Q (-Zar) and A

Last night (Friday actually...I'm posting this late) eventually became very informative. Before that happened it became very irritating and very gratifying in that order, and here's why...

When I arrived there was almost nobody else there. I get that this prom season and nice weather, blah, blah, blah...but I'm ready to get in some practice so I was up for playing with whoever might show. The girl at the counter didn't want to take my money until there was a group, so in all honesty I was on my phone trying to figure out if I'd do better to head to a different center this night. So glad I didn't. Right as I was about to take off a swarm of pre-teen/early teen girls decided to play together as a group. Cool, I'd go in with this group. The problem is...and having been one I can speak first hand...pre-teen/early teen girls when gathered together as a group are among the most malicious beings on the planet. Several of them pegged me and ganged up on me almost immediately. And I'm not talking in a sporting, strategic way. I'm saying they were stuck to my hip like a swarm of bees that I could not break from as every step I made I was accompanied by a circle of girls around me. I was signed in as a six at this point, so what was worse was not having a chance to get them off my back by disarming them because I would have to shoot them three times and when you have five girls circling you, little as they are, you can't get three shots off before one of them takes you out. Now, looking back to the tournament a few weeks ago, I'm not giving credence to the guy who thought there was following going on, but I will say that if this was anything like what he perceived (and it is totally apples to elephants) then I get why he was frustrated. The girls needless to say won and left the arena whooping and hollering. In my mind I'm coming to the decision to NOT sign in next round and take my vengeance. But by the time we got to the next round something interesting happened...

The swarm of girls all came around me with a cool show of respect, telling me I was so good, can they be on my team, do I play here a lot, etc. Smile...yes girls...you can be on my team even though you were just ganging up on me... "Oh yeah, sorry about that" was the reply. All is cool...LT battles are short lived :) However, next game I did not sign in and I did unleash a little fury anyhow...it was a free for all.

After that there were a few adult players who arrived and I thought that they would make a more appropriate game. The game master made sure it was more evenly broken out by instructing the players which teams to play on. He said "you five go red, you others go green" then left me hanging and said you and I go blue. I appreciate the props I feel like I get from the staff there. Sometimes I feel like since I started playing as a six that it might come off like I'm not pulling my weight as a player because I am not winning outright with the regularity that I can and do in other situations, so I took that team separtion for what it was and we went off and took the game as a team of two. I came in second to Lenny, but felt gratified that I was not trailing him by all that much. Final game...didn't sign in. It was a free for all and I won...sometimes you just need an ego boost.

Then things got very informative. A couple of the guys started playing in the lobby with some Q-Zar packs. Intrigued? Yes. I've never played Q-Zar, but it will be the first stop on the Armageddon, so I do want to have some awareness, but there is no place around to get experience with this system. So I got my education tonight and had a chance to ask my questions, get some insight into what the Armageddon experience is really like from someone who will be involved also and I got to practice carrying and pointing a Q-Zar phaser. I am told that if the way you are holding it doesn't hurt that you are doing it wrong and that the proper way to hold it looks something like this...

O...K...

I suspect (aka know without a doubt) that I am not going to be great at Q-Zar. Although I was also informed that it's more about dog fighting than anything else. So I'll just play it scrappy and do what I can. In any case, just putting on the pack and learning what to do with the phaser is more than I had gotten to do before and I am appreciative that I am now playing at an arena where the guys around me are experienced with these tournaments and can answer my questions and give me better guidance. Perhaps the best guidance I got was the advice to drive, not fly, to the Armageddon and to get there by way of passing through Canada...which means I can perhaps combine a visit with my Toronto peeps...love that! And puts my mind at ease that the trip will be more manageable within my control and that I'll have my vehicle right there to get around before and after. That tip will make things so much easier and now I'm getting psyched up for it all the more because I love a road trip!

If you have a comment or question visit my websites at www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com (new version coming soon) and www.photonforever.com or email me at tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com.