Friday, February 17th, 2006:
Sleep deprived, exhausted and filled with anticipation I pull up to the Holiday Inn (Downtown) around 3:30 pm. On my mind: food, sleep and concern that we have everything covered and everyone will have fun. It’s frigid outside. How can it be this cold? I check in and unload my car and get something to eat, Burger King and for dessert, a piece of Reese’s Peanut Buttercup Pie. It’s true. My bed begins to call my name and just when I crawl under the covers my phone rings again: has to be the 15th call of the day. It’s Fire, he and Mrs. Fire are about an hour or so away he tells me. Next I receive a call from Togath. He will be here in about half an hour or so and will come to my room when he arrives, so much for sleep. The call comes from Fire that they are in the bar waiting for me. As I’m getting ready to go to the bar there is a knock on my door, Togath. We make our way down to the bar where, Em, Fire and Mrs. Fire are already seated and have drinks in front of them. We do the introductions and start to talk. It feels like I’ve known Fire for years. Togath is being “Mr. Nice and quiet” sitting beside me. This can’t be the same Togath. Me being the person I am, I begin to prod him, seeing if he will relax. NOTHING. I can’t believe it. As we sit and talk another member walks into the bar, GopherGoat and then another, Lord Kerdaq. As we are talking Fire makes a call to Eksessiv to see where he is at. Eksessiv is running late because he spent an hour arguing about a lottery ticket with a store manager. Go figure. Next a call is made to Doodi and Xs Smoke and then I receive a call from Mike James. The phones are passed around. I wish everyone from 2old2play could have been with us. The bar closes and we all go back to the Fire’s room. We hook up the TVs and Xboxes, in the process Em somehow tbags the back of my head, too funny. We can’t get XBL from the rooms, damn, but everyone seems ready to play co-op. This is where I exit for the night. My intensions were to take a short nap and then get up when Eksessiv arrived. I go back to my room, crawl into bed and find sleep instantly. My phone rings again. Eksessiv is on the other line, “I’ve been here for half an hour let me in”. I get up walk to the door, open it and everyone piles into the room, back into bed for me. Eksessiv hits me and tells me to get up, my response to everyone as I am pulling the covers over my head, “F*** Y***”.
Saturday, February 18th, 2006:
Shortly after I get out of the shower my phone rings, Dead Meat has arrived. I go down to meet him and he sits and watches me eat breakfast. Togath has already called and he is bringing food and OJ with him. We head up to the Grand Hall and get everything set up. Everyone starts to arrive. Seems BigOne has been lurking around for a while. He walks in and I say “You are?” his response “Brian”. I was like, who the hell is Brian? “Ok, that does nothing for me, your gamer tag?” He says “BigOne”. Now that name I know. Another member walks in ready to play. I again ask “And you are?” His response, “I’ll give you a hint……O C’mon”. A huge smile crossed my face when I said “Mushroom!” ElliottsArcade and Magwi stroll in. I have played a couple of games with Elliott, not many, so I am hoping he isn’t too scared by what he will be witnessing the next 2 days. Magwi is new to the site, a virgin of only a couple of days. Boy is he in for a shock. I hope they have a good time and learn to love the site and its people as much as I do. I am worried about these two, but not for long. Adraxis and his wife Redara waltz in ready to play. The gaming begins, but wait, we have one member MIA, where is Frightened Ninja? Seems he was routed to some karate gathering for kids. It’s no wonder, he does look pretty young. He does finally make it, hooks up and begins to play with us.
The tone was quiet at first. The occasional “bite me”, “no way”, “b*tch” and such. Then around 11:00 am the beer arrives and shortly after that the pizza. Togath brings in his bladder buster beer mug and it seems game is on. As the day continues things get louder and more relaxed. Togath and Fire going back and forth on who is who’s b*tch, Mushroom and his patented responses, me squirting Fire with my squirt gun for killing me. Poor BigOne and Lord Kerdaq sitting beside me and getting pushed and slapped for killing me. You could hear Mrs. Fire calling Frightened Ninja unmentionable names for killing her. The smack talked increased with the consumption of beer. Around 5:00 pm we decided we needed food again. Most of us were carted in the ICE BUS to a place called Munchies. The ICE BUS was a shuttle from the hotel that had no heat. Mind you it was like -40 degrees out, or it seemed like it anyway. The food and company were good. Seems Fort Wayne has a shortage of heat though, the restaurant was freezing too.
We get back to the hotel and continue gaming until around 1:00 am. Fire and Togath were pretty lit at this point. Seems Fire also had a bladder buster beer mug. We all disperse to our rooms again, Togath calls a cab. A few hardcore members decide to play poker for a while. Halo2 and Halo off and on from 9:00 am to 1:00 am with great people. Who could ask for more?
