Around this time of year, I begin to wish I was still lived in the Kirkland, WA area. Due to some interesting zoning laws, you can take about a 20 minute drive from Kirkland and end up in what is called "unincorporated King county". The most important attribute of this area is that many of the city laws DO NOT APPLY. Some entrepreneurial people have setup many firework stands that don't just sell the wimpy pyrotechnics that people call fireworks these days. No, they sell things that might actually kill you if you don't show the proper respect when handling them, which when you get down to it is the major appeal of fireworks.

So a few years back after drinking for a few hours and shooting off a variety of fireworks, a friend of mine and I invented greatest game ever imagined. What might you ask is this game? Simply put it is Roman Candle Halo^TM, a game where grown men gather to test their moral and physical character on a pseudo field of battle. You haven't truly lived till you have had multiple flaming balls of fire come screaming at your head.

To play Ralo, you will need:

• Roman Candles (we prefer the "jumbo" variety, but any pyrotechnic that shoots flaming material a suitable distance can be used.)
• Alcoholic beverages (to steady the nerves and dull any physical pain you might incur)
• Disapproving wifes or loved-ones (Someone has to be around to call 911)
• A minimum of 3 players (1 on 1 is fun, but with multiple people it is more challenging as you have to keep your wits about you)
• Sand, water, or some other flame retardant to put out any stray fires that may result from game play
• Eye protection is allowed and is probably a really good idea

The game play is pretty simple. The game is played in a relatively small area, say 20^' by 20^'. The inaugural game was played in a small cul de sac with about 5 houses. You should be close enough to easily see the other players ("targets"), and yet have enough room to jump/dodge incoming projectiles. Each player places their ordinance near by and starts with a roman candle and some sort of ignition source to ignite said firework(s). It is important that everyones roman candle has the same number of "shots" so that no one has a tactical advantage. Someone says "Go" and everyone ignites there candle and then chooses an opposing player as a target. You can choose to re-target as you see fit, the goal being to get a direct hit on another player. Body shots are easiest while head and extremity shots are more difficult, but currently the scoring is the same regardless of what part of the body you hit. The end of a round comes with all of the players candles have been consumed, usually this means 10-20 shots per candle per round. At that time you reload and tend to any burns that you might have received. A side benefit of roman candles is they leave easily visible brown sulfur marks on clothing and skin so that there is little argument on whether you were hit.

You might be thinking that Ralo is a dangerous game played by drunken people with little respect for the safety of themselves or others. But there is actually quite a bit of strategy involved:

• Players have to be aware of the timing of the candles fire rate, as you are not pulling a trigger. The rate of fire can also change over time as fireworks are not precision ordinance. You have to hear/sense when the candle is about to fire so that you can be aiming it correctly when it goes off.
• The other players will try to avoid being hit, and as the roman candle projectiles are relatively slow moving, there is ample opportunity to dodge/jump out of the way of an incoming flaming ball of fire. Every player develops their own strategy in terms of offensive and defensive play. As I am thin as a stick, I tend to turn by body sideways and jump out of the way to avoid being hit, while others will leap over or duck under incoming fire. On the offensive side, many find that you can "bounce" the projectiles off of the ground or near by objects so that the targeted player can not as easily avoid being hit.
• Police avoidance. You have to be ready to make a run for it and hide in the bushes in the dark until the police give up looking for you.
• Games can be free-for-all or team based. You have to learn to be aware of who is targeting you and back up team mates with supporting fire.
• Advanced scenarios: After the first year, other fireworks were introduced into game play to provide smoke screens, distractions, and add to the general mayhem. This increases both the fun and the danger.

I am hoping maybe next year we will play the third annual Ralo tournament, and maybe even establish some firm rules and a good scoring system. After that we can start regional recreational leagues. If you are interested in starting a Ralo league in your area, please let me know. Next year I'll post on the latest innovations in Ralo like multiple candle guns and a guide on how to build your own roman candles from piccolo-pete's and sparklers.

Happy 4^th of July everyone.