Warning, the following contains some questionable language (well, kinda) and children under the age of 13 should be monitored by an adult when reading this. Heck, in some cases, the kid should me monitoring the adult when reading this also. :^)

Hello all!!! Your Friendly Neighborhood OGRE here, and with SPECIAL NEWS just off the presses.

Just released for your reading enjoyment, it's

The OGRE's GenCon 2000 Report (and not just a tournament report either).

It's in diary format, so sit back and enjoy the experience that is nothing but OGRE-ish. :^)

Monday, August 7th

We wake up at 3:45am (ugh!) with the lovely Mrs. OGRE to shower and change the bed for our housesitter, so she doesn't have to sleep on dirty sheets. Got into the cab at 5:30am and we're off to Ronald Reagan (DC) National Airport, referred to as DCA from here on out. We get to DCA Gate 33 at about 6AM, as they recommend that you should arrive at least 1 hour before your flight leaves. We leave at 6:55am and arrive at 8am. It's a 2 hour flight. I love Time Zone changes. :^)

My wonderful and loving parents (Yes, I do have parents, and while I may be grumpy and UGH-ly, I picked up all those traits from dear old dad! The sarcasm and genius intellect I got from my loving mom) pick Mrs. OGRE and myself up and we go back to the Old STOMPING grounds in Oak Creek. We have Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato soup for lunch. Then we go south to the land of F.I.B.'s (that F***ing Illinois Bastards, because MOST[not all, Mr. Forester drive like F***ing Bastards) where the wonderful OGRE's Sister and her husband live. I finally get to meet their dog Maverick (a Rotweiler), nicknamed Roofus-Doofus. Really nice dog, living in a really huge (and I mean F***ing huge)house, compared to what I am used to. 2 floors and a done up basement. 4 bedrooms. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet that could be used as a small office. Sheesh. She's done well and I am proud of her for it. We have Burgers and dogs (hot dogs, not rotweilers) on the grill. Yum. I can't get this back in DC as I can't have a grill at my apartment. Against the rules, it is. It's good to be home in the Midwest.

Tuesday, August 8th

I get up at about 8:30am. Helped Mom feed the kittens that they found outside. My parents are kinda weird in this area (a.k.a. cat area). They have a couple of cats in the house. Even when I was there, they had them. They have 4 now. But they also have a few that live outside also, a.k.a. wild cats. They leave food for them and when the wild cats have kittens, sometimes they leave them alone, and my mom makes old dad save them and bring them into the house and they feed them and get them good homes when they grow up.

I will list my parents current cats living with them now.

1) Ivory: White cat. He was named because at the time, we had a black cat named Ebony. Get it, Ebony and Ivory. Heh-heh. He's a bit of a crank, but he likes me because he was kinda my cat when I was still at home. He's also the "Old Man" right now at about 15 years old.

2) Pabst: Black cat. He was named after I had left and married my Lovely Wife, and my sister started naming the cats after beers. My sister has his brother Coors. The other brother is #3. He is an overly friendly cat that has eye watering problems (he's probably allergic to cats. Heh-heh) and has a gland problem that causes him to fart and really stinky ones also.

3) Budweiser: Siamese cat. He's a cool cat. Very friendly cat and wouldn't mind having him. Great disposition, but he's cross eyed. My mom hates when I pick on him about it, and says she's going to cut me out of the will. Hell, she may even do it for this mentioning it here.

4) Effinger: Black and white cat. Named for a now defunct brewery in Baraboo, WI that my family owned. A good girl cat, but she was in some sort of accident that she only has half a tail and what is there is gnarly and twisted. Looks cool, but when you pet her and feel the tail, it is the weirdest feeling in the world.

Dad made me an old favorite of mine, bacon and eggs. Made in a cast iron skillet with the eggs basted in the bacon grease. Yum! Yes, I felt my arteries harden as I ate it, but it's just so damn good.

After the enormously huge breakfast, the wife and I went shopping.

First stop, American Science & Surplus. This is a store that is worse than a rummage sale. Go see their website, they have one at www.sciplus.com . It's got all sort of stuff, overruns, misprints, gears, science supplies. You name it, they had it in stock at one time. They even have Dragon Dice there, now I know where the left over stock from TSR went. :^) Picked up some pens for sign up, chalk for the easel/chalk board and First Place ribbons. Passed on the real dead frog all set for dissecting, an old horn like the old model T oogah type horn.

