Awesome: 'Challenge Coins 2011 - for real now' by TOGSolid

TOGSolid

  Kwisatz Haderach likes this Post written by TOGSolid

about a year ago

"He was able to find me a challenge coin from last year. Awesome!"

Visit

Kwisatz Haderach wrote: »

The big glass hemi-cylinder over the entrance to the Convention Center is pretty iconic of the location of PAX, maybe that's the route we could consider this year instead of the city skyline? Something like this:

Spoiler:

Maybe it's just me, but the Pavlovian response to seeing that arch is OMGPAX



Also: are there any extra 2010 coins left over in a box somewhere? Never got my hands on one last year

I think I have an extra at home. I'll check when I get home from work next Friday and shoot you a PM if I do.

EDIT: As funny as it would be to have lines be featured on the challenge coin, that's almost something that's only really funny to the veterans. If someone was willing to simplify the arch's design a hair (otherwise it'd be a muddled mess due to all the glass framing) it'd be a good candidate. So far for me, something iconic for PAX is how you always go expecting to do all sorts of things and end up getting HORRIBLY distracted by something awesome going on at the convention. How this could be turned into an image I have no idea.
(curse you Steel Battallion)

Mojo_Jojo

I feel like there's a boatload of context missing here.

Tox

Mojo_Jojo wrote:

I feel like there's a boatload of context missing here.

Yes. Tons.

I am assuming "challenge coin" and "veteran" are going the same place, but...

Tox

High ranking officers in the US military tend to use "coins" instead of business cards, since you can see who they are by looking at them in uniform. It's a commemorative coin, about the size of a silver dollar, and on one side it will usually have traditional iconography for the relevant service. The reverse side has a specific design, emblem, or logo to the unit that the officer commands, usually including the officer's rank. These coins are most often used as tokens of gratitude. If you work for a particularly high ranking officer, he will usually at some point while you are assigned to him give you one of his coins.

All four service branches have regular "dining ins" or "dining outs" which are basically formal military dinner events. There's a bit of ceremony, maybe an award or two, maybe an announcement or two, then dinner, followed by drinking and dancing.

Something that occurs at these events is a tradition known as "coining." Coining is when you approach another service member and present them with a commemorative coin of yours, showing it off to them. At that point, you have issued a challenge to them. They now have two options. They can either: A) Buy you a drink in honor of your coin; or B) show you a coin of their own, that is from a higher ranking officer, at which point you must buy them a drink instead.

Coining or challenging is a little game of one-up-manship played at these events. It's a way for enlisted soldiers to brag about who they rub elbows with, and what prestigious units they've worked for, without outright boasting. It can be fun, as long as you know the rules and have the right coins. It's often customary to bring several coins. One challenge coin, one "low-ball" (so you can help lower-ranking soldiers enjoy the process), and a trump coin (generally your highest ranking coin).

TOGSolid

Well, at least I know he got the coin I mailed him. >.>

Captain Carrot