Weird. I thought I updated this.
I knew that I would be out late and carousing heavily the night before the tournament last weekend. I had the foresight and planning to pack all my models, load my bag with army lists and books, and keep everything together and easy to find. The night was long and hot and a bit maudlin near the end, for a reason I'm very familiar with and completely under my power to control.
The next morning, I remembered all my gaming materials and picked up a friend for the drive down to Warwick. What I didn't remember was my phone. Or my wallet. An old friend of mine covered me for the event, and we all cracked on. As I tucked into my fried rice (carb heavy, but just the ticket after a night of drinking), I thought back over the events of the night before. Despite the fact that I felt down for not attracting any outside attention, I did meet all the goals I set for the night: dance to good music, consume some good drinks, and enjoy the eye candy. There were also moments where I grabbed myself by the scruff of the neck and said "Stop moping. Get up and dance. Think about your army. Do something." When you are young, if your parents are good, they will give you advice and comfort you when you are down. As an adult, especially one alone, we have to take control and provide our own advice and comfort. We have to act more, and react less.
I had ample opportunity to put that to the test in my second game, where my dice came up short time and time again. My opponent was smart, had a strong army, and his own share of unluck. It wasn't enough to keep him from tabling me. I wish I could have given him a better game, but I learned some useful tactical advice. My last game was against a good friend, and it all hinged on one lucky dice roll he made that swung the game in his favor. My record was poor, but my mood was still high. More growth and progress on my part.
The next morning, I remembered all my gaming materials and picked up a friend for the drive down to Warwick. What I didn't remember was my phone. Or my wallet. An old friend of mine covered me for the event, and we all cracked on. As I tucked into my fried rice (carb heavy, but just the ticket after a night of drinking), I thought back over the events of the night before. Despite the fact that I felt down for not attracting any outside attention, I did meet all the goals I set for the night: dance to good music, consume some good drinks, and enjoy the eye candy. There were also moments where I grabbed myself by the scruff of the neck and said "Stop moping. Get up and dance. Think about your army. Do something." When you are young, if your parents are good, they will give you advice and comfort you when you are down. As an adult, especially one alone, we have to take control and provide our own advice and comfort. We have to act more, and react less.
I had ample opportunity to put that to the test in my second game, where my dice came up short time and time again. My opponent was smart, had a strong army, and his own share of unluck. It wasn't enough to keep him from tabling me. I wish I could have given him a better game, but I learned some useful tactical advice. My last game was against a good friend, and it all hinged on one lucky dice roll he made that swung the game in his favor. My record was poor, but my mood was still high. More growth and progress on my part.