Who you kiddin' with this sour grapes act, Chris? We all know you'd ditch the Sunriver trip in a second if you were given the chance! g:-P

Ya know, I'm really not sure. I'll know more on Monday, but Sun River seems to me a more ideal scenario. Closer, a good chunk of time but not too much, and a core group of people that I know and feel comfortable gaming with.

I know several people who went and were gung-ho about it. I play weekly with the red headed gentlemen in the picture. But I can see how the hard core fans would turn off the more socially adjusted enthusiasts. I stopped attending Dragon*Con, the gigantic Atlanta con I played a (very small) part in starting in 1987, for the same reason.

Interesting take. Like most who are on the periphery of the boardgame community, I read about the GoF with a fair amount of jealousy, as it does seem like a bit of a holy grail of gaming. But I can't help but feel that my experience would be remarkably similar to Mark's....the introvert/extravert bit especially hit home. The one difference I have is that it is tougher for me to find good games locally. I'm working on that, but it's been fairly slow...(even slower waiting for my two boys to get a bit older so they can get more involved).

Great blog, by the way. I have two boys (almost 5 and 2) and I enjoy reading about your experiences, and while I really enjoy the age they are at, I'm anxiously awaiting the time they'll be able to give Dad a run for his money in some of these games.

Thanks for the comments Mike - nice to know you are enjoying reading this! Let me know if you ever head out this way.