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Great News! AGPI announces free public access to over 130 AGPI publications

The AGPI has released its 30+ years of publications to the public on their website.  This includes the Quarterly, On the Table newsletter, Game and Puzzle Collectors Quarterly, Game Researchers' Notes, and Game Times.  Over 130 publication are now available in Flip Book format.  The AGPI publications are devoted to the collection and preservation of games, jigsaw puzzles, and mechanical puzzles, and to the research on the people and companies that invented, designed, manufactured, and/or distributed them.

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The 10 most recent issues of the AGPI Quarterly magazine are only available to AGPI members.  Become an AGPI member today and get access to the entire archive.

Click here to view the publicly available AGPI publications.

2019 AGPI Convention Wrapup

The 2019 AGPI convention held in Denver, CO is history.  Here's a recap of some of the events held during the convention.m 20190515 102011

Some attendees arrived a few days early to visit some nearby attractions in Colorado.  This included trips to the Contential Divide, Georgetown Loop railroad, and mountain wildlife.

m leorocksThe convention started on Thursday with a bus trip to the Red Rocks Park, Buffalo Bill Cody's Grave & Museum, Coors Brewery, and the Colorado Railroad Museum.

Friday tour included visits to Liberty Puzzles, The Talking Board Museum of Robert Murch, and Kagen Sound's puzzle box workshop.

 

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On Saturday morning, we enjoyed a presentation by the design team of Joyful Nook puzzles from Durango, Colorado. Denver game designer, Mike Fitzgerald, spoke about his experiences designing card and table games.

Saturday evening, we watched a team of puzzlers (John Cabot, Penny Melling, Joe Seymour) lose to a team of gamers (Rick Tucker, Helen Andrews, Steve Stanchina) in the "Game of Phones". The puzzlers led most of the game. However, the final Double value puzzle was solved by Helen Andrews. The final score was Gamers 37 Puzzlers 36.

The highlight of Saturday evening was the presentation of the Outstanding Achievement Award to John Ellerbe. This event started with a slide show of John from the last 20 years. The surprise of the evening was when John started "dancing" near the end of the slide show! Next, Debby Krim sent a video message to AGPI members and John. A Skype call to Bruce Whitehill provided some laughs. This was followed with an 19 minute video interview with John at his game musuem in South Carolina.

Sunday morning the convention had a roundtable discussion about Kickstarter and the games industry. Jacqueline Hess discuss her failed Kickstarter project and the lessons learned from the project. Keith Meyers, a game designer and owner of the Board Game Republic cafe, talked about his experiences in the game industry. Phil Orbanes gave a update on the current status of the game industry.

Thanks to all for making this a successfull convention. See you next year in the Washington D.C. area for the next AGPI convention.

This video is the powerpoint presentation of Joyful Nook Gallery.  Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 10 minutes

This video is the "Game of Phones" that was played on Saturday night at the convention. Play along an see if you can beat the total score of 73.  Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 17 minutes

This video is slide show of John Ellerbe convention attendance during the last 20 years.  Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 10 minutes

This video is a message from Debby Krim to John Ellerbe and the AGPI members at the convention.  Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 2 minutes

This video is a Skype phone call to Bruce Whitehill in Germany. Bruce congratulates John on his perfect record of convention attendance for the last 35 years.  Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 4 minutes

This video is an interview with John Ellerbe at his game museum in South Carolina in January 2019.  Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 19 minutes

A complete onlilne photo shoot of the convention will be available soon from Rick Tucker.

Hi all,

The AGPI convention is one week away! This posting and the links contain important information regarding the upcoming convention.

If you are flying into Denver, retrieve you luggage at the luggage claim; and proceed south to the "transit center" in the terminal (right by the new Westin Denver International Airport Hotel). At the transit center, take the escalator down to the light rail station. In the station, purchase a paper ticket "single day pass" for $10.50. If you are 65 or older, purchase the discounted "single day pass" for $5.25. An open train will be available for boarding at all times. During the day, trains run every 15 minutes. After 6:30pm, trains run every 30 minutes. Take the train to the "Park Central" station (4th stop). The ride takes about 25 minutes. The "Park Central" station is about 1 mile from the hotel. A free Doubletree bus run between Park Central and the hotel every 15 minutes. If you are in a hurry, Lyft or UBER will cost about $5 for a ride from Park Central to the hotel.

