Friday (Gaming)

by Bones , The Last City, Earth, Sol System, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 11:35 (16 hours, 1 minutes ago) @ Bones

FRIDAY
LOCAL CALENDAR: MAY 22, 2026
MILITARY CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER 21, 2552

My eyes slowly curl open to meet the hazy beige tint filtering in through the room’s skylight. I immediately recognize that, once again, I’ve awoken too early in the morning after going to sleep so late – more sunken cost toward my sleep deficit. I rise and shuffle toward the kitchen, my muscles slightly stiffer than I care to admit after the prior day’s construction. I find the kitchen door closed and with great care to avoid any squeaking, carefully rotate its handle to creep inside. I’m hit with the smell of freshly-brewed coffee and the sight of Fembot nursing her own cup. We sit in each other’s company and gentle discussion for a short while until each of our compatriots slowly shuffle in and breakfast becomes the pressing topic.

Meanwhile, both myself and Revenant slink off to continue the work – there are still last-minute furnishings to be built and finishing touches to be applied. While Fembot manages the kitchen, KG joins me in assembling additional seating before we both assist Revenant in setting up the last of the televisions and consoles. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the Discord pings continue –

“The penguin has cooked the bacon - finding the elusive bird in 3 hours.”
“Be sure to level the grease flow on that bacon operation; we don't want our goose cooked prematurely.”
“Roger - the grease must flow.”
“You've got ODST reinforcements inbound on vector I-70”
“Good to hear, soldier. Stay on that vector; report any anomalies or deviations.”
“STBM01 - rolling heavy. ETA approximately 1 hour.”
“Good copy, STBM01 – stay on this frequency and keep the FOB updated.”

First of the day’s arrivals is Killhammer, brother of Bones and fellow early-day HBO forum lurker. After the traditional brotherly embrace, I whisk him off on a tour of the property and urge him to quickly claim one of the available bedrooms – lest he be relegated to the bunk-bed room with the child-cage, which is a story for another paragraph. We return to the kitchen area, and I use this opportunity to pass out a couple remaining ‘pre-event packets’ that weren’t able to ship ahead of time – which include an embroidered lanyard, multi-pass keycard, metro transit pass, and official travel orders.

The early morning quickly turns to early afternoon as I rush to assemble the ‘stage’ section of the event, consisting of my behemoth PC that I’ve lugged along from home, the lodge’s projector system, a large subwoofer and two connected speakers, and two controllable LED lamps. Amidst my construction efforts, two ne’er-do-well scallywags slip inside under my radar; having no time myself for their mischievous merrymaking, Revenant distracts Nart and Schooly D with his shiny wares. Once I’ve found a satisfactory stopping place – and am delivered a stern yet loving reminder from Fembot that I need to eat to continue surviving – I grab a bite of her melt-in-your-mouth pulled-pork sandwiches and break to welcome the dynamic duo.

[

Though I dare not show it, I’m ecstatic on the inside and I’m fighting to keep the boyish-glee from spilling out of me and onto the floor. In the past, both myself and Schooly have invited each other to gatherings over the years, but the timing and travel never seemed to work out. Now, I’m finally meeting the legend in the flesh. I’ve prepared for this moment; I’ve studied the appropriate material and I’m confident in my ability to execute. “Well, if it isn’t Schooly D,” I announce and accept his handshake, followed through with a manly embrace. I feel some slight hesitation, but I decide to commit for full shoulder-to-shoulder contact with a two-second hold to demonstrate that, though this man may not fully understand yet, he’s just become my brother and I care for him. That said, meeting your heroes is always a double-edged sword; I can’t help but momentarily echo the sentiments of a certain Spartan IV.

A short time later, the rear door adjacent the kitchen swings open and a wild Cadet appears, brandishing his UNSC cap and several large bags. A dedicated member of the 405th cosplay community’s Midwest chapter, Cadet carries with him the last puzzle pieces to complete our event setup. Unbeknownst to myself, however, he’s brought far more than the originally discussed items – the man has hauled an entire prop armory along with his cosplay. I drop what I’m doing to assist, and together we unpack and arrange the finishing touches.

