The intern wanted another crack at Pandemic, a last chance to recover from our heartbreaking loss last week. Her, myself, and two other co-workers joined us.
We lost. Again. Horribly. So horribly, the game was over in about three rounds. The infamous "Black Plague" hit us. Those of you familiar with Pandemic know exactly what I'm talking about...when a city in the Middle East, such as Baghdad, gets an outbreak, which causes a chain reaction of other outbreaks in adjacent middle eastern cities, resulting in a fast, brutal loss as the black disease cubes run out rapidly.
The silver lining to losing so quickly was that we were able to get a second game in! Our fourth player dropped out, having "a work project to do" after the loss. Personally, I think he just didn't want to get spanked by the board again...
Anyways, we three remaining set up, played...and won! Lady luck...our enemy in the previous game...became our ally in the second game, as we had a fortituious starting hand of cards. I, as the Researcher, shoveled my entire hand onto the other two players, and within a few turns, we had the cures after suffering only two outbreaks and two Epidemic cards. Now, the intern can add "Pandemic winner" to her resume!
With this intern gone, my regulars drop from four to just three. Out of an office of about 60. Granted, many of them are gone on Friday afternoons due to telework and leave requests, but still...the turnout has been disappointing. This actually worked to my advantage this week, as Pandemic can only handle four players, but the future prosperity of this get-together is uncertain. I am DETERMINED to keep at it, though. Every Friday (or, if Friday won't work, Thursday or Wednesday). I don't care if it's just me, sitting alone, in the conference room. It will become a Thing.
Why keep at it? Because, as I've said before, sometimes love is work. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to show up, to put yourself out there, to just say "Hey, I'm doing this, who's with me?" and actually face the possibility that in fact, no one is with you. It's a hard and lonely feeling. But, as Gandhi once said, "You have to be the change you wish to see in the world." And, goddamit, I want to see more people playing tabletop games. So if I have to sit in the conference room with just one or two...or zero...co-workers and play something, then that's what I'm going to do.
Good way to go out -- and I think Pandemic is easier with fewer players. The coordination becomes easier.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I also think the higher amount of starting cards is an understated but potent advantage.
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