Trimmer and I headed off into the blue yonder seeking gaming glory and a good time. We were flying US Airways and they offered an upgrade to first class for a modest rate, and we both jumped on it. It made the first part of our trip so much better, as both of us are BIG guys and to get us into the puddle jumper seats from CLT to CHO they had to use vaseline and a plunger. Luckily that leg was only 45 minutes. My sister had warned me it had been cold (as we had been in Dallas) but as I got close to the airport, I began to wonder , as I could see lots of white on the ground and not much else. (They had gotten 3 inches of ice the week before and it hadn't melted yet). I guess I've lived in Texas too long, as I've begun to believe that white stuff falls from the sky but then is gone by the afternoon.
My sister picked us up in C'ville and since Trimmer had never been there before, we gave hime the penny drive by tour of UVA and then a quick stroll on the historic downtown mall.
Finally we stopped by one of my old favorites, Big Jim's. I had been talking up the BBQ on the way their, but ended up getting a burger myself. I don't think Trimmer was impressed, something to do with the cultural misunderstanding of what a "platter" is in Texas versus what it is C'ville.
We checked into the hotel (a Doubletree) got fresh hot cookies and then toured the convention area. Some of the organizers were there playing Combat Commander and they greeted us with enthusiasm. Later Trimmer tried to teach me Twilight Struggle in the game area and had to leave early to watch "Heroes". While we were playing two other guys showed up and were offering me tips. When Trimmer left he offered his position to one of the guys and I followed suit. It turns out the two guys play each other all the time online but had never met face to face. I tried to pay attention and pick up some tricks, but I don't think Twilight Struggle is my kind of game.
Tuesday
Bright and early we got up for our featured event, the reason we had come in so early. Advanced Civilization. I got to pick first and chose Babylon, but I still did horribly (6 out of 8). It's a game I have yet to entirely figure out. Originally I had planned on playing only 1 heat of Advanced Civ (there were three total), but the GM had it set up so the 2nd place player received 100 points and everyone else received points on their final score relative to his. Your best two scores were added up (if you chose all 3 heats) and the rankings were determined.
So against my better judgment I ended up playing in two heats, back to back- 15 hours of Advanced Civ. The final heat was set up for 9am the next morning, but since we didn't finish until midnight and I usually only play Adv. Civ once or twice a year, I decided I'd pass. One of my sister's old friends (Charles Minter) managed to edge me out of 6th place by playing in the final heat. But there were other things I wanted to do with my time ......
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