Tuesday, September 1, 2009

From the Attic; Hanging out at the Con

Here Dwayne talks about us (Myself and Tim ) At the risk of turning our three blogs into a mutual admiration society I got a few stories to tell about the three of us.

I met Dwayne when I was senior in high school. We got along from the start and he introduced me to Tim about a year later. Soon there wasn't hardly a season gone by where the three of us weren't gaming. With a few gaps here and there we have kept this up since 1984. And thanks to the Internet it may continue on for another few years yet.

My best gaming memory of the three of us was at the 1991 Coscon convention at Butler PA. The three of us including two other (Wes and John) all went down to the convention for the weekend. And we were one fire I tell you. In nearly every event one of us enter we either was first or tied for first. I think we came away with at least $50 in gift certificates each.

The highlight wasn't something I was involved in. Tim, Dwayne and Wes joined the Illuminati game which had 12 players including them. Tim managed to get the Bavarians , Dwayne the Assassins, and Wes the Gnomes of Zurich. About halfway in the game five players were dead when the remaining four realized that Tim, Dwayne and Wes were in cahoots. One of them utter "Holy crap! They are working together we need to get them!"

Well they tried and failed. Final honors went to Tim. However the gift certificate Tim won was traded to Wes who won something at another event that Tim wanted.

Later all of us sat down to play GURPS. It was the first time the three of us ever played together. The GM was good but only played GURPS for a short time. The five of us (Myself, Tim, Dwayne, Wes, and John) have been playing GURPS for several year now. Being a more than a little socially clueless back then I "helped" the GM until Tim told me shut up and roleplay.

All was good and we had a good time. I took the prize with my portrayal of a elf maiden who was mage. Not the usual character I play. She had a lot of points spent in the Illusion college which includes the ability to create phantom warriors that can fight for you. So I made this quirk where she has to dress the warriors in the finest men's fashion with her illusions. Despite my early social misstep the GM was highly entertained with what I did. In the end I won the gift certificate.

My personal highlight of that con was a miniatures wargame set during the Roman civil wars. We were rival generals fighting for the throne in central rome. The guy running had this beautiful setup that accurately replicated the central portions of Rome. The game was a lot of run with interesting victory conditions and easy to learn rules.

I stormed Palatine Hill intent on capturing the Imperial family. I got hung up fighting one of the other factions. I crushed him and before I reached the resident apartment the Empress committed suicide by jumping off a cliff taking her children with her.

Irked at loosing one of the few ways of winning the scenario outright. I fortified Palatine Hill and beat off several attacks by the other factions. One of them decides to take out the other two and manages to win.

Running out of time and facing a bloody battle uphill we agree to united. He would be the Emperor while I assume the captaincy of the Praetorian Guard. They say when the scythe swings the tallest stalk is cut down. It will be his head on the block not mine when the legions rise again!

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