Something Happened in my Basement Last Night...

In my recent search to find some more potential players in my local area, I turned my thoughts once again to something I had considered forever beyond my reach: roleplaying with my old friends that composed the gaming groups of my youth. Something in me demanded that I try again to bring my friends back to the hobby.

So I proposed the idea to a few of my friends, and last night two of them came over to my house. There we gathered in my basement, where my computer room/home office/man-lair resides. We whipped up some characters and I put them through a short session where they had to fight their way out of a small subterranean area (I hope to post a session report soon).

I'm very, VERY happy to report that we had a great time gaming for about three-and-a-half hours, which is something we haven't done in eons (roleplaying or otherwise). There was laughter aplenty and not to mention some daring-do, as the dice flew across the table, maps were consulted, and all the rest. Bottom line: IT WAS FUN! And that's most important. And we're definitely planning on doing it again as soon as possible!

One of the guys is a veritable newb, who dabbled in roleplaying over the years but never really got fully into it when the rest of our group was in our RPG heyday. But after last night, his whole attitude changed. The big reason for that is simply because we're older now, and I've learned to better tailor my games to the needs of my players (it helps that I've known these guys for well over a decade). I convinced our resident newb that roleplaying doesn't have to have the pretentions or stereotypes that we used to labor under when we were younger (which was a major factor in limiting his interest in the hobby), when low self esteem sometimes made us into tyrants at the table.

The other friend that played last night is pretty much a veteran roleplayer, and he fell back into the RPG experience with barely a hiccup! And yours truly wasn't a slouch either ;-)

Suffice to say, last night we felt nostalgia in a good way, not in the sappy and maudlin way. Nostalgia that isn't an obsession with the long-lost past of our lives, but rather a subtle cherishing of once we once had, and can have again in some way. We are the masters of our fates, and the captains of our souls!

Now, if only I could convince some more of the old group to get in on the action...wheels are turning, my friends...