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6-30-2003
A Continental Experience
I recently returned from Columbus Ohio after attending the Origins convention. I had a blast and placed 14th.
Now for the longer version...
The Ride Up
The ride to Columbus was uneventful, with the wind at our back we made excellent time and saved $90 on our estimated fuel cost.
The Motel
After closing the Mitchell store we looked for ways to cut our costs. The hotel was a biggie. With the three of us, we chose to share a room to cut costs once again and we found a motel several miles away from the convention centre. When we found it, it was the next best thing from renting a basement room at the Y. We suddenly got an opportunity to get a motel that was a bit better, and much closer than the other one so we cancelled our reservations and got a room.
When we arrived, it was the worst motel I ever stayed in. The part of town was bad, the room showed several signs of damage, and the clerk, (we'll call him Habib) told us that the rooms have been periodically broken into. We locked everything.
Columbus OH
The no-turn capital of the world. There were more no turn signs in a square mile than there are in all of South Dakota! Most of the areas of town that we saw were either downtown or slums. The mall and the soccer stadium was one of the few areas of town that we enjoyed. Many of the people that had jobs were mainly friendly, and those within the vicinity of a Starbucks were downright cheerful.
The Origins Convention
As a contrast to the giant slum of Columbus, the origins convention was a model of cleanliness and style. Held in the convention centre of the Hyatt Regency, every major manufacturer of gaming trade was there from ultra-pro to Wizards of the coast. Some of the larger online stores were also there. Each of the convention rooms were nearly an acre in size including the CCG tournament room.
On the first day we went cheap for our car park. $4 got us an all day car park 6 blocks away from the Hyatt. On the second day we parked in the Hyatt Parking garage for a total of $11 for about 7hours, and $7 for general admission parking at the Columbus Crew Stadium for 3 hours!
The Tournament
Our Tournaments are run with temporal precision and a steadfast dedication to the rules and players. What I played in, I can safely say, was not one of our tournaments.
About 24 players even bothered to show up, and most were individuals from Columbus. We were told that the day before, the Decipher reps were an hour and a half late starting the tournament. Players played with their decks in whatever position made them comfortable, and most rulings were: "If it doesn't affect the game, it really doesn't matter." I am not completely sure if everyone even had the minimums.
My first opponent was the only one worth noting because while others beat me as well, he was the only weirdo of the group. He was a dead ringer for Kivas Fajo with a moustache and glasses. He played with his draw deck directly in front of him, his discard pile to his right of that, and his dilemmas at a 90 degree above and beside the deck to his left. He cataloged and verified each and every move he and I made. The game was close and he won by 1 turn.
By far, the worst luck I had was against Romulan and klingon due to the total lack of stopping or killing power of my dilemmas. Everyone was chatty and treated it like it was no big deal. The breaks were not uniform or scheduled and we only played 6 games. There were players of all abilities at the second day and even some of the bad players somehow made it through from the first day! Huh! One guy learned how to play it on Thursday, played in the tournament on Friday, and somehow got into day 2 on Saturday with only a starter deck.
The Soccer Game
The high point may have been the Tournament, but the pro Soccer game is right up there with it. We watched the Columbus Crew whomp DC United 3-0.
The prices were not so good. $4.50 for a 24ounce soda, $3.50 for a 20oz. bottle, $4.50 for a brat, and $2.50 for a hot dog. $15 per person in the worst seats in the stadium behind the goal.
The Ride Home
After several early mornings, we were all dead tired. The Fleet Admiral took the wheel while my caffiene kicked in. I drove for about 5 hours while the others took a nap. After being up at 4:30 central time, I finally got my nap at 1:30.
Next Time
I want to go again. Not the way we did it, and certainly not making the same mistakes. Our Fleet Admiral with the pull he had and the additional driver was a godsend. We saved lots of money by sharing a room and having mother nature on our side, but I would probably leave the driving to someone else and maybe get separate rooms. I would have liked to get to the convention rested and in time for Marie and our Admiral to play in day one but maybe next time.
Overall
I had fun. Columbus may have looked like the unwashed backside of the US but I'm sure there could be worse. After all, we were not mugged, robbed or shot at once. I enjoyed the company and I enjoyed playing in the Tournament and I especially liked the Origins Convention. I encourage others to go and play in the larger Decipher Tournaments. If one thing is crystal clear, we, as the only formally organized Star Trek player's guild in North America, have players who are more developed and more skilled than any other player on the continent. There is definite advantage to being a part of our group and those who are should be proud. The potential, skill and ability of every member far surpasses even those I lost to in the Tournament and with continued play and dedication to the Guild, I am certain that some player may go even further than I have.
Jolan Tru
Praetor Terrill