®2009 World Championship Yearbook
®Sixty-five mobsters played thirty-six games before the gun fire died down, the dripping stopped, and wounds began to heal. John "Bugs" Elliott emerged as Godfather in Rolinda "Ma" Collinson's new underworld order. The ambitions, quotes, comments, prizes, and stories that made up the fierce contest for control of Chicago's crime empire are here at last. Contemplate them well before embarking on this year's mayhem and water-filled competition!
As usual, I've filled this page with as many Gangsters-related comics as I could
find. If you enjoy them, please encourage your local newspaper to carry
these fine comics. Let me know if there are aspects our tournament you'd
like to see covered in greater detail in the future! Enjoy the newsletter.
Table of Contents
The theme for the 2010 Gangsters tournament will be "Licensed to Squirt."
We're going to take the fun of squirt guns to the next level and probably the
next one after that too. Check out all the details at
http://www.gameaholics.com/gangsters_tournament.htm! You can follow
the links from there to more Gangsters info than you can shake a heater at.
Rolinda “Ma” Collinson arrived in her fiery red 1929 Cadillac sedan, sporting a stylish fedora. She had a done deal with the mayor of Chicago. In return for peace on the streets of the city and a sizeable (but unspecified) donation, her syndicate would be “protected.” Barney Fife would put his bullet away. T.J. Hooker would hang up his gun and drive at safe speeds. “Ma” promised a kinder, gentler Gangsters and an era of peace – one where a 1,000 points of lights did not refer to the light visible through the ventilated corpse of the last mobster to cross one’s path.
Instead, “Ma” and her ladies, Ashley the “Angel” and Angela the “Red Rose,” would establish a new underworld order. Quiet whispers in dark corners and deals spoken in secret places would bring the other gangs in line until all would unite peacefully under Ma’s velvet glove.
The first heat began peacefully enough. Nary a gunshot was heard from the cops nor the mob families. The ladies had their way as sweet-talking and romance, along with shrewd real estate deals, brought mob earnings to their peak. The first heat was coming to a close. The new order would prevail! Phil the “Steak” White reported, “I was vamped away.”
Then Ashley, who history now remembers as “Nobody’s Angel,” boldly declared, “Purple, a bad strategy?!! I beg to differ.” The Tribune's headline ran. The mockery of the other crime families was clear. This wasn’t going to be an arrangement where all could share the power and the dough equally. It was “my way or the highway.” The gloves were off. The cement overshoes had been thrown down. The buried heaters were found and reloaded. The hit was ordered. The Chicago typewriters rang out, “Rat-a-tat-tat-tat.” Blood flowed in the streets. Purple blood.
Barney Fife was back on duty. The bullet was back in the pocket. “Crime will
not be tolerated,” the mayor declared (without more “donations,” that is).
Dunkin’ Donut’s stock soared 8 points on the news.
Three rivals established monopolies and prepared to fight for their dominions. More real estate barons set themselves up than in any previous heat. Ma’s “Angel” held the purple joints. Phillip Entwistle, “Iron” to those who’ve dared to cross him, held the blue gin joints. On the wrong side of the tracks, Ben “the Roach” Gardner established his own purple monopoly while Tom the “Teflon Don” McCorry and Jeff “the Head” Hacker battled unsuccessfully for the blue joints.
Three heats later the stage was set for a (semi-)final showdown. Would peace and feminine style once more prevail? Would Ma’s vision be realized? A mere ninety, frantic minutes later, the hail of bullets ended. The air was still. The pungent smell of gunpowder began to fade. All “Angel” could say was, “Isn’t this supposed to be a three-hour game?” Our new Godfather, Bugs (aka John Elliott for reporters not afraid to print his real name) replied, “Dis ain’t no game, Scha-weetheart.”
Notes: Except for the very last quote, all quotations in this story were made during the tournament. The story is funnier if one knows that Ashley Collinson's nickname is "Angel," but her email address is "nobodysangel." Ma's favorite wheels are red despite reports of a black Cadillac on the WBC website.
