Ludophilia IX - TBD

Ludophilia IX, 2019's finest small gaming CON. Date TBD.

After Action Report

Another successful Ludophilia!

Our brewmaster (plus 1 more) delivered the goods, everyone else was generous in bringing in snacks, more potent beverages (but not out of hand, thank you). We had plenty of old faces, and a few new - which is always welcome.

The hotel was a bit overwhelmed at a couple of points in time- new staff and a full house did not help. But overall it continues to suit us.

The quality and quantity of games was high. Some of the social games reminded us how well the group gets along.

We anticipate a slightly later date for next year - expect an email in the near-ish future to solicit available dates for next year. Let us make Ludophilia 9 our best yet!

One Week To Go!

Hi Boardgame Friends:

Hard to believe that just about exactly one week from the time I write this I'll be greeting the first of you to arrive for Ludophilia 8, the best 4-day weekend of boardgames and craft beer you can possibly find in Crystal Lake in late April! ;)

(For those of you traveling from out of town, I'll just warn you that this last week in Chicagoland has looked and felt more like December than April, but I believe it's supposed to be warming a little now.  Hopefully the light snow we have will be gone for you anyway!  I still say make sure you pack a warm shirt or two....)

Just a reminder of all the details:

WHEN?

Next week, Thursday, April 26th, through Sunday, April 29th.  Room will be open 8:00am through midnight Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but we'll be packing up to leave around lunchtime on Sunday.

WHERE?

It's at the Country Inn and Suites, 600 Tracy Trail, Crystal Lake, IL  60014.  Phone: 815-477-3500.  We'll be in the Lincoln Room, which is the large conference room around the corner to the right from the lobby.  You can't miss it.

ADMISSION?
Some people pre-paid - thank you!  If you have not, the cost for supporting the hotel space is $10 per person per day.  Just find me when you arrive and I'll collect cash or check.

GAMES?

Yes, lots. Go to https://tinyurl.com/ludo8lib to see a spreadsheet of what some people are planning to bring.  If you're definitely bringing something, or want to request something, it's not too late.  Everyone should go take a look at the spreadsheet and list anything you're bringing.  (Good way to avoid duplication, plus people love to see what's going to be there to play.)  And there are a few requests still going unanswered.

BEER?

Bill is planning to bring an outstanding selection of homebrew to share.  If you'll be partaking, I suggest that you consider some creative way to show him your appreciation.  Everyone is welcome to bring something nice to share, but cooler space can be expected to be at a premium, so definitely don't go overboard.  I am highly recommending that everyone go very easy on any hard liquor - we really don't want any issues, but I don't want to have to declare an outright ban, so please be extra responsible!  I will be bringing a cooler of soft drinks as well.

T-SHIRTS?
I have this year's t-shirts to distribute to the people who ordered them.  I do have just 1 or 2 extras, as well as a couple leftovers from previous years that I'll sell, first come, first served.  Price for this year's shirts is $15.  Price for previous years is $10.

See you next week!

Brad.

Hotel Update

Ludophiliacs:

Our Convention Location - Country Inn and Suites, 600 Tracy Trail, Crystal Lake, IL  60014.  Phone: 815-477-3500 - has informed us that we have not had a great number of reservations under our group bloc.

If you will be staying at the hotel, you can call 815-477-3500 or 800-830-5222 for reservations, or look online at https://www.countryinns.com/crystal-lake-hotel-il-60014/ilcryst.  Be sure to ask for the room block for "Ludophilia" for a special rate of $98+tax.

If you screwed up, as I did, and made a reservation without mentioning the group - you can correct that! I just called them and made sure they affiliated my reservation with "Ludophilia".

T-Shirt Orders Due Now!

The t-shirt design for this year's Ludophilia is now available, thanks to resident artist, Alex Johnson - take a look at the images below!

If you would like to get one or more of these babies for yourself, family, friends, acquaintances, etc, please just drop me an email (tempus42@yahoo.com) by the end of next weekend, Sunday, March 25th, with the size(s) that you want.  I'll collect money at Ludophilia, just like previous years.  And just like always, the cost of the shirts goes down with our order volume, so more orders makes it cheaper - estimated prices are $21 if we order 10, $17 if we order 15, $15 if we order 20, and $13 if we order 30.  (Last we ordered 23.)

Important news!

Our Brewmaster reports:

"The Ludophilia Oak Aged Belgian Quad is ready and aging in it’s keg. It tastes fantastic. The first ever Ludophilia Cider is also ready and tasting great."

Also - "I am going to make two more beers, a Steam beer and probably a straight up porter, although I might think of something creative to flavor it with."

After reading that, I will probably be daydreaming of beer today.

Check out the library file!

Hi Boardgame Friends:

It's sort of starting to feel like spring is around the corner (as much as it does in Chicago), and that means Ludophilia, our favorite boardgame and craft beer weekend, is not far behind!  It's just over 2 months away!  (Don't forget we're in an earlier slot this year....)

ARE YOUR CALENDARS MARKED?

The weekend for Ludophilia 8 is Thursday, April 26th through Sunday, April 29th, 2018.  We typically play from 8:00am until midnight-ish Thursday through Saturday, but we'll most likely be packing up around lunch time on Sunday.  It's at the Country Inn and Suites, 600 Tracy Trail, Crystal Lake, IL  60014.  Phone: 815-477-3500.  Make sure you ask for our group rate if you are reserving a guest room for yourself.  

