Report 1 from The 2008 Gathering of Friends

Right now I'm in Columbus, Ohio, playing games at the annual Gathering of Friends event organized by game designer Alan R. Moon. It's an invitation-only game convention, with about 350 people here this year. (By the way, Columbus is an underrated city. There's really quite a bit to see and do.) Among the games I've enjoyed playing:

• Ticket to Ride Card Game: This card game version of Ticket to Ride will feel familiar to fans of the board game, but it adds a modest memory element and has a unique system for players to move cards from their hand into their "keep" pile. The only thing missing in the box are some card racks, which would have been extremely helpful. But that's a minor criticism of another excellent game in the TtR series.

• Stone Age: An excellent middleweight strategy game set in prehistoric times, Stone Age challenges players to convert raw resources (gold, stone, brick, wood) into victory points -- while making sure to feed their workers. There is a good amount of dice-rolling in the game, adding a random element. I found that it increased the excitement, but some players will be turned off by that.

• Agricola: Currently ranked as the #6 best game of all-time by the users of BoardGameGeek.com, Agricola is definitely a standout strategy game. Although it was released in Europe last year, an English-language edition is not yet available. (Z-Man Games has it scheduled for release this month or next.) At the start of the game, players have two farmers and very little else. Using items and abilities they can win by playing cards and claiming spots on the board, they work to build a successful farm. This is a tremedous game for people who prefer deeper strategy, as it offers many possible paths to victory.

• Pandemic: This is an addictive board game in which all the players work together in an effort to eradicate four diseases from the world. Playing against the game system, they must travel the world to contain infections while developing the cures. I've played four or five times now (including several times before the Gathering), and every game is packed with tension. This would be a great addition to any family game night.

• I also played in the Poker tournament (I was eliminated when the player two seats before me went all in with 3-3, I followed him all in with A-K, and I got no help on the board), played Darjeeling (a solid game, but it didn't stand out), Race for the Galaxy (some people love it; I can see why, but it definitely takes several plays to wrap your head around the possible card combinations), a fantastic prototype (currently known as Game X), and a trio of fun word games: Password, $25,000 Pyramid, and Thingamajig.