Chairman's Journal - Entry 1

The following is an account of a day in the gaming life of Chairman Gothik. This information is highly classified and is for party members only.

Today I played the classic title X-Com: UFO Defense, one of the greatest tactical strategy games ever devised. To date, no game has been able to replicate the sheer enjoyment of flying squads around the world to intercept and destroy alien invaders. My second base, located on the outskirts of London, is almost complete. Research is going well. I look forward to retrofitting my troops with the latest in alien laser weaponry.

I make sure to load up my Skyranger with as many troops as possible. So that they may wash over the enemy like a human tidal wave. I know the strategy will incur many losses, but no sacrifice is too great to preserve the earth from the horrific extraterrestrial enemy. Fortunately, when a comrade dies, their surviving colleague collects the extra ammunition from their corpse. Even in death, my brave soldiers can still support our glorious cause.

The Grays have been nothing but target practice for my crack troops. I make sure to put the rookies on point, so as not to risk the lives of my more hardened soldiers. Every once in a while, the withered, spindly creatures get lucky. Unfortunately, the aliens are hitting back with a new type of soldier - the floater. But that's nothing for my light tank. The soldiers understand that the funding for power armor had to be allocated to the vehicle. Either that, or no one was foolish enough to voice their opinions outright.

X-Com gets stronger with each mission. We scour their downed UFOs for all of their technology and biological specimens. Our diligent scientists and engineers work around the clock to uncover their secrets. In fact, they work so hard that we have to replace almost as many workers to fatigue as soldiers! As X-Com's fearless leader, even I have had to make sacrifices.

While I personally oversaw the construction of my new base, I had to suffer the indignity of a glass of Chateau Lafite that wasn't chilled. (mental note: order that the refridgerators in future living quarters are installed before the toiletry.) This unfortunate circumstance will haunt me for years, but it is part of the suffering that we all endure so as to purge the world of the extraterrestrial threat.

Sometimes I can't believe how foolish the aliens are. In a recent debriefing, I was informed that one of the enemy made a grave error in judgement. It tried to shoot a soldier that was on the upper floor of a building. In the attempt, the floater only managed to collapse the floor, crushing itself. Tragically, the soldier was killed from the fall. His family will be promptly informed of this terrible loss, along with a bill for the lost equipment. That may sound callous, but stopping an international alien invasion doesn't come cheap.

This concludes my entry. The war goes well, though there has been a fair share of hardship along the way. However, the countries of the world will continue to fund us if they know what's good for them.

Chairman Gothik
Commander-in-Chief of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit