The Beginning
Today is my birthday. I turn forty-one. As such, it seems like a suitable day to take a few moments to sit and reflect. I am admittedly not very prone to reflection. I am impulsive and tend to rely on insight and intuition to carry me through, and while I blame the ADHD, but it's no excuse for my tendency to not follow through. Improvement in the arena is one of my motivations for starting this blog.
I've always been motivated by discovery. I spent my childhood with my nose in a book or traipsing around outside. Subject never mattered much to me, I'll read anything, but the ones that've stuck in my memory the most are the natural sciences, especially animals, and supernatural horror; the "real ghost stories" sort. And the classics: Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne, and probably a few that escape my recollection at the moment.
I was a relatively late comer to fantasy. I was introduced to Magic: the Gathering in 8th grade (Mirage block, for those interested). I was in high school before I read Lord of the Rings. My exposure to Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer Fantasy followed soon after. D&D almost didn't take.
That last one might be surprising for those who know me. My first D&D experience was horrible. I was invited to play by a friend, but when things started, I received no help, no guidance, just "here's a sheet and the rulebook, make a character". In a different environment and with more time, I probably could've figured out what I was doing, but I didn't that night. Instead, I ended up getting into Warhammer Fantasy.
It'd be several more years before I was exposed to D&D again, but that time, it absolutely did take. When D&D 3rd edition released my senior year of high school, a group of different friends decided to play. We all got together one weekend, reading the new rulebooks, making characters, having a good time. They'd all played previous editions before, but when the discussion turned to who was going to run the game, somehow I was nominated.
I don't really remember what I ran that night. It was probably some simple introduction adventure, but I was hooked. I wasn't running all the time, we took turns rotating as DM, but I was always willing to run. There was just something about that experience that I couldn't get enough of. That I still can't get enough of. And so while there's been lulls and breaks from the hobby, it's never been far from my mind.
Which brings us to now. I do not have a firm plan for where I'm going with this blog (see above re: impulse and intuition), but I've got a few ideas for things to post. We'll see how far that carries me! Once those are exhausted, I'm sure I'll think of something.