Tom closed his eyes and just listened to the plastic tumbling across the game board. Even when they had stopped, he didn't dare open his eyes in the fear that he would fall short and cause some other kind of insanity to befall the group. Around him, he could hear nothing from the others to indicate whether his roll was high or low, and finally his curiosity forced his eyes open.
He needed seven. He rolled seven.
"You did it," Hannah said from behind him in disbelief.
"Yeah, but did he really this time?" Dave said, skeptical.
Silently, Tom grasped his piece with a thick hand and moved it space by space to the center of the board. The now-vacant red square began to cycle through colors to become a random space type, but nobody in the room was watching it. Neither did anyone notice Tom's two red dice fade into thin air. All eyes were on the picture of the lamp in the center of the board. The minute Tom put his marker on it, it glowed a near-blinding gold which sent toad Sue into a small frenzy. She croaked loudly and began hopping in place. Tom wondered for a moment if she realized what had happened.
Then, the lamp's picture started to swell. Everyone watched as it grew up and out of the board. Tom's piece seemed to melt into it as it continued to shine. Gently, Tom picked up the lamp. It felt like it was made of heavy metal, warm to the touch. Its glow subsided as he lifted it for everyone to see. He felt a flicker in his mind, like a switch turning on. Suddenly he knew everything about the game. Every obscure rule, how the game was created and what kinds of magic made it work. He also completely understood the victory conditions.
"I...the lamp...It wants me to explain what happens next," he stammered. His mind was racing, trying to sift through all of the information that had just been given to him. The knowledge was, quite simply, fascinating.
"So, do we turn back to normal?" Dave said. He shot an envious glance at Terry, who was the only human in the room.
Tom opened his mouth to answer...