The Bus tour on Thursday leaves at 9:00am. Be sure to get up early for the free breakfast included in your room rate. The Thursday bus tour will stop for lunch at Ali BaBa Grill in Golden Colorado. We have a room reserved at the Grill. The link below contains the lunch menu and drink menu for Ali BaBa Grill. Please review this menu, and let me know via email which entrees and drink you want at Ali BaBa. Credit cards and cash are accepted at Ali BaBa. Please send me an email regarding your entrees and drink selection via email no later than Wednesday, May 15.

Click here for Ali BaBa Lunch menu

The vans depart for the Board Game Republic at 6:30pm on Thursday evening. Attached is the menu for the Board Game Republic. The Board Game Republic has 750+ board games available for play. Those going to the Board Game Republic will have the opportunity to purchase a meal while playing games or solving puzzles.

For your convenience, I have attached both lunch and dinner menus for the Doubletree. In addition, I have attached the "Burger and Crafts" menu from our "overflow" hotel “Holiday Inn Denver East-Stapleton”. The Doubletree hotel is completely booked for the convention weekend. The Holiday Inn is 1 block north of the Doubletree hotel. There are a number of additional restaurants within walking distance on 29th Ave.

Click here for DoubleTree Lunch menu

Click here for DoubleTree Dinner menu

Click here for Board Game Republic menu

Click here for Burger and Crafts menu (Holiday Inn)

You can view the convention program at the following URL:

http://www.gamesandpuzzles.org/programs

The weather forecast during the convention weekend calls for daytime temperatures in the 70’s. However, in the evening the temperature drops into the 30’s or 40’s. Thus, bring warm clothes for the evenings. Denver is a mile high with semi-arid climate. Thus, it is important to drink plenty of water during your stay to avoid dehydration.

If you have any questions regarding the menus or other information included in this message, please email me direct at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . DO NOT REPLY TO THIS GROUP MESSAGE.

See you next week.

Bob

2022 AGPI Convention Wrapup

AGPI CONVENTION IS BACK!!!

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA

MAY 13-15, 2022

The excitement and anticipation of getting together in person with everyone was in the air!!  When we arrived at the Holiday Inn in Fredericksburg, Wednesday evening, the 11th, we were searching around for familiar faces…masked and unmasked!!  Ahh, before us was Dick and Ellie Moody, then Dave and Patsy Beffa-Negini, Dave Thomen and Rick Tucker   We’re BACK!!!!

m IMG 1804We grabbed a bite to eat and off to The Escape Room for us “early birds”.  It was soo much fun.   We laughed our way through the room and made it by about 30 seconds!! 

Thursday morning, after breakfast, those of us who signed up for the Tour of Colonial Fredericksburg and the Civil War Battlefields piled into the bus.  Our Tour Guide was so knowledgeable about the city, it’s expansion and determination to keep historic sections intact.  He was also a civil war historian, who took us to sites of major battles of the Civil War.  We visited Chatham Manor, the site from which the first surprise attack by water was waged by the Confederate army at the unsuspecting Union Army at night on a barge that was built across to Chatham Manor.m battle1

  We also visited the site of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. 

Confederate soldiers were strategically placed behind a stone wall along the Sunken Road. The battle resulted in significant casualties for the Union Army. The entire Battles of Fredericksburg (there were two battles fought) resulted in 12,653 Union casualties and 4,201 Confederate casualties.    We walked the wall.  I must say it was eerie and I felt the ghosts of soldiers lost.  I am now determined to learn more about The Civil War.

Then onto a winery and pub.  We were hungry!  We took the opportunity to choose flites of wine for tasting.  Back to the hotel for a little rest and relaxation before going to a FredNats Ballgame.  Brave fans we were sitting through torrential rain.  After taking pictures with “Fred”

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Friday was breakfast and guest speakers compliments of two U.S. government agencies.  The speakers were so interesting.  I know most of us came away educated in the “ins and outs” of patents and trademarks and the terms as used to categorize games and toys. 

The US Patent and Trademark Office sent Julie Brocketti, the Quality Assurance Specialist in Technology of the US Patent & Trademark office as guest speaker.  She imparted the ways that patent and trademarks are applied to technological games and puzzles as well as her love of board games.    David Duffy is an examiner of electronic games and amusement arts.  He spoke to us about the process of examination and comparison of patents via Zoom.m 52120668752 430c6e5447 w 

Our next guest speaker was Paul Wood, a retired U.S. Naval officer; who became an entrepreneur after falling in love with escape rooms.  He and his wife have Rush Hour Live Escape Room in Fredericksburg.  He explained the business models and the planning that goes into building an escape room: its pros and cons.