The average total number of hits in games dropped to 7.03 this year -- lower than any other year except 1999. The median total number of hits per game dropped to the lowest of any year other than 2000. The average total losses of all kinds dropped to 11 per game (tying the records set in 2001). Maybe it really was a kinder, gentler Gangsters?
Records
# High was set last year
* Previous low was set last year
Firsts
Notes: 1) No one has ever won a tournament game starting with fewer than four Racketeers or without a Vamp or a Thug (i.e., 4/1/1 is the smallest starting gang that has any chance). 2) The only starting gangs that recorded a victory this year were once again 4/1/2, 5/1/1, 5/1/2, 5/1/3, and 6/1/2. 3) It's easier for an unpopular joint to score a new high and a popular joint to score a new low.
One thing clear to me is that we need to bring our friends and family to Gangsters in order to keep the competition fresh and vibrant. Those who learn Gangsters tend to love it -- as all those experienced players demonstrate. The new low-winning-percentage for the always-popular 5/1/2 starting gang is very interesting -- it's tough to set a record with an opening used by so many. Perhaps the better players are now strictly coordinating their starting gangs with their strategy (e.g., starting small to save cash if 10 G's is the goal or starting big if joints is the goal)?
Get complete statistics at http://www.gameaholics.com/gsr_wbc/gsr_statistics.htm
Here are the top twenty-five finishers for 2009:
|
|
*Those tied for 21-24 are the heat winners, alphabetically, who didn't come to the semi-finals. If they'd come, all of them would have been able to play in the semi-final since Gangsters counts each heat entry as an independent, single-elimination opportunity. Not only that but that would also have opened space up for some of the top alternates (such as #25).
Current AREA ratings include all 2009 results and are available at: http://wolff.to/area/T_Gangsters.html. As with all rating systems, recent results tend to have a greater impact on the rating (as does the total number of games played -- which is the main reason Bob Hamel and I are so highly rated).
Cement Overshoes Sportsmanship Award – No one was nominated for this award this year. Fortunately, I know one spectacular example of good sportsmanship and can award the Cement Overshoes even though I was absent. Rolinda "Ma" Collinson is our winner. Ma stepped up to cheerfully and enthusiastically run the Gangsters tournament when I couldn't make it. She worked closely with me to ensure continuity. Everything you see in this newsletter was the result of her careful planning and execution -- and getting me the information afterward. I keep a lot of stats, so this is a daunting task that Ma fulfilled very well. Thank you, Ma. Be sure to give her your thanks when you see her this year too! And be sure to note acts of good sportsmanship on your player chit so that we can honor an great player this year.
Junior Godfather Award - We had several superb new players this year.
In fact, two of them made the semi-finals. The wrong one walked off with
the prize, however. Verity "Buttercup" Hitchings, in sixteenth place, made
off like a bandit after initial calculations indicated she was the highest
novice. However, finishing ninth over-all, Roderick "The Surprise" Lee
is our real Junior Godfather of 2009. "The Surprise" played three games
all-together and did well in his semi-final match. As with all Gangsters
mix-ups, we invite "Buttercup" and "The Surprise" to settle this on the streets
this year once and for all. In keeping with a tradition established in
Victory in the Pacific, awards that are presented incorrectly are not re-claimed
-- instead, I will present a duplicate to Roderick "The Surprise" Lee this year.
Let's see if he can pull off another "Surprise" this year and make the final!
"I Think She Likes Me!" Award – As you'll read in the quotes section, the Vamps were still out in force in 2009. Many gangs suffered greatly. No doubt is has something to do with our society's fascination with vampires and glitter. Mary Ellen "Da Kitten" Powers took the worst of it, however. In the first heat, Vamps drained her gang seven times. It's a wonder she had any gang left at all. Da Kitten came back again in the fourth heat and kept a lower profile against the ladies that time.
