all the world's a board, and all the men and women merely pieces

[livingdeadgirl]

WHO: anybody!
WHERE: Total Recall Games and Hobbies
WHEN: Saturday, May 6, 12-9 pm
WHAT: Free board game day! Despite some of the game pieces being bigger than we are.
WARNINGS: Shenanigans and an adorable puppy

Total Recall is a mid-sized game and hobby shop situated in a strip mall in Tisse, between Wag the Dog (a puppy obedience school) and Road House Pizza (which is also a bar in the evenings. the bar does not deliver). I can neither confirm nor deny that all the other stores in this shopping center are also named after movies.

Anyway, about half of Total Recall's floor space is devoted to retail, selling board games, card games, figurines, role-playing books, and (for some reason) hand-crocheted hats. The other half is an open space with tables and chairs, perfect for playing the stuff from the retail half. And for today's event, somebody actually built a little motorized elevator out of K'nex that they can roll from table to table as needed! It feels rickety as hell, sure, but it'll easily hold something as light as you.

There's a wide variety of games set up to play, and they rotate new ones in every few hours. There's Settlers of Catan, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Clue, Sorry, the Game of Life, Apples to Apples (to be swapped out for Cards Against Humanity after 5:00), and lots more. If you can think of a game, they probably have it (so feel free to insert your own).

One notable exhibit is Crossbows and Catapults, which is a game where you shoot actual projectiles across the table trying to knock down your opponent's wall. It goes without saying that this is probably super dangerous for tiny people to play, as they've got quite a bit of force to them, but hey, hashtag YOLO amirite?

Before you go, there's a couple of specific points where gameplay gets interrupted:

1. Food time! Somebody ordered a large pizza from next door, and fortunately they're sharing, since it's easily big enough to feed everyone in the store. Since actually getting to the pizza is a production and a half, they call rotating time outs table by table, serving the pizza from a picnic blanket in the center of the room.

2. Down, boy, down! Remember the obedience school next door? That didn't stop being a thing or anything. Anyway, a large, rambunctious puppy has escaped from class (can't imagine how) and decided to come in here and see what all the hubbub is. Fortunately, he's adorable and friendly and wouldn't dream of hurting a hooman, even if they are chew toy sized! Less fortunately, he really likes pizza, doesn't understand that the game pieces are where they are for a reason, has a lot of slobber to distribute, and might not be fully house trained yet (hence the obedience school). He's just excited!! and wants to play!!!!! but it gets very disruptive very quickly, especially since he can absolutely jump up onto the chairs and tables. His owners will be by shortly to try and get him back, but they're not gonna be able to wrangle him on their own...

Other than that, though, it's a fun, laid-back day of board games. Go forth and enjoy!

Comments

[clear_eyes]

Ha ha, I was kind of hoping for a cat too, but really... I'm just fine with it. I thought it'd be really weird at first, but he's pretty friendly! Smart, self sufficient...

[Raquel smiles, a bit obliviously.]

I don't know about smart, but I like to read! Rachel has a lot of books about a lot of things!

[skald]

He reads, too? [She's getting more and more skeptical that this is really a puppy... but in any case, she tears off a handful of pizza and settles down on the picnic blanket to address this mystery with some food in hand.] So, I hope you don't mind me asking, but I haven't gotten anything weird from Retrospec yet so I don't actually know what it's like... did he just. Show up one day?

[clear_eyes]

Oh, yes he did. On the first day everything got all... [She motions with her arms to indicate everything getting bigger.] He showed up in my room. Luckily I didn't have to break him out of like a giant box or something.

[skald]

Oh, wow, so this is pretty recent, huh! [and then she leans over and whispers, covering her mouth with her hand as if she's expecting it to stop Raquel from overhearing, even though he's right there.] Do you think he'd be the size of a little bug if everything went back to normal? Or is he tinier than normal now too?

[clear_eyes]

Yeah, within the last week...

[Rachel blinks, not really sure about why she's whispering this, but... well, she obliges anyway.

In my memory he was the same size scale as he is now, so... he'd probably get bigger if things went back to normal.

[Raquel just stares and blinks, meanwhile.]

[skald]

Ohh, that makes sense. I wonder why he's tiny too when the other dogs that I've seen are all enormous? Maybe it's because he can talk.

[She nods after she says this, as if she's just said something incredibly insightful, and pulls back to take another bite of her pizza.]

[clear_eyes]

Well, he remembers the same memories I've regained, so I'm pretty sure he's tied to me somehow. Plus, he doesn't just talk, he can fl-

[Cue Raquel floating up near them, still munching on pizza.]

What are you all whispering about?

[skald]

--Nothing! [she says immediately, way more defensive than she has any right to be, considering they weren't talking about anything damning at all.] Ahaha, that piece of pepperoni is almost as big as my head, would you look at that!

[clear_eyes]

[Raquel blinks some more.]

... [And then he smiles.] Ha ha, yeah! The pepperoni is really good, though! It's kinda spicy, but I like it!

[Rachel can't help it, she chuckles a bit.]

... So do you think this business with how big everything is will change at some point?

[skald]

[Tuuri is legitimately so surprised that that weak distraction worked, she actually laughs for real.] Yeah! I can tell you one good thing about being this tiny: it's a lot more fun to eat like this!

[But that's the million dollar question, isn't it.] ...I don't know. I mean, with everything else-- chocobos and dancing fruit and all of that-- none of it has gone back to normal, right? So if it does, I don't think it'll change anytime soon...

[clear_eyes]

... I sure hope it does. I don't know if we can keep going on like this. We've found a way to manage for now, but... [She sighs.] The other day Raquel and I had a really close call.

[skald]

You're telling me. I want to sleep in a bed again instead of throwing a pillow on the floor and calling it a day.

[but enough about her griping...] What happened?

[clear_eyes]

Ah, well... it's kind of a long story. But...

[She looked to the side, her thoughts distant for a moment.] There are these... things. In cracks, or out of the way places. They tried to lure Raquel and I in. It was very frightening...

[skald]

What do you mean? [she asks, immediately interested.] Like the cracks in the sidewalk? I've been trying to avoid them, since I don't want to get stuck... [she pats her hips self-deprecatingly, before laughing slightly and continuing.] But there was something in them?

[clear_eyes]

Cracks in the sidewalk, cracks in walls... any kind you might imagine, yes. [She shuddered as she remembers it all.] I fell in one and there was this mist, and there were voices calling my name...

[skald]

That sounds really creepy. [She feels bad for even bringing it up now, based on Rachel's reaction.] I'm sorry. Did you ever find out what it was about? I guess I'd just be glad to make it out of there.

[clear_eyes]

No, not really. [She shakes her head.] I answered some questions with a friend, but... I mostly wanted to get as far away from all that as I could.

[skald]

I don't blame you! [she says quickly, holding up her hands lest she be mistaken for someone who would be judgmental about scary situations.] I'm sure it was terrible, I'm glad you made it out of there!

...I just. Can't help but be curious, you know?

[clear_eyes]

[Rachel nods slowly.]

I understand what you mean. I've been interested in all these mysteries surrounding us for a long time. I guess if I hadn't experienced it first hand I would have reacted the same way too.