Notes from the 2009 Gathering of Friends

I'm currently in Columbus, Ohio, attending the annual Gathering of Friends (a relatively small game convention hosted by designer Alan R. Moon). Here are a few quick notes on some of the new games I've been able to play so far:

Cities: This tile-placement game is deceptively simple, but using the advanced scoring system it becomes a real puzzler. Designer Martyn F. has combined elements of Carcassonne and Take It Easy to create an engaging, fast-playing (about 15 minutes) game.

Diamonds Club: Rüdiger Dorn designed this middleweight strategy game in which players acquire mines, contracts and ships before delivering gems to finance the development of their estates. The winner is the player whose finished estate earns the most victory points.

Fast Flowing Forest Fellers: The beauty of this race game from Friedemann Friese is evident in the wide variety of game boards (courses) available. Players are trying to be the first to get two loggers down the river, avoiding rocks, floating logs and some truly nasty currents. I am looking forward to playing this one many more times.

Finca: This set-collection game is all about tactics. Players harvest and then sell a variety of fruits (lemons, oranges, grapes, etc.), trying to collect a mximum of victory points while doing so. Finca, designed by Ralf zur Linde and Wolfgang Sentker, has some nice mechanics and is a solid choice for family game nights.

Maori: This is a fun and attractively designed game of island-building from designer Günter Burkhardt. Players each have their own board on which to place the tiles they select, trying to put together high-scoring islands while earning the money and canoes which are necessary to gain the best tiles. I can see this being a big hit in family gaming circles.

Small World: Races of trolls, humans, amazons and more come and go in this battle game from designer Philippe Keyaerts. As your race expands across the board, it becomes increasingly vulnerable to attacks from other players and before very long you will have to decide to move on to a different race. The timing of doing so is one of many keys to victory in this excellent strategy game.

Snow Tails: This race game set in the world of dog sleds introduces some excellent new twists on the racing genre. Designers Fraser Lamont and Gordon Lamont have captured the feel of racong in a snowy, icy course very well. I am a fan of race games generally, and this is another I'm looking forward to playing again.

I'll post more thoughts about games I've played at the Gathering in the days ahead.