New Orleans, Louisiana
February 25 – 28 , 1999
Hey, you know me… there’s a long “Letter From New Orleans” to follow, but I just thought I’d get some quick impressions down while they were still fresh. Stuff that RioGrande will be publishing is marked with ….
The first five games were played at the Mississippi version of Gulf Games “Opening Days” (Ted Cheatham’s place).
SettlerS: STADT & RITTER – a pleasant change of pace to my already steady diet of Settlers... I’m not sure I’d buy it but had a great time playing it. We clocked in at about 2.5 hours.
Rating: 7
Tonga BONGA – this is cute but I’m not sure how you’d stop the leader without sacrificing yourself.
Rating: 6
Pfusch – this is the building inspector/play with playdough game… at 30 minutes, it was a lot of fun, but if it went on much longer it would be a bust.
Rating: 6
RaINBOWS – interesting little game from Alan Moon with a pasted-on theme… the details are fuzzy but I remember I won. Nothing spectacular.
Rating: 5
AlASKA – I still think this is a VERY cool game… but the cards (action) are pretty arbitrary. There’s a better game to be made using the board & ice pieces…
Rating: 6 (could be 7-8 with a good fix)
GULF GAMES: DAY ONE
Important Rio Grande Note: first, thanks to Jay for helping us learn and enjoy all these new games… BUT, an important caveat. Jay taught many of these games from memory (most notably Chinatown after playing it ONE time) and so the rules we used may or may not have been official. Still, it was wonderful to have a crack at them.
… Union PACIFIC – The board is gorgeous, the train car pieces are cool, the art is 30’s retro, the game play is smooth and agonizing. I’m not a big fan of Acquire-like games but this one combines the best of that genre and Santa Fe… it goes on my “Honey, this would make a great birthday present.” list.
Rating: 7 (climbing towards 8 if I can figure out how NOT to finish in last place)
****a short note… I’ve realized I have a number of mental ‘lists’ of games in my head…
(1) MUST HAVES … I’m not willing to wait in order to own a copy of this game
(2) MUST ORDERS … don’t need it immediately, but my wife won’t order from FunAgain or Boulder so I’m going to have to get it myself
(3) Honey, THIS WOULD … stuff I’m interested in that Shari Jo can find at our local game store (Jay, this includes most of your stuff!)
(4) HMMM … games I like and would play again but wouldn’t bother buying
(5) UUHHH … games I SHOULD like but don’t… (Schoko, Acquire, etc.)
You get my drift.
… Big CITY – One of the highlights of the weekend for me… it’s a shame I only got to play it once. Wowsa molded bits (including silvery streetcars, ugly factories, and Central Park!), boards that set up differently each game (allowing you to set it up to your advantage), and a very quick (45 minute) playing time. This is a “must have”… but worth waiting for RioGrande, as it does have a very important player chart that needs to be in English.
Rating: 8
… Ra – A very pretty game… my initial impressions were correct – it’s Medici meets It’s Mine. The auction is all Medici (once around) while the scoring is a more complicated version of It’s Mine. I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure it would hold up for me over repeated playings.
Rating: 6
… Evergreen – The graphic style works for this game… but the game itself has such a bog-down problem that a timer is INCLUDED with it. (Nice to see someone acknowledge that you can over-think their game, isn’t it?) My experience: I would NOT play again, EVER, without the timer. With the timer, it would be a merry 30 minute romp. Without, it was an hour-long “if I do this, then that’ll give him more points” fest.
Rating: 5 without timer (I need to try it again with the timer)
For Sale – ok, I’ll go buy it now… I see what all the fuss is about.
Rating: 9
… Mamma MIA! – I can’t win the stupid game but it’s a whole lot of fun. Worth every penny.
Rating: 7 (solid & rising)
Cafe INTERNATIONAL – This is kind of fun, but no big deal. A good family game. VERY PC folks might be offended by the tiles…
Rating: 5
… Klunker – I can’t explain why I liked this, since I certainly didn’t figure it out while I was playing, but it was quite enjoyable. The art’s not much but the game’s pretty good (great, if you can get it.) I wanted to play again to see if I’d actually learned any thing the first time.
Rating: 6
… Money – The “money” is gorgeous… the trading mechanism interesting… a simple and quick game of bidding and collecting. I enjoyed it very much and it should come in at a very reasonable price.
Rating: 7
Titan: THE ARENA – This is still a very good game… it’s a shame that AH waited so late in it’s life to publish it.
Rating: 8
Campanile – Yawn… building towers & betting on them. Titan: The Arena without the fun.
Rating: 4
Gulf Games Day Two
Papua – Of course, I just got this game in a trade from Manu, so I’m liable to rank it higher, but it’s a fun little chase through the jungle. Very much a quickie kid’s negotiation game… reduces the major question of a 6 hour Diplomacy game down to 30 minutes… “At what point do I turn like a caged weasel on my ally?”
Rating: 7
Devil Bunny NEEDS A HAM – Worth the $2 it costs… but humorous. James Ernest is a wacko.
