Thebes (Jenseits von Theben)

Players: Ann, Michael

I had the great pleasure of attending my 7th Gathering of Friends in mid-April.  What follows are my initial impressions of the newer games, as well as some of the other activities in which I participated. 

Although we hold Gulf Games every six months, it seems as though years pass between each one.  I am always SO anxious to get together again with all of the wonderful people, that the wait seems interminable.  Of course, when we are actually planning the event, making decorations and name badges and tending to the myriad of details that help make each Gulf Games so special, there never seems to be enough time!

Everything aligned just right to allow me to once again make the journey to the Mecca of the gaming world:  the Spiele Faire in Essen, Germany.  This time, Craig Berg of Kitchen Table Gamers fame joined James Miller and I for the pilgrimage. 

I had the great pleasure of spending another four glorious days of socializing and gaming this past weekend with my great buddies Craig Berg, Ted Cheatham and Mark Jackson.  We were joined by good friends Chip Triplett and Buster Williamson on Saturday evening.

We once again were hosted by the good Pastor Mark and his lovely wife Shari at his home in Nashville, Tennessee.  Shari is a Saint for allowing us to invade her home for four days and interrupt her daily routine.  Thanks to both of them for their wonderful hospitality.

Following is a discussion of the games we played and the fun we had.

Note:  To view some photos of our get-together, please visit:  http://photos.yahoo.com/csberg

Several good friends and gaming buddies descended on Mark Jackson's lovely home in Nashville for 3 1/2 days of intense gaming and socializing.  His wife, Shari, is a saint for allowing 5 noisy and messy guys to invade her home.  In spite of her cheerful and friendly exterior, she must have been seething at how we completely upset her normal routine and trashed the place.  Thanks, Mark & Shari, for having us and treating us like kings.

It's always great to get together with such super folks such as Craig Berg, Ted Cheatham and Mark.  Plus, it was wonderful to finally meet Rob Wood, who is loads of fun to be with and makes a fantastic Shrimp Creole!  I also enjoyed being with the Nashville (now Boston) king of Settlers of Catan, Charles Glaser.  During the weekend, some of Mark's Nashville gaming crew, including Chip Triplett, Dennis Mills and Clint Wilder, also stopped by for the gaming and socializing.

What follows is a brief recap of the games I was involved in, along with my impressions and commentary.

I was extremely honored and delighted to attend my third Gathering of Friends get-together this April.  I can’t say enough about the kindness and generosity of the folks in attendance.  No one is a stranger; everyone is made to feel like a long-time friend.  It is truly an amazing event, one which I look forward to all through the year.

Mucho thanks to Alan Moon, the tireless host who puts this whole thing together.  Alan is truly one of the ‘nice guys’ in our hobby and always takes time out to greet and socialize with everyone.  Thanks, Alan, for including me in such a special event.

Here is a quick run-down of the 'hits' and 'misses' (game-wise) at this year's Gathering:

New Orleans is a tourist mecca known ‘round the world.  Thanks to my many contacts via the internet, I’ve been fortunate to meet many fantastic folks from around the world who are vacationing in New Orleans.  They will usually drop me a note and let me know they will be visiting the Big Easy and I try to make sure I can get together with them for some sight-seeing and gaming. 

Recently, I had the great pleasure of playing host to Frederic Taton of Belgium and his stunningly beautiful wife Salange (who could easily be a model), who were in New Orleans as part of their belated honeymoon.  We spent three days together gaming, socializing and enjoying the sites (and food!) of N'Awlins.

What made the weekend even more special was that buddy George Michaels from Texas was also in town and joined us on Saturday.  He brought along his young son James, who is perhaps the most well-behaved toddler I've ever seen.  George's good buddy Francis, who lives in New Orleans, also joined us ... and I immediately began twisting his arm to joining us for regular Westbank Gamers sessions!

While attending Gulf Games 5 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I had the opportunity to play many of the new Nurnberg releases, particularly those which will be in the Rio Grande line.  This is due to the fact that Mr. Rio Grande Games himself, Jay Tummelson, was in attendance and constantly demonstrated and taught the games to the eager attendees.

As of 3/24/00, I've only played each of these games once, so the following is my initial impressions only.  Further playings are required before my opinion will become firm. 

DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?

Gulf Games 5 was quite simply one of the best experiences of my life.  I was completely overwhelmed by the free flowing spirit of friendship and love.  It is an experience I will never, ever forget.

Although I eagerly anticipate the arrival of each Gulf Games, I also approach it with some trepidation.  I always get a bit worried:  Will folks enjoy the experience?  Have we overlooked anything?  Will there be unexpected problems or developments?  Will everyone have fun?