Sunday, February 19th, 2006:
Everyone was a little slower at getting up this morning. Once around it takes me four tries to get Eksessiv out of his bed. I finally head down to get some breakfast. To my surprise everyone was already up and eating. We all head up to the Grand Hall and Elliotts and Magwi were already gaming. Togath shows up in sweats and a sweatshirt and the look on his face a product of the previous night. Wow, more beer in the keg still. At this point being nice is out the door. The smack talk is rampant. Who knew Rendara could smack talk? Seems Lord Kerdaq, Em and GopherGoat are the quiet ones. As the day goes on Togath gets a glass of water down his back by yours truly for some smartass comment he made. I begin to squirt anyone who gets smart or kills me. Eksessiv, Togath, Fire and then Magwi. Boy was that a mistake. That squirt turned into a 20 minute water fight. Magwi had the squirt gun, me a glass of water. He was on the outside of the double doors to the room and me inside the room. Everyone walking through the doors would walk slowly in with their hands in the air. Adraxis came within milliseconds of getting drenched, when walking through the door. The water fight continues out in the hall where I get trapped in the bathroom. At this point I really have to go to the bathroom. While in the stall I swear I hear Magwi trying twice to sneak in the bathroom. I hear quiet footsteps in and out of the bathroom, too funny. We then call a truce and continue the day fighting it out on Halo2. Tbags were rampant too, for everyone. The day is coming to an end. I have a feeling that nobody really wants to leave. I think we all want to stay for another couple of days. The Fires are not feeling well and seem to have brought something else with them besides Xboxes to the LAN, thanks you two.
We all start tearing equipment down and start getting ready to leave. I am one of the last people out; some are spending another night and are getting ready to go eat. I leave with a big hug from Lord Kerdaq and a thank you. I get hugs from Mushroom, Magwi, Eksessiv and BigOne. Handshakes were exchanged and some phone numbers. I hear things like “It was great to meet you all” and “Thank you all I had a great time”. As I walk through the lobby to my car everyone is waiting for their ride to the restaurant, good-byes to everyone and from everyone.
As I start my drive home I think back over the weekend. I think it has been a success. I believe everyone has had a good time. Some of us: Togath, Elliotts and Magwi and I have agreed that we need to do this on some weekends. BigOne even said he’d like to join in. I hope we will follow-thru with this. I already miss most of the people I was playing with. It is nice to be surrounded by people you enjoy playing a game you love. I drive away with new friends and a new excitement for the Chicago LAN. I know in Chicago I get to meet more of the people I already game with and make many more new friends. I urge anyone with the possibility of attending Chicago to do so. You will not regret it I promise. Thanks everyone for a great LAN and a great weekend. I look forward to seeing and playing with you all in the near future.
Sleep deprived, exhausted and filled with anticipation I pull up to the Holiday Inn (Downtown) around 3:30 pm. On my mind: food, sleep and concern that we have everything covered and everyone will have fun. It’s frigid outside. How can it be this cold? I check in and unload my car and get something to eat, Burger King and for dessert, a piece of Reese’s Peanut Buttercup Pie. It’s true. My bed begins to call my name and just when I crawl under the covers my phone rings again: has to be the 15th call of the day. It’s Fire, he and Mrs. Fire are about an hour or so away he tells me. Next I receive a call from Togath. He will be here in about half an hour or so and will come to my room when he arrives, so much for sleep. The call comes from Fire that they are in the bar waiting for me. As I’m getting ready to go to the bar there is a knock on my door, Togath. We make our way down to the bar where, Em, Fire and Mrs. Fire are already seated and have drinks in front of them. We do the introductions and start to talk. It feels like I’ve known Fire for years. Togath is being “Mr. Nice and quiet” sitting beside me. This can’t be the same Togath. Me being the person I am, I begin to prod him, seeing if he will relax. NOTHING. I can’t believe it. As we sit and talk another member walks into the bar, GopherGoat and then another, Lord Kerdaq. As we are talking Fire makes a call to Eksessiv to see where he is at. Eksessiv is running late because he spent an hour arguing about a lottery ticket with a store manager. Go figure. Next a call is made to Doodi and Xs Smoke and then I receive a call from Mike James. The phones are passed around. I wish everyone from 2old2play could have been with us. The bar closes and we all go back to the Fire’s room. We hook up the TVs and Xboxes, in the process Em somehow tbags the back of my head, too funny. We can’t get XBL from the rooms, damn, but everyone seems ready to play co-op. This is where I exit for the night. My intensions were to take a short nap and then get up when Eksessiv arrived. I go back to my room, crawl into bed and find sleep instantly. My phone rings again. Eksessiv is on the other line, “I’ve been here for half an hour let me in”. I get up walk to the door, open it and everyone piles into the room, back into bed for me. Eksessiv hits me and tells me to get up, my response to everyone as I am pulling the covers over my head, “F*** Y***”.
