The kids and I have been playing HeroScape lately. It’s a fantasy miniature game where each player controls a number of heroes, maneuvering them into fights against the other players’ heroes. It’s a lot of fun, particularly with kids who are 10 and 8 years old.

Because it’s a long game, we leave it set up on a card table and play one round at a time.

The other day, I saw them grinning and I asked what was up.

“We have an alliance,” my youngest said, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re going down!”

Looking past him, I saw his older brother also smiling, though a bit more crookedly.

“I wouldn’t trust your ally,” I said.

“Of course, you’d say that. You’re trying to split us up!”

During the next round, they dispatched their forces against me. Sure enough, three quarters of the way through the round, just as soon as my youngest moved his forces  into position, the attack came.

“What?! You can’t! We have an alliance!”

His older brother laughed wildly and did a victory dance.

“But you can’t!” He looked really upset. “It was an alliance!”

“I told you not to trust him,” I said. “Not in a game like this.”

“I just couldn’t help myself,” the traitor explained, still dancing. “you were just right there.”

“Never again.” The words came out through gritted teeth. “Never again.”

I smiled. “It’s the victory dance that make it burn, isn’t it?”

“Aah!”