Greg Schloesser: Thoughts on the 2007 Gathering of Friends

I once again had the great pleasure of attending Alan Moon’s Gathering of Friends in Columbus, Ohio.  While I couldn’t attend all ten days of the event, the five days we spent there were once again filled with fun, games and friendship.  This was my 10th event, and was made even more special for me by the attendance of my wife Gail, a first-timer.  She was quite apprehensive about attending, fearing that she would feel overwhelmed and perhaps left out.  She need not have worried, as everyone made her feel extremely welcome.  She is now looking forward to attending again next year!

When attending the Gathering, I generally try to play as many of the Nurnberg releases as possible.  I had previously played Pillars of the Earth, Taluva and Notre Dame, so didn’t seek to play these games during my short stay.  I will say, however, that they would all be in my Top 5 games of the Gathering.  What follows are my thoughts on the other “newâ€? games I managed to play.

Caylus Magna Carta:  This is Caylus with cards, trimmed quite a bit around the edges.  No favors, penalties for not building the castle, etc.  I think it will be easier to get some folks to play this, as it is shorter and doesn’t have as many things going on.  I like it quite a bit, but if I want to play Caylus, I’d personally prefer the full-blown board game. 

Colosseum: This was getting mostly mediocre response, but I played twice and quite enjoy it.  I think there is a lot to do here, and proper planning is critical to producing a lucrative final show.  I think I was in the minority, though, as most folks seemed disappointed.  I must admit to being disappointed with the bits, but I’ve gotten accustomed to full-blown productions from Days of Wonder.  Aside from the seven pawns, everything else is cardboard.  Three-dimensional coliseums would have been nice, but I understand the cost constraints.

Wikinger: The game, for me, was rather ordinary, and I don’t need more ordinary games in my collection.  The “wheel” mechanism was neat, but the rest of the game seemed fairly pedestrian.  Many others, however, were quite impressed, and my opinion seemed to be in the minority.  I would have acquired the game 4 or 5 years ago, but I have so many better games in my collection, I don’t need it.

Guatemala Cafe:  When I first arrived, I asked the few folks I could find who had played, and they weren’t impressed.  I, however, found it quite interesting, and thought there were some neat tactics to employ.  It is a “tacticalâ€? game, requiring some thought and planning.  We didn’t play with the “blockingâ€? rule, as it was not revealed to us during the explanation.  I later learned of the rule, and am not sure if I would like it.  I’m also not sure if the game will feel very differently each time it is played, but I’m willing to play a few more times to see if it has staying power.

Portobello Market: Players claim stalls and “buyersâ€?, hoping to increase the value of their stalls.  Nothing at all here enticed me.  I found it quite bland, and prone to ending prematurely if one or more players place the pawns on the board quickly.  Absolutely NO need to add this to my collection.

Zooloretto: This is a board game based on the card game Coloretto.  I’m not fond of Coloretto, so I didn’t think I’d enjoy the board game version.  However, I actually found it quite pleasant and a good family game.  Players acquire zoo animals in a fashion similar to that used in Coloretto, and must fit them in the proper pens in their zoo.  I found it fun, and think it will make a good family game.

Take it to the Limit: This is Take it Easy ramped-up several notches.  Alan How taught us the mega “Nexus” board version with the extra scrapyard.  If you are a big fan of Take it Easy, this is a nice twist with lots more variations and scoring opportunities. 

Settlers Dice Game: Roll dice, build settlements, cities, roads and knights.  Why bother?  Really.  There are so many other dice games, and this one felt very similar to many of them.  It didn’t grab me at all.

Venedig (Amigo):  The board begins with a ton of tokens face-down, ala Reiner Knizia’s Afrika.  Players must remove these tokens (draining the swamps) and try to build various buildings.  It was interesting, but it has a “leapfrogâ€? scoring system that might be prone to perpetuating a runaway leader situation.  Interesting, and I’ll try to play it again, but not sure it is anything really special.

