As Gulf Games 14 approached, I must admit that I was filled with trepidation. “Why?” you may ask. After all, haven't all previous Gulf Games been nothing short of fantastic? The camaraderie, friendship, and love freely shared by everyone always overcome any shortcoming or glitch. Why should I worry?
Well, for one, we were attempting some bold new things this Gulf Games. This was the first time we extended the event an additional day, officially beginning on Wednesday morning as opposed to our normal Thursday start. Would one more day make the event too long? We were also meeting in a big tourist destination in peak season. Would the crowds reduce the enjoyment of those attending? We also were going to be holding a County Fair on Saturday evening. This was a major undertaking, as we were attempting to recreate the atmosphere of a county carnival. Would it go over well, or would it flop? Worries, worries, worries.
I guess I should learn. There truly is a special atmosphere that permeates Gulf Games. It is very difficult to explain; it must be experienced. The best word I can find is “magic”, a word that has been tremendously overused in today's society. Gulf Games seems to bring out the best in everyone who attends. Gone are personal worries, prejudices, temperaments. In their place is an abundance of civility, respect, tolerance, civility, friendship and, indeed, love. There is a palpable sense of true joy that hangs in the air, and everyone seems genuinely transformed by it … and part of it. For me, the entire picture is quite likely a tiny glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. I am truly blessed to be part of it.
PRE-GULF GAMES
I really don't like even calling it Pre-Gulf Games, since for me, Gulf Games includes the activities and socializing that begins prior to the official beginning of the convention. In fact, I don't even like calling it a convention. To me, it is more akin to a reunion … a reunion of tremendous friends. Yeah … I like that. I'll call it a reunion.
Gail, Lindsay and I arrived at the hotel on Friday afternoon. Shortly thereafter, we met-up with several other early-arrivers: James Miller, Michael Weston, and the Hendees. After some socializing, we walked down the block for dinner, and were joined at the restaurant by Ward, Maria & Bill Batty. As we were departing, the Douds family arrived, so we joined together for a stroll down the crowded streets of Gatlinburg.
As became our custom each night leading up to Gulf Games, we all gathered later that evening in the hotel restaurant, which is not open for dinner, to play games. I'll discuss the games I played a bit later, but these evening gatherings were lots of fun.
Saturday was our much-anticipated white water rafting excursion. 16 Gulf Gamers made the pretty 50 minute ride through the mountains to reach the outpost. We were divided into three rafts, and proceeded to enjoy our 2-hour ride down the rapids of the Pigeon River. We navigated our way through a series of rapids, including several rated class 4. We only had one spill - and that was probably the most experienced rafter of us all: Leon Hendee! The experience was loads of fun, and I'm looking forward to my next opportunity to do it again.
Getting read to tackle the rapids of the Pigeon River. Pick out the adult gamers: Leon Hendee, Ward Batty, Michael Weston and Ty Douds.
Dinner was at the Smoky Mountain Brewery, followed by more gaming that evening.
Sunday saw us rising early so we could beat the crowds and caravan through Cade's Cove, quite possibly one of the most beautiful places in the Smoky Mountains. The Cove had been frequented by Native Americans for centuries, with the white man arriving to settle in the early 1800's. The community was relatively isolated from the surrounding towns due to the high mountains and difficult terrain. Still, the community survived, and existed until the Federal Government bought the land and converted it into a National Park. Today, many structures from the community survive, including log cabin homesteads, churches, barns and even a mill. All of these are set against the remarkable backdrop of the Smokies, and the result is an incredibly beautiful place, one which I always enjoy visiting.
We had a couple of dozen people in the caravan, and we made numerous stops to visit the various structures and take a few short hikes. No bears were sighted, but we did see an abundance of deer. It was wise to begin our journey early, as by the afternoon, the roads began to be filled with tourists, and traffic jams formed.
That evening, a large crowd went to Bennett's Barbeque, a wonderful BBQ restaurant. We had reserved the back room, so were all able to sit together and enjoy good food and conversation.
Monday was the day for our long hike. Nearly two dozen of us trekked the 2 3/4 miles up a mountain to Rainbow Falls. The hike was arduous, but extremely beautiful. I was responsible for toting the backpack filled with supplies for Gail, Lindsay and I, which made me realize I don't want to gain an extra ten pounds! Ed Rozmiarek, Alan & Janet Moon, and I were the rear-guard, thanks to our back-pack duties.
