Nashville, Tennessee
August 2 – 5, 2001
Just returned from Gulf Games 8 in Nashville …an INCREDIBLE experience! No doubt, this is the gaming highlight of my life. The total experience is nothing short of awesome.
Anyway, I played quite a few new games. Here are my initial impressions:
ROYAL TURF: I’m not a racing game fan, but this one grabbed me immediately. Lots of fun, goading and laughter. A bit of control with some nice ‘hoseage’ abilities.I’ve played 3 times, using both hidden and revealed bids. I enjoy it both ways. Initial rating: 7
VENEZIA: We aborted our game at Gulf Games due to the wishes of 2 players who were not enjoying themselves. I was rather enjoying it and saw some nice potential. Played a complete game last night with my Westbank Gamers crew and had a very good time with it. We did misplay the ‘San Marco’ phase at GG, so this may have affected the impressions of the two who bailed. There is quite a bit of luck involved in this ‘San Marco pigeon’ phase, but there is enough strategy involved to overcome this (at least at first glance). I’m glad I purchased Frank’s copy. Initial rating: 6.5
VOLLDAMPF: The hit of the convention for me. I was a bit hesitant to play, as the few RR games I’ve played so far haven’t done much for me. This one blew me away. I loved it! It was tense throughout and I struggled to keep up with the leaders. I managed to win by pulling ahead on the final turn and by keeping my promissory notes to a total of three. I can’t wait to get my copy! Initial rating: 8
BIG DEAL: No where near as dire as I had heard from the Gathering reports. Yes, there is a HUGE luck-of-the-draw issue (with me being the whipping boy), but the game mechanics were actually quite neat. I’d be happy to play again. Initial rating: 6
DRAKON: Again, a pleasant surprise. I had heard this one was another ‘Dungeon Quest‘ journey, but I found it more than that. The game rewarded careful thinking and clever placements, although I readily admit the amount of ‘bash thy neighbor’ elements was brutal. I would highly recommend NOT allowing group-think table talk when playing this one. I ordered a copy as I think it will prove popular with several in our group. Initial rating: 6
BALI: I played the first half of this game in a complete fog. Thanks to Tim Isakson for helping guide me through my confusion. About halfway through,the light bulb lit and I began seeing the strategies which could be employed. I began scoring big time and managed to win.
I played again with the Westbank Gamers and the same situation occurred to my fellow gamers. There is definitely a learning hurdle to overcome … typical of Uwe Rosenberg. Once you clear that hurdle, however, the game is very clever and strategic.
My game with the Westbank Gamers, however,lasted over 2 hours. It seemed that nearly every proposed ship movement was vetoed. This caused the game to drag way past its acceptable time limit. Still, I’m hoping this was a fluke and future games will mirror my first in regards to duration (about 1 -1 1/2 hours). Initial rating: 7.5
EDEN: I had heard that the game drags at the beginning, but I did not find this to be the case in my two playings. I really enjoyed the game and its mechanics. I will admit that bad card draws can cripple a player, but there seemed to be ways to work yourself out of all but the very worst card draws. I immediately purchased a copy and look forward to future playings. Initial rating: 7
LIMITS: Fun, fast card game with a bit of memory and guesswork. This won’t ever be a favorite, but I can see it as a fun filler. Nothing I felt the urge to rush out and buy, however. Initial rating: 5
FLOWER POWER: I was pleasantly surprised by this neat 2-player game from Kosmos. No, it is not very deep and there is not much strategy to be employed, but it is somehow fun to play. I played 3 games, winning 2 and being bested by Jay Ouzts in one.
Even better, Gail really enjoyed this one. She actually taught several other folks to play the game! Of course, a copy is on its way to the bayou! Initial rating: 6
CRAZY RACE: Uggh. A guess-fest and a race game in one. Not exactly two of my favorite elements.Glad I had the opportunity to play, but have no desire to do so again. Initial rating: 4
BUFFALO: Michael Glanzer, Richard’s 14 year old son, was constantly toting this game around coercing everyone he met to play. The game was very light with some interesting tactical choices, sort of along the lines of Hong Kong or the old 3M Jumpin’ game. We played two matches, alternating sides (Indian and Buffalos) for the two games. The Indian side is definitely more challenging to play.
Cute, but nothing I feel the urge to play again or own. Initial rating: 5
DARK SIDE: Double Uggh! More guess-work with some terrible ‘luck-of-the-draw’ problems. My dark side was exposed VERY early on and there was nothing I could do about it. Jon Pessano and I never drew any of the really valuable cards, so we were severely hampered in being able to accumulate points.
This game is not to my tastes at all. Initial rating: 3
ISIS & OSIRIS: I actually played a 2-player match of this at the Gathering and didn’t much care for it. I figured it would be worth a try with 4 players just to see if it played any better with that number. It didn’t. The game is one of turning over tiles and placing them onto the board. When you place your token on the board, get ready to get bashed by your opponents, who promptly place negative tiles around you. If you get lucky and they don’t draw any negative tiles, then you just might escape with some positive points. Nothing here to really interest me. Initial rating: 3
DER GROSSER GALLIER: I had heard this was a ‘bluffing’ game, so I was very dubious, to say the least. However, it really wasn’t that bad. It’s not great, but was far more pleasant than I feared. There are some hand management considerations, as well as board play decisions to be made. I’m still not overly fond of ‘bluff’ style games, but this one wasn’t bad. I actually picked up a copy from the GG prize table. Initial rating: 5.5
MEANDER: Clever game where in players construct a 3-D maze using hefty, resin pieces, then tilt the board and hope their marbles make it to the other side. Fun,but I can see this one losing its novelty quite quickly. Frank Branham took me to the cleaners on this one.Initial rating: 5