Introspection

Well, that week flew by.

The holidays are time of reflection for me at the best of times. For years, my mother had a needlepoint... thing that she'd hang on her wall around the Christmas season every year that read:

Never a Christmas morning,
Never an old year ends
when someone thinks of someone
Old days, old times, old friends.

That's something that's stuck with me, a perennial reminder that the past can bring you a timeless joy , thoughts of all the times and people that have helped you get to where you are. And this year in particular, it means a lot to me.

I started this blog as a way to write about Magic, and gaming in general, as way to stay connected to those hobbies when time, frame of mind, and other factors were keeping me from playing. It's since turned into a memoir of all the times I've had with my crew playing these games, and today won't be much different.

I've always been kind of a fluff/flavour guy. This really came to light when we were playing 40k in university. I'd been playing 40k since ~2002, and played in the Eye of Terror campaign (mostly fighting the T'au- nowhere near the damn Eye of Terror). So when it caught on at RMC, I was thrilled, since we could run a campaign.

I'm not a very good 40k player. Really, I'm not. I built a mechanized Black Templars army that could compete, but was always led by a tricked out Marshal named Jenkins that cost way too many points. He could usually recoup thos points, but I had to get him stuck in. Usually a problem. I'd get so needlessly worked up over the game. I regret that. But in spite of that, there were some fun times, too. Like when Jenkins finally got to fight Abaddon the Despoiler, only to have the latter commit seppuku in the first round of combat. Or when the 2IC of CB's Imperial Guard army was the last man standing in an entire sector, literally surrounded by Necron Monoliths. Lt Guns was a bad-ass motherfucker. I should say "is;" I think he survived that battle. So. Many. Medals.

Or when CB called down a orbital strike on his Colonel's coordinates, after forming a single file with the eponymous Colonel at the furthest end of the line from the signaller. And having those 2 be the only surviors of the blast. Or when every single goddamn Vindicare assassin ever could only roll ones to hit. Motherfucker needs 2+, always missed. Elite sniper, my ass.

Writing up those battles as short stories/journal entries was a blast, and a hell of an opportunity to flex my creative writing muscles.

I've always found that flavour and fluff add a lot of value to the game. The same holds true for Magic, but mostly because you can't make heads or tails of it sometimes. For example, at the last Commander Night, I had a Clever Impersonator pretend to be a Moat. Made for a lot of laughs (at least, until everyone else realized they were screwed). Or having two cards representing the same character in play. Or having two players control Sorin Markov, who sets both players to ten life. It makes him seem like a vindictive, selfish asshole (which might not be wrong). Magic is a game in which game mechanics usually trump flavour, and the results are hilarious.

Brings back fond memories of games past, and of the good times.