Today, the boys came home from spending the weekend with their father. The 14 year old brought home a very impressively boxed edition of that table-top strategy classic... Risk.
As he is showing me the game board and pieces (all exactly as I recall them from the HUNDREDS of hours I spent hunched over the game), I tell him that we'll have to play a game the next time his friend "D" is over. "14" then raises the question that brings to light the scope of the tragedy facing our world today...
"How do you play it?"
{GASP} Did I hear correctly? Did a child, nay... a young man... in my OWN household admit to not knowing the game of Risk? No, not possible... not for a boy that LOVES games the way he does. So, I ask him,
"What do you mean?"
"I've never played it." he utters bluntly.
My wife, Liz, loves to compare me to the nerds and geeks that so populate modern culture through the all-powerful medium of TELEVISION. Perhaps she isn't far off the mark, in some regards... but she is SPOT ON when it comes to my fascination with strategy and tactical skills games. From those ancient classics like drafts, chess, and go to more modern classics like Stratego, Othello, and Diplomacy (man, did we kill DAYS with that game!). With the more modern "paper simulators" we fought for nearly 40 CONTINUOUS hours over a war-ravaged Europe with NATO: The Next War in Europe, and spent days learning the ins and outs of every addition to the Victory Games series of Sixth Fleet naval simulators (2nd Fleet was my favorite!).
That said, I took a few moments to recover from my initial shock at 14's confession (thank goodness the brown bags were out for school lunches tomorrow... I was hyperventilating!), and then made all plans to introduce the boy to the wonderful world of the "armchair general" and his efforts to conquer and dominate the globe.
So, if you fail to see me here at the Bund for a couple of days, it may be that I am focusing all attention to the PROPER and dilligent education of one 14-year-old FUTURE champion of all things strategic at a gaming table. I will spend the rest of the evening looking for old versions of classic games for sale on-line (someone once told me you can by just about any game at eBay, really cheap). No video, no PC (other than to purchase)... just a BIG table, a LOT of coffee, and lots of TIME.
What I REALLY need is Jambo, Cramey and Gurski (a real blast from the past there, huh?) and a still-in-the-box version of NATO... but that migh tintimidate the boy and put me into divorce court sooner than I had ever anticipated.
We'll have to crawl before we walk, I guess...
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1 comment:
Not know RISK!!! LIZ where is this childs education??? My father bought me my first chess board when I was 8! Thomas I wish I knew you were looking for old games. My sister just donated all our old board games including Risk just before we came up for your wedding. *sigh* sniff. Oh well. Brings back lots of good memories. Leona
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