Roadkill Award – Tom "The Mumbler" Richardson pulled the opposite of Roadkill -- winning one of his six games without a single scratch. No vamps, no hits, and no water dripping from his chin. I mean, what's the point? However, he made up for it by losing eight gangsters to Cops and Shootouts in the first heat. That was enough to get him awarded the Roadkill award.
However, as it turns out, The Mumbler wasn't the worst road pizza around. In the fourth heat, Sarah Sparks (aka Vodka 'n Cheese) took nine casualties. Ruth Evinger (aka Miss Kitty) also took nine casualties as she went down in flames in the final. Alas, Miss Vodka 'n Cheese took only a single hit in her other game while Miss Kitty played four other games and, can you believe it, racked up only two hits in all four put together. But it's enough to award her the Roadkill Award for 2009. I will bring an extra with me this year to award to Miss Kitty.
Barney Fife Memorial Award – Andy "Scarface" Gardner was the first to
roll up two hits with Barney Fife (Cop #2) this year. Bareny has a 1 in 9
chance of pulling this off each time he attacks an enemy gangster with a
strength of at least two. This coming year players will also be able to
win if they roll a complete whiff (no hits) with Robocop on ten dice. The
odds of that are much lower, I'm afraid -- just a 1.7% chance. Good luck
with that!
Honorable Mention – There were lots of good candidates for honorable mention as many unusual occurrences were recorded by our street warriors. I know about these only because many of you wrote comments on your cards and pointed them out, of course -- please continue to do so!
Andy "The Duke" Joy was the first tournament player to use a 4/1/5 starting gang. I'm not sure what he had in mind, but it didn't work out. Nonetheless, it shows he was going into it with a definite pre-disposition to enter into lots of shootouts!
Ruth "Miss Kitty" Evinger won her semi-final with $10,500. OK, nothing too unusual about that. But she also had NINE joints at the time!
Andy "Scarface" Gardner won his game with $11,500. That's a little unusual. But he had to do it on tie-breakers after time ran out -- because the other gangs blew away his Thug and Vamp.
Geoffrey "Cartridge" Entwistle was the obvious winner of his first heat game. However, his $12,400 came up short against the other players with $10,100 and $9,700 plus 9 joints (Verity "Buttercup" Hitchings and Matt "The Boot" Evinger respectively) who'd eliminated his Thug. Afterward, Cartridge wrote, "Mental Note: must have ALL gang members before saying, 'I win...'"
Joel "The Chair" Tamburo, Paul "Da Spider" Bolduc, "Devious" Derik Galullo, and Angela "Red Rose" Collinson were the most egalitarian players of the tournament. Each took exactly one hit during the course of their second heat game. What could be more fair? My only question is what tournament were they playing in? Diplomacy? This is Gangsters, youse guys -- they only equality we want is for the opposing mobs to be equally crushed and otherwise soaked.
Half of all of the players who won with 10 joints did so during the fourth heat. Nick "Dusk" Henning, Kaarin "The Enforcer" Engelmann, and Ruth "Miss Kitty" Evinger pulled off this triple ten.
However, despite these odd occurrences, the most unusual was that three of our four monopoly winners during the tournament pulled it off during the first heat. Phillip "Iron" Entwistle scored a Blue monopoly while Ben "The Roach" Gardner and Ashley "Angel" Collinson pulled off Purple monopolies. Andy "Scarface" Gardner was the only other player to succeed during the tournament (with a Blue monopoly in the fourth heat). Interestingly, both Tom "Teflon Don" McCorry and Jeff "The Head" Hacker managed to come close to Blue monopolies (with 5 of 6 when their games ended) -- in the first heat, naturally. No one else even got that close. It used to be that Red monopolies were the only ones recorded -- now we don't see any of those, but the harder Blue and Purple still show up every year. For this feat, all six win this year's honorable mention.
