Enjoying a day off when my daughter walked in and asked why the garage was full of water. I entered the garage to find water shooting out of the water heater like a gray whale surfacing for air. After cutting off the water, I surveyed the damage. The biggest problem was a bag and a plastic container, both full of games. Both were also full of water as I had placed them optimally in front of the water heater spray. I mentally wrote them off to a salvage operation and went about getting everything else out of the water.

Then, I dug into the games.  The frustrating part is these are the containers I usually keep in my car but had removed as I had family in.  Family left and I was slow about putting them back in the car.  Sigh……  Both the bag and the container were full of water.

7th Fleet – complete loss – 2 games – a friend had given me a good price on 2. I was able to pull out a couple of maps and a few counters in zips.  Zips are the unsung hero here. Anything in zips avoided water damage.

 

Leaving Earth – Survived as I had stored everything in zips except the rules.  I can reprint those but they don’t look to bad. Box went in the trash.

 

Manoeuvre – sitting sideways in the container it took the full brunt. Pulled counters out in zips and of course the dice.  I expect to replace this lite but fun game.  Easy to teach and fast to play.

Cuba Libre – the first GMT Box miracle! I literally pulled the game out of the water and after a quick wipe down, everything but the box top survived.  The box must have sealed and it is robust enough that it didn’t soak through in the time I waited…..  My group puts this on the table often so I am happy it has been saved.

 

Combat Commander Europe – GMT box miracle number 2.  Also submerged in water, neither box top or bottom survived, but the only damage to the contents was a touch of water damage on one map.  There was water on the counter tray and on the box my buddy Pat Wells put my counters in – but other wise perfect! My most played game (in a close race with TS – so I am happy!

John Company – Box destroyed – contents saved!  Another great box with a tight fit!

Twilight Struggle – Survived in whole as I brought it inside to show my father in law!  Random act of fortune?  I don’t think so…..

 

Liberty or Death – the sad part of the story is that my players copy of Liberty or Death did not make it.  I removed the pieces as i keep them in zips but the beautiful map did not survive……. ;-(

A few random copies of Strategy and Tactics and Fire and Movement – very absorbent I am sad to say.

Sekigahara – dead

Notes and prototype of Flashpoint: South China Sea – I saved my notes and the wooden pieces but the rest will have to be reprinted.

In summary I expected much worse.  My biggest loss was the 7th Fleet.  I will replace all the other board games and I will email GMT to buy a few boxes.  The GMT Boxes were awesome and held up great – I did not expect that.  and anything in zips was fine.

Words of wisdom: This all could have been avoided if i had put the games back in my car on a timely basis.  Secondly – don’t put your games on the floor – if you put them in a box that will be on the floor, put a buffer under them.  And lastly – store everything in GMT game boxes…..