On the hike to Rainbow Falls:
Front: Shay Douds, Gail Schloesser, Janet Moon, Susan Rozmiarek
Back: Michael Weston, Leon Hendee, Greg Schloesser, Alan Moon, Ed Rozmiarek, Warren Madden
Ty Douds, who is probably in the best shape of all of us … and does just about everything at warp speed … surged ahead with a few of the children. He went so fast, the rest of the group lost sight of him. When we arrived at the falls, he and the children were nowhere to be found. We all feared that he had continued on the trail, which actually traversed another 12 miles before emerging at a different location.
There was nothing we could do about the situation, so we all decided to disobey the warning signs and climb the rocks to the base of the falls. We enjoyed some much-needed rest and lunch in the shadow of the mountains. About 45 minutes later, Ty and his party of children returned, having reached the top of the falls before turning back.
On the way down, Leon Hendee, Warren Madden, and I assumed the rear guard and were caught by a downpour. No bother, as I had the rain ponchos in my backpack. As were about to exit the trail, we spotted a grazing deer just a few feet from us. The deer seemed completely unconcerned by our presence.
After a desperately needed shower, a large group headed to a 50's diner for a fun dinner in spite of sporadic service. Many of then headed to the Comedy Barn, where we enjoyed an incredible, wholesome show. The show had two special highlights for us.
One was James Miller, who was called to the stage and participated in a funny routine that culminated in the pantomime singing of an excerpt from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. James stole the show and actually caused the comedian to break-down in laughter!
The other highlight was when Warren Madden was recognized by the Master of Ceremonies, who had been tipped-off of his presence by the rest of us! Warren was asked his prediction of the weather, and he, of course, said a “chance of rain”. The M.C. jokingly referred to Warren as a rocket scientist!
The bulk of Tuesday was spent decorating the game room. We had chosen a “Hillbilly” theme, and the decorations includes a large mountain market, wooden wall signs and other appropriate décor. Tim and Vickie Watson really outdid themselves. The decorations they create and all of the attention to detail really helps foster the incredible atmosphere that is unique to Gulf Games.
That evening, we had a Gulf Games first: a night-before party that featured a Country Cookout. The Glenstone Lodge has a huge outdoor pavilion, located directly alongside a rushing stream. The pavilion was decorated with red-checkered table cloths and haystacks, and hillbilly music was wafting through the air. Burgers, hot dogs, potato salad and more awaited the hungry guests. Leon had set-up his washer toss game, and we concluded the festivities with a watermelon-spitting contest. The best spitters in the group were:
Children: Zane Douds
Women: Vickie Watson
Men: Frans Labranche
Everyone had gathered in the pavilion and was roaming around, socializing, laughing and having a wonderful time. I was watching the scene with a big, fat grin on my face. Ma-ny times I've been asked why I do to all the trouble of putting together Gulf Games. I forget who I was standing next to, but observing all the love and friendship being enjoyed by everyone here, I made the comment, “This is why I do it.”
More decorating and gaming followed the cookout, with the room being occupied until the wee hours of the morning.
GULF GAMES 14
Gulf Games 14 officially began on Wednesday morning. We decided to cut back a bit on the contests, and return to our roots of more open gaming. We still had the popular “Friendliest Person” contests, wherein everyone attempts to play with as many different people as possible. Players gained corn kernels, white beans, red beans and gold nuggets for playing with different people, and these were traded in for tickets at our County Fair on Saturday night. Other contests included James Miller's Rebus contest, and Sandi West's Box of Mystery.
On Friday night, the second Texas Hold 'Em tournament was held, with over 20 contestants. The winner from Pensacola Beach, Jeff Stephens, was booted from the contest early. The second-place finisher from GG13, Lenny Leo, made it to the final 8 before being expelled. The two finalists this time were Tim Watson and Michael Labranche, with Michael emerging victorious and capturing the prize: a gift certificate for games!
The Liar's Dice tournament saw eight tables of rolling, bluffing and guessing. The eight finalists were: Chris Jones, Chris Comeaux, Chip Triplett, Scott Tullis, Earl Bailey, Kim Berg, Jen Kurzban and myself.
The battle came down to Jen (3 dice), Earl (1 die) and me (3 dice). Earl was expelled, leaving Jen and I with 3 dice apiece. Then we had 2 dice apiece, and finally 1 die apiece. Jen had control, and had not bluffed the entire game. She made her call … a “4”. I felt doomed. I had rolled a “2”, so I did the only thing I felt I could do. I changed it to two “2's”. She called, and much to my shock, when she revealed her die, it was a “2”! I had won by the narrowest of margins. Kudos to Jen for an outstanding game.
