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dragojustineStrategicon this weekend. My second convention ever is the second awesomest weekend of my WHOLE LIFE, after only Wincon. You think maybe I should do more of these con things?
Showed Saturday 9:00 and wandered about uncomfortably wondering how to actually get into the swing of things and thinking I'd made a huge mistake (so, exactly like my first two hours at Wincon). Then found the Caylus tournament tables and started watching, and got into this great conversation with one of the Steve Jackson volunteers- narrowly missed being able to play in the Munchkin Quest playtest, but went and watched and looked through their cards and was amused. Steve Jackson? Cool, low-key guy.
Great disappointment of my weekend- no playtest for Munchkin Booty, the new pirate-themed one. Just not ready in time. But then I wandered back out to the Caylus tables only to have Richard snag me to step in for someone who left. So I took over a first-round Caylus game, tight but one point ahead, and managed to hold on for a win. Went to the final table and pulled my first genuine all-on-my-own win at Caylus ever. First actual game, blue ribbon!
Played some dorky card games, watched a demo of Athens vs Sparta, wandered about with Robert, talked a lot, and managed to get in on Diplomacy at 5:00. The Diplomacy game was EPIC. Everyone had played before multiple times, so there were no newbies to manipulate or use as punching bags. I got Turkey, with a relatively poor Russian player (no great sweet-talking skills and not a terrific grasp of the tactical technicalities) and a very cooperative and loyal Austria and Italy. Dave pulled Britain and promptly made himself so hated that he was dismantled by Germany and France within four turns, while Italy came behind the backside of France and Austria and I worked over Russia.
Once Russia managed to hold a stalemate line and stall the advance, it got dicey. Austria tires to turn me against Italy, but I had over-committed to Russia and had no fleets. We couldn't persuade Germany to help against Russia, or Russia to reliably help against Germany. France, though, was superbly helpful against Germany in return for me restraining Italy. Once Austria and France committed to outright war against Germany, I was boxed in with no room for expansion. I stabbed Austria pretty spectacularly, cleaned up all his centers except Trieste (taken by the still highly cooperative and loyal Italy), and some German centers, and then the game was called with Italy and I in a tie for first (I had 12 centers, he had 9 but a strong position), France in third (8 centers) and Russia and Germany still alive with 3 and 2 (er, ish. Is that total right?)
.
The game ended at 1 am. EIGHT SOLID hours of Diplomacy, ending with a TURKEY-ITALY joint win. Epic, I tell you. I am more proud of that win than is even remotely reasonable. I do feel a little bad, in that Austria was hitting on my about as hard as I've ever been hit-on, which was delightfully fun and made the hours pass much quicker, but did give me some unfair advantage.
Other wacky thing? At this table of seven Diplomacy players chosen completely at random, four were EEPers. Myself, UW EEP (TS class of 2000, graduate 2005). Another guy at the table was UW EEP (TS class of... wait for it... 1984. That's seriously, like, the seventh year of the program, long before any of the staff I knew or the new building or anything and asking him about it was so utterly incredible). Another guy was from the CSULA EEP sister-program, graduated 2004- (there's no TS equivalent, and they call themselves EEPsters. It was started relatively recently by someone from UW EEP). And there was a current CSULA EEPster, sophomore, 15 years old. They were all awesome, and I got to talk to them two of them quite a bit about it. Our game was incredibly friendly- everyone had played enough to really be able to play hard without taking anything personally, and we all really liked each other, and it was just the most incredible, friendly, sociable eight hours I've spent in forever.
Fell into bed at 2 am, got up and picked Robert up at 8, back to the con at 8:30 this morning. Narrowly missed the final table of Phase 10, absolutely spanked everyone in the first round of Uno and then narrowly missed placing in the final table of that. Hung around to watch everyone play Power Grid, came home and crashed at 3pm, and napped until, well, now.
Second best weekend of my whole life. I adore conventions of all kinds. New obsession!
