A PROGRESSIVE NIGHTMARE! SMALL TOWN IN GEORGIA REQUIRED EVERYONE TO OWN A GUN

[honorentheos]

The unexpected one for me, in a way, is the renaissance playing RPGs has gone through for me since starting to DM for my daughter and her friends a year ago. Until last fall I hadn't played in well over a decade, maybe almost two decades. But once I got back into it, I spend a lot of time working on the campaign, painting minis, making maps, etc. I listen to podcasts to learn new things or get ideas, and have embraced the nerdiness of it. Again, don't know if it's a midlife crisis thing, a way to cope with the social constraints of the pandemic, or what. But it led to my connecting with a neighbor who it turns out plays so we've been working out plans for a neighborhood game, too. Nerds.

A friend of mine has given me both the Player's Handbook and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything to get me into playing, and it's worked. The guys have me hooked. I never really played D&D as an adult (I think the only version I really played a lot of was AD&D which I think was version 2, although I used to play a lot of Neverwinter Nights which was based on the 3.5 rule set). I've basically had to relearn the game with the 5e rules, but I must say that I really like this version. It feels a lot more balanced to me.

But yeah, I've been enjoying that a lot in my advancing years too. It's really more about that kind of improv and collaborative creation I enjoy than thinking how much of a badass my vengeance pally is and looking for loot. It's also a great excuse to hang with friends.

The story telling, hanging out having fun part is exactly what appeals to me, too. While my job gives me some form of creative outlet, DMing is something else entirely, and creating a shared story sets off all the dopamines.

I hadn't played a roleplaying game in forever. My middle school and high school friend group was eclectic. We played sports including on high school teams and organized club play (I wrestled and played soccer...cardio kills. Dabbled in football but didn't like the coach so I decided not to try out freshman year to lift and train for wrestling that fall instead and never went back even when my other friends were on the team), but also video games, read comics, were into anime...I claim we were the prototype for where most kids today seem to have migrated when back then it was odd for a jock to also read comics or the like. Whatever changed, I think it was for the better.

[Res Ipsa]

There are also quite a few very good story telling games that allow for replay and collaboration without the time and investment that a more traditional role playing game