Jen Kurzban and Greg Schloesser dueled for the title in the Liar's Dice tournament.
Saturday evening was the big event. Many of us exited a few hours early to the neighboring room to begin preparing for the County Fair. Ten carnival booths were prepared, and the entire room was given a festive fair atmosphere with balloons, checkered tablecloths, canopies and more. The booths included pin head bowling, Lord of the Ring Toss, Hillbilly Golf, Cap Toss, Feedin' Frenzy and more. Pictures of Gulf Gamers were incorporated into the games, adding to the fun.
Everyone was requested to wear their best hillbilly attire, and the costumes were simply awesome. Words cannot describe them, so I'll direct you to some of the photos, courtesy of Ed Rozmiarek, which can be found at: http://www.rozmiarek.info/gallery/GulfGames14
The County Fair succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. The atmosphere was so festive, and everyone got into the spirit. Craig Berg had a blast operating the Lord of the Ring Toss booth, jumping into the hillbilly character and drawing huge crowds. Lenny Leo looked as if he was the poster boy for Hillbilly Today, while Ty and Shay Douds made the perfect hillbilly couple. The sights overwhelmed the senses, and the pictures only capture a part of the fun that was had by everyone.
Hillbillies at the County Fair.
After the Fair, we moved back to the gaming room for the Take it Easy contest, which was won by Leon Hendee with an impressive score of 216. The contest winners were then announced, including the coveted title of “Friendliest Person”:
- Children:
1st: Dillon Samuelson (108)
2nd: Josh Kurzban (106)
Women:
1st: Joy Mills (93)
2nd: Susan Hendee (89)
Men:
1st: Alan Moon (99)
2nd: Chris Comeaux (86)
The prize-table giveaway followed, with everyone getting 3 or more choices. Loads of good games were distributed, along with a few not-so-good titles. However, several of the sub-par games had the Puerto Rico expansion hidden inside, which provided an incentive to take those games. For instance, Ty Douds grabbed Neighbors, and was rewarded by finding the expansion inside.
Following the giveaway, the gaming continued throughout the night. Everyone knew this was the final evening of the reunion, so no one wanted to go to bed.
Sunday saw a mass departure, which resulted in a lot of hugs, kisses and some tears. Some stalwarts remained the full day, enjoying one more evening of gaming and camaraderie. Gail, Lindsay and I departed that afternoon, filled with conflicting emotions. We were sad to be leaving these wonderful people, but thrilled by the good time we enjoyed. The memories of Gulf Games will linger on, and the anticipation immediately began for our next reunion in Pensacola Beach in February 2005. It cannot arrive soon enough.
Gulf Games works for so many reasons … but the main ingredient is the people. A finer assembly of folks would be difficult to find. In spite of our different backgrounds, our political or religious differences, we come together in a spirit of respect, friendship, and love. Everyone gives of themselves, everyone caters to each other. There is a tremendous spirit of giving. I cannot thank everyone enough for helping make this magical event possible.
The Games
Over the past few Gulf Games, the number of games I play has been declining. That is not a bad thing, as I find myself spending more and more time socializing with folks, enjoying dinners out with good friends, and just relaxing. This time, I played in the neighborhood of 45 games, including many that were new to me. I won't list them all, but here are my comments on some of them.
WINGS OF WAR
A big, big surprise hit for me. I actually didn't give this one much thought, as I'm generally not fond of aerial combat games. However, I found the game to be light, fast and fun. James Miller taught the game to Alan Moon and me on Sunday night, and we had a hoot blasting away at each other. I managed to hit Alan ten times, but he still didn't go down. Eventually he shot me from the skies to claim the victory.
I played the game two more times during the course of the reunion, including a fabulous 8-player game. We were separated into two teams of four flyers, with Al Newman, Kay Jones, Leon Hendee and I flying for Imperial Germany. Each time we shot down a British plane, we rose from our chairs, clasped hands and sang German beer hall songs! Great fun!
Since the game is out of stock nearly everywhere, I was fortunate to grab the sole copy from the prize table, much to the chagrin of Jay & Kay Jones!
SUNKEN CITY - ADVANCED RULES
Michael Weston and I had been disappointed by our first play of this Wolfgang Kramer title, but both wanted to try it again using Kramer's 'advanced' rules. We were joined by Ward Batty and Jack Lindsay. After a few rounds, we thought the new rules were an improvement, but as the game continued, we all came to the conclusion that it really didn't help the game much. A shame, since the idea is good and the components are beautiful.
