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| What game would you most like to play for the next eighteen years? |
Several years ago, my wife and I devoted one night each week
to a three-month workshop course at a local high school. With access to all kinds of equipment we
didn’t own, including professional-grade planers, joiners, and table saws, I
embarked upon a mission to make a craftsman style chair. Yet despite having twelve evenings, of
roughly three-hours each, in which to build that chair, I failed to finish
it. Those evenings flew by. I did manage to cut most of my pieces to the
exacting dimensions the pattern called for, cut all my mortis and tenon joints,
and glued together the basic frame. (I
used the weeks between to build my own mortis jig, to do what work I could in
my garage, and plan out how I could best use my next workshop evening). But still my Oak and Purpleheart chair sits
in the garage, awaiting completion. And
that’s just the one chair, not the six I planned to make, or the table I
envisioned them set around!
It was nice to see that the folks at Geek Chic devoted a
great deal of attention to their chairs.
Each section of the back was shaped individually to provide lumbar
support and support the upper back. The
seats were similarly sculpted. As I’ve
grown older, I’ve noticed how uncomfortable I can get in chairs of more basic
design. Even if they come with padded
seats and backs, sitting in them gets tiring after a few hours. (We opted not to attend the screening of two
films at Comikaze, partly due to this issue).
Yet I can imagine hours spent on Geek Chic’s wooden chairs, sitting
around the table with my family or friends, and never needing a cushion or
pillow to relieve my discomfort.
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| "Okay, we'll storm the castle via the swamp." |
The firm’s focus on each buyer’s interests and comfort is
impressive. And they offer other
options, such as cabinets for storing game equipment, card catalogues, game
manuals, and even comic books. Every
aspect of the interactive storytelling experience is attended to. The buyer makes an equal commitment. As these are custom-built pieces, a hefty
deposit is necessary to secure one’s wait in line. Most of us are used to walking through a few furniture
show rooms, selecting a model of multipurpose tables and chairs that best fits
our available space and personal style, and having our new furniture delivered
the following day. Imagine waiting five
to eight months for your custom pieces of furniture to arrive. Think of the people ordering such exquisitely
crafted furniture. Pursuing their
favorite games cannot be an idle fancy, or a passing whim. In buying the furniture, they are committing
themselves to a type of gaming and storytelling that they love, at least for
years, if not for a lifetime.
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| "Play with me now, I command thee!" |
I imagine that those who have children plan for longer than
that. They design a table that will fit
not only the games they enjoy playing, but also the ones they envision their
children playing. This is the greatest
legacy that Fiction can offer. Not just
to delight for a moment, but provide meaning throughout the entirety of our
lives, and give us something of value that we can pass on to our descendants?
Dragon Dave
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