The Blue One-Jump strategy joints surge to the top, narrowly displacing the two green one-jump joints. SMC Cartage Co., after a one-year visit, drops from the Top Ten joints again -- as part of the green retreat. The Downtown Bus Station remains #1 in the all-time standings, but is no longer the single go-to building at the start of the game. The share of winners owning the Bus Station at the start of the game dropped again to 25%.
Here are the joints ranked in this year's top ten:
|
Rank |
Winner's Joints |
2009 |
1998-2009 Total |
2008 Rank |
Overall Rank |
Trend |
|
1 |
Ambassadors' Club |
36.11% | 26.48% | 1 | 3 | UP |
|
2 |
Brzkowski's Imports |
30.56% |
22.88% | 8 | 4 | Way UP |
|
3 |
Brizelli's Riverside |
27.78% |
28.28% | 2 | 2 | Slightly DOWN |
|
4 |
Downtown Bus Station |
25.00% |
29.31% | 4 | 1 | DOWN |
| Palace Chophouse | 25.00% | 16.20% | 16 | 7 | Way Way UP | |
|
6 |
Franklin Hostel |
16.67% |
17.22% | 6 | 6 | Holding |
|
|
Jaeger's Clothier |
16.67% | 10.54% | 4 | 9 | Slightly UP |
|
|
Brandon's Bikeshop | 16.67% | 6.17% | 19 | 14 | Way Way Way UP |
|
9 |
Taylor's Machine Shop |
11.11% | 9.00% | 11 | 11 | Slightly UP |
|
|
Martha's Commissary | 11.11% | 4.37% | 19 | 21 | Way Way Way UP |
Last year the Palace Chophouse dropped from the Top 10. This year it's Greenwood Park's turn. This is the first time Greenwood Park hasn't been in the Top 10 -- having been as high as #2 back in 1999. We'll see if Don Greenwood's namesake returns as the Palace Chophouse did with a vengeance this year where it's back up above its historical average.
On the opposite end is Franklin Hostel, which has been rock solid in the fifth, sixth, or seventh places for years. This year and last the Hostel is at its historical position -- sixth. A solid one-jump joint, this is always a favorite cheap add-on for joint, yellow, or sneak-up-the-cash strategies. Taylor's Machine Shop, just off Subway #5, holds her own too -- while SMC Cartage Co. bounces in and out of the Top 10 depending on the fortunes of the Green One-Jump strategy.
Myrtle's Massage Parlor was on the verge of the Top 10 last year -- but
dropped all the way to zero this year. Two two big winners last year see
different fates this time around -- Cavalry Club drops back to its usual
standings (near 20th) while Jaeger's Clothier remains and improves its over-all
rank to 9th. Jaeger's has been a consistent member of the Top 10 since
2006 -- but appeared in it before that only once.
Martha's Commissary and Brandon's Bikeshop zoom into the Top 10. For the former, this is a first while Brandon's has flirted with the lower ranges of the Top 10 off-and-on. Will Blue Monopolists keep the Bikeshop in this top this year?
