Folks like to say that our hobby has moved on to the virtual tabletop.  And they are right... partially.  See, a whole generation of folks are picking up tabletop roleplaying games in the age of the internet, and using those vtts for their gaming needs.

There is nothing inherently wrong with playing on a vtt, hell, I have, and still will, for the last 2.5 years.  It was a fine stand in for the world pandemic that we are still not completely out of.  But, recently I've discovered that it is missing one essential piece for my hobby enjoyment: human interaction.

I have blogged about how I got my start in this corner of the world, but for brevity sake, it happened with my best pals in high school, all of us sat around a table for hours every weekend we could.  It was full of way too much soda, definitely too many chips, and plenty of pizza and subway.  Pens, pencils, and loads of dice everywhere, with piles and piles of books next to book ages and even a few miniatures.

The spark of this hobby lies in those moments where you can 'feel' the energy in the room rising, when you can hear your friends breath catch as they wait to roll that d20 as if the very fabric of reality depended on the outcome.  That is what kept me in this madness for so long.  And for my taste, it just isn't the same without it.  I'll be sticking to in person gaming for a while.  I'll see you on the flip side.

The Spark

The tabletop role-playing community at large is very fragmented these days, regardless of what the ‘norm’ says, wherever your ‘norm’ lives. There are people who love to argue over 5e’s RAW vs RAI on Reddit and Twitter. There are folks who live-stream their shenanigans to huge communities, and those that have 10 faithful followers. There is the online only crowd and the ‘if-its-not-at-a-real-table-I-want-none-of-it’ personages. And there are the tinkerers, constantly changing their personal games to fit their style better alongside the only by the bookers.

Therein lies the beauty of this hobby; there is room for ALL of us. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, there is a place for you. The best part? There is no right or wrong answer as long as you and your friends are having fun.

I love this hobby. Some might call it an obsession, and they would be right. It allows me to escape the real world for a segment of time, to let my imagination wander into fantastical scenarios that I would never get to experience in reality. I get to travel through the deep dark of space with my players as they experience the slow creeping dread of the absolute gargantuaness of our imagined galaxies. I am able to smile as my players create a story of heroic sacrifice against insurmountable levels of evil in a fantastical land of Wizards and bold Warriors. I laugh alongside my friends and family at the crazy hijinx that their characters get into.

At the end of the session, the only thing that matters is whether or not we all enjoyed that shared narrative. If that meant spending 20 minutes looking up a specific ruling because the outcome depended on it, so be it. Or maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal, and instead of stalling the game we just winged it, and kept moving. Both are acceptable.

Instead of arguing about the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to enjoy our table time, let’s come together and just enjoy it. Be happy for the group that is rules heavy and only plays with rules-as-written. Be supportive of those that write their own rules and wing it just as much as they follow their rules. There is room for all of us, and at the end of the day, no one should care if you ‘do-it-yourself’ or not. I’m all for it, either way.

DIY vs DI don’t

Just a quick update for my plans related to my indie game Blood and Gold!

Roll20 sheet is now available for use!  Add to the game just like any other Roll20 sheet.

I have an artist working on a character sheet in their spare time, I will update DriveThru and Itch with that file once it is complete.

My editor is working pro-bono and closing in on finalizing his notes, look out for the final update to existing pdf purchasers shortly!

Lastly, I'm looking to try and crowdfund to get some funds for full on interior artwork and professional layout, and possibly even an offset zine print run!

If interested in the crowdfund, stay tuned to this site for more details!

I hope you're enjoying Blood and Gold as much as I am!

Blood and Gold - Future

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The Spark

DIY vs DI don’t