We were rehashing Game No. 282 in Peter Lokken’s backyard in Logan Square. I had just been accused of sabotaging a Key Lepanto back in Fall 1901 and was explaining what actually happened. I was eloquent, perhaps, but unconvincing, apparently, because Geoff Serednesky shut me down with the quote of the night.
"Jim," he said, "the game’s over. You can stop lying."
Fortunately for me, I was much more convincing during the game. We called it early after the Fall 1905 turn. The final center counts were:
Austria (Peter Lokken): 0; 0.000 points.
England (Josh Heffernan): 8; 22.695 points.
France (Ray Trotta): 7; 17.376 points.
Germany (Brandon Fogel): 0; 0.000 points.
Italy (Jim O’Kelley): 12; 51.064 points.
Russia (Geoff Serednesky): 4; 5.674 points.
Turkey (Jake Trotta): 3; 3.191 points.
The supply center chart is here.
This was our third game of young Season 11, and we’ve already had 19 different players participate. Ray Trotta was the latest new recruit. Jake and Ian’s father, Ray got a brief rules explanation from Jake on the drive to Peter’s. Fortunately, Matt Sundstrom stopped by to watch the game and enjoy the fall evening, so we appointed him Ray’s advisor. He answered questions and helped ensure that Ray wrote his orders correctly.
We had another strong showing from the class of Season 10. Jake was joined on the board by classmates Brandon and Geoff. The board was rounded out by vets.
The game itself was an impromptu addition to the schedule. We posted it last week, and it filled in 23 minutes. Peter wants to host another one this Saturday.
In a classic case of good news and bad news, he has some time on his hands. He’s on leave for a couple of weeks as he recovers from successful brain surgery to remove a tumor. His recovery is going much better than his game went, and I’d encourage you to show up for Saturday’s game if only to check out his scar.
Winter is coming. Get outside and play some Dip.