As the afternoon passes into late afternoon, the sky darkens and a light rainstorm envelops the lodge – an omen of the approaching storm. Under the cover of dampness, another vehicle arrives and out disembark the trio of Stabbim, Malagate, and HBO’s own frontpage foreman Pixel Fox (fuchsdh). With greetings and great hugs established, the group settles their sleeping arrangements after the obligatory tour and settles their stomachs after some delicious grub. Revenant performs some preliminary testing and wrangles Microsoft account authentication issues. Malagate regales me with his recent Marathon raids. Schooly and Nart check the estimated worth of their most recent business ventures.

Stabbim
“One of my favorite moments was walking into the lodge and seeing so many familiar faces – many of whom I'd met, and a few I'd only seen pictures of online.”

Before long, I receive ‘the signal’ from Revenant; a gentle nod from across the room indicates we’re ready for action. We sequester our guests in the kitchen, so that we may capture final event setup photos and perform video run-throughs before the ‘official reveal’ and we unveil the blinding majesty upon them –

[

NOW ARRIVING
NEW INDIANAPOLIS, 2552
After a long inter-system journey aboard your civilian charter transport, you’ve touched down at the Great Lakes Spaceport located inside the Greater Chicagoland Industrial Zone. As an exclusive member of the invitational ‘Vidmaster’ program, you’ve traveled first-class and are quickly escorted to the high-speed rail platforms. Presenting your transit pass to the automated system and scanning your multipass ID badge at the entrance, you’re seated aboard Train153-B, bound for Circle Station in beautiful New Indianapolis – the heart and crossways of the Sol system. Stepping off onto the platform, you’re once again guided to Concourse A inside the station, and confirm your lodging accommodations at the Circle Station Continental Inn & Suites. Your luggage stowed and credentials once again verified, you wander out into Concourse A’s VIP lounge – baristas brew espresso at the nearby coffee shop, bartenders mix drinks and wrap warm pastries at the attached café, an ODST recruitment officer beckons visitors over to his enlistment booth, and Vidmasters browse the various exhibits while enjoying the event’s provided snacks and MREs.

STATION 1: MONITOR DISPLAYS AND FIELD TERMINALS
• 4 – 43” Televisions
• 4 – 55” Televisions
• 8 – Xbox Consoles

STATION 2: CIRCLE STATION TERMINAL
• Circle Station Navigation Directory
• New Indianapolis City Signage
• New Indianapolis Transit Authority Disposal Containers
• Coffee Shop & Café Display Signs
• UNSC Motivational & Enlistment Posters

STATION 3: BENCH & DISPLAYS
• Terminal Bench
• Terminal Planters
• Club Errera Advertisement
• HuCiv Advertisement
• Jotun Advertisement

TABLE 1: VIDMASTER GOODIES
• UNSC FMS (Field Meal Supplement): Individual Combat Rations
• Bottled Water provided by HiNOS Corporation
• UNSC ‘Anomalous Pink Rock’ Candies
• Event Cookies provided by the Neon Moon Midnight Café

TABLE 2: UNSC ORDNANCE & MILITARY LIBRARY EXHIBIT
• UNSC Field Terminal with AI-Data Chip Integration
• UNSC Type-14 Magnetic/Anti-Tank Mine (Deactivated)
• UNSC AI Display Pedestal
• Captured Covenant Type-33 Needler (Deactivated/Inert)
• Captured Covenant Type-25 Plasma Pistol (Deactivated/Inert)
• Captured Covenant ‘Grunt’ Totem
• Halo Warfleet Technical Manual
• Halo Encyclopedia – Civilian Reading Material
• Halo Community Evolved – Civilian Reading Material
• LAN Party – Civilian Reading Material
• Halo 405th Documents – Civilian Reading Material
• Personal Journal (C. Halsey)
• UNSC Heavy Field Crate

