Kubla Kountdown

(I'm suddenly reminded of the Simpsons "Krusty Komedy Klassic, at the Apollo Theater")

Looks like I'm number two on the "only so many days before Kubla" post. I have actually been painting pretty consistently, but not "like a madman" I'd say. Mainly because I knew once I got the Monolith finished, it'd be downhill. Plus Meredith, my loving wife being the wonderful person she is, offered to base my minis and paint my Sentinels. At which point, I knew I was going to make it without too much rush.

So what I have left is the Techpriest and his servitor. I finished the Super-Secret-BloodBowl-Team. I have to flock & number them, and they're totally finished. In what has become sort of a ritual, I'll do the flocking dead last after I finish almost everything else.

Beyond that it's fix some broken Orks (weapon popped off here and there), put the IG in their trays, and then put the Looted Monolith in its box. I ended up buying a $4 cardboard evidence box used by lawyers. I figure that plus some bubble wrap and I'm good to go. Probably can stuff a tray or two of Ork stuff in there as well.

Mer happened to comment that I seem unenthusiastic about Kubla this year. Which is odd, because I am jazzed about it. But she is right in that there's not the energy I've had in previous years. But not in a bad way. Usually, I get this excited energy because, hey, I like hanging out with my friends. And usually that makes me fairly high strung.

But not so much this year. Part of me wants to say its because I expect it to be an "off" year. See, I've noticed there's this trend where during the even years stuff goes wrong at Kubla whereas odd years are more fun. For example:

2008: didn't really get to play as much with my friends as I'd like, plus Jocelyn screeched all weekend. Plus I referred a babysitter to Trent & Darby that . . . didn't work out.

2006: Manny couldn't make it due to his granddaughter being born. This was also the first year I wasn't involved in the Golden Gargant, and Trent & I hung out for like 20 minutes all weekend.

2004: Worked as an Orlock. We worked 34 hours in 4 days. In addition to gaming. I am no longer friends with someone as a result of this weekend.

2002: Our first Kubla, so probably can't really be included. However, we still drove up to Oakland every morning before the event and drove home afterward.


Compare with the odd years:

2009: Our second year of the BBCS where we improved on things, plus our first cardhammer event which went really well. Even the Rez event, which was just the four of us, was fun.

2007: The year we did the big Rezolution event, that worked perfectly. Everything that could go right did: I had enough terrain show up, an even number of people to a couple of events where we had an odd number to start.

2005: Despite doing two Wargods events in the evening and Golden Gargant during the day, it went fabulously well. Was the first year Manny came out, and we had a conclusion to a campaign that had been going for six months.

2003: First year in the new hotel, where Mer & I basically ran the Gargant by ourselves. Plus I'd gotten a sneak peak at the (now two versions ago) upcoming Guard codex and got to play with that all weekend.

So according to the 'Even Year Curse' stuff's going to go wrong this year. I predict it'll be
a) at the 40K event
b) something Scott does
c) Both.
d) All of the above, plus something totally out of left field.


But really, that's not what has me mellow. I think what's going on is that . . . I don't care. Not about Kubla. I mean, I'm not terribly concerned about stuff going wrong. I'm sure something will. And while something might frustrate me, I'm just not worried about the bad stuff. Shit will happen, we will roll with it. I'm starting to think that all that nervous energy I had was my natural predilection to fret about all the various things that could go wrong.

Or maybe something will go wrong and it'll make this Kubla leave a sour taste in my mouth. Only one way to find out. . .