My Other Home: WBC

                By far, WBC is my favorite week (well…9 days!) of the year. WBC stands for the World Boardgaming Championships and is currently held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We became friends with some Amish teenagers at the local Waffle House, too. 

My first year at WBC was the summer of 2010. It was eye-opening. I had only been introduced to the hobby a few months before when I started dating Joe.

Joe’s face would light up when he talked about WBC and he described it as a place where he felt like home. A place that was “his.”

After my first taste of gaming, I was hooked. And for some reason I thought Joe didn’t want me to go so I never asked. About a week before the convention, we realized that there had been a misunderstanding – he thought I thought WBC was too nerdy while I thought he wanted to keep it all to himself. Regardless, a week before the Con started, I decided to go and he taught me A LOT of games so I would be able to play in as many tournaments as possible.

(As much as I hate learning rules, I was thankful for this!)

I instantly won over the sport gamer crowd by kicking some serious butt in March Madness minutes after learning it; I made future life-long friends; I felt the majestic power of hundreds of people slamming their cups during Liar’s Dice.

I had the time of my life that first year and knew that summer would not be summer without WBC.

Forget you, "normal people," who like to go down the shore for vacation.

I’ve made some great memories over the last few years and hope to remember many of them from this year’s Con. Here are some of my top WBC tournament moments from 2013:

Tournaments:

5. Facts in Five. I learned that I know a lot about geography, magazines, and Fortune 500 companies and little of everything else. Either way, this event is so much fun. However, I was insulted by one category involving Monopoly. I’ve had too many people assume I play those types of games for me to fill in any answers. 

A picture from the 2012 event.

4. Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit. I really want this game, it’s so fun! I ended up playing two of my friends during two heats which made it even better. Since I’m a super-nerd, I wore my Ahsoka Tano hoodie to stay with the Star Wars theme. J

Any Clone Wars fans out there?

3. Pirate’s Cove. You know an event is fun when getting candy isn’t even the best part! I am going to bring some pirate attire for next year to get into the spirit. This event reminded me of why we all go to WBC- to have an amazing time. 

                                     

                                                                            

2. Paydirt. This is one of my favorite events every year! I was accidently the Browns and the Eagles (I wasn’t really paying attention during the draft and just stuck up my hand when I realized I could get these teams “for free”) but it worked out pretty well. Every year, new rules are added and the team’s stats are updated in order to make the game more realistic, which I appreciate. In the AFC heat, I won two games and then lost my third on a field goal on the last drive. In the NFC heat, I won my first game by 26 – I felt really mean – then lost my second game in overtime. I love the atmosphere of this game and how everyone gets so into it. J

Representing my hometown team!

              

1. Battleline. During this tournament, I was more focused than ever before! Usually, I daydream between turns, but for this game, I was calculating and intent on winning. This is not a game I usually win – it’s actually the game I play with Joe after I’ve already beaten him in a few so he has a chance… Anyway, I’m really proud of myself for winning five games in a row and then losing in the finals. Second place, woo!

:)

Bonuses: It was a teammate’s team game. It is the third event I’ve earned laurels in and I still don’t have a plaque (Joe has FIVE third place plaques, among others). I think I might try to set a record. J

Overall, this year’s WBC was a success. I loved all of my tournaments and catching up with old friends. Somehow, we always managed to find the last table in the open gaming room. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything this year, which is new for me. I had an amazing 9 days. It all just worked out perfectly.

It’s a great feeling realizing that what once was “his” place is now “ours.”

                                            Is it August 4^th, 2014 yet?!