Our final speaker was Dr. Claire Jerry, the Lead Curator with the Political History Division of the National Museum of American History.  She spoke of fascinating political history.  She talked about some of the political games in the museum’s collection. 

Afternoon activities included Table Sales, Theater (MOVIE) presentation for those who wanted to fall asleep for awhile .  The Camelot Tournament Elimination Round was in full “combat” mode.  Camelot is the famous Parker Brothers game invented by George Parker. 

m 52121955334 2f40ea3e84 wFriday evening’s “Featured Speaker” was Bill Ritchie, the co-founder, with his wife Andrea, and president of Binary Arts, now ThinkFun game company, which was purchased by Ravensburger company in 2017. Bill spoke of his passion for puzzles and his belief that games and puzzles strengthen children’s thinking skills preparing them for the future challenges of technology and life’s puzzle.  It was his and Andrea’s, reason for creating the original Binary Arts.   

After Saturday Buffet breakfast our scheduled was full of presentations from our AGPI members: Bob Finn spoke on cataloguing game collections using BGG; Joe Seymour on 25 Decades of wooden jigsaw puzzles; and Dave Thomen on “Camelot the Game”.  All of three of our speakers were so informative and garnered the interest of members. 

We broke for lunch.  Some of us were lucky to go into downtown historic Fredericksburg for walks in and out of small antique stores and a local luncheonette.   Upon returning there were “Table Sales” of games and puzzles lasting about 3 hours with great deals.  All of this happening while the Camelot players were “jousting” to see who would win the Tournament.   Off to prepare for our Award Dinner, Group Photo and Reception. m 52120584067 aceaeeb4df c  

The AGPI Award Recipient was Wayne Kirkpatrick, who is an artist, song writer and musician whose hobby, repurposing damaged boards of games and creating clocks out of vintage board games, creating nostalgic pieces of art.  This creative spirit led to his passion for the history of board games and thus to immersing himself in research and producing a documentary of the dawning of the game industry in America.     

m 52121691678 f88daa1468 cLong day!!  Time to get a good night’s rest…. well maybe after an hour or so of puzzles and games together in the “GAME ROOM”.  AGPI members are never too tired to play!!

Sunday, a breakfast Buffet was had by all.  Goodbyes to those traveling on.  The rest of the morning was about AGPI Board announcements and a presentation informing all members of the upcoming 2023 Convention to be held April 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida, hosted by Bob Finn and Suzanne Pearlman.  All members are excited and truly looking forward to being together again in 2023!!

Suzanne Pearlman - select photos by Rick Tucker

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all,

Happy New Year to everyone!  The 2019 AGPI Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado from Thursday, May 16th to Sunday, May 19th.  This email contains details of this year's convention.  Please click on the links to view details about speakers and events.

At the end of this email are travel suggestions regarding your visit to Colorado.  The good news is the low cost round trip airfares to Denver.  The cheapest airfares are on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I suggest you plan your vacation to include

some additional days in Colorado to take advantage of the inexpensive airfares.  You will want to avoid flying on the Memorial Day Weekend (May 24 to May 27) due to the steep increase in airfares during this time.

Click here to register for the 2019 AGPI convention via check - Members

Click here to register for 2019 AGPI convention with Credit Card via 2checkout.com

2019 AGPI Convention (Thursday, May 16th – Sunday, May 19th)

The 2019 AGPI annual convention will be held May 16-19, in Denver, Colorado.  The Convention Planning Host Team is putting together an extensive program that should have something of interest for everyone.  The theme for this year’s convention is “Design”; learn about the designing of games, the designing of jigsaw puzzles, and the designing of mechanical puzzles.  The main attraction is a special visit to the Liberty Puzzle Company.  Established in 2005, fellow AGPI member Chris Wirth is using modern technologies to help recreate the golden age of wooden jigsaw puzzles.  He will also be our guest dinner speaker on Friday evening.

Pre-Convention (Thursday, May 16th)

The pre-convention begins on Thursday, May 16th, with an exciting group bus tour of many sites around Denver.  It will include: the natural wonders of Red Rocks and its spacious outdoor amphitheater; a tour of the brewery and home of Coors Beer; and chance to learn about the history of the old west, with visits to the Buffalo Bill Museum and grave, and the Colorado Railroad Museum where you will see the rolling stock unique to Colorado history.   Thursday evening has an optional dinner at the “Board Game Republic”.  The “Board Game Republic” café has 750+ games or puzzles that can be played while enjoying a delicious meal. [Addition cost for Board Game Republic meal]

AGPI Convention (Friday, May 17th tile Sunday, May 19th)

On Friday, May 17th, the group will visit and tour three locations; Liberty Puzzles for a VIP tour of where they laser cut the wooden jigsaw puzzles; Robert Murch's Ouija Board Collection - “It’s Just a game, isn’t it?”; and Kagen Sound’s workshop where the 2009 Sam Loyd recipient creates and displays his complex secret opening boxes and puzzle furniture.

