GaryCon VIII, March 2016 – Part 4

So.  Last day of GaryCon 2016.

I don’t do mornings, and I didn’t do this one.

In the afternoon I played “Cavaliers & Roundheads,” reffed by none other than Jeff Perren hisself. Even though those naughty Parlimentarians did grievous harm upon the forces of the true King, it was a lot of fun.  I can see why pike and shot era gaming is so popular with its fans.  Over on my flank, Nathan Lyke did a great fakeout maneuver with his Lobster cavalry that resulted in me getting my pikemen totally tangled up, and by the time I untangled them the opportunity to attack his flank was gone.  And then it was time for beer.  It was good tactics on his part (but of course I told him he was lucky, because what fun is gaming if you can’t give your friends a little crap.)  I really want to learn more about this era of warfare.

I had originally had nothing booked for Saturday night.  I bumped into Dave Wesley of Braunstein fame, and he said that he was short some players and could I help out.  Well, how could I resist that?  I got rid of my used beer and got some fresh beer and went to the game.  When I got there Dave was busy with one player and distracted.

Then I saw he’d left the name tags and markers unguarded.  He’s known me long enough that he should have known better.

I grabbed a marker and a badge, and as my friend David Thornley said, “I saw the wheels start to turn and I sat back to enjoy it.”  I made a badge that said “Village Idiot” and proceeded to wander around. I walked into several private conversations and was basically ignored.  So each time after a minute or two, I would go tell a bunch of other people what I’d heard.  For instance, I listened to the Chancellor of the university and the Chief of Police discuss what to do with the student rioters.  Then I went to the jail and told the students what they had said.  Et cetera.  Hey, anybody who discusses confidential matters in front of the Village Idiot gets what they deserve.

About this time Dave Wesley turned his attention to the rest of the game, and his reaction to my antics was to sit there holding his head.

Flawless victory.

So, then I start playing the part that Dave W. wanted me to; a Prussian colonel of engineers.  Well, have you ever seen the movie “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines?”  I played my character like Colonel Manfred von Holstein.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFj_vq3cwk

Yes, complete with the little “Oompah Band” noises.  One of the other players asked “Do you have a band with you?”
“No.”
“So… your character is walking around town making mouth noises?”
“Yep.”

I also discovered that Terry Pratchett’s portrayal of Archchancellor Ridcully is right on; if you shout at people, you can get them to do what you want.  If you shout at people in a really bad German accent, it works even better.

Dave W. wasn’t quite sure what he’d unleashed when he asked me to play, but everybody had a good time. I hadn’t planned on playing Braunstein, but was really, really glad I did.

Sunday, a few of us got together with “Geekpreacher” Derek White, who is a Methodist minister, and we had a simple prayer and Eucharist which turned out to be a very powerful experience.  This year Derek is spearheading a more organized Agape Feast.

Several of the crew had to work Monday, so we grabbed a late breakfast with my brother Chip on the way out of town and headed home.

It was a great weekend, I had a LOT of fun.  But honestly, doing seven events in three days is too much.  Jim Ward suggested no more than one event a day, and sadly I think I have to follow his advice; I ain’t as young as I usedta was.

Besides, I was seriously deficient in socializing this year.

On to GaryCon 2017!

Beer, out.