Kicking Dice: Episode 1

I've been a "gaming geek" for close to 3 decades. It's sad, but true. For close to 30 years (Year 30 is officially marked in November 2009) I have picked up dice, paper, and pencil on average of no less than once per week and played a tabletop RPG for a minimum of no less than 6 hours per session. When I started up as a game designer and writer, I spent close to 10 hours a day (6 days a week) working on various RPG projects over the course of 4 years. That's quite a bit of time to be lost in various worlds of fantasy (910 days or 2.5 years). Of course, this doesn't include the time spent reading magazines, novels, core books, adventures, and surfing the web looking for new gaming stuff.

Why do I mention these seemingly minuscule factoids? I am turning 35 in less than a week and I'm taking stock in time spent on certain things over the course of my life.

I've seen the evolution of the game, 4 times. Hell, I helped evolve the world's first campaign setting with one of the great-grand-dads of gaming. I have given my autograph to gaming legends (I nearly keeled over when Bob and Dave wanted me to sign a couple of my adventure modules). I have walked in the shadow of heroes. I have reached for the brass ring at the gates of gaming nirvana, and turned my back as I fell.

Now? I stand at the base of a large mountain. A new edition of my beloved game appeared a year ago. I have largely kept to the shadowy fringes of gaming for the last 4 years. An occasional convention appearance as a "spotlight GM" (a nice way of saying I get into the con for free because someone vaguely remembers something I wrote, and I get to run a packed schedule of games.. no such thing as a free lunch/con). But I have finally placed my hat back in the ring. My burn-out is gone. The ideas are fresh and running hot.

What will it be like to write for the newest edition? Like writing for any game system. The music doesn't stop playing because you're playing it on an iPod instead of the radio. Does one sound better than the other? Aesthetics.

Look for the new Encounter of the Week, coming soon.