Next was Artist and Display (an art store). I picked up some signing pens to use at the seminar.

Then visited the wife's old workplace, which moved to a new location. She visited old friends, and I talked to some of the people that I new there too.

Next on the list was Office Cheapo. Could have been Max, could have been Depot. I don't know, it was an office supply store and they all are called Office Cheapo as far as I am concerned. Picked up lots of colored index cards, so I could color code all the events at GenCon.

Then we went to Mayfair Mall for lunch. Had a Milwaukee version of chinese called Wong's Wok. The Tempura Fried Chicken is really good. Artery Hardening, but good. I recommend it. While at the mall, we hit the Wisconsin store for presents for all the people back in Virginia. I got a co-worker that went to Florida State and played football for them. He gives me all this $hit about how FSU is better than Wisconsin and the like. Well, I got him a Wisconsin license plate keychain with his name on it, and Wisconsin pasta. He also is getting REAL Wisconsin cheese, because he says that it is the only thing good to come from Wisconsin.

Then on the way home, we picked up Cousin's subs for dinner. This is another Milwaukee institution that I highly recommend. It's better than Subway.

Then the excitement began. I called the two major hotels for GenCon (the Hyatt and Hilton). Found out that the one I was to be staying at was expecting me to be there Tuesday night instead of Wednesday night, AND I was sharing with 3 other people in a 2 bedded room (DBDB). Let's just say I told the wife and she said, "WHAT?!?!?!?!?" I told them 4 months earlier that I would be with my wife and we would like to have a room to ourselves. Well, I went down to the Midwest Express Center (MEC) and found Dave Gervais. I now found out NOW (instead of earlier when I told them about it) that associates (like myself) and judges that get hotel rooms, have to be 4 to a room. He told me that he might later be able to put us up in a Dorm room down at the Marquette campus. Kim didn't go for that at all, so we stayed with the parents (sorry mom and dad) the whole time and got Kim a badge for free in compensation.

Also picked up a car from her parents so we could go back and forth to GenCon.

Wednesday, August 9th

Got up at 8:30 am and had a breakfast of "The OGRE's World Famous Baloney Spread" sandwich and a Diet Rite soda. Here's the recipe for it, for those of you that want it. It's cheap, and it's good.

The OGRE's World Famous Balogna Spread Recipe

This makes one batch. Double the ingredients for double sized batch.

Solid Ingredients
1 lb. of solid balogna cut into 1 inch cubes
(get it from the deli counter and its about an inch per pound)
4 to 5 eggs (hard boiled)
5 to 6 sweet pickles (not regular pickles)

Soft Ingredients
¾ cup of Mayonaise (real stuff like Hellman's, not miracle whip)

Grind up all the solid ingredients into a really large bowl with a meat grinder, mixing up the items you use as you go (like cube of balogna, an egg, cube, pickle, cube, cube, egg, etc). Mix it thoroughly with your hands after all the solids are ground up.

Stir in the mayo. Add more until a consistency that can be spread is reached.

You can add up to a 2 tablespoons of pickle juice for some extra flavor and moisture (just don't over power it)

Store in the refrigerator in a tupperware-like container, otherwise it dries out.

Use on bread for sandwiches, use on crackers for a snack.

My wife and I then went Downtown to get our badges for GenCon. I also made copies for the events, namely for the deck registration sheets.

We hit UW-Milwaukee to find somemore stuff to torment my co-worker with, but didn't really find anything good.

On the way back, hit Culver's for lunch. Good burgers and even better frozen custard. For those not in the know, frozen custard is like ice cream only creamier and better. Another Midwest treat recommended by the OGRE.

Went home and bummed out for a while and then went to the Hyatt for the "Pre-GenCon Spellfire-a-holics Get-Together" at 6:30pm. Played Spellfire and sold cards and got home at about midnight. The Insanity begins.

Thursday, August 10th

For the days of GenCon, it's a list of the winners of the events and some other stuff that I want to add.

Got up at 5:30 each day (and got home at 12mid each day) to be down there by 7am. Kim drops me off (she's off the State Fair with her Family).