Saturday, February 18th, 2006:
Shortly after I get out of the shower my phone rings, Dead Meat has arrived. I go down to meet him and he sits and watches me eat breakfast. Togath has already called and he is bringing food and OJ with him. We head up to the Grand Hall and get everything set up. Everyone starts to arrive. Seems BigOne has been lurking around for a while. He walks in and I say “You are?” his response “Brian”. I was like, who the hell is Brian? “Ok, that does nothing for me, your gamer tag?” He says “BigOne”. Now that name I know. Another member walks in ready to play. I again ask “And you are?” His response, “I’ll give you a hint……O C’mon”. A huge smile crossed my face when I said “Mushroom!” ElliottsArcade and Magwi stroll in. I have played a couple of games with Elliott, not many, so I am hoping he isn’t too scared by what he will be witnessing the next 2 days. Magwi is new to the site, a virgin of only a couple of days. Boy is he in for a shock. I hope they have a good time and learn to love the site and its people as much as I do. I am worried about these two, but not for long. Adraxis and his wife Redara waltz in ready to play. The gaming begins, but wait, we have one member MIA, where is Frightened Ninja? Seems he was routed to some karate gathering for kids. It’s no wonder, he does look pretty young. He does finally make it, hooks up and begins to play with us.
The tone was quiet at first. The occasional “bite me”, “no way”, “b*tch” and such. Then around 11:00 am the beer arrives and shortly after that the pizza. Togath brings in his bladder buster beer mug and it seems game is on. As the day continues things get louder and more relaxed. Togath and Fire going back and forth on who is who’s b*tch, Mushroom and his patented responses, me squirting Fire with my squirt gun for killing me. Poor BigOne and Lord Kerdaq sitting beside me and getting pushed and slapped for killing me. You could hear Mrs. Fire calling Frightened Ninja unmentionable names for killing her. The smack talked increased with the consumption of beer. Around 5:00 pm we decided we needed food again. Most of us were carted in the ICE BUS to a place called Munchies. The ICE BUS was a shuttle from the hotel that had no heat. Mind you it was like -40 degrees out, or it seemed like it anyway. The food and company were good. Seems Fort Wayne has a shortage of heat though, the restaurant was freezing too.
We get back to the hotel and continue gaming until around 1:00 am. Fire and Togath were pretty lit at this point. Seems Fire also had a bladder buster beer mug. We all disperse to our rooms again, Togath calls a cab. A few hardcore members decide to play poker for a while. Halo2 and Halo off and on from 9:00 am to 1:00 am with great people. Who could ask for more?
Sunday, February 19th, 2006:
Everyone was a little slower at getting up this morning. Once around it takes me four tries to get Eksessiv out of his bed. I finally head down to get some breakfast. To my surprise everyone was already up and eating. We all head up to the Grand Hall and Elliotts and Magwi were already gaming. Togath shows up in sweats and a sweatshirt and the look on his face a product of the previous night. Wow, more beer in the keg still. At this point being nice is out the door. The smack talk is rampant. Who knew Rendara could smack talk? Seems Lord Kerdaq, Em and GopherGoat are the quiet ones. As the day goes on Togath gets a glass of water down his back by yours truly for some smartass comment he made. I begin to squirt anyone who gets smart or kills me. Eksessiv, Togath, Fire and then Magwi. Boy was that a mistake. That squirt turned into a 20 minute water fight. Magwi had the squirt gun, me a glass of water. He was on the outside of the double doors to the room and me inside the room. Everyone walking through the doors would walk slowly in with their hands in the air. Adraxis came within milliseconds of getting drenched, when walking through the door. The water fight continues out in the hall where I get trapped in the bathroom. At this point I really have to go to the bathroom. While in the stall I swear I hear Magwi trying twice to sneak in the bathroom. I hear quiet footsteps in and out of the bathroom, too funny. We then call a truce and continue the day fighting it out on Halo2. Tbags were rampant too, for everyone. The day is coming to an end. I have a feeling that nobody really wants to leave. I think we all want to stay for another couple of days. The Fires are not feeling well and seem to have brought something else with them besides Xboxes to the LAN, thanks you two.
We all start tearing equipment down and start getting ready to leave. I am one of the last people out; some are spending another night and are getting ready to go eat. I leave with a big hug from Lord Kerdaq and a thank you. I get hugs from Mushroom, Magwi, Eksessiv and BigOne. Handshakes were exchanged and some phone numbers. I hear things like “It was great to meet you all” and “Thank you all I had a great time”. As I walk through the lobby to my car everyone is waiting for their ride to the restaurant, good-byes to everyone and from everyone.
As I start my drive home I think back over the weekend. I think it has been a success. I believe everyone has had a good time. Some of us: Togath, Elliotts and Magwi and I have agreed that we need to do this on some weekends. BigOne even said he’d like to join in. I hope we will follow-thru with this. I already miss most of the people I was playing with. It is nice to be surrounded by people you enjoy playing a game you love. I drive away with new friends and a new excitement for the Chicago LAN. I know in Chicago I get to meet more of the people I already game with and make many more new friends. I urge anyone with the possibility of attending Chicago to do so. You will not regret it I promise. Thanks everyone for a great LAN and a great weekend. I look forward to seeing and playing with you all in the near future.