Pink Godzilla Dev Kit: A card game of making videos that Tom Vasel enjoyed.  We found it merely average, and its abrupt ending isn’t very satisfactory.  I need to play again once or twice more before passing final judgment, but I fear my reaction won’t be anywhere near as favorable as Tom’s.

Traders of Carthage (Japon Brand):  I actually purchased this one at Essen, and have now played it twice.  There appeared to be only two copies present at the Gathering (mine and Joe Huber’s), and they seemed to be in constant use.  The buzz was very positive, but in my opinion overly so.  The game is interesting, and for the size and price quite the value, but it isn’t as good as some folks seemed to be proclaiming.  Acquire cards to purchase merchandise, move those ships to deliver the goods and avoid the pirates.  Neat and fun, but not jump-up-and-shout great.

Thurn and Taxis expansion:  I tend to avoid expansions, and was going to do so here until several folks told me that I just HAD to play as it was really a different game with a different feel.  So, I played, and guess what ... it isn’t.  It is 90% Thurn & Taxis, and 10% modifications.  Yes, it does force you to play differently, and you can concentrate more on the routes than the carriages, but it still feels practically the same as the original.  If it walks like Thurn and Taxis and quacks like Thurn & Taxis … Fans of T&T who play it a LOT will like this as it does offer a slight change of pace.  I will likely only play T&T a few times a year, so I don’t need another game that feels pretty much the same.

Uptown: This is a FunAgain Games exclusive designed by Kory Heath, creator of Zendo.  The folks who played were singing its praises, with Alan How calling it one of the most enjoyable games he played at the Gathering.  Both Gail and I played and felt pretty much the same:  decent, but nothing to get terribly excited over.  It is a VERY abstract tile placement game that does provide some strategic and tactical options, but it is very dry.  I think this would make a decent family or church game.

HeroCard Shogun:  This is a board game version that uses the HeroCard system to resolve conflicts.  It sure looks pretty, but the game itself seems to have needed more thorough and experienced development.  There are some wickedly powerful cards that are acquired by the luck of the draw, and the game has the potential to bog down into a repetitive situation wherein players smack the player who is closing in on victory, thereby prolonging the game.  I still need to play it again, but the outlook isn’t favorable.

I must say that based on the games I played during the Gathering, I’m disappointed in this year’s Nurnberg crop.  I’ve probably only played a handful of them, but I did play most of the “major” ones that were present at the Gathering.  I would give high marks to Pillars of the Earth, Notre Dame, Taluva and Caylus Magna Carta, with the remainder failing into the “goodâ€? or “disappointingâ€? category. 

I did play numerous “older” titles, including a How to Host a Murder evening (Maiming of the Shrew) with Craig & Kim Burg, Chris & Elaine Lohroff, James Miller, Anye Sellers, Gail and me.  We laughed ourselves silly, and there will be some great “inside” jokes amongst us for years and years.  It is also the only time in my life that I’ll be able to get away with calling my wife a “street walking wench”!  The game itself was plagued with confusing clues and was quite muddled, but we did have a good time.

I also played a couple of prototypes, both of which will be published soon.  Huang Di from Bryan Johnson is being released by Cambridge Games and it is a good game that rewards experience.  Get Bit will be released by Robot Martini and is a VERY light but fun card game of avoiding a ravenous shark.

Another highlight for me was the tour of Mansfield State Reformatory, a 110 year old prison facility that closed in 1990.  Several movies were filmed at the prison, including Shawshank Redemption and parts of Air Force One.  Over two-dozen Gathering attendees enjoyed the evening “ghostâ€? tour, which was peppered with historical stories and ghostly tales.  I’m not a big believer in such ghostly hauntings, but did thoroughly enjoy the tour and was amazed by the size and layout of the prison.  The evening was made even creepier by the cold, snowy weather, and several of those on the tour did take some rather bizarre photos.

My 10th Gathering was once again fantastic, and I always enjoy spending time with the wonderful folks who attend.  My big regret is that there just isn’t enough time to visit with everyone, so I always miss out on spending time with so many great folks.  The good news is that I get to try to rectify that situation next year!

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