It is awesome if you can register in advance by sending me $30 (for the full weekend) via Paypal to tempus42@yahoo.com.  (Or feel free to just stop by for a day or two at $10/day.) Be sure to use the Family & Friends option to avoid fees, and be sure to include a note with your name and the days you plan on attending.

If you have any questions at all about how this thing works or what you should do to join in, please email me!

LIBRARY FILE IS UP

Go to https://tinyurl.com/ludo8lib to see the spreadsheet that Mark Ashton set up for us to track who's bringing what games to the party.  Right now, Mark and I have entered our lists -- everyone should feel free to go into the "Data Entry: Bringing" tab and add whatever you'd like to bring - and be sure to add yourself to the "Data Entry: Attendees" tab so the library listing comes out right.  (If you'd like to take over anything I have listed, please go ahead and add your own entry, and I'll drop mine, with my thanks for reducing my load!)  If there's a game you definitely want to ask someone else to bring, add it to the "Data Entry: Requests" tab.

TRIVIA MURDER PARTY

Mark is planning on running a session of an online party game called "Trivia Murder Party" on Friday or Saturday night.  Be sure to be there to check it out!

T-SHIRTS

Yes, there will be t-shirts again this year.  Designs are in the works, and I hope to have pictures and order details for you within a couple weeks.

STAY TUNED

More details will follow!  Please keep watching your email and our blog at http://ludophilia8.blogspot.com/.  Really looking forward to seeing you all in April!

  

Brad.

Official Announcement

Happy New Year to all of my boardgaming friends!  It's been a while since we've last spoken about Ludophilia, but it's time to get the ball rolling!  So with that, I'm happy to announce the 8th annual Ludophilia Boardgames and Craft Beer Fest!   Read on for the details....

WHAT IS LUDOPHILIA?
For any of you who have missed it until now, Ludophilia is the name we've given to our annual 4-day boardgaming (and craft beer sharing) extravaganza in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago!   It's much too friendly and informal to be called a "convention".  It's just an excuse for friends and friends-of-friends to get together in a large-ish hotel conference room with a few hundred board games and have the chance to strategize, socialize, and relax uninterrupted.  Everyone brings favorite games (and beverages) to share, and then it's open house at the hotel Thursday through Sunday!  Set up your own lodging plans if you want to stay overnight, and everyone is mostly responsible for their own food and drink.

SAVE THE DATE
The weekend for Ludophilia 8 will be Thursday, April 26th through Sunday, April 29th, 2018.  Please notice that we've moved back a few weeks to late April this year to avoid holidays and end-of-school-year activities, and mark your calendars NOW!  I'll be sending out a few reminders and additional information as the time draws nearer.

We typically play from 8:00am until midnight-ish Thursday through Saturday, but we'll most likely be packing up around lunch time on Sunday.

WHERE?

We're at the same place as last year, the Country Inn and Suites, 600 Tracy Trail, Crystal Lake, IL  60014.  Phone: 815-477-3500.  We're in their largest conference room, the Lincoln Room, which has proven to be a nice size for most of the time.  It's true that we sometimes get a little crowded, but we do have some overflow space into their breakfast area if absolutely necessary.

We've been on the brink of actually needing a larger venue for the last couple years, but not enough so to warrant paying for a whole second room.  However, I will say that if enough people pre-register to make it worth considering, I will definitely look into getting the room across the hall for Friday and/or Saturday night.  For this to be worth it, I would need a significant number of you to pre-commit to being there on certain days, so please don't hesitate to pre-register (see details below) if you're hoping for that!

If you will be staying at the hotel as I will, you can call 815-477-3500 or 800-830-5222 for reservations, or look online at https://www.countryinns.com/crystal-lake-hotel-il-60014/ilcryst.  Be sure to ask for the room block for "Ludophliia" for a special rate of $98+tax.

ADMISSION COST
Once again, I'll be keeping the admission cost for everyone the same as it's been: $10 per person per day (THURSDAY through SATURDAY). No charge for Sunday, since it's really mostly a packing-up and saying-goodbye day.  This is strictly to cover our costs. If we collect the same amount as we have the last 2 years, we should be able to cover the cost of the room within our buffer, and possibly even be able to afford some pizza one night.

You can start registering now by sending me $30 via Paypal to tempus42@yahoo.com.  Be sure to use the Family & Friends option to avoid fees, and be sure to include a note with your name and the days you plan on attending.

Or you can send check or cash to me at :
Brad Johnson
1517 Driftwood Lane
Crystal Lake, IL 60014

I can also accept cash and check during the con, but booking early is the best way to make sure we keep this thing running.

STAY TUNED

More details will follow!  Please keep watching your email and here.  I'll get the library list up soon -- based on recent years, I'm kind of expecting to start bringing fewer games myself to make more room for all the awesome games so many of you bring to share!

I sincerely hope that you all can make it to Ludophilia 8, April 26-29.  Whether you can come for one day or the whole weekend, I think you'll find it to be a good time.  It's been really excellent for the last 7 years with so many fun people coming from all over the country (and Canada!) for some focused boardgaming!  If you have any questions or you'd just like to let me know your plans, please don't hesitate to email!  Also, if you have a friend whom you'd like me to add to the invitation and notification email list, please send me their contact information!


Hope to see you all soon!

Brad.