Year: 2005
Location: Indianapolis
I have a certain amount of loyalty to people that can provide great games. Of all the GM's that I've run across at Gen Con Gary Mendehall is the most entertaining. The concept for his event, The Circle Tournament of Tournament Town, is easy. All you have to do is survive. The last man standing wins. So when I showed up for the event and saw how distressed he was, I was a little worried that anyone would survive the six-hour event.
I immediately checked to see if there was anything I could do to change his mood. Not even the promise of Twinkies and beer lightened his spirits. I even offered to try and track his wife down in the Great Hall. She had disappeared into its capitalist embrace three hours prior with the promise of returning in half an hour.
So with no other option I snagged the chainmail bikini top that I had been working on and headed to the bathroom. After slipping it on I made my way back to the table. I got a couple of second looks. The most memorable was a guy that looked backwards to catch a glance and ended up walking into a table with a water cooler on it.
When I got back to the table some of the other players had arrived. I propped myself up along the wall and said, “Feel better now?”
Gary’s eyes got a little bigger, he stood up a bit straighter, and in succession pointed at the other players and said “You die. You die. You die.” Pointed at me saying, “You live.” And then “You die,” As he pointed to the last person at the table.