Gamers Alliance REPORT 

Winter 2005 Vol. 2 No. 13

EDITORIAL

The Thirteen Club

   There seems to be a club for every interest. Stamps, coins, politics, you name it; the list goes on forever. Why should games be any different? If you're reading this, you're in the club, for you share an interest in games with the rest of us. And, if you're reading this, you're also in another club: The Thirteen Club.

   Thirteen and superstitions connected to it have had a long and checkered history with both bad and good connotations. The first negative instance of it probably arose from the Last Supper when Christ and his 12 disciples dined together. The following day, Christ was crucified. This led to the belief that if 13 people sat down at a table, one would die within a year. On the positive side, 13 was considered a good and LUCKY number in the United States during the 1700s because of the original 13 colonies!

   In the 1880s, Captain William Fowler started The Thirteen Club, a social club consisting of rationalists who devoted themselves to eradicating the belief in the unlucky 13. Not as many people as he hoped shared Fowler's conviction. It took him over a year to find 13 people to join the club! But find them he did. The first dinner of the group took place at 8:13 PM on Friday, January 13, 1880 in Room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage.

   Many famous people are known to have feared the number 13. Such examples include showman P.T. Barnum, author Victor Hugo and the infamous Adolph Hitler. On the other hand, other notables, such as the literary giants Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe and US president Woodrow Wilson, felt 13 to be a positive influence. Which brings us to the question you might be thinking: Why am I in The Thirteen Club? The answer is simple. Since we have gone online, this is the 13th issue of GAMERS ALLIANCE REPORT!

   Although we've been around for quite awhile (this is our 19th consecutive year of publication!), it's been a little over three years since we made our leap of faith into cyberspace and our faith has been rewarded. We've been even more successful in reaching more gamers of all levels and ages now that we can span the far reaches of the world so effortlessly. To celebrate the occasion, we're serving up a lucky 13 feast: a baker's dozen of reviews and features to whet your appetite for new gaming experiences as we kick off the new year.

   In this issue, we span the ages of history, search for lost artifacts, drink beer, prospect for gold, keep our heads in the clouds and shout! Frank Branham does some travelling and Mark Delano exerts a little influence! We bring back one of our popular features: Game Classics! Plus, topping off the issue, something a little special: game designer and frequent GA contributor Al Newman offers insights into (and a little preview of) his Winds of Plunder game, currently listed on GMT's P500 list. And, of course, much more!

   Until next time, Good Gaming!

   Herb Levy, President