True to tradition, bar-ticipants come dressed in costume for the poker tournament - always a highlight, bringing out huge crowds and stiff competition. Kids are welcome, too! The next generation of gamers is in training now! The photo below shows the sheriff and his daughter as they duke it out. It brings a smile to my face to see the kids take an interest in board games and to see them interact with the kids. It is great to know that while we are playing games, the kids are developing skills in strategy.
Sweetie enjoyed teaming up with several of the adults to play new games. She also played several more familiar games on her own (Carcassonne, Senet, Ticket to Ride, and Life Boats). Many of these games have suggested ages of 10 and older. At 5 years (she'll be 6 on the 17th), she holds her own with both older kids and adults alike. 
In addition to hours of gaming, we made a stop at the Lego Store in Washington Square... Buddy selected 2 sets that enabled him to construct 6 different vehicles. Sweetie filled the large bucket up with a variety of pieces. We also purchased a 12" square base piece and the tool that helps separate the pieces. Upon our return, the boys spent a couple of hours working together to construct a restaurant. It was so fun to see my little guy collaborate with the older boys to accomplish a goal. 'Smiler', 8 years, is very sweet and great with the younger ones. He looks out for them and takes the time to play with them frequently. At one time, I noticied Sweetie was rather quiet and seemed a little withdrawn and I overheard him ask her, "Are you okay? Are you happy?" Her reply was, "I'm good. Why wouldn't I be?" "Just checking," he said.
New friends - I was so pleased that Buddy got along so well with this little guy. They spent most of their time together in the dirt pile playing with their trucks. Buddy had been looking forward to seeing his friend since his family had joined us camping over the 4th of July. I was pleased that they were able to join us on an outing to the Oregon Zoo, as well. 
At the Auction, we bid on two items... Boom Town and Wild West Murder Mystery. Sweetie was very sad that we didn't win Boom Town but we did win the dinner party mystery game. I'm looking forward to hosting a murder very soon. :D
Fun fun :-) I remember Barcon from a previous post (last year), but I forget exactly what it is! Research time :-)
ReplyDeleteHey, great review post of activities going on at Barcon. We both realize that with so many people there, we rarely have time for chit-chat. I guess, everyone is there for games, so better get it over with :). Anyway, good to hear you guys had fun and that the kids had fun too. Hopefully "zombies" are not too scary for a 7- (almost 8-) year old and a 4-year old next year. --Kalamity Kong
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