8am
75 Card Unlimited Challenge Race to 1 win, Barbaric (22 players)
3 way draw between:

Brenda Reeves
Bob Carmichael*
Lief Sorenson

Bob won the game for the extra booster in the prize and the First Place Ribbon (these were big hits). From now on, the * is the person that got the Ribbon in a 3 way draw.

10am
Sealed event (33 players)
3 way draw between:

Ricardo Baez*
James Mishler
James "The Baron" Leichsenring

5pm
Master's Invitational (28 players)
The following advanced from the swiss format head to head rounds to the 3 player games:

James Leichsenring
Paul Melkild
Jason Rueckert
Chuck Carey
Kevin Curtis
Brenda Reeves
Brian Kellenburger
Bob Carmichael
James McCoy

From there the final three players in order of finish (done on Friday) were:

1) Brenda Reeves*
2) Bob Carmichael
3) Kevin Curtis

ALSO, from this mass of humanity, this is the event I chose to have the Phil Cornett Memorial Travelling Trophy (even though Phil ain't dead yet), aka the OGRE's CRAPPY DECK trophy come from this event.

This years winner with no match wins and a 1 win 10 loss in games played is Vicky Page! Congrats again!

Friday, August 11th
Wife came in this time and spent some time in the exhibitor hall and then went out with her family again for dinner.

8am
World Championship Qualifier #1 (54 players)

Pre-Qualified
1) Tony Novello (1999 World Champ)
2) Steve Naus (2000 US Champ) Steve was a no show due to a family emergency, so 13 qualified from this event and 13 from Qualifier #2.

Out of the rubble came these 13 qualifiers:

1) Brian Kellenburger
2) Jim Aker
3) James Mishler
4) Bob Carmichael
5) Dennis Atkinson
6) Bill Blanton
7) James Leichsenting
8) Steve Staton
9) Johann Beyer
10) Mark Kratz
11) Chuck Carey
12) Brian Mikula
13) Vicky Page

2pm
Head to Head Swiss format (28 players)

Top 8 players (top 4 got prizes)
1) Brian Kellenburger
2) Steve Staton
3) Dennis Atkinson
4) Gary Flynn
5) Chris Killinger
6) Ricardo Baez
7) Wes Connelly
8) Matt Piaszak

The seminar had a decent turnout, even John Danovich showed (from Onad the Weasel and Gib Hcivonad fame). A lot was discussed (no new booster from WotC is planned, but one from the OGRE online is) Details to follow in about a week. I need to decompress.

Saturday, August 12th

8am
World Championship Qualifier #2 (21 players)
The following emerged from the others to qualify.

1) Nelson Piriz
2) Nick Geber
3) Russell McKnight
4) Sean Kelly
5) David Sparacio
6) Mike Rittel
7) Steve Putnik
8) Michael Baxter
9) Darren Otto
10) Tim Wagner
11) Tim Wagner
12) Gary Baxter
13) Bo Novello

10am
Sealed deck (in replacement of the Sealed Booster event) (24 players)

3 way tie between:
1) "Baron" Leichsenring
2) Matt Piaszak
3) John Leinen*

5pm
World Championship Semifinals

The pairings and results are the attached zipped file. It's a GIF file so it's fairly small.

5pm
World War (19 players)

The winners were:

1) Steve Stanton
2) Kent Sandersfeld
3) Dean Brandt

Sunday, August 13th

The 5 on 5 was cancelled, but I did run another sealed event , due to the fact that GenCon had us having the sealed booster on Sunday morning. It was a one round event with everyone getting 2 packs of Artifacts, Dragonlance and ravenloft. With each game winner getting an additional pack of Artifacts, 2nd getting a DL pack and 3rd getting a Ravenloft pack.

World Championship Finals:

If you looked at the attached file, you know who won, but here it is:

The final 3 were:

2000 Spellfire World Champion: Brian Kellenburger
2nd Place : Bo Novello
3rd Place: James "Baron" Liechsenring

As one person put it, it was a very hairless finals (2 by choice and one not by choice).

Pictures will eventually be put up on the OGRE's website:

And I will eventually also send them to the Spellfire homepage also.

Also, Kilberger, I should have the numbers to you by the end of next week at the latest.

Hope everyone enjoys reading this.

As usual, comments always welcome.

Michael Huebbe
aka Oak Creek OGRE
aka The OGRE
Spellfire Geek, Rules Guru, #1 Judge, and Last bastion of Hope

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