Rating: 5
Showmanager – I’m 2 for 2 in this wonderful game… which I’ll be buying as soon as someone wants to trade it to me OR we get an Adam Spielt order going.
Rating: 8
~~ CHINATOWN – Another highlight for me… using an Acquire-like deed system and a simple yet attractive board & tiles, this free-for-all reminded me of Pit on Chinese steroids. In two games of this, I saw almost every conceivable kind of deal being made… excepting the sale of humans and/or small furry animals. 🙂 We auctioned stuff off, traded property and “future considerations”, even bought stuff outright from each other. Each game took just over an hour and was a hoot. (In my longer post, I’ll get into the details… and the possible problems.) Even with all of that, this is one great, MUST HAVE game. Jay, have you made up your mind yet?
Rating: 9
SCHOKO & CO. – I know I’m supposed to be awed by this one… but Ty put it beautifully – “It feels too much like work.”
Rating: 6 (for great design only)
EntdeckerER – Still a personal favorite… kept hearing Tikal had some of the same kind of feel but never got to play it. (darn)
Rating: 8
Liar’S DICE – This eclipsed my love for Perudo the first time I saw the board and figured out how it worked.
Rating: 7
Die SCHLACHT DER DINOSAURIER – No, there’s not much more than a move & roll game here, but THOSE PIECES! Besides, it doesn’t take all that long to play and everyone wants to kick dino butt now and then!
Rating: 6 (5 for the game, 8 for the pieces)
GalopP ROYALE – This is a nifty bidding & racing game, where even the guy in last place can make a decent showing with a little work. Very enjoyable with 6 players. Could be over-played (meaning, it wouldn’t be as fun if someone slowed the game down with lots of mulling over their moves). Teuber strikes again
Rating: 7
Gulf Games Day Three
~~ LOST CITIES – When you think about it, this is one VERY simple card game… but the cards and discard board are beautiful (really… possibly one of the most evocative of theme sets of art I’ve seen on a game) and the gameplay is simple yet fun. Another MUST HAVE.
Rating: 8 (maybe 9 but I’m not sure)
Igel ARGERN – I played a two player game… can someone explain to me what’s so incredibly cool about this besides the cute hedgehogs?
Rating: 6 (I can see how it might be fun with 3-4 players)
Medieval MERCHANT – This has been under-rated… a delightful hour and a half spent sneaking into towns just before the other merchants could… nice bits and the board is much easier to use than it looks at first glance. This one would reward repeated playings.
Rating: 7 (could rise with second play)
Basari – This is quite enjoyable… but the theme is beyond meaningless. It could be about anything!!!! The combination of Lowenherz bidding and multiple objectives make for a very good game, though. One I wouldn’t mind playing again but probably wouldn’t buy.
Rating: 6
Volle HUTTE – Still a favorite after we discovered it (UNPLAYED!) in Ty’s collection at the last Gulf Games. Every game develops differently… my early lead evaporated as Tim & Shanna came on strong. Still the best restaraunt game I know of…
Rating: 7 (maybe 8)
BambOLEO – This is fun… but I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. I’d rather play Kapitan Wackelpudding.
Rating: 5
AusgeBREMST – Wow… I can see (1) why nobody plays the basic rules (we tried it once), and (2) how the professional rules could become addictive. This is a very simple yet endlessly varying romp in hosing your neighbor. Question: can you move less spaces than the card you play?
Rating: 7 (could climb with repeated playings)
CarabANDE – some days you’re in the zone, some days you’re in the vicinity of the zone, some days you’re not… I was NOT in the zone this time around.
Rating: 8 (as the puzzle said, finger flickin’ fun!)
Tal DER KONIGE – Yipes! Am I glad I didn’t spend $80 on this thing… at $30, it would be a great game. At $80, it’s an albatross. Good gameplay… wish I could judge it separate from it’s cost.
Rating: 6
DSCHUNGELRENNEN – The Jungle Race, from Ravensburger. In it’s genre (kid’s roll & move), it’s very good. Cute pieces, quick play, some strategy.
Rating: 6
Die OSTER INSEL – I’m not sure I understand how to win, but the Easter Island heads are great and it’s worth it just to set it out and watch people get these “you’ve got to be kidding” looks on their faces. Lenny, we never did get to play! 🙂
Rating: 6 (5 without the heads)
KapiTAN WACKELPUDDING – Still my top “stack ’em” game… it’s just fun to play.
Rating: 7
Gulf Games Day Four
VerrATER – Another one I thought I’d enjoy more… but I need a second shot at it. For $7, an excellent game… probably the cheapest good game of ’98.
Rating: 7
Take IT EASY – OK, I’ll go buy a set so my wife can beat up on me.
Rating: 6 (maybe 7)
Like I said, more to follow…
As always, big thank you’s to Greg for making this thing happen (and Vicki for food above and beyond the call of duty… and Gail for putting up with all the hassles… and all the others who threw stuff on the prize table or helped clean up or whatever…) it was a blast!
See you in Destin!