If it's October it must be Mornington Crescent

[MarkWithaC]

@LlynTegid

@TragicMuse
@DuckonaBike
@Youngersis1
@ComeIntoTheGardenMaud
@VixenMortar
@GaudeteGaudete
@EmmaOvary
@thankyouforthedayz
@HazelBite
@Itisallgoingtobeok
@Useyourname

Although of course MC is a game for all seasons, I do have especially fond memories of an October championships in Wales and extracurricular… fun amid the greenery of a National Trust garden.

If I've missed anyone I do apologise; do round up any players you happen to see or hear of.

And I'll start with a lovely little move that the Reverend taught me.
Finsbury Park

I believe a simple reverse to Wood lane.is in order. Sometimes less is more

Oh! I can Invoke the Advent convention and move to Monument

Interesting that no use has been made of the Thameslink or the closed lines rules recently. Perhaps a fear of being in Nidd as I was and the Grand Council seemingly feeling they do not have the authority to rule about the Weaver line and the other five newly named lines formerly known as London Overground has an influence.

Mansion House

Quite right, LlynTegid.

Queen's Road Peckham

Buckhurst Hill

Thank you,
MyrtleStrumpet ·

That will give me enough to be getting on with 😁

C'mon, MrsSkylerWhite. Let's see your move. We're all in suspense. I'll fill the gap with a double lateral to

Charing Cross

Oh my! Some time has passed.

Is everyone in Nidd?

I'm invoking the 48 hour rule as no-one has moved in 48 hours. Which means I can finally play the unorthodox switchback to

Colliers Wood.

I'm actually delighted by that move!

A very stylish move, Myrtle, but I'd expect nothing less from you. I'll follow through with a bilateral switch to

Grange Hill

Apologies. I've been somewhat busy sourcing an artisan cheese board for the lady mayoress Christmas soiree. Anyway a transverse to oval

Hello all! An absence even longer than usual, I know. It's been a little… fraught ever since the old deputy purser went off on her cruise and no one quite realised who had been handed the reins. One tends to get caught in the middle of these things if one isn't vigilant.

And I see there's been mention of Azerbaijan! That hasn't happened since that time when (in a different context, I know) the actor/manager from Tring got his suitcase muddled with that nun's. Or something. I'm not sure I ever entirely followed his story.

Welcome, MrsSkylerWhite!

I see the floodgates are well and truly open vis-a-vis the Overground. I was a little nervous, only because I was at the Hamburg Consortium that time (you remember what time, Myrtle, and I think Llyn?). But I feel reassured, and am in fact relishing my next move, to
Homerton (using an equilateral inclination, obviously).

Still waiting for the Grand Council decision re the Mildmay line and the other five. So a move to Liverpool Street.

May I join the game? I feel to compelled to having seen Liverpool Street appear - a daring move! I admire your rambunctious compunction! But as per the 2024 Crossrail Gambit, that puts you in immediate sock forfeiture unless you've declared a Jubilee Line Override in advance? And don’t forget the Left Luggage Clause - you know, of course, that you are obligated to retrieve a metaphorical briefcase of despair before proceeding to Whitechapel. Tough break, that!

Welcome, Alanymor! Very much enjoying your insights. Do I detect a hint of a Lower Lyme Regis Board training?

Llyn, while I won't say the Grand Council ruling is going to be redundant in view of the advances made by the Newry Steering Committee, I'm not 100% sure that one must wait for them.
Of course there are certain rooms in certain towns where I wouldn't say that out loud.

Diolch yn fawr for your gracious response @MarkWithaC.

Ah, I’m feeling quite bashful that you noticed my Lower Lyme Regis training - it’s not often recognised these days! Truth be told, I had aspirations for Upper Lyme Regis, but let’s just say my overzealous interpretation of the Marshmallow Ruse got me unceremoniously expelled. A cautionary tale for us all, really.

Sock forfeiture is so rarely mentioned by those trained anywhere else but the south-west. It was a dead giveaway. I'm envious; I hail from rather more easterly climes and I've always admired the LR style.
Upper LR is a little said, by all accounts; I think you probably dodged the proverbial.

You flatter me... The south-west style does leave its mark, though I fear my interpretation may still be lacking the finesse of the truly seasoned. I confess, Upper LR’s ‘proverbial dodging’ is a comfort to hear - rumour has it their relentless and tormentuous infatuation with diagonal hops can lead to all sorts of predicaments. And split trousers. Perhaps there’s hope for me yet in the easterly disciplines?

I've no doubt about it!
Anyway, I think it's my turn. I'm going to essay a Windward Leap, taking us safely to Gloucester Road.

Ah, Gloucester Road - safe harbour at last! I can practically hear the collective sigh of trousers everywhere. A bold and merciful move. I must dash as my absinthe soufflé threatens to overspill and deflate in the same second.

Welcome, Arlanymor.

Mention of sock forfeiture and the briefcase of despair reminds me of the lady mayoress's Christmas soirée a few years ago. The contents of the lost property cupboard the next day were, shall we say, surprising. How the harbourmaster got home without his wooden leg we shall never know and nobody claimed the overripe Brie.

Temple

@GertrudeJekyllAndHyde thank you for your kindness.

I believe the harbourmaster lives two doors down and, under a full moon, he howls at scones. Make of that what you will.

It's my pleasure, Arlanymor, but a word to the wise. Some players can be a little sensitive and sometimes get upset when people intervene without playing a move - you know, Bergen Protocol and all that - so you may want to get stuck in.

Great Portland Street

A-hem!
I know you're trying to be helpful, @GertrudeJekyllAndHyde, but you have played two moves consecutively.
I'm delighted to see @Arlanymor has joined us. You probably don't remember me, but I'm sure I saw you play in one of the minor tournaments I was adjudicating just after the lockdown restrictions were lifted.
I liked your first move in this game and it's clear you have something to bring to the table, but it is polite to make a move while commenting, as @MarkWithaC knows full well!
So can we please move when we comment?

Having made my case, I will use the Ladder Principle to move north to Southgate.

I apologise you are correct. Southgate - a decisive move, and a fine reminder of the post-lockdown tournaments! I remember those minor matches well, although I suspect my play was more minor chaos than major strategy. Still, I’ll heed your sage advice and ensure my commentary is always accompanied by action.

With that in mind, I’ll use the Inversion Principle to leap boldly or boldly leap to... Pudding Lane. BOOM!

You'll appreciate my quandary, Myrtle. In mentioning the Bergen Protocol, and the brouhaha which erupts when it's not observed, I then had, for the sake of consistency, to move, and yet the Norrington Addendum would at the same time suggest I shouldn't. Quite the dilemma on which to reflect.

North Greenwich