RUCKKEHR DER HELDEN
Along with Wings of War, this was my big surprise of the event. I have long since tired of “dungeon crawl” games, so I didn't give this one a second glance when it premiered at the Spiele Faire in Essen.
I had heard some positive remarks about the game, so I decided to give it a try. Tim Watson, Ed Rozmiarek and Michael Labranche joined me for the adventure, which surprised us all by being quite fun and entertaining. Yes, there is lots of dice rolling and some “luck of the draw” factors, but there are significant decisions to be made, too. The end result was a fun romp that challenged and entertained us.
I have just heard word from Pegasus Games that there will be an English edition available beginning in October. I will certainly be purchasing a copy.
FOUR DRAGONS
I've been itching to play this reincarnation of Frank Branham's Dia de los Muertos for quite awhile, so harangued Frank and Sandi into teaching me the game. I partnered with Susan Rozmiarek against the masters, and we stunned ourselves by playing rather well, tying Frank & Sandi for the victory. They did win on a tie-breaker, but I consider it a moral victory anyway!
The game is a very good trick-taking partnership game, and I hope to play it regularly. I immediately purchased a copy from Ward.
VIKING FURY
As soon as I heard about this new Ragnar Brothers release, I immediately ordered a copy. Andy Merritt was kind enough to transport it to me from Great Britain. Susan Rozmiarek had played previously, so she taught the game to Tim Watson, Peter McCarthy and me.
As expected, I loved the game. This is a game with lots of decisions, lots of paths to pursue, and lots of tension. There is certainly some luck, and not as much conflict as you would assume considering the subject matter. Still, it is solid, and will undoubtedly be one of my top games of the year.
IGLU IGLU
I enjoyed this one more than I thought … but then I didn't give it much consideration when I had first heard about it. It is a Bruno-squared game, which means there is likely to be a healthy dose of chaos. There is, but there is also some thought and planning. I had the feeling it was a relative of Survive, a game I have always enjoyed.
David Vander Ark and Michael Adams struggle to stay afloat in Iglu Iglu.
David Vander Ark, Michael Green, Michael Adams and I attempted to gather fish, slay predators and stake-out territory on the rapidly sinking ice flow. I was enjoying the game early on, but the luck of the draw (tiles) and chaos proved to be a bit much for my tastes. It is a game I'll play, but don't feel the need to add to my collection.
MERMAID RAIN
Ever since Ben Baldanza wrote a positive review of this Japanese title in Counter Magazine, I have been wanting to give the game a try. When Ken Rice offered to bring copies to the Gathering for interested parties, I instantly took advantage of his kind offer. I found the rules to be somewhat confusing, so I asked Ben to teach the game to me here. We were joined by Rob & Rowan Derrick, Laura Smith and Jim Fairchild.
The game was very, very good, and had a feel of “Elfenland” for me. The “chicken” mechanism of forming poker hands is clever and adds tension, and the planning and moving aspect can be challenging. The result is a game that I enjoyed quite a bit, and a subsequent playing did not dampen my enthusiasm one bit.
TORRES
This is one of my all-time favorite games, but I don't get to play it very often. I was more than happy to oblige when Carla Triplett asked me to teach the game to her and her husband Chip. My happiness increased when Lenny Leo stepped in as the fourth player, as Lenny is one of my favorite people with which to game.
This was one of those rare games wherein everything fell perfectly into place for me. After a close first round, I broke out of the pack and scored a victory. This is still a fabulous game and one of my favorites.
BARON MUNCHAUSEN
Craig Berg was raving about this game following Gulf Games 13 in Pensacola Beach. As he says, it isn't so much the game, as the fun the people can have playing it. So, I made sure to get guarantees that I would be included in the game this time. I was surprised to see that ten people gathered to play, which proved to be too many.
The game is nothing more than weaving a story based on a premise given to you, then adapting that story to include other scenarios that are tossed at you by the players. The fun and humor come in hearing how folks adapt their stories, and the challenge is accomplishing this when it is your turn to weave a tale.
There were some hilarious moments, and many of the stories were quite clever. Michael Labranche stole the show as he told the tale of how with the assistance of three rabbits, he helped lift the siege of Gibraltar. He adapted to anything we threw at him, including a twist that revealed both the British and French armies laying siege to the rock. Michael quipped that the French wanted to capture the rock so they could rename it “The Gaulle Stone”. His story of how he was drafted into the French Foreign Legion left us in tears.
A fun game, but only if played with people who are good at such story weaving. I'd also recommend only playing it with six or seven people; ten was too many.
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© Copyright 2004 by George Phillies.
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