The Challenging Board Game

By: Brendan D. (Oct 13th, 2011)

Have you ever played a game that you just plain stunk at? Then later on you had to play against two other…well stinkers in front of everybody then lose? Well, I have and boy was I embarrassed. But, let’s start at the beginning before I say the rest of the moment of embarrassment.

“Whoa check this out!” I called out to my mom. I was at Target (a department store for those who don’t know) with my mom who was paying for a new BeyBlade (an electronic top) . Whenever we go to Target, while my mom or dad are paying for our items, I always go to the card aisle just to see what is new. That was when I saw when I saw one of the best deals I ever seen. It was tin box full of card packs that were seventy-five percent off. In other words it was only $4.99 instead of $19.99. 

“Mom may I please buy this awesome tin box of cards that is seventy-five percent off?” I begged persuasively as I walked up to her while she was still in line.

“I still have enough money.”

I waited a little.

“All right,” my mom answered.

“Thanks,” I replied.

While we were driving home, I started to have second thoughts about my tin box. I wasn’t familiar with the game and had never played before. I looked at the tin box. It had “Pirates Constructible Strategy Game” embroaded on the lid. I cheered up a little. Soon, we got home. I shot to the room that my brother and dad were in.

“I got a new BeyBlade,” I told them as I hid the Pirates game behind my back.

“And I got this new game I bought!” I said as I showed them the tin.

My brother and I shot straight to our room as I tore open the wrapper and opened the lid.

“Sweet!” I exclaimed.

I took out the first card pack and ripped it open. I saw an instruction manual slip out. I quickly but carefully read it excitingly. After I read the manual, not only did I learn the rules, but I also figured out that it was a collecting board game. Basically what that means is that each pack is already a board game that comes with two ships (or one ship and a sea monster) which are game pieces but each pack has a different ship. So you can collect different ships. After, I quickly picked up the ships that came with the pack and read them. Soon I had opened all the packs and had seen all the ships. Boy was I happy. I had got tons of rare ships and a whole lot of powerful ones. One by one I constructed the ships. Later on, my whole family (except the pets) played a game of Pirates. I had gotten last place but I wasn’t that sad. The next day, my brother went to Target to get his own set. We played another game, only this time it was my brother versus me. I had lost again, although this time I was ashamed of myself. I mean two losses in a row! Okay maybe that isn’t that much but I’m the “King of Games” out of all my relatives (meaning I’m the best game player in the family), so if I lose it kind of affects my title. Anyways, later on in the day, I had a rematch with my brother. You can probably guess…I lost. Although this time I was angry. I lost thrice in a row… which kind of bites. The next day, I started to think on how I kept on losing.

“Have I been doing something wrong?” I thought to myself.

Then hit me! I thought I had been using a weak ship. So I traded in my gaming ship with a new one. This time I made sure that the new ship had lots of cannons. Again, I had rematch my brother and lost. This was really getting on my nerves now. I didn’t understand why couldn’t I just win…once even? I put up some the best ships in the game into battle and still lose. I decided to lay off Pirates for a while.

 After a while, my cousins from Canada came over to stay for 2 weeks.  That was the day I decided to play Pirates again.  While my brother and I were half way through the game, our cousins, Justin and Ben, just arrived and went to see what we were doing.  After the game was over, my aunt (who I had no idea was watching) asked me to teach her kids how to play the game so they would have something else to play instead of video games.  Proudly I taught them how to play the game step by step.  Then, I gave them each about 25 ships each (I collected a lot) to get them started.  

The next few days, we had the relatives game champion tournament.  The first game was Chess.  The scores were: first place = Ben, second place = me, third place = Justin and fourth place = Matthew (my brother).  Next, we played Yugioh, a trading card game of strategy.  The results were: first place = me, second place = Matthew, third place = Ben and fourth place = Justin.  Finally, the newest game of the tournament…Pirates.  As I went to prepare my fleet, I kept thinking to myself, “If I could just get first or second place, I would win.”  Then, I met the others at the “ocean” playing field.  Suddenly, the adults all came to the game field. 

“What are you guys doing?” I asked.

“To watch the new game that was added to the tournament,” they replied. That was when I was starting to have second thoughts about the game.

“What if I lose,” I thought.

The games had begun.  Everybody stared closely as each player moved a ship.  At first I thought that I was doing pretty well.  (I was collecting coins one by one).  Then, after all the treasure had been taken (you have to get the most treasure to win), we all counted our coins.  I proudly called out eighteen.  But I wasn’t as joyful after the others said their scores.  I had lost, in front of everybody, I lost against beginners.  I could feel my face getting hot with embarrassment.  I had lost.  Suddenly, my sadness was replaced with anger.  I ran to my bedroom wanting to beat someone up.  I skipped dessert that night, full of anger.

 Days went by but to me it felt like years.  Finally, it was time for my cousins to leave.  Although I wasn’t going to just leave them as champions.  I told them all…

“Listen up I say we have one more game of pirates.”  

Everybody agreed to this challenge. While we went to choose our ships, I thought something. 

“Maybe the reason why I’m losing is because of my strategy?” I thought.

“Hey that is it,” I shouted, “Maybe that is the reason why I’m losing…because I don’t have a strategy.”

I proudly and bravely walked to the ocean mat.  This time I chose a strategic ship instead of a ship with only high attack.  And what do you know, I was winning.  I easily crushed Ben and Justin.  I was on a roll.  Now the only problem was my brother.  Soon the game was over.  One at a time we shouted out our scores.

“22!”  I shouted proudly.

“16,” answered Justin.

“18,” Ben said.

“So far great,” I thought.

My brother wouldn’t say his score.  I guess he was trying to make things tense.

“21,” my brother said sadly.

 Had I won, had I actually won!? I had!  Soon we had to say goodbye.  I waved proudly.  “I can’t believe I won,” I thought.  I may have walked in as a loser but I walked out as a winner.