Overheard at Minas Truman

[barnabas_truman]

[We're playing Smallworld, a board game in which players control various fantasy races--elves, dwarves, trolls, etc.--fighting for dominance of the map. When a player's currently active race becomes too weak, he or she may choose to send it into "decline" (e.g. "the age of elves is at an end, the age of man is beginning" from Lord of the Rings) and choose a new race next turn. The current game started out as skeletons vs humans, and the skeletons pretty much swept across the entire board by the second turn. The situation looked hopeless for the poor humans, now holding only one territory.]

"Aw, phlogiston."

"That's an interesting minced oath."

"PLAAAAAAAAARGHHH. Yeah, I'm sending these guys into decline."

"Well, they had a good run, anyway."

"No they didn't!"

"I know; I just said that to make you feel better."