The Tradition Carries On...

Just when I thought the old, Gygax version of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was more or less a relic from my past that only a few of us still enjoyed, I found a glimmer of hope.

My friends have kids that recently expressed an interest in learning and playing Dungeons & Dragons. (Three boys specifically ages 12, 11 and 8.) Not only that, my best friend's wife and a girl I am seeing have also expressed an interest in the game.

So after a crash course in the rules etc. I ran my date, her son and my best friend's two sons through a six room dungeon.

It was very basic and I only threw four goblins, three large spiders, a skeleton and a 3rd level magic-user at them.

I was amazed at how fast the boys caught on to the game!

In this day of Playstation and XBox, these boys took to the game like ducks to water!
During our game, the 8 year old announced that we should play all night long and just eat a bunch of junk food and drink coffee so we can stay up.

The secret of Dungeons & Dragons is revealed!

(This is the same kid that has an obsessive/compulsive thing about poking everything they find with a 10 foot pole.)

This game was simply a learning thing and didn't count.

Plans were made to start a new campaign in Shadowdale of the Forgotten Realms.

All the boys wanted to know was when we would play again!

So a week later, I rounded everybody up including my two veteran friends and we sequestered ourselves in the basement, seated around my gaming table.

These are the games I have dreamed about as a Dungeonmaster!

Eight players, one character each and each person with different goals, perspectives and styles!

I LOVED IT!

The band of adventurers had gathered outside to Old Skull Inn to watch the festivities of Midsummer Night. There was singing, drinking and feasting as well as the tradtional "hunting" of maidens through the woods by their would-be suitors.
The festivities were interrupted when one of the hunters stumbled into the village after being grievously wounded by a Goblin arrow! Not only that, one of the maidens was missing!

Search parties were organized, including the adventurers. Of course the adventurers were sent to the crumbling ruins of Castle Krag and of course this was the source of a great evil encroachment upon the quaint, little farming village.

Due to the youngsters getting tired and punchy, the game had to be halted as the party was exploring a strange room with six ghostly, floating harps that played a haunting tune. They had learned earlier that Castle Krag was once the abode of Lord Sargin Krag who went mad and stalked through the castle and murdered his entire family, servants and all his guests with a battleaxe!

Of course I ended the game on a cliffhanger because as the party was examining the glowing, ghostly harps, six goblins marched into the room!

I can't wait to play again!

We have made plans to take a road trip to the Guardtower in Columbus Ohio so my new players can pick out their own dice and maybe some miniatures for their characters!

I never thought I'd have so much fun!

We're supposed to play when we get back so I hope I'm not too tired!

Now that I think about this....

None of this would have happened if I was still married!

I get happier about my divorce everyday!

Anti-Human