Convention Report: The Gathering of Friends 2006: April 7, 2006 (Day 1)

By Rick Thornquist
April 7, 2006

It’s April in Columbus, Ohio and that can mean only one thing - it’s time for Alan Moon’s Gathering of Friends!  The Gathering is a very special gaming event - 300 gamers get together and just play games for ten days.  The name of the game here is open gaming - just grab one of the many games that are sitting around, grab some opponents and away you go.  Many familiar gamers attend the Gathering and it has become for me not only a place to play games but an opportunity to meet up with old friends and to make new ones. 

The Gathering is also perfectly timed - many of the games that were introduced at the Nuremberg game fair in February are now available.  Quite a few Germans and other Europeans make the trip to North America for the Gathering and they are bringing over quite a few of the new games for us to try.

Now my actual report for today is going to be quite brief because I didn’t get here until very late Friday - or to be more accurate, very early Saturday morning.  I left Vancouver with my girlfriend Christine early in the afternoon and expected to get here around 11:30pm, but with the weather and flight delays, we didn’t arrive until 2:00am.  Valerie Putman had volunteered to pick us up and even with the huge delay she was there at the airport to meet us, along with Henning Kropke and Tom Lehmann, who had also just arrived. 

It was funny, just as we came out of the security area we spied them on the floor - of course, playing a game.  I should have expected that!  They were just finishing up playing Tom’s new game Um Krone und Kragen.

We all headed to the hotel and Christine and I checked in.  After freshening up we headed down to the ballroom to see if anyone was crazy enough to still be up playing.  Sure enough there was - a lone group was in the middle of the ballroom playing Ra.  We had heard the festivities started at around 10:00am, and I guess this was the last of the games played for the day.

After a few hellos I wandered around the room and took a few pictures of the calm before the storm of people hits tomorrow.  There were already games sitting around the side of the room ready to be played and there were already a fair amount of games on the prize table.

After I finished scoping the room, the Ra group finished their game.  We all left the ballroom empty and headed up to our rooms for some sleep in preparation for the busy days ahead.

Pictures - Click the picture for a larger version
	The Gathering of Friends 2006
	The Ra die-hards up at 3:00am
	Another picture of the Ra die-hards
	The ballroom, ready to go
	The side of the ballroom
	Some of the piles of games around the room
	Another pile of games - a nice collection of White Wind games
	It’s just day one and the prize table is already well populated
	Another picture of the prize table

© 2006 Rick Thornquist

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Comments:

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I’m so jealous. Posted by Jonathan Greisz on Apr 8, 2006 at 09:26 AM | #

Hang on, games!  I’ll be there soon! Oh, it’s gonna SUCK reading these reports while I count down the hours to my own departure. :) pk Posted by Patrick Korner on Apr 8, 2006 at 03:35 PM | #

Right, Patrick.  Like those of us who can’t go at all are going to feel sorry for you… Posted by Tom Vasel on Apr 8, 2006 at 04:47 PM | #

Well Tom, you could have your own mini Gathering of Friends (and Family). Make sure someone puts Crocodile Pool Party on the prize table for you. :) Posted by Kevin Bender on Apr 8, 2006 at 05:07 PM | #

Patrick, I’m with you.  I leave Tuesday and it can’t get here fast enough!!!! Posted by Craig Massey on Apr 8, 2006 at 07:30 PM | #

Yeah, I leave Tuesday late at night and get into Columbus at just after 10.  By my math, I should be gaming by noon. And Tom?  You could always take a page out of Terry Bailey Sr.’s book and have your own Gathering of Friend. Although if memory serves, the prize table served up a copy of Balloon Cup, not your fave croc game! pk Posted by Patrick Korner on Apr 8, 2006 at 07:40 PM | #

I’ll get in just after dinner Tuesday.  Since I’m a history teacher, I’ll avoid math and just say that I’ll be up late. See you when you get there on Wednesday Patrick.  Have a safe trip. Posted by Craig Massey on Apr 8, 2006 at 08:10 PM | #

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