With Britcon this weekend, it’s time for the final practice game – with a twist. My regular opponent and I swapped armies. So I fielded the damnable reinforced Ulani Tank Regiment.
And Si fielded the lightning fast Raven Wing (more on why it’s “Raven Wing” and not “Ravenwing” soon).
Rather than right the game in the standard geeky narrative, I started to pen it with a female audience in mind…
Simon quietly parked his car in front of the old Victorian mill. As the early evening sun poured down on his slight frame he unpacked his boxes from the boot with his wiry arms, and hopped through the front door. Downstairs he could hear the sounds of the martial arts classes throwing each other onto the gym mats, accompanied with the cries and grunts of the the defeated. He imagined the losers flat on their backs, staring helplessly at their victors, wandering just how they had been physically bested. He hoped his opponent would be similarly perplexed by the evening’s imminent wargaming defeat.
Curis was already there, laughing and joking with his usual throng of gamers. The man had finally shaved off the ridiculous beard he had been growing in imitation of the Muslims he had recently befriended. It made him look younger and more boyish, and more in keeping with his petulant gaming style.
The two men swapped armies, both hoping to learn better the strengths and weaknesses of their forces ahead of the weekend’s important matches. This was a true tactical challenge. Chris broke the tension of the pre-game set-up by buying in a round of drinks. Sipping the ice cool beverage he rolled an impressive ten Commissars, and felt in control.
The sound of Glee’s more charming musical numbers drifted up through the Mill’s open doors, and filled the room with an atmosphere totally at odds to the violent conflict about the be unleashed by the two men. They would do battle on a physical, spiritual and emotional level.
Meanwhile Simon was figuring out the tactical nuances of the borrowed Raven Wing. The man was an accomplished Marine general, and was confident he could command the field and dominate the skies…
Right, enough of that flowery prose. Back to geek. Turn three 0-2 loss.
