Valerie Putman:  Itinerary 2009

Would you believe that it is January 10th and I am already on my second trip of the year!  I spent the first weekend of 2009 in Nashville, TN celebrating Christmas with Tyler’s family.  (We played Nicht de Bohne, Dominion, and Rock Band.) This weekend is a more somber trip—my Grandmother and Grandfather each passed away recently (Grandpop in November and Nanness in December) and we are holding a joint service for them in Portland, OR.  The rest of the winter I shouldn’t be doing any traveling, but before long, it will be convention season again.  Here’s what I have planned so far for 2009.

January
If it hadn’t been for all the unexpected family obligations this winter, I would have been travelling next week to Georgia for Ward Batty’s Altanta Game Fest.  If you’re in the Atlanta area, make sure you check it out—it’s always a great time.

February
Sadly the Winter Gulf Games event is hard for me to make with my Monday – Friday teaching schedule in the Spring.  But for the second year in a row, Tyler is planning on making this trip without me (and also to visit his Alabama relatives).  Very, very sad for me (but happy for him!).

March
In the past I’ve gotten together with some friends at a bed & breakfast during my Spring Break, but the venue is expensive and I find that the cost/game time ratio is even higher than Essen.  Instead, Tyler and I are talking about trying to do a weekend in Las Vegas during my week off.  I’ve never been and I’m not really much for that kind of “gaming”, but I am an avid people watcher and I don’t expect that I’ll be disappointed.

April
Once again I will be attending Alan Moon’s Gathering of Friends.  Last year I was so busy showing Dominion that I hardly played anything else.  I doubt this year will be much different.  Since Jay Tummelson has already announced it in his Rio Grande Games holiday newsletter, I can say that Dominion: Intrigue and Dominion: Seaside due out in 2009.  Until Jay releases more information about the compilation of the expansions, I’m keeping quiet.  Hah…last year I got lambasted for saying too much about the game before it came out—now I’m just waiting to get lambasted again, this time for keeping too many details to myself.  You can’t win, can you? 

May
Thanks to a Fall sabbatical in 2009, when I get out of school May 16th I will be free from classes and committees (but not research) until late January 2010!!! That’s 9 full months of completely flexible time to travel as much as I want (er…or can afford!).  In the past I’ve always kicked off May with Ward Batty’s spring installment of Atlanta Game Fest.  Last year he renamed the event Game Fest South and moved it to Chatanooga.  He’s also moved the event back to August, so we’ll just have to see what it conflicts with (ie Gen Con).  So at the moment, I don’t have any just-got-out-of-school-and-I-want-to-celebrate trips planned and that has got to change.  Perhaps this is finally the year that I make it to Kublacon out in California over Memorial Day Weekend.  Any other suggestions?

June
Ah, wonderful gaming nirvana that is June.  I think I’m going to finally make it to Scott Nicholson’s invitational event in Syracuse in early June.  Then I head down to one of my favorite events with all my old friends in Georgia (Stven Carlburg’s Oasis of Fun).  Then I wrap up June with Origins back here in Columbus.  Yippee, June is good!

July
The Greg Schloesser’s summer Gulf Games is much easier for me to make so I always make a point of going.  I will also be out in Washington (State) for the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviorists conference.

August
I’ll be back at Gen Con again this year.  I’ll also be throwing a big party on August 24th when all of my students and colleagues go back to class and I don’t!!!

September
Dragon*Con! Dragon*Con! Dragon*Con!  I’ve already started working on a Strawberry Shortcake costume and a Steam Punk costume.  (Yes, this convention is more people watching than gaming, but I do it with my Georgia gaming friends.)

October
The months starts with the game convention for my local game group (CABS), the Buckeye Game Fest.  This year it’s going to be held at a hotel with an indoor water park??!!  Then, of course, will be the trip to Essen, Germany for another Spiel.  Since I won’t have to worry about missing classes this year, I’m hoping to travel a bit before or after the show (or both!).

November
I usually make it to an invitational called Great Lakes Games right after getting back to Essen and each year this is the event where I pack in the most new games in a 72 hour period.  Then just a week or two later I’m off to teach them all to new friends at Boardgamegeek.con in Texas.

December
Sigh, will *this* be the year that I make it to Kevin Nunn’s Lone Star Games weekend to celebrate New Year’s Eve?  He gives me a hard time every year because I was the one who suggested to him that New Year’s Eve weekend would be an awesome time to have a gaming weekend.  Too bad he took my advice in a place that’s so far away (at a time of year when honey bunny can’t travel and I don’t want to travel without him).

Sounds like a good year!  Every year I try to make it to at least one new (to me) event.  Some of the options this year are Kublacon or Play (Scott Nicholson’s invitational).  Do you have any other suggestions?

I’d rather be gaming,
Valerie Putman

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