Showed Saturday 9:00 and wandered about uncomfortably wondering how to actually get into the swing of things and thinking I'd made a huge mistake (so, exactly like my first two hours at Wincon). Then found the Caylus tournament tables and started watching, and got into this great conversation with one of the Steve Jackson volunteers- narrowly missed being able to play in the Munchkin Quest playtest, but went and watched and looked through their cards and was amused. Steve Jackson? Cool, low-key guy.
Great disappointment of my weekend- no playtest for Munchkin Booty, the new pirate-themed one. Just not ready in time. But then I wandered back out to the Caylus tables only to have Richard snag me to step in for someone who left. So I took over a first-round Caylus game, tight but one point ahead, and managed to hold on for a win. Went to the final table and pulled my first genuine all-on-my-own win at Caylus ever. First actual game, blue ribbon!
Played some dorky card games, watched a demo of Athens vs Sparta, wandered about with Robert, talked a lot, and managed to get in on Diplomacy at 5:00. The Diplomacy game was EPIC. Everyone had played before multiple times, so there were no newbies to manipulate or use as punching bags. I got Turkey, with a relatively poor Russian player (no great sweet-talking skills and not a terrific grasp of the tactical technicalities) and a very cooperative and loyal Austria and Italy. Dave pulled Britain and promptly made himself so hated that he was dismantled by Germany and France within four turns, while Italy came behind the backside of France and Austria and I worked over Russia.
Once Russia managed to hold a stalemate line and stall the advance, it got dicey. Austria tires to turn me against Italy, but I had over-committed to Russia and had no fleets. We couldn't persuade Germany to help against Russia, or Russia to reliably help against Germany. France, though, was superbly helpful against Germany in return for me restraining Italy. Once Austria and France committed to outright war against Germany, I was boxed in with no room for expansion. I stabbed Austria pretty spectacularly, cleaned up all his centers except Trieste (taken by the still highly cooperative and loyal Italy), and some German centers, and then the game was called with Italy and I in a tie for first (I had 12 centers, he had 9 but a strong position), France in third (8 centers) and Russia and Germany still alive with 3 and 2 (er, ish. Is that total right?)
.
The game ended at 1 am. EIGHT SOLID hours of Diplomacy, ending with a TURKEY-ITALY joint win. Epic, I tell you. I am more proud of that win than is even remotely reasonable. I do feel a little bad, in that Austria was hitting on my about as hard as I've ever been hit-on, which was delightfully fun and made the hours pass much quicker, but did give me some unfair advantage.
Other wacky thing? At this table of seven Diplomacy players chosen completely at random, four were EEPers. Myself, UW EEP (TS class of 2000, graduate 2005). Another guy at the table was UW EEP (TS class of... wait for it... 1984. That's seriously, like, the seventh year of the program, long before any of the staff I knew or the new building or anything and asking him about it was so utterly incredible). Another guy was from the CSULA EEP sister-program, graduated 2004- (there's no TS equivalent, and they call themselves EEPsters. It was started relatively recently by someone from UW EEP). And there was a current CSULA EEPster, sophomore, 15 years old. They were all awesome, and I got to talk to them two of them quite a bit about it. Our game was incredibly friendly- everyone had played enough to really be able to play hard without taking anything personally, and we all really liked each other, and it was just the most incredible, friendly, sociable eight hours I've spent in forever.
Fell into bed at 2 am, got up and picked Robert up at 8, back to the con at 8:30 this morning. Narrowly missed the final table of Phase 10, absolutely spanked everyone in the first round of Uno and then narrowly missed placing in the final table of that. Hung around to watch everyone play Power Grid, came home and crashed at 3pm, and napped until, well, now.
Second best weekend of my whole life. I adore conventions of all kinds. New obsession!
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 08:16 am (UTC)Sounds like your game of Diplomacy went way better than my game of Star Wars Risk this weekend.
BTW, my good friend
no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 06:16 pm (UTC)I would adore seeing you and