Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 14:42:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: Fallen Angel [fallenangel@gmgate.vircom.com]
Subject: Re: The Best

Jeez, it's gonna be almost 9 years since I first played NTN. I played my very first game at PEEL PUB 2, which was the Showbar. Peel Pub Showbar was, is, and always will be the place in Montreal where every kid under 18 tries to get in, and where more than likely it's the place where you drink and puke for the first time. The place is a huge basement bar, the crowd is 16-24ish, and on the weekends is packed with upwards of 300 people, maybe more. Showbar had the crappiest beer and service, but, when you're 18, who cares? I drank 8 consecutive 60 oz pitchers there, but that's another story ;)

My first logon name was BARF. And I really sucked the first times I played. But, then I noticed that Peel Pub had a policy of giving away a free 60oz pitcher of beer to the winner of any game! With Showdown it was with the round winner, with QB1, the winner of the quarter. My Gawd! I thought, that's amazing!

Through the next 2 years, I was playing the game only about 1-2 times a month. I became slightly better and winning my share of games, much to the squealing delight of my drunken friends.

In 1990, I became a permanent fixture at PEEL PUB 4, which was the International. By then, I had become aware of some of the regular players. LASHER, FRITZ, CYTAO, SCRATCH, BEERME, and others that are buried in my mind. The International seated about 100, and was usually a university crowd on weekends. Well, on the fridays and saturdays when I would be out with my friends, we'd stop at Peel Pub 4 and tank up for our night out. So, I started playing Countdown games again, just add to the stack of beer on our tables (we were quite a large group on weekends, still are!).

Since my university and Peel Pub 4 were just a hop-skip away from each other, it was only natural that I spent a great deal of time there. Sure enough, the players that I competed against became some of my best friends: LASHER, BRUCRU, LESTAT, AJ, FRITZ, and some others that played and drifted out of Peel Pub.

I was now playing as FOKOV, and yes, it was quite immature, but hey!, it lasted for a year, even when I was coming in # 1 on the net. I became BRUTAL when on one particular night, the beer was really flowing, and there was a game on the Olympics. I aced all the questions, went up and got my baby pitcher (the owner wised up by this time), and downed it in one gulp. Everyone said that was BRUTAL. It stuck.

Since 1993, I've played at PEEL PUB1, which is the Tavern. And which most of you are familar with seeing in the screen. SLUG has few comments on his NTN webpage regarding Peel Pub.

The prizes have varied over the years. The longest standing prize has always been beer for the game winner. In between there, Peel Pub play money was given out. Which backfired on the management, since me and mine won all that loot.

It was so funny.. we never had to buy an ounce of beer between 1988-1993. We just won our games, and go up and get a pitcher. In 1993, new managers insisted on giving out a mug then a glass of beer for regular games. Premium games, like Showdown, always had high alcohol content. Showdown was usually 3-4 pitchers and QB1 was about 3. But, now apparently, it's "illegal" for the Peel Pub to give out prizes. Bullshit.

In 1997, I'm still playing with my gang of fellow players, kicking ass and totally dominating our bar. Though now, we only get 3-8 playmakers going at one time, the other 20+ are dead, damaged, or scrambled. NTN Canada doesn't give a rats' ass about us in Quebec, and Peel Pub itself doesn't seem to care if NTN is on or not anymore.

I love this game. I love the competition, I love the comraderie. So I'm not a know-it-all, though my average is 12 000. I'm praying that NTN doesn't go belly up.

Are there any other veteran players like me who started playing when they were just 18?

Thanks for your your patience. It's fun reading about the other veterans accounts as well. High scores!

BRUTAL

(Peel Pub, Montreal, QC)