TABLE 3: ODST RECRUITMENT BOOTH
• ODST BDU/MK2 Amor Display
• ODST ‘Dragonflies’ Information Displays
• M808C Scorpion Tank Model
• ODST Recruitment Pamphlets
• ODST-branded Pens
• M7S Submachine Gun (Firing Pin Removed)
• M6C/SOCOM Handgun (Firing Pin Removed)
• MA37 Assault Rifle (Firing Pin Removed)
• ODST/MK2 Combat Helmet
• UNSC Medium Storage Crates
• UNSC Light Storage Crates
• Flood Infection Form

TABLE 4: UNSC ARMORY EXHIBIT
• Mjolnir Mark V Helmets
• Mjolnir Mark VI/RECON Helmet
• MA5C Assault Rifle (Firing Pin Removed)
• BR55 Battle Rifle (Firing Pin Removed)
• UNSC First Aid – Health Pack
• UNSC First Aid – Biofoam Canister
• Captured Covenant Type-1 Energy Sword (Caution: Active)
• UNSC ‘Legendary’ Display Plaque
• UNSC Mjolnir Mark V Statuette

Schooly D
“I'll never forget walking into the lodge for the first time and realizing this wasn't just a LAN; it was an event. Everything was so well-constructed and thoughtfully produced – from the custom signage to the props to the branded snacks/rations to the meticulously-arrayed battlestations. It was like stepping into a love letter from the fans to the fans, and I was awed.”

Stabbim
“I noticed the ‘New Indianapolis Waste Management’ custom trashcan graphics and realized the true extent of the effort put into this event!”

Traditionally, when hosting our previous LANs, the first day usually ended with very little actual Halo being played, serving instead as more of a travel and relaxation day ahead of the festivities. However, with network connections humming and Microsoft accounts properly drumming along, both myself and Revenant can feel the growing itch in the crowd. So, despite missing a few guests, we decide to play some ‘test matches’ to satiate the collective hunger, lest we be consumed instead. Doing so, we conclude, would allow us to get a proper skill-baseline for balancing teams, too. I decide to begin at the beginning, and load up free-for-all Slayer in Halo: CE. As I press the button to begin the countdown, I realize that I haven’t played Combat Evolved’s multiplayer via system link in close to twenty years.

Almost immediately, I can feel myself having fun. Though not wholly unexpected, it is a strange realization. I’ve played Halo for twenty-five years now, but there’s still something innately magical about the system-link experience; catching an unaware Schooly D with three rounds to the face, and seeing his brow furrow across the room, activates some dormant neuron in my brain to release what is certainly an unhealthy amount of oxytocin. Everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves just as much, but I don’t care – I’m too enraptured with trying to sneak up on and back-smack Revenant. I want to see the shame and humiliation in his eyes; payback for that damn hologram of yore.

After several games, we decide to break and begin dinner preparations. Myself and Stabbim use the downtime to take a few photos with props, Revenant and Fembot laugh at Instagram memes, and Nart discovers a secluded corner where he can find some peace. Shortly thereafter, we’re joined by the esteemed humorist Professor Bonkle.

The growing storm outside gathers and rises to a crescendo – a thunderous clap, announcing the arrival of the last of our scheduled guests; Padraig and Snipe emerge from the berth. I’m giddy and terrified at the same time; if you’ve never met Paddy, he’s less a man and more a force of nature. If you have, you understand these words innately. And yet, greater men than I couldn’t help having fallen in love with his beautiful chaos. To borrow a quote from our dear Revenant, “No HBO LAN is complete until Paddy arrives.”

As the welcoming party swarms for hugs and laughs, I frantically search among the boisterousness for my promised prize. After claiming to do “literally whatever it takes to make this happen” the prior week and driving over 10 hours in this single day, Padraig delivers the most elusive of prey; Snipe steps out from behind the entanglement of bodies.

