Back in the fall of 1998, a few families came together during the off-season at a summer camp spot in Panama City Beach, Florida. They played board games and started making friends. That was Gulf Games number 2. My wife and I felt lucky to be part of it.

It has been almost 28 years now. I still feel lucky to join this great family-friendly gaming get-together. Here are my thoughts on the 38 games I played during close to five days. I grouped them by how many times I played each one, then listed them in ABC order.

Games I Played Three Times

There is just one game here. It is the fun game called 3 Chapters. It takes 15 minutes if folks know how to play. With five new players, it runs about 30 minutes. You pass cards to pick them, play a quick trick-taking round, and match cards for points at the end. The cute fairy tale pictures and theme make scoring special. I will play it anytime someone suggests it.

Games I Played Twice

Among small games that come in tins, Barbecubes is my top pick. I need to buy my own copy. It comes from the same people who made Tinderblocks. The barbecue idea and using the tin as a grill make it the best one.

On Thursday night, three of us played my favorite game, Clash of Cultures. I played it again Friday morning. Players build civilizations with a good tech tree, nice figures, and big events. Your group grows, faces good and bad happenings, and fights others. Each player takes 60 to 75 minutes. It is long, but I had fun even though I lost both times.

I got to the final round of the yearly Liar’s Dice contest. I was the last one knocked out. I do not play it as often now, but I like it when it comes up.

I first tried Ninety Nine last fall after a big game fair. It felt good to play it a couple more times this weekend. For me, two or three players is best. You line up cards by the rules. Four players means too much waiting, and it drags on.

A new game in my stack is as old as Gulf Games. Tonga Bonga came out in 1998. Players hurry to set camps on islands. You bid with dice for crew, but rolls can ruin your plans. I won both plays without the bonus from going home to Tonga. Do not bid too high. We rotated start player the second time, like a common rule now in the new version called Batam.

I tried two test games too, but I promised not to talk about them.

Games I Played a Single Time

I cannot suggest 1%: A Game of Strategic Chance. The main idea is neat. You buy more rolls to hit the win combo. But getting those chances feels awkward and does not fit well. One player said there is just a 1% chance they play it again.

As I noted before, 7 Wonders Dice will not change gaming forever. It is a nice roll-and-write game you mostly play alone, even with others. The parts look good.

My son Braeden and I tried a new one called Age of Galaxy. The small card sets remind me of another game. But there are many ways to solve its puzzle. Tip: use the income groups. They give extra moves when a Golden Age hits. I wonder about playing alone. It might be too tough for most of my group, so maybe I skip buying it.

Greg Schloesser keeps Gulf Games going strong. He bought Avant Carde on sale nearby. You build a deck to make groups like Uno runs. That gives money to get new cards. The boxes fold nice for storage but not always for play. The game works fine. I won, which helped.

I taught Bärenpark to some people and tied for first. You place tiles. Where you put it picks what you get next turn. I love it. We used the simple rules. With pros, add bears and extra boards from the add-on.

We used to play Last Chance, betting dice on card goals. Biddle does that idea better with simple parts and smart design. We had six players, though it fits five. It worked okay.

I had space in my bag for Cape May. Angela wanted to play late Saturday. It looks good with old-style houses and fences. The rules are solid for building a town like an East Coast spot. The money markers move easy if bumped, but it is fun overall.

I asked for Dewan. I liked my first plays and taught my son. He liked it too. It mixes route drafting like one game and card play like another, but with better pieces and art. Now I want the other setups in it.

Years back, Warren showed me Dynasty League Baseball. He guided us through dice rolls and stats fun. This year, we matched bad 2007 teams. He had Tampa Bay Rays; I had Pittsburgh Pirates. I scored big in three innings. He lost five players to injury, mostly outfield. We joked about a curse. He calls it the Worst Cursed Series. I enjoyed it.

I like Reiner Knizia’s old Beowulf game, but some hate the risk part. EGO updates it. It changes risk to reward full wins or forgive big fails, punishes half tries. You deal with alien anger. New art is okay but busy, with odd coin marks. Boards are full. It plays faster with more choices to avoid same bids. Hard not to like.

Exxtra, now Excape, is a dice risk game I like but do not win at. I play it lots at Gulf Games. I lost this time too.

Fair Enough by Friedemann Friese fits Essen fair play. It is light drafting plus risk, like making lists and rushing booths. Cards have fun nods to old gamers. Good to teach new folks here.

Faraway filled time waiting for Clash. The odd score backward way still grabs me. Now try with add-on.

I finally got Flip 7. Not deep, but quick fun like easy Blackjack with Uno bits. Flip 7: With A Vengeance adds mean takes. I like plain Flip 7 better.

I knew Haunted Mouse. Sorry to Michelle and Earl for bad teaching. It is a drop cards game with smart twists that ends right.

I love Heat: Pedal to the Metal with extras, but often play basic. We did basic here. Spain track with tunnels is tricky fun. I got second.

I first played Hot Streak last summer at Gulf Games. Nice it returned. Our cards made short races, unlike before. The bett…