All the boardgaming you can handle, only 2 weeks away!

Do you know where you're going to be 2 weeks from now?  That's right!  You're going to be at Ludophilia III at the Comfort Suites on Higgins Rd in scenic Schaumburg, IL, enjoying 4 days of solid boardgaming pleasure!  Ok, Schaumburg really isn't all that scenic, unless you have a thing for malls, both strip and otherwise, but I'm hoping you'll be there for the boardgaming anyway!!

You should all know the details by now, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the location, the hotel, the gaming, or anything.

All you need to know right now is we'll have a wide selection of great games to play, starting at 8am on Thursday, May 30.  We'll be ordering pizza for dinner Friday, and I expect that to be the peak attendance time.  If you're looking for a little quieter and more casually intimate gaming time, then feel free to drop in as you choose Thu, Fri, Sat, or Sun during the day.  Definitely don't be afraid to bring a couple other gamers with you if you have friends or family who would like to join us!  The more the merrier.  (What will we do if we overflow the room?  If necessary, we should be able to seat some smaller, quieter games out in the breakfast area when it's not in use, or we can use our hotel rooms for small games if we're desperate.)

Remember we're asking for $10/person/day to cover the costs, but really, if you just drop in for a couple hours or something, no one's going to strongarm you, so don't be afraid to come by and meet the group.

Also, check out the game library list at tinyurl.com/ludo3lib.  If you really want to play something that's not on the list, let me know and we'll try to locate a copy.  (Or, of course, bring it yourself!)

See you in 2 weeks!

Your Top 3

What are the top 3 games you want to play at Ludophilia III?  The ones that will make you consider the weekend a failure if you don't get to play them....

I think mine are:

1) Clash of Cultures:  I bought this about 2 months ago and still haven't tried it.  It's a light- to moderate-weight Civ building game that looks like fun, but it's probably just a little too long to be popular at normal game days.

2) Magic Realm:  Mark Ashton, Bill Desmarais, and I have been playing online to try to get a grip on the rules.  I've been harboring a wish to learn how to actually play this game since I was about 15 -- at least it's been sitting on my shelf unplayed since then.  I feel like we finally are getting it, at least with the help of the RealmSpeak program.  Now I'd like to see if we could actually manage it unassisted and maybe with about a half dozen players...

3) Dune:  Another oldie, but definitely a goodie.  There will be no better time to play than with pretty much all of the best players I've ever known all in the same room together (assuming Joe Abrams and Glenn McMaster also appear as promised!)  Steve Quinn, John Tammes, and Scott Wennerdahl taught me how to play more than 30 years ago, I taught Bill Dyer, Lee Proctor, and Wray Ferrell, among others, and now Bill and I are teaching our kids, and the guys (and gals) at WBC have far outdistanced my abilities and teach me stuff every year.

Of course, there are tons of other games I want to play, too many to list.  Some of the new ones (new to me, at least) that I know other folks are bringing that I *really* want to try are T'zolkin, Terra Mystica, Great Zimbabwe, Netrunner, Pax Porfiriana, and Spartacus, to name a few.

Getting excited!

29 Days and Counting...

Hello Everyone!

Here we are in May already!  I can't believe how time flies, and it's finally looking like Spring....

Don't forget Ludophilia III is now less than a month away.  May 30 through Jun 2.  Hopefully all of your plans are in place and you're ready to go.  Here are a few things to remember:

LOCATION

We're at the Comfort Suites in Schaumburg, 1100 E. Higgins Rd.  (www.tinyurl.com/ludo3css)  Make a reservation now if you're staying overnight, and be sure to ask for the Ludophilia rate of $79/night.

ADMISSION

We're requesting $10 per person per day.  Technically, the buy-3-days-get-the-4th-day-free offer has expired, but just between you and me, if you still want to send $30 for all 4 days, I'll still accept it.  (Email me for my address if you don't have it.)  Otherwise, I'll collect money at the door.

GAME LIBRARY

A number of people have listed the games that they'll be bringing on our spreadsheet at www.tinyurl.com/ludo3lib.  This is very helpful to avoid unnecessary duplications and also to make sure that what you want to play will be there.  I have a large collection, but I'm only bringing a couple hundred games, so take a look and let me know if there's something you want to play that isn't already on the list -- I may have it!

FLIGHTS AND RIDES

Currently, I think I only know the travel itinerary for 1 person flying in (Steve Q).  If you're going to be arriving at the airport and don't already have a ride planned to the hotel, please let me know your plans (arrival time and airline), and we'll start making arrangements to get people picked up.