In as deep a register I can muster, I shout his name and embrace him – for this is a momentous occasion. From the humble beginnings of our group’s first gathering, every year for four years did we attempt to persuade his Snipeness to travel south from his ivory tower and bless us with his headshots… and every year did we face disappointment. But alas, standing before me now in his appropriately-branded Xbox vestments did remain proof of the Guardians’ good graces.

[

As the group settles in and swaps tales of travel, we again provide the obligatory tour and eventually gather in the bunk-bed room with the aforementioned child-cage. A seemly-quirky addition to the lodge, a low-ceiling playpen lays beyond the bedroom through a tiny door and overlooks the kitchen area. While laughing and cracking jokes, I reveal my discovery that the tiny door locks on the outside – and the mood turns slightly sour as we decide we’d rather be elsewhere.

As the day marches into evening, we break for the classic all-American dinner of chips and cheeseburgers – pre-smoked on the home grill of KG’s generous father and finalized on the local grill by the master chef himself. Seated round the enormous wooden dining table, discussion drifts back to the HBO forum – how we came to find each other online, first posts and first impressions, old forum members and hilarious posts of the past, the Schrodinger-esque existence of the ‘Front Page’, and of course the copious memes that have arisen from such a hive of nerdery and scum.

Schooly D
“I'll remember the first dinner Friday night fondly, too – when all the attendees sat down together and swapped stories and experiences. I felt immediately familiar with people I hadn't met before, owing to our shared love for this game and the community that surrounds it. Going into the event, I expected it would be a fun weekend… but during that dinner, it was confirmed.”

As dinner plates empty and conversation comes to a resting place, I assist KG with clearing the tables while Revenant ushers the group to the event space seating; I’ve prepared a little activity of my own for this evening. Instructed to split into three teams, I arrive to find the following groups ready –

Red Team
Revenant, Killhammer, Cadet, Bonkle, & KG

Blue Team
Schooly, Snipe, Paddy, & Nart

Grey Team
Pixel Fox, Korny Munky, Malagate, & Stabbim

– for Halo Jeopardy! With my two judges of Fembot and Syndrome primed on the rules, I pass out personal buzzers to each of the team captains. With the click of my mouse, the screen displays the first-round categories:

WHAT’S THIS?
Identify the proper name of the Halo object shown on screen.

CUT CONTENT
Identify the clue from questions based around content cut prior to the series title’s release.

FINISH THE PHRASE
Identify the remaining unfinished lines of the famous Halo series quote shown on screen.

MULTIPLAYER MAPS
Identify the name of the multiplayer map based on an image that represents its title.

ACTIONSACK
Identify the clue from a grab-bag of random questions without a specific category.

COMPETITIVE
Identify the clue from questions revolving around Halo’s longest-lasting and clearly most important community

As the first team selects their category, I smirk and chuckle to myself. While researching and assembling the questions for this little game, my primary goal was to provide entertainment; I didn’t want the questions to be so difficult as to kill any opportunity for enjoyment or success. Still, the little goblin troll that roosts in the depths of my soul must be, at times, satiated. And thus, I devised what I believed to be some deliciously devious clues.

It had been almost ten years since our last gathering, and for some of us, the Halo universe had fallen to the wayside – never forgotten, but certainly not residing at the same level of engagement. However, knowing that many of the assembled forum-goers had, at some point in the past, an encyclopedic knowledge of the Halo games and universe, I did my best to balance the difficulty as the point-values increased.

As I read off the first question, my mind is tense with the excitement of seeing how close to the target my estimation will land. My heart hopes dearly that the spirit of competition will result in tense discussion and joyous outbursts. My little goblin troll waits anxiously to feed on their confusion and dismay upon realizing their ill-begotten mistaken answers.

No part of me is left wanting.

