Wrapped Up Like a Blog

When I trace my roots as a writer, I think about when I was a kid, scrawling crude comics in a notebook, but more than anything, I believe my secret origin as a writer came from Dungeons & Dragons.

When I started playing in 8th grade, I just had a player character. I was probably a thief, though I don't really remember. I do recall playing a bard early on (I love the rogues, what can I say?) But soon after we started the guy who was the Dungeon Master decided it was too tough a job and, in an effort to keep the group going, I stepped up and grabbed the reins. Though I occasionally stumbled, I never let those reins go for the next decade or so.

Working as the DM really helped me develop a lot of muscles I would use later on. I wanted to have a campaign that was sweeping, that existed in a larger world where the adventuring party could play a big part in local and later worldwide events. I tried to have political intrigue and even some X-Men style fear of the other in a conflict among races. Heck, I even grabbed some of those X-Men and made them into a psychic thieves guild! I was not beyond cribbing from favorite works, with an assault on a Death Star like floating castle/fortress, and even an NPC I controlled that was a Gummi Bear (Strummi Gummi, another bard, who had skills in herbology and brewing!).

It also helped me with character development, as I made NPCs of all stripes: nobles, merchants, villains and allies. But most of all, it made me flexible. My players ALWAYS took pride in doing things I did not expect, like getting into bar brawls, burning down inns and collecting viscera from defeated creatures. Each time I had to fly by the seat of my pants and come up with challenges and resolutions. THAT was a lot of fun, looking back, though at the time I probably whined about it.

I have a lot more thoughts on the game and my time in the trenches, which I can share more, but the reason I am writing this today is that I am diving back into the game. I am Dungeon Mastering again and I am excited about it. It may cut into my writing time BUT... well, I am going to try out new characters and ideas in my campaign that may or may not end up in novels and stories in the future.

Now, where did I put those 10-sided dice...