Valerie Putman: Prose On Cons—The Gathering of Friends 2008, Part III

My last two Gathering reports were written very quickly because I wanted to get back to the party.  Sadly, the party is over now and my far-flung friends have all left.  I had a perfectly normal week including a game night with my local game group and I slept in this morning for the first time in over three weeks.  I think I’m finally ready to reflect on the whirlwind that was the Gathering of Friends 2008.

I live in Columbus, OH, so each year the Gathering comes to me.  That might seem like an ideal set up, but it really meant that I was faced with gaming temptations as early as the Tuesday before the event as some early arrivers wandered into town while I still had a ton to do at school to prepare for 10 days out of the office (with short trips to campus to teach my classes).  I exercised a great deal of will power and didn’t head to the Gathering hotel until after my last class on Friday afternoon.  I stay at the hotel for the entire show even though my house is just 10 miles away because I don’t want to miss a moment more than I have to.  It’s bad enough that I still have to go to work most days.  My room was ready early and I was unpacked and ready to start my airport runs by mid-afternoon.

The airport runs have an interesting history.  I was active in the online gaming community, attending close to a dozen game conventions a year, and very aware of the greatest gaming event in the US going on in my backyard.  I wasn’t invited and that made me sad, but I would have been even sadder if dozens of my closest friends came to Columbus and I didn’t get to see them at all.  So I posted a note online that I was happy to pick people up at the airport when they got to town and grab a bite to eat if they were free for a meal during the week.  Lots of friends took me up on the offer and it was great!  Then I got invited….  Who wants to go on airport runs when you can be playing games instead?  Me!  I admit, I like getting to be the first person to welcome my friends to town.  But Henning Kropke has raised the bar for my other friends this year!  As a thank you for picking him up and driving him and Friedemann Friese around town every year, Henning brought me a very hard-to-get Power Grid map that was created for a power company.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

This year at the Gathering I was playing a new role as the developer of a prototype (Game X) for Rio Grande Games.  As a result, I played far fewer new games that I would have liked.  Instead, I taught or played Game X many, many, many times.  I look forward to writing all about the process and revealing the actual name of the game and some details as soon as I am able.  I don’t regret playing fewer other games and I really enjoyed getting to see a different side of the hobby.  In fact, the Gathering is “work” for many of the attendees who are pitching prototypes, reviewing prototypes, or networking within the industry.

I also discovered this year that getting tenure at school didn’t magically erase my conscience or my love of my job or my concern for my students and their education.  I felt like I had more obligations at school than usual this year, so between work and Game X, the few games that I mentioned in my last two columns really were the bulk of what I played.  I played some prototypes that I can’t describe, of course, but I can only think of one other game that I meant to write about and didn’t.

Aquaretto I like Coloretto, for a filler.  It’s an interesting enough mechanism and it’s fun enough to play.  (Glowing review, no?) Zooloretto took that interesting mechanism and built an entire board game around it.  I found the game a bit light but too long to still count as a filler, so I only played it a few times.  When it won the Spiel des Jahres and the mini-expansions propagated, I still wasn’t tempted to play it again.  Then came Aquaretto.  I felt obligated to play it before passing judgment, and I’m glad I did.  It has the cutest animals EVER.  (OK, so I collected stuffed Sea Lions as a kid.  Actually, the game does lose major points for not having otters—only the cutest animal ever to exist in a zoo.) Cuteness factor aside, it does feel like there’s more going on than Zooloretto and if given the choice, I’d rather play Aquaretto again.  There are also rules for putting both games together along with all of the expansions if you enjoy that kind of thing.  (Just ask someone else to play, please.)

The other highlights of the week included the Game Show on Friday night and lot of meals and chats with friends between the games.  I’ve made plans with Jay Tummelson to represent Rio Grande Games at BGG.con again in the fall and… (drumroll, please) at the WBC this summer.  Tee hee.  That should give me something new to write about!  I’m just thrilled that my winter gaming convention hiatus is over and the convention circuit is underway!  Those of you in the Maryland area should be sure to check out Games Day Maryland the first weekend in May.  Sadly Ward isn’t doing his May Atlanta Game Fest weekend, but I’ll be down South before long for some gaming with my old gang.  Woo hoo!

I’d rather be gaming,
Valerie Putman

© 2008 Valerie Putman

---

Comments:

You must register with BGN in order to comment. Registration is free!

Aquaretto and Zooloretto together were great fun. Aquaretto is more gamer-y than Zooloretto, and together they’re even more gamer-y, but tons of fun. I enjoyed my one play of them together greatly. Posted by Matthew Frederick on Apr 20, 2008 at 10:51 PM | #

Well, Valerie, if you’re going to be representing Rio Grande Games again at BGG.con, please note that will be expecting you to wear a chicken hat. I only had a chance to play your prototype twice… nice game!  It’s amazing how much buzz it generated! My take on Aquaretto:  Zooloretto: Aquaretto :: Thurn & Taxis : T&T--Power & Glory.  Same game, better mechanics, more satisfying. Posted by Kevin Wood on Apr 21, 2008 at 08:47 AM | #

Valerie, Are you coming to GCOM’s Game Days?  If so, will you be brining Game X?  Can’t wait to play it again! Posted by Joe Casadonte on Apr 21, 2008 at 09:23 AM | #

Never been to the Gathering in Friends but really enjoy the reports. Maybe someday.... I look forward to seeing you at the game convention in Chattanooga this fall, along with Great Lakes Games. I am going to Italy for LudicaMente in Mantova and England for UK Games Expo in Birmingham. A lot more expensive than a short drive to Columbus, but, Columbus, really! I’ve been there for a couple of Mensa gatherings and was not impressed, although Nascar should be notified about the unauthorized race events on I-270. Posted by John Daniels on Apr 21, 2008 at 09:29 PM | #

I see your “otter,” and raise you a “baby elephant.” Posted by Jon Theys on Apr 21, 2008 at 09:48 PM | #

< Back Home