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.

Throne Categories

So, I was sitting upon my throne* when I came up with some categories for my blog.

• 3E: All info and such about version 3E and 3.5E Dungeons & Dragons.
• 4E: All info and such about me and 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons (if ever at all).
  
• Cartography: Where I post my maps, battle maps, and VTT maps.
  
• Classic Gaming: This includes any addition of D&D before 3E, all of the various World of Darkness worlds before the schism, Rolemaster, and the original Warhammer Fantasy RPG.
• Demon Hunter: One of 2 super cool game design projects. This is the sci-fi version.
• DotW: Stands for "Dungeon of the Week." This uses the One Page Dungeon design model created by the Chatty DM (see links for a link to his blog).
  
• Eternal Heroes: One of 2 super cool game design projects. This is the fantasy version.
  
• GURPS: The wonderful game by Steve Jackson.
• Other Stuff: Exactly what it says, "other stuff."
  
• Palladium: This includes all of the various worlds in the Palladium line: Rifts, Fantasy, Ninjas and Superspies, Recon, Beyond the Supernatural, Manhunter, etc.
• Video Games: I am one of the biggest video game dorks I know. I play quite a few of them (when I should be writing or getting ready for a game).
  
• World of Darkness: For all the various new worlds of darkness.

I think those are about all the ones I'm going to have. If I add more, so be it. I see a few of these that may not see the light of day often though ;-)

* Throne: The purpose behind me calling this the Black Lord's Throne... I do my best thinking in the bathroom. ;-)