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Hurricane Sandy eliminated the
"crowding" problems of past EQs by reducing attendance
for the first time.
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Newcomer Liz Anderson is congratulatd
by Tournament Director Marcia Morelli for winning Ticket to
Ride.
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Wet & Wild
Euroquest
2012 got off to an inauspicious start with the arrival of Hurricane
Sandy just days prior to the convention. With the entire east
coast under siege and doubts about whether the hotel would even
have power, many found their travel plans flummoxed by cancelled
flights and questionable roads. Kerrin Addis arrived from Australia
before the storm to once again be our furthest traveled guest,
but others were less fortunate. Many folks from the northeast
had too many storm related issues, dropping our attendance under
300 and marking the first actual decline in EQ attendance that
anyone could remember.
Further complicating matters, Convention
Director Norman Rule made an unscheduled trip to the emergency
room Sunday night and was admitted for surgery (conducted during
the height of the hurricane on Monday), leaving him hors de combat.
His wife Amy picked up the reins and with support from Tournament
Director Marcy Morelli and the rest of the EQ team made the decision
that 'the show must go on!'
For those who persevered, the convention was, nevertheless, a success.
For many, EQ is all about the tournaments. This year's race for
the Siegelman was dominated by former champ Sceadeau D'Tela and
Andrew Emerick, with former champ, Rob Kircher a strong contender
in the early going. But Rob hit the wall halfway through the convention,
allowing Alex Bove and Doug Galullo to pull ahead of him. Defending
champion, Daniel Eppolito, finished 11th this time.
Sceadeau took the early lead, winning his own Dominion event. Andrew, who took second place in Dominion, pulled
ahead by taking the plaque for Egezia. Rob Kircher's win
in Settlers of Catan actually dropped Sceadeau to
third until he won in Thurn & Taxis to pull back in
front. His lead was short-lived though as Andrew's win in Saint
Petersburg put him back on top, until Sceadeau clawed ahead
again by a single point with his third place finish in Puerto
Rico. Alex Bove's win in Stone Age put him in
third, pushing Rob out of the top three.
On Sunday morning, Andrew
clinched the title with a second place finish in 7 Wonders,
making him the latest member of the 'Magic Men' team to take home
the trophy. Not surprisingly, the Magic Men (Andrew, Sceadeau,
and former Siegelman winner Randy Buehler) won the GCOM team tournament
as well. Other highlights included first time attendee Liz Anderson
taking home top honors for Ticket To Ride, and former Convention
Director John Weber winning his first EQ wood for third place
in the Wild Card tournament that was again won by Eric Freeman.
But Tournament play isn't all EQ is about. This year's event offered
37 game demos including some of the hottest new games from Essen.
Highlights included a demo of Viva Java, one of the top
25 Essen games, demoed by game designer T.C Petty III in his first
US appearance with the published version of the game. Kudos to John Weber for organizing
the amazing display of new games, as well as a Game Designers
Forum on Saturday morning.
And of course as always Euroquest featured lots of open gaming
and a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Quite
a few 'regulars' were absent due to the storm, but all who made
it had a wonderful time. Many stopped by the front desk to sign
a giant 'get well card' for Norman, who we are happy to report
is doing just fine.
Harold Siegelman Award
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Andrew Emerick, CT - 1st
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Sceadeau D'Tela, NC - 2nd
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Alex Bove, PA - 3rd
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Doug Galullo, MD - 4th
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Rob Kircher, RI - 5th
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EQ 2012 Tournament Winners
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Eric Wrobel, MD > 26
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Sceadeau D'Tela, NC > 42
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Andrew Emerick, CT > 35
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Bill Crenshaw, VA > 43
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Richard Shay, MA > 51
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Scott Fenn, MD > 33
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Luann Stubbs, PA > 61
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Andrew Emerick, CT > 45
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Robert Kircher, RI > 43
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Alex Bove, PA > 53
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Sceadeau D'Tela, NC > 40
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Liz Anderson, NY > 57
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Hurrricane or no, the hardy
faithful who arrived in the wake of the storm enjoyed another
pleasant gaming interlude at the Pikesville Hilton.
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For a more detailed account of Euroquest 2012's otehr
activities see http://euoquest.gamesclubofmd.org/ for additional information as it becomes available.
The winners and laurelists for all events are listed
on their respective event AAR pages at http://www.boardgamers.org/yearbook12/
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