Craig Berg 41, Mark Engelberg 40, Tim Watson 33, Ian Borthwick 16
Ratings: Craig 9, Mark 8, Greg 8, Tim 7, Ian 6
Hallo DACHS
Kayla Berg had just finished a game of Hallo Dachs and I had promised her previously that I would play it with her. So, she agreed to another game and recruited several others, including Calvin and Kenny Douds and Tim Watson . Unfortunately, she recruited so many folks that we had a full game without her! Ever the cheerful and bubbly person, she gleefully moved onto another game, but kept coming back to embarrass us with her masterful memory!
I didn’t realize what a memory game Hallo Dachs is. A series of cards ring the board. Cards depict various items (caterpillars, snails, etc.) and are placed face down. Players move along paths, each with numbers ranging from 2 – 5. A player must find a number of matches amongst the cards equal to the number on the space where his pawn is located. OUCH! This one hurts. It’s simply amazing how much better youngsters are at this game as opposed to adults. After a few rounds, we all agreed to abandon the game, leaving it for those with better memories.
Sky RUNNER
The Bergs had not yet played Sky Runner, so along with Kenny and Calvin Douds, I introduced Craig, Kayla and Kim to this neat Ravensburger release. I teamed up with Kayla, but we weren’t able to hold off Kenny, who managed to sprint to the top and claim the victory.
Vampire
Yet another card game .. and yet another game from Herr Knizia. This one is going to rank VERY closely at the top of any list of games having virtually NOTHING to do with its theme. It is a Rummy-style game which could have just as easily had any type of theme adhered to it … even ‘bunnies’, as suggested by Mark Jackson.
Players chase vampires in Transylvania, routing them out of six different locations. Cards represent six different types of vampires, each of which is haunts one of the six locations.
On a player’s turn, he may do one of two actions:
1) Draw two cards from the face down draw pile. If he does this, he MUST then discard one card to the proper location. OR
2) Pick up ALL of the vampire cards from one location, add them to his hand, and then lay down in front of him a meld of at least four identical cards.
If a player lays down a meld of cards of a type he already had played, he must discard the meld with the lower number of cards in it.
The game ends when the draw pile is exhausted OR one player succeeds in laying melds of all six vampire types (colors).
As is traditional with Knizia, there is a scoring twist. At the end of the game, the player who has the LEAST cards in front of him of each color discards these cards and does not score points for them. Then, all players add the value of the cards laid to determine the winner.
Umm … that’s it. There really isn’t much to this game at all. It, too, was unexciting and, frankly, uninspiring. A disappointment from Knizia.
Buster Williamson, Neil Carr, Mark Engelberg, Lenny Leo and I were the vampire hunters. In spite of a group of fantastic guys, the experience was dull and unexciting. Perhaps the game will play well with family as light game, but there are so many other, better games for even that venue that why bother?
Finals: Neil 25, Buster 20, Greg 18, Lenny 17, Mark 15
Time PIRATES
This was probably my biggest disappointment in regards to the new Nurnberg games. It is an Alan Moon / Aaron Weissblum design, with artwork by Franz Vohlwinkel, whose work I usually admire. However, I was disappointed by both the game and the artwork.
I loathe aborting games which I have begun. I always feel that you should play a game through at least once just to get the full flavor of it and a better understanding of how the various mechanics meld and play out through an entire game. It is rare, indeed, when I support ending a game pre-maturely.
Well, all six players involved in our game of Time Pirates heartily agreed to abort the game after only one round of a three round game. Mark Engelberg aptly described the game as ” having all the fun sucked out of it”. It simply wasn’t fun. Every player took his turn, performed the action(s) and play rotated. There was literally no suspense or excitement.
The theme is intriguing: To fill orders of art dealers, Time Pirates are hunting for artifacts in various historical periods. These artifacts can then be “sold” (exchanged, actually) for good money at the bazaar at the end of time. The Time Guard tries to keeps the artifacts where they belong.
On your turn, you can do two of the following actions:
1) Move to another historical period (following paths on the board);
2) Pick up an artifact from the space you are on (there are several choices of artifacts in each ‘period’); OR
3) Deliver an order by exchanging a set of artifacts you have collected for a ‘fee’ (represented by a point token).
Players may also ‘fill up’ empty artifact spaces in the period they are in, in which case they are rewarded with a third action. However, when drawing new artifacts from the bag, the Time Guard may be drawn, in which case his token is moved to an adjacent historical period (space) according to the directions on the chit. If he encounters a Time Pirate and he is in the same period as the Time Pirate at the start of that player’s next turn, the pirate loses one of his artifacts. In reality, this is a very paltry penalty to pay.
Players may steal artifacts from other players by surrendering certain artifacts they have collected, but a wise player usually protects himself against such an occurrence.
That’s about it. The game was very unexciting with little real thought involved in the game. Since there are a limited number of Time Guard tokens in the bag, it is very easy to discern which tokens remain and therefore predict with reasonable accuracy where the Time Guard will move. Thus, it is fairly easy to avoid him. But even if caught, the penalty isn’t all that severe.
In spite of getting one rule wrong (we were placing ‘cashed in’ artifacts back into the bag, when in reality they should be left out until the beginning of the next round), the game likely wouldn’t play better with the correct rules. I was sorely disappointed.
The artwork also does nothing to evoke the feel of the theme. It is quite garish and bright and I, for one, had absolutely no feel of being an actual ‘time pirate’. The theme is neat, but the game in no way conveys the feel. A shame.
The time pirates were Sheldon Smith, Mark Engelberg, Neil Carr, Jeff Buckey, Craig Berg and I. No winner was declared as we aborted, but Sheldon was in the lead.
FlyING CARPET
The hour was growing late, but there was still time for another game … but it had to be a light one as the hour was alarmingly late! Flying Carpet from Ravensburger was a perfect choice.
Cassie Berg, Calvin Douds, Kenny Douds, Michael Bland and I raced our carpets across the sky in this clever game. Kenny sprung out to a large lead, but I managed to catch him one turn before he would have won the game, landing my carpet directly atop his. This forced him to lose his turn and on my very next turn, I landed safely to claim the victory.
At this point, I trudged off to bed, the hour again well past 2AM.
Even more to come …..