The first round sees Red Team squeak out an early lead with some solid answers in the ‘Normal’ and ‘Heroic’ level values –

(Click the image to see the answer.)

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– only to be to slightly overtaken by Blue Team and Grey Team mid-round. Grey Team pulls ahead with several high-scoring answers in the ‘Actionsack’ and ‘Finish the Phrase’ categories, including immediately matching the Gravemind quote word-for-word, of which I was positive would stumble my contestants –

(Click the image to see the answer.)

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– but Blue Team gains some ground toward the end of the round by clearing most of the ‘Competitive’ category and cleaning up multiple lower-to-middle scoring questions across the board.

(Click the image to see the answer.)

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(Click the image to see the answer.)

Much to my chagrin, Blue Team’s Schooly D and Nart fail to identify the correct competitive map, while much to my absolute surprise and shame, Snipe instantly name-checks what I thought to be one of the most difficult questions of the entire game!

(Click the image to see the answer.)

(Click the image to see the answer.)

(Click the image to see the answer.)

In what becomes one of the prevailing memes of the entire LAN, I’m given the answer “Covenant Light” to the following question. Having done hours of extensive research, fact-checked myself with numerous Halopedia articles, and previously decided to be mildly-pedantic in acceptance of answers, I humbly and earnestly request the contestant to “please be more specific” before waiting just a heartbeat and generously deciding to accept the given answer. Well, bless my starships, would you believe the level of incredulousness and sarcasm that did arise from this crowd! You’d think they’d never had to defend their position in a debate before!

I’m certain the authors of the Halopedia article would have sided with me; the Covenant weren’t just vacationing on the ring, after all.

Again to my chagrin, all three teams – comprised entirely of men – struggle far too long with the following clue; the two female non-contestant judges squirm and wriggle in their seats unbearably, unable to help their clueless compatriots.

(Click the image to see the answer.)

My inner goblin troll tastes his first meal of the evening; after an initial round of three incorrect answers from the teams, I offer half-points and allow another round of attempts. One contestant meekly postulates the map ‘Ascension’ as the final answer, and my goblin slurps up the tears when I relay the ‘incorrect’ verdict. “You fool! You’ve fallen right into my trap!” he croaks, “You think I’d choose Ascension for the Mythic-level question?!” Quite the ruckus erupts when the answer is revealed.

(Click the image to see the answer.)

The peanut gallery begins to rabble, boasting and celebrating too early for victories not yet achieved – until I reveal that the game is still afoot, for the much harder second round is upon them. A deafening silence falls over the room as the teams lock-in for the challenge ahead. My goblin licks his lips.

The categories are thus revealed.

CUT CONTENT II
Identify the clue from questions based around content cut prior to the series title’s release.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Identify which Halo character spoke the on-screen quote before their demise.

WHO’S THIS?
Identify the name of the Halo character shown on screen from a series of choices.

CAMPAIGN MISSIONS
Identify the name of the multiplayer map based on an image that represents its title.

WRITER’S MIND
Identify the clue from questions regarding the Halo novelizations and lore.

IWHBYD
Identify which Halo character spoke the on-screen voiceline quote.

The second round opens with teams going for the throat; they believe they’ve caught-on to the category gimmicks and rush the higher-level questions on the board – only to realize too late the spike in ‘Mythic’ and ‘LASO’ difficulty. Several questions conclude without a correct answer despite offering clues and half-points, and teams double-back to the ‘Normal’ and ‘Heroic’ questions to gain ground.

(Click the image to see the answer.)

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Despite some valiant point attempts from Red Team, including Revenant almost immediately nailing a ‘Campaign Map’ clue I’d thought would be punishingly difficult –

(Click the image to see the answer.)

(Click the image to see the answer.)

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– Grey Team shoots ahead in the early game, cleaning up solid-scoring questions in the ‘Writer’s Mind’ and ‘Who’s This?’ categories. However, much like the first round, Blue Team remains in hot pursuit of their score and manages to overtake them by mid-round.

