Caught in a Draft
Trip Start
Aug 22, 2008
1
5
25
Trip End
Ongoing
Las Vegas,
Nevada,
United States
Sunday, August 24, 2008
First, I visited my mom and brother. I picked up lunch for them on my way to their apartment. Both were still asleep when I called them to let them know I was on the way. I played on the computer a little while Bill slept some more. Today, I will be doing some gaming with Bill and his friends and fellow professional gamblers, Will, Tony and Chris. We were suppose to start at 2pm, but Bill was still getting up so we did not hit the road until after 2. During the ride to Will/Chris/Tony's house, I was on the phone with my friend, Steve. Today is also the fantasy football draft. I tried to get the date moved but everyone else in the league found this the most convenient time for them. On the way, I drafted Adrian Peterson with my 3rd overall pick and followed up with Maurice Jones-Drew and Carson Palmer. At the house, Bill's friends start to explain the rules of the game we are planning to play, Game of Thrones. Will/Chris/Tony were very patient with me as their explanation continually got interrupted by the draft commissioner, Steve. I think I finished with a decent team...but I am not sure how well I remembered the rules.
Game of Thrones is a board game based on a novel of the same name by George R.R. Martin. Like in the novel each player plays a particular "house" on a quest to conquer the island of Westeros. The game has some interesting mechanics like the ability to raid or destroy another player's order to his troops. I wished I paid more attention to the rules because I screwed up using this mechanic several times. Although I have never read the book, I thought it was ironic that I followed the same strategy/plot-line of my house "Greyjoy". I formed an non-aggression alliance with Chris, house of "Stark", while I concentrated on destroying Tony, house of "Lannister". Will, house of "Baratheon", was harassing Chris for taking advantage of the newbie...also Will did not like the fact that our alliance allowed Chris to battle with him for control of the East side of the island. On the 7th turn, I surprised them all when the newbie captured Highgarden, the capital of the house of "Tyrell", Bill. Along with Casterly Rock, capital of the house of "Lannister", I now controlled 6 major cities...you need to control 7 cities to win. I was one army short of capturing a city from Chris..."Greyjoy" betraying the "Stark" was also a part of the novel. The next turn was total chaos with people making moves to insure I do not get the 7th city. This played into Will's hands because he almost won, but the turn ended with him and I tied with 6 cities. At this point it was 1 am and Will declared it a draw which I gladly accepted.
During the entire 9 hour game (it should only take 3-5 hours) we ate nothing but cheese, crackers and cold cuts. Bill, Tony, Chris and I were hungry so we went to Denny's. It was amazing listening to these guys rattle of odds and percentages as they talked about the elements of their profession, gambling and poker. Another late night...but distinctly different from the last two.
