The first major snow storm of the season decided to strike on the the third Saturday of December.  For retailers this was, no doubt, bad news.  It wasn't so good for us gamers either as we missed out on 15 hours of gaming time!  Let's hope for better weather for the upcoming meetings...

As this is the end of 2009 I was compiled both a list of games played in December and an overall list for the games played since I started keeping track back in June.   All I can say is that it's amazing how much got played over the past six months!

In closing, I like to wish all of our club members a great new year.  Game on!

-Ken

Martian Rails "Easter Egg" Discovered
Martian Rails game designer Bob Stribula reports that EPGS members Dave Bohnenberger and Eric Baskin found the Easter Egg regarding EPGS that Bob and fellow EPGS member Steve Cameron hid within the game design.  Bob is hoping more club members find it and let him know.  No hints from your humble newsletter editor I'm afraid, as I still haven't found it yet myself!

The Games We Played - December 2009
Walking into the December 5th meeting was like walking into a Commanders and Colors - Ancients convention - there were seven boards set up on at least four different tables.  I counted five games played, and in the snowy month of December five was enough to earn "most played" honors.  Tied for second were Ghost Stories and Small World with three each.

Click here to see the complete list of games played in December.

The Games We Played - Second Half of 2009
As this is the end of the year issue I have made the effort to compile a list of all of the games played since I started keeping track in June.  By far the game most often played in that time span was Tichu with 37 total plays.  While that's impressive I feel it's worth mentioning that Axis & Allies, the classic war game that takes an average of six hours to play, was played at least 16 times in that time span.  The game is played at every meeting, usually for most of the 11 hours that the community room is open.

Click here to see the complete list.

Upcoming Events

January Oxford Valley Mall Meeting Dates:

January Games Keep Meeting Date:

January 15-18: Liberty Bell Open
Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel, Philadelphia, PA.   The first of the annual major Philadelphia area chess tournaments.  Large cash prizes are offered to top finishers of various playing levels.  Click here for more information.

January 28-31: BPA Winter Activation Meeting VIII
Holiday Inn, Timonium, MD. A mainly wargamming convention that takes place every year the weekend before the Super Bowl.  This year will feature four officially sactioned BPA events: Paths of Glory, Twilight Struggle, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, and Combat Commander.  Click here for more information.

February 18-21: Niagara Boardgaming Weekend
Best Western, Niagara Falls, ON. A fun weekend of "Monster, Euro, and Family" and a favorite of EPGS member Bob Stribula.  Note that the convention takes place on the Canadian side of the Falls and thus you will need a passport to attend. Click here for more information.

February 24-28: PresCon 2010
Doubletree Hotel, Charlottesville, VA. Similar to the WBC, PresCon has tournaments for over 80 games plus open gaming with an extensive library. Click here for more information.

August 2-8: 2010 World Boardgaming Championships
Lancaster Host, Lancaster, PA.  The yearly Mecca for us boardgaming types! Clicking here will take you to the home page of the Boardgame Players Association which has all of the information you will need.