Saturdays are for eagerly sitting beside the front door to the Treehouse ready to jump up and greet writers as they return home. Sure, most of the team aren’t due back until Monday, but this way I can get really good at saying ‘Here comes trouble’ in just the right intonation. ‘Here comes trouble.’ No, that’s not it. ‘Here comes trouble.’ Better, but it still needs work.

Edwin slipped back in on Friday morning and I wasn’t prepared at all. My ‘trouble’ came out all in a rush and sounded more like a squawk. I can’t let that happen again.

There may just be a little time between my greetings practice to play some games, too…

Edwin

Aside from fighting off an expertly timed New Year cold, I’ll likely be playing more Terra Invicta. To cram a busy premise into a sentence, it’s a strategy game where you play one of eight secret organisations vying for control of Earth so that you can implement your preferred response to a slowburn alien invasion. Currently, I am fortifying a bunch of Central Asian states while trying to work out how to launch my own orbital habitat, so I can construct a defence fleet. Long term goals include mining the Kuiper Belt and giving Botswana the Bomb.

James
Following much dealings with dwarfs, James’ return to the Treehouse will be via a tunnel boring vehicle that should emerge in the front garden. If we’re lucky, he will miss the foundational roots holding our tree in place.

Callum
As a young person with young friends, full of life and vim, I expect Callum will be dropped off by someone who is passing by on their way back to uni. They will be driving a beaten up Fiat Punto.

Jeremy
My greeting will be exceptionally practiced for Jeremy’s return as the scoundrel is away for another two weeks.

Ollie
I was all set to thrust my hand out and deploy a much-prepared ‘Here comes trouble’ to Ollie this morning, only for him to discover the Scots have another day of bank holiday.

Mark
Although he told me he was going away for Christmas, at some point over the holidays Mark logged on to post about the 007 delay. So I suspect he’s been hiding in the loft again. As such, there will be no greeting for Mark.

Julian

Like Edwin, I’m going to be getting stuck into Terra Invicta. It’s the first time in a while I’ve played a strategy game so complex, so I suspect my first campaign will end with Earth capitulating to the alien threat in less than a decade. However, I’ve also started a new colony in RimWorld. If things don’t work out well on Earth, at least I can take refuge among the aliens. Though I won’t find much safety there if I can’t do something about the grizzly bear that keeps breaking into my animal pen and killing my alpacas.

And you, dear reader, what are you playing this weekend?