The Natchez Trace is a historical route between Nashville, Tennessee and Natchez, Mississippi.  For centuries it was used by native Americans, settlers and pioneers.  The route was used so consistently that in many places the road has worn down to levels several feet below the surrounding land.  All along the route are historical sites, including indian burial mounds, abandoned towns, cabins, grave markers and more. In addition, the route is extremely scenic and a joy to travel.

Tim Watson and I just completed an intensive weekend of gaming along parts of this route, Jackson and Nashville.  Although we didn't actually visit any of the sites along the route, the fantastic gaming more than made up for this omission!

Mark Jackson graciously offered to host a weekend of gaming at his home in Nashville.  Good buddy Ted Cheatham was going to drive or fly in (depending upon the weather), and we would be joined by Jimmie 'Buster' Williamson and Chip Triplett, both of Mark's Nashville group and veteran Gulf Gamers.

1/21/00 - 1/23/00

Continuing the tradition begun with Ted Cheatham when he still lived in Mississippi, fellow Westbank Gamer and good buddy Lenny Leo and I traveled to Percy Quin State Park in McComb, Mississippi on January 21st - 23rd to meet Tim Watson and Jay Ouzts for a weekend of gaming.  We had rented a cabin on the edge of a lake so we could enjoy the peace and solitude of the back woods of Mississippi while we engaged in our favorite obsession .. gaming!

12/10/99 - 12/11/99

Good buddy Jason Matthews was in town on business over the weekend, so we made time to get together for quite a bit of gaming. Jason is an attorney and aid in Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu’s office in Washtington, DC and gets to New Orleans a few times a year.  Further, we got together with our good friends the Cortazzos Saturday evening for even more fun at the gaming table.

My family and I just spend five wonderful days with great buddy Ty Douds and his lovely family at his home in Seminole, Florida, which is located near Tampa.

What made the vacation even more special was a get together on Saturday which saw more of our good friends Brent (and Maryann) Carter, Peter (and Kim) McCarthy, Jon Pessano, along with his buddy Rich McKiernan in attendance.  We enjoyed a full day of gaming, swimming and socializing, with the Carters remaining overnight for even more fun!

7/9/99 - 7/11/99

DAY 1

ON THE TABLE:  Targui, Sherlock Holmes, Pepper, Ex und Hopp, Motor Mouth, Loopin' Louie, Twitch and a plethora of children's games.

Our modern day world has many faults and technology can sometimes result in the loss of the personal, human touch.  However, technology can also be a wonderful blessing, and this was in no way more evident than the wonderful weekend that my family and I just spent at the home of Ted and Jane Cheatham in Madison, Mississippi.   We were joined for an incredible weekend of socializing and gaming by Mark and Shari Jackson, and were joined for much of the time by Tim and Vickie Watson, our Gulf Games companions.

5/7/99 - 5/8/99

Back to the woods at my camp outside of Tylertown, Mississippi for another weekend of gaming with fellow Westbank Gamer Lenny Leo and our Mississippi buddies Ted Cheatham and Eric Wood.   No matter what games we play, we always have a hoot.  These are wonderful guys who make gaming an incredible experience.

04/13/99 - 04/18/99

For the second year, I have been fortunate in being able to attend Alan Moon’s Gathering of Friends get-together in Springfield, Massachussetts.  This is a very special, invitation only gathering of German game enthusiasts with the emphasis being placed squarely on friendly, social gaming.  It is one of the major highlights of my gaming year.

I’d like to share some thoughts on my experiences at The Gathering.

03/26/99 - 03/28/99

Gulf Gamers Tim Watson, Eric Wood, Lenny Leo and I gathered for a weekend of gaming at my camp outside of Tylertown, Mississippi on March 26 - 28, 1999.  Sadly, Ted Cheatham was out of town and unable to attend.  His presence was missed, but the gaming and socializing went on in his absence.

Lenny and I arrived shortly after 6PM on Friday night, with Tim and Eric pulling in about 7:30.  After dinner, the gaming began.

More than just a Gaming Convention

2/25/99 - 2/28/99

Gulf Games 3 is now history, but it will live forever in my memory. Words cannot adequately describe the pure joy and and exhilaration I experienced by being in the presence of so many loving, caring and friendly people.

A Weeekend at the Cheatham Estate

12/5/98 - 12/6/98

What began as plans for another 'Gathering in the Woods' at my camp in Tylertown, Mississippi evolved into a marathon day of gaming at Ted Cheatham's in Madison, Mississippi on Saturday, December 5th.  Ted has a neat 2nd story gameroom .. the only 2nd story room in the house.  We affectionately call it the 'Attic'.

I arrived at Ted's about 8:40 (after about a 3 1/2 hour drive from New Orleans) and we were joined by Ted's gaming buddy and Gulf Games veteran Tim Watson.  Unfortunately, Eric Wood was called into work and wasn't able to join us till later that evening.

Our gaming concentrated mainly on the multitude of new games we had just acquired, including many of the new Essen releases.