Arthur by 14thWarrior


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ARTHUR: Whoa there!

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GAME STORE CLERK #1: Halt! Who goes there?

ARTHUR: It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the House Down the Block. Master of the Game, Designer of the Adventures, Sovereign of all Gamedom!

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Pull the other one!

ARTHUR: I am,... and this is my trusty player Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of players who will join me at my table in the basement. I must speak with your lord and master.

GAME STORE CLERK #1: What? Ridden on a motorbike?

ARTHUR: Yes!

GAME STORE CLERK #1: You're using book covers!

ARTHUR: What?

GAME STORE CLERK #1: You've got two torn Tri-Stat dX covers stuck in the spokes of your bicycle wheels.

ARTHUR: So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Montana, through--

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Where'd you get the Tri-Stat dX books?

ARTHUR: We found them.

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Found them? In Montana? Tri-Stat dX is Canadian!

ARTHUR: What do you mean?

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Well, this is America.

ARTHUR: The gamer may drive south with his parents or the game author or the playtester may seek conventions in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Are you suggesting Tri-Stat dX migrates?

ARTHUR: Not at all. It could be imported.

GAME STORE CLERK #1: What? A gamer carrying Tri-Stat dX?

ARTHUR: It could store it in its backpack!

GAME STORE CLERK #1: It's not a question of where he stores it! It's a simple question of system compatability! A d20 gamer would not carry a Tri-Stat book.

ARTHUR: Well, it doesn't matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the House Down the Block is here?

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Listen. In order to maintain system-campaign consistency, a gamer needs to convert stats forty-three times every session, right?

ARTHUR: Please!

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Am I right?

ARTHUR: I'm not interested!

GAME STORE CLERK #2: It could be carried by a BESM player!

GAME STORE CLERK #1: Oh, yeah, a BESM player maybe, but not a d20 player. That's my point.

GAME STORE CLERK #2: Oh, yeah, I agree with that.

ARTHUR: Will you ask your master if he wants to join my table in the basement?!

GAME STORE CLERK #1: But then of course – BESM players are non-convention-goers.

GAME STORE CLERK #2: Oh, yeah.

GAME STORE CLERK #1: So, they couldn't bring Tri-Stat dX back anyway.

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