"Poor Vamp got hit on the second turn. Booby Tweaks got three girls on his Rack at once." -- Little Red
"It's the army!" -- Muscles (after Cop #10 and then Cop #9 emerged on successive turns from the same subway)
"You know, I never said anything bad about you." -- The Blast
"Until now, that is." -- Cartridge
"There is *no* money in my vault!" -- Little Red
"My Vamp's new nickname is 'Murphy' after Murphy's Law." -- The Blast
"Well fought but Brzkowski's Imports paid dividends in the long run." -- Big Tuna
"Wow!" -- Da Kitten
"Little Red's Racks were so tired from cavorting with Vamps that he only had
one move." -- No Cigar
"It was too heavy with both girls on me like that. They wouldn't leave me
be!" -- Little Red
"I can only move three times now?" -- Miss Kitty (attracting glares after beefing up her Racketeer with her Vamp four times)
"Great group. Very cheery. Very nice game." -- Black Jack
"Barney KO'd my Vamp and raided Little Red's Brizelli's Imports. I got hit four times; I hit six poor victims. Nice shootin', Tex!" -- Big Tuna
"The Head pulls Cop on 3-jump to kill his own Thug two turns in a row. He was given a mulligan only to be killed by Ma's Cop draw on the next move." -- Teech
"Dangerous Doug rolls EIGHT sixes..." -- Teech
"Another great game. Few good Cop rolls and little Cop action. Not much Vamping either. Big Tuna was fun to play with. Miss Kitty was, as always, a great and fun opponent. Lots of shootouts. Nearly entire board was joints; everyone was going for joints. Went down to tie-breakers." -- Black Jack
"I moved Robocop in with No Cigar's working girl on the last turn. She
dodged nine shots but still got hit. That cost No Cigar the victory." --
Vodka 'n Cheese
"In the 10th joint, shot up one joint and took out Vamp. Next round, Scarface sends Cop #8 against extoring 1-Thug and misses all eight shots." -- Ma
"I forgot to buy two times in a row." -- Da Spider
"Dusk, Numbers, and I all coordinated moving Public into newbie Jonathan 'The Magnate' Jones' joints and then raiding with Cops as he got to 7-8 joints in order to stop him. The Magnate finishes with 7 G's." -- Ladykiller
"Very fast games ~1.5 hours" -- The Enforcer
"Street Lover's Quarrel -- Green 6-Rack landed on Green Vamp and Purple 3-Rack for a hit. No sixes were rolled..." -- Shades
"[Could have] collected $1,800 for St. Martin's to get $10 K, but only had one move, had moved another public for $800, and thought the Public 3x was just 1x." -- Ladykiller (losing to Scarface's monopoly while holding more than 10 G's)
"Dusk made it look easy, buying up joints every turn. We had a vampfest
throughout the game (16 total)." -- Teech
"Lots of blood and mayhem -- 14 hits and 16 vamps. What a mess!
Finally, Dusk purchased his 10th joint and resurrected his Thug for the win." --
Big Tuna
"Yellow rolled quintuple 1's!" -- Da Spider (but did he yell, "Yahtzee?")
Here, in finish order, are the five finalists, their starting positions, and their status at the end of the game:
John "Bugs" Elliott –
Start: 5/1/2; $100; Ambassadors' Club, Brandon's Bikeshop, Serva's Market
Finish: 4/1/2, 2 Hits, 4 Seductions; $11,000; 1 joint (1 of 6 Blue) –
Wins!
Andy "Scarface" Gardner –
Start: 5/1/2; $300; Downtown Bus Station, Taylor's Machine Shop, Franklin Hostel
Finish: 6/1/4, 2 Hits, 1 Seduction; $1,100; 8 joints (3 of 7 Green) – 2nd
Place
Tom "The Mumbler" Richardson, 2006 Godfather –
Start: 5/1/2; $200; Brizelli's Riverside, Frankie's House of Cards, Joe's Lanes
Finish: 7/1/1, 2 Hits, 0 Seductions; $3,600, 6 joints (3 of 5 Purple) –
3rd
Place
Ruth "Miss Kitty" Evinger –
Start: 6/1/2; $0; Shop 'n' Save, Belmar Theatre, Palace Chophouse
Finish: 4/1/0, 9 Hits, 2 Seductions; $2,400; 6 joints (3 of 9 Brown) –
4th
Place
Tony "Big Tuna" Musella –
Start: 5/1/1; $400; Brzkowski's Imports, Jaeger's Clothier, Sonny's Place
Finish: 2/1/1, 7 Hits, 2 Seductions; $4,200, 4 joints (1 of 4 Red) – 5th
Place
The Mumbler claims to have one or fewer games of experience. That's a
pretty bold claim in a final for a previous champion (a feat that requires a
minimum of 5 previous games). But I guess it's what one can get away with
that matters in Gangsters!
