“I have an extraordinary surprise for all of you,” announced Ed.
“RinthCon Day 2 kicks off in a little while,” said Red, “and yesterday was a mess. I have a lot to finish organizing for the tabletop gaming track. You’re going to wear me out with all this walking before we get started. Can we just go back and do this later?”
Ed chuckled. “Don’t worry; I know your boss.”
“Don’t pull the boss card on us, Ed. I’m a volunteer. I just want to get my work done and have a smooth event.”
“I promise it will be worth it,” he said, stopping at a dingy green door, “This is where the adventure begins!” Beyond the door, Ed started down a dank, shadowy stairwell. Behind him, Red, Falco, Cara and Schlep followed reluctantly.
Ed narrated as they walked. “The first role-playing game was played by a small group of bored yet imaginative friends in a town on Earth called Lake Geneva. One member of this group assembled the game into a set of rules and printed it under the name Dungeons and Dragons.”
“Yeah,” said Falco with a sigh, “What has that got to do with where we’re going?”
“The year was 1973. We’re in 2323 now, so this year is the 350th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons. It is a momentous occasion. The original rules were simple and they were printed entirely on paper…”
“How far down are we going exactly?” interrupted Cara after Ed had explained the nuanced differences between the first nine printings of the game. “I don’t think I can do anymore stairs!”
“In fact, this is it,” Ed replied, opening another dingy green door. He switched on a flashlight and led them into a dark corridor.
“I don’t like this,” said Cara.
“Me neither,” said Red, “I don’t think we’re supposed to be down here. Why did you bring us down here?”
“The 350th anniversary of D&D demands something special. The most special thing we could do in celebration would be something completely authentic to the original game and the original gamers, don’t you think? I thought about that a lot while we prepared for this year, so I researched texts from the late 20th century about gamers to see what their original authentic habits were. I have put together the most authentic gaming experience anyone has seen in centuries!”
Everyone but Ed groaned.
“One of the most striking legends was how student gamers at centers of higher education regularly snuck into tunnels under their schools to game,” said Ed.
“Wait!” said Red, “Is that what we’re doing here?”
“What kind of tunnels?” asked Falco.
“Sewage tunnels, I believe,” said Ed.
“Oh, no! No way!” exclaimed Cara.
“Don’t worry,” replied Ed, “I couldn’t get the entrance to the sewage tunnels open. We’re just going to use these tunnels.”
“What were these tunnels for?” asked Falco.
“It’s impossible to know,” said Ed, “Remember that this asteroid was hollowed out and used for all kinds of things before it was turned into a hotel, and only a tiny piece of it is in use now.”
“That means the hotel doesn’t know where we are!” said Red.
Ed turned back to his gaming staff and grinned at them. “That’s the best part.” Ed recounted legends of gamers slinging dice and slaying dragons below university campuses as they walked through twists and turns and corridors.
Red interrupted one of his stories. “Ed, what is that piece of paper you keep looking at?” she asked.
“It’s a map. I had my son Mordy make it. He prepared everything for us just as I asked him to.”
“You don’t know the way?” asked Red.
“Well, I have a map so of course I do!”
“We need to go back, right now!” said Cara.
“But here we are,” said Ed. He led them into a stone room lit by soft light. A wooden table occupied the center of a large, colorful throw rug. The table was stacked with books, paper, dice, and bowls of snacks. “This is a historical re-creation of the very room in Lake Geneva where Gary Gygax played D&D with his friends. This is where we are going to experience the game exactly as the Ancients did!”
“Really?” asked Red, “Why are there racks of swords and polearms and shields and costumes against the walls?”
“There is a theory that re-enactment was a big part of the early 20th century games. It’s logical to assume Gary Gygax’s house was outfitted for this purpose.”
“Guys,” said Schlep, who was the last one in the room. He was sweating and breathing hard.
“Can I put down these boxes and all your backpacks?”
“Oh, are you still carrying those boxes?” asked Ed, “You were supposed to leave those in the Gaming HQ. Just take them back up the stairs when we return.”
Schlep groaned.
“Look at this!” Exclaimed Ed, excitement filling his voice as he pulled a stick from a barrel. One end of the stick was wrapped in cloth. “We even have torches for our re-enactments!”
“Ed, no more fooling around,” said Red, “We have to go. Schlep, go pick up all that stuff again. We’re getting out of here.”
Schlepp sighed and gathered up the backpacks and boxes.
“All right,” said Ed, “but I’m in the spirit of things so I’m going to use a torch on the way back. I hope you appreciate I have prepared for everything! We’ll come back down tonight for our gaming session.”
“Ed, hurry up,” said Falco.
Ed lit a torch with a lighter and led them out of the little room. “The torch’s shifting light makes it a little harder to read the map,” said Ed.
“Don’t get us lost,” said Red.
Ed squinted at the map and hunched close over it. An ember dropped from the torch onto the map. The hall grew momentarily brighter as fire leaped up from the paper. Ed dropped the paper and stomped it out, but the map had turned to ash.
“You better have another map,” said Red.
“I…”
“What?”
“I… do.”
“Get it out and let’s leave,” said Red.
“Mordy has it,” said Ed, “In the Gaming HQ.”
Ed never saw Red’s punch coming.
“Ow!” Ed exclaimed, holding his hand over his left eye.
“I guess you failed your initiative roll,” she said.
Comments