The program over the weekend is filled with a number of interesting presenters, including current game designer Mike Fitzgerald, Ouija Board historian Robert Murch, JNG Puzzle co-owner, Joy Hess, and the designer of more than 3 dozen games, Keith Meyers.  On Saturday evening, the Association will recognize AGPI charter member and avid game enthusiast, John Ellerbe.  There will also be opportunity for puzzling, game playing, raffles, table sales, tutorials, and an auction.  There will be a 1,000+ square feet dedicated room for game playing and puzzle solving throughout the convention.

Sunday, following the breakfast, will include a panel discussion on Games and Puzzles and the annual raffle. The event will end in time for folks to check out of the hotel by noon.  Sunday afternoon has an optional activity of visiting a nearby “Escape Room” for additional puzzle solving. [ Additional cost for Escape Room]

Hotel

The convention will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Denver located at 3203 Quebec St.  We have reserved a block of rooms through April 15th.  Attendees are encouraged to make their reservations early to ensure you get a room at the block rate of $134 + tax per night; this rate includes breakfast for every night you stay.  Make reservation directly by going to: https://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/R/RLDV-DT-PUZ-20190515/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG.  Or you can call: 303.321.3333. The Group code is: “PUZ”. 

Ground Transportation

Light rail service from Denver International Airport to the Doubletree by Hilton Denver is $10.50.  Seniors 65+ fare is $5.25.  Take the light rail from DIA to the Central Park Station.  Free shuttle buses run every 15 minutes between the Doubletree and Central Park Station.

Click here to register for the 2019 AGPI convention via check - Members

Click here to register for 2019 AGPI convention with Credit Card via 2checkout.com

2Checkout.com Inc. (Ohio, USA) is a payment facilitator for goods and services provided by the AGPI.

Sample Airfares to Denver

These ROUNDTRIP airfares were available as of Jan 1, 2019:

Philadelphia - Denver - $119 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 Frontier
Ft Lauderdale - Denver - $135 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 Frontier
Harrisburg, PA - Denver - $172 Wednesday May 15 - May 21 Frontier
Washington (DCA) - Denver - $177 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 Frontier
New York (LGA or JFK) - Denver $186 - Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 American/United
Charleston - Denver - $194 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 Frontier
Boston - Denver - $214 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 United
Boston - Denver - $228 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 Southwest - 2 check luggage & 1 carry-on
Rochester, NY - Denver - $237 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 United
Hartford, CT - Denver - $239 Wednesday May 15 - Tuesday May 21 Frontier/Spirit

Low cost carriers to Denver include Frontier, Spirit, Southwest, jetBlue
Major carriers to Denver include United, American, Delta
All carriers charge for luggage except Southwest. Southwest includes 2 checked bags and 1 carry-on bag at no cost

Suggestion of things to see while in Colorado

Below are 5 day trips within 2.5 hours of Denver:

1) Day tour of the front range of the Rockies near Denver includes the Georgetown Loop to Silver Plume Narrow Gauge Railroad with optional gold mine tour, Loveland Pass 12,000 feet on the Continental Divide, Central City/Blackhawk mining town casinos, Clear Creek canyon

2) Day tour south of Denver includes Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods park, Cave of the Winds, Air Force Academy, city of Manitu Springs

3) Day tour southwest of Denver features Royal Gorge suspension bridge and park, gondola ride over the Gorge, Zip line ride over the Gorge, railroad ride through the Gorge, white water rafting through the Gorge

4) Day tour north of Denver includes Big Thompson Canyon, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park

5) Day tour in Denver includes the Denver Mint, 16th Street Mall, Unsinkable Molly Brown house, Brown Palace Hotel, Denver Aquarium, Stranahan's Colorado Whisky tour

If you have several days available during your visit to Colorado, a trip to the San Juan mountains in southwest Colorado is highly recommended. Sights to see during your trip to southwest Colorado include the Great Sand Dunes National park, the towns of Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, and Durango. Attractions include Native American Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde national park and the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Bob