The Grand Melee
Every year for the past two years (this weekend was the third), the grand melee at the Bloodgames has been something I look forward to with great anticipation. It is a time when massive armies gather on a field of battle and face one another in boffer combat.
The past two years, the two armies have consisted of one or two large groups versus ALL of the small groups, and the large groups have won.
The disadvantage of being part of a confederation of small armies instead of a single army is that there are too many leaders, there is too much disorganization, and no one knows exactly how the person next to him is about to move. When you are part of a single army, which has fought together before, you know the person next to you, and you know whose voice to listen to.
This year, things were a little different. The grand melee was earlier in the weekend. The largest groups had allied, saying they would wipe out the smallest groups first, then turn on each other when there were no distractions left. As a member of the third smallest group there (I had brought only two people), I was a tad unhappy about the fact that all of the small groups combined did not add up to the size of either of the two large groups. So I made a choice which I had rejected the past two years running: I accepted the offer to fight alongside one of the large groups.
It left a bad taste in my mouth.
When the fighting started, it was a slaughter. The small armies which had not allied with a large one were wiped out as quickly as they took the field. I refused to attack my allies (though there was ONE small army which was filled with scoundrels and traitors, whom I was happy to fight), so I largely hung back from the slaughter until I had an idea.
I charged up to a man who had been on my Skulls team, who was fighting facing five people from the large armies, and shouted "You! I challenge you to an honor duel! ANYONE who interferes will face my sword!" The five people who had been attacking him backed off and formed a ring around us to prevent interference. Yes, I annihilated my opponent: his spells were no match for my sword, but I told him as I took his life token that he would get it back, and as soon as I was not being watched, that is what happened.
I repeated this process again and again, and people started copying me. The smaller armies started pushing back a little, because they were being allowed to fight one on one. Once they were started, the honor duels continued for half an hour, during which time I stopped fighting and started politicking.
When an opponent is defeated in the grand melee, their life token is taken from them, and they can no longer be healed. However, if you happen to have extra life tokens on you, and you see an ally lying on the ground, you can give them one and get them back up. I did not have enough life tokens for what I had planned.
During the honor duels, I began walking up to the leaders of the two large armies, and telling them, "That man over there is a brave warrior who would fight well for us if only he had a token," or "that women is a powerful sorceress whose magic would greatly aid us if only she had a token." I said this to the leaders of both large armies, and I made sure to use the word "us". I may have only brought two warriors, but we were two of the greatest warriors on the field, and both large armies wanted that "us" to mean that when they turned on each other, I was beside them.
Eventually, due to this politicking, the smaller armies became part of the larger armies, and the honor duels stopped. It was no longer a battle of friend versus foe: it was now friend versus friend. The two large armies, with the rags of the smaller armies in their midst, faced off for the final battle, and it was glorious.
When the army with which I had sided defeated the other army, I and my small army were given the choice to walk off the field, rather than be annihilated by the soldier who had fought beside us. I could not choose that option. I did not want to walk away. I wanted a fight.
The two leaders of the large army therefore agreed to take the two of us from my army in single combat. They won both combats, for they are great warriors, but that was the glorious part: we fought warriors who are simply fun to fight.
The past two years, the two armies have consisted of one or two large groups versus ALL of the small groups, and the large groups have won.
The disadvantage of being part of a confederation of small armies instead of a single army is that there are too many leaders, there is too much disorganization, and no one knows exactly how the person next to him is about to move. When you are part of a single army, which has fought together before, you know the person next to you, and you know whose voice to listen to.
This year, things were a little different. The grand melee was earlier in the weekend. The largest groups had allied, saying they would wipe out the smallest groups first, then turn on each other when there were no distractions left. As a member of the third smallest group there (I had brought only two people), I was a tad unhappy about the fact that all of the small groups combined did not add up to the size of either of the two large groups. So I made a choice which I had rejected the past two years running: I accepted the offer to fight alongside one of the large groups.
It left a bad taste in my mouth.
When the fighting started, it was a slaughter. The small armies which had not allied with a large one were wiped out as quickly as they took the field. I refused to attack my allies (though there was ONE small army which was filled with scoundrels and traitors, whom I was happy to fight), so I largely hung back from the slaughter until I had an idea.
I charged up to a man who had been on my Skulls team, who was fighting facing five people from the large armies, and shouted "You! I challenge you to an honor duel! ANYONE who interferes will face my sword!" The five people who had been attacking him backed off and formed a ring around us to prevent interference. Yes, I annihilated my opponent: his spells were no match for my sword, but I told him as I took his life token that he would get it back, and as soon as I was not being watched, that is what happened.
I repeated this process again and again, and people started copying me. The smaller armies started pushing back a little, because they were being allowed to fight one on one. Once they were started, the honor duels continued for half an hour, during which time I stopped fighting and started politicking.
When an opponent is defeated in the grand melee, their life token is taken from them, and they can no longer be healed. However, if you happen to have extra life tokens on you, and you see an ally lying on the ground, you can give them one and get them back up. I did not have enough life tokens for what I had planned.
During the honor duels, I began walking up to the leaders of the two large armies, and telling them, "That man over there is a brave warrior who would fight well for us if only he had a token," or "that women is a powerful sorceress whose magic would greatly aid us if only she had a token." I said this to the leaders of both large armies, and I made sure to use the word "us". I may have only brought two warriors, but we were two of the greatest warriors on the field, and both large armies wanted that "us" to mean that when they turned on each other, I was beside them.
Eventually, due to this politicking, the smaller armies became part of the larger armies, and the honor duels stopped. It was no longer a battle of friend versus foe: it was now friend versus friend. The two large armies, with the rags of the smaller armies in their midst, faced off for the final battle, and it was glorious.
When the army with which I had sided defeated the other army, I and my small army were given the choice to walk off the field, rather than be annihilated by the soldier who had fought beside us. I could not choose that option. I did not want to walk away. I wanted a fight.
The two leaders of the large army therefore agreed to take the two of us from my army in single combat. They won both combats, for they are great warriors, but that was the glorious part: we fought warriors who are simply fun to fight.