Darren Layne - War College Special Guest

Darren has spent most of his life steeped in a combination of gaming
and historical study, sometimes appreciating the seamless integration
of the two, and sometimes loathing it. Born in New York, raised in
Detroit, and now caught between San Francisco and Edinburgh, Darren
realized at a young age that geek was chic, and now woefully regrets
his decision to attempt to subvert the games industry, sometimes
flagellating himself in penance by slam-dancing down the hallowed
halls of the Ivory Tower to pretend he's really worth something.

He graduated from Berkeley in the class of 2000, where he focused on
a strange amalgam of Celtic Studies and WWII militaria, writing two
theses while navigating throngs of angry hippies. This included a
study of Soviet armor tactics at Kursk and an examination of the
Highland Clans during the later Jacobite Rebellions. Darren moved to
Scotland in 2003 to undertake a Master's program at the University of
Edinburgh, focused on social and military consciousness in 18th-
century Britain. Aside from deep archival research and academic
lectures there, he also wandered various battlefields throughout
Scotland, doing conservation work and comparative research. Now he
patiently awaits, wringing his hands, for a continuation of his
doctorate studies back in Auld Reekie.

Darren is co-owner of Gamescape North in San Rafael, one of the Bay
Area's largest and oldest game stores, and can usually be found
there, patiently listening to stories about 12th-level paladins and
picking up sunflower seeds left behind by oblivious gamers.