Ma wrote that the final was "very quiet" and "super serious," but I'll bet Big Tuna and Miss Kitty disagree -- being on the receiving end of 7 and 9 hits respectively. That kind of ventilation doesn't come quietly.
Thank you to "Miss Kitty" for writing up her impression of the game afterward! Otherwise, Bugs' victory might just be an underworld legend instead of established historical fact. Miss Kitty also recorded her first impression of being in the final, "OMG... I screwed up... How did I get here?" But then she iced and moved forward with determination and cool skill -- the mark of a true Gangster. Here's her report:
"Funniest shootout ever... My 7-Rack moved into Jaeger's Clothier, owned by Purple (aka Big Tuna). My 2-Thug moved into Derber Apartments to hit Big Tuna's 1-Thug. Both Thugs failed and seven Racks couldn't take the joint... On his move, Big Tuna move his 6-Rack into my Caravan Club. Something like five rolls later both joints were still standing... the Racks were dead... except the one Bugs vamped out from under me."
Sounds like it was the year of the invincible joint guard!
As a long-distance observer, I was struck by the fact that the two players who used the unusual gang makeup in this game did worst -- unlike the tournament as a whole. Once again, no one in a final can expect to own two one-jump joints of the same color -- everyone is two wary to allow it.
Three players went for joints -- which makes a joint win even tougher as all the easy real-estate gets bought up. That probably explains some of Miss Kitty's joint shootouts and the lone joint left in Bugs' possession at game-end.
Congratulations to John "Bugs" Elliott for prevailing against the invincible joint guard and becoming Godfather for 2009!
The good news is that I have several copies of Gangsters available for purchase! Interestingly, they're all in very good condition (new or unpunched) except one which is disastrous. They're available on a first-reserved or first-come, first-served basis until I run out. Copies reserved before the convention must be picked up and paid for by the Thursday heat of the WBC (or shipped pre-WBC):
|
Condition |
Price |
Available |
Notes |
|
New |
$65 |
1 | Pristine -- I imagine very few looked this good at the factory! |
|
New |
$60 |
2 | Just what you'd expect in shrinkwrap on the store shelf. |
|
Unpunched |
$50 | 1 | As if you'd removed the shrinkwrap earlier today! |
|
Unpunched |
$45 | 1 |
Inside it's new; outside there's packing tape and writing on the box plus minor shelf wear |
| Unpunched | $40 | 1 |
Scotch tape on outside with heavy wear/tape removal damage Inside the cards have been separated & squirt gun unwrapped |
|
Damaged |
$15 | 1 |
Useful for spare parts only; board is in OK shape; Box is worn/dinged badly; a dozen missing pieces; no squirt gun or rules |
I'll bring the last one only if there's interest (or just tell me what spare part you want and I'll bring that for $1). I'll bring anything someone wants plus a few more -- let me know if a particular copy interests you. Thank you!
This is still waiting. The map image is almost professional quality now -- just a few tweaks to go (to get rid of the crack and folds that occur on the physical boards). The good news is that VASSAL is Java-based, so everyone who can access the internet can use it. There are also stand-alone copies for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux machines. Even better, VASSAL and its game sets are free of charge! Bill Thompson is the designer. I have great confidence in the quality of his work. I expect we'll see a very professional looking module that we'll all wonder how we managed to get without paying a lotta G's!
You can get additional statistics, reports, articles, and information by following the links from the main tournament web page http://www.gameaholics.com/gangsters_tournament.htm! The whole website has been re-vamped so that it's mainly links to whatever you want to find. The front page now has nothing except the latest announcements, changes, and themes.
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter almost as much as you enjoy the mayhem in the streets of Chicago each year. See you soon! Time to get your squirt gun out and do some target practice!
John
john@gameaholics.com