(Click the image to see the answer.)

(Click the image to see the answer.)

(Click the image to see the answer.)

Much ado in vein of the previous ‘Paradiso’ debacle, Blue Team quickly and decisively buzzes in with the answer to the below ‘Campaign Missions’ clue; anticipating easy points and a quick return to the category board. The poor sods are immediately dumbstruck – some might even say blinded – by the firm retort of ‘incorrect’ that I hand down to them. Bewildered, the foursome tries to reason, try to wrestle with the reality they now find themselves within; I witness in real-time the five stages of grief processed in a matter of seconds as their blunder overwhelms them.

A wave of clenched facial muscles and upturned expressions washes across the group’s faces, roiling for several moments more. My goblin licks the sweat from their glistening brows.

Suddenly, a buzzer from across the room breaks the unnerving silence – Red Team. Stealing both their points and their dignity, they snatch the clue away from Blue Team with the correct answer. The room explodes in a cacophony of swears and groans. Paddy and Snipe bemoan the injustice of our world, Schooly tries to appeal to my reason, arguing the semantics of what constitutes a campaign mission. Nart threatens legal action. They are all sorely disappointed when the judgement stands.

My inner goblin howls. “You know you’ve done something right,” he assures me, “when you rile up Nart enough to curse you out!”

(Click the image to see the answer.)

After some high-scoring back-to-back steals, Blue Team has rallied from their earlier humiliation and shot ahead of the pack, positioning themselves in a comfy place to wager on the Final Jeopardy question. The final category is revealed and the teams scribble down their bets.

(Click the image to see the answer.)

As the three-columned list of starship names cascades down the screen, my gaze wanders over to the gallery of illuminated faces; eyes widen, facial expressions stiffen, and a soft ‘oh shit’ drifts from one of the contestant’s lips. I announce the beginning of the round and start the 90-second timer; as each team huddles to confer, hushed discussion fills the room. The Halo Encyclopedia displayed just so serendipitously on the nearby table, brimming with an entire glossary of UNSC Starship names, remains undisturbed.

Surprisingly, all three teams manage to identify two of the three imposters, but with all three correct answers, the Final Jeopardy question is won by Blue Team. And, having had the points to wager large, their final score places them far and above the rest of the pack. With clapping and congratulations abound, Blue Team wins only applause and admiration – mostly because the thought to award prizes for this completely friendly and non-competitive activity never occurred to me. I vow to be better prepared in the future.

Bonkle
“My favorite moment was actually all the little moments in-between together. Whether it was a multitude of new LAN memes popping up or the laughter ringing throughout the cabin as we all enjoyed each other’s company again after what felt like ages.”

Per earlier request, I concede the stage to Paddy and find a nearby seat. He’s prepared a special treat for everyone, what he admitted to me in private as “his best work yet” and one which continues a legacy of previous ‘hype videos’ (featuring a progressively more and more unhinged storyline). As he leans over to start the video, I make peace with the fact that I have absolutely no idea what to expect –

(See the full, high-resolution video here.)

As the night winds down, several guests say their ‘good-nights’ and head off for their beauty sleep while others break out into smaller groups for late night chit-chat. Much like any good ship captain touring his vessel before battle, I perform the rounds to ensure the property is secured and everyone is accommodated for the night. Satisfied, I retreat to the far side of the lodge and back inside the attached secluded suite; command has its privileges and its own bathroom. I open the walk-in closet and perform a cursory inspection of the classified materials therein – everything seems to be in place and ready for the next day’s evening. I am satisfied once more, flick off the light, and crawl into bed underneath the covers. Through the wall, I can still hear the muffled laughter and chatter of guests with more resilient constitutions than myself; I smile and am thankful that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. I feel the weight of my eyelids begin to burden my facial muscles and I stop resisting; I allow the hypnotically-rhythmic chorus of ‘Bones Indy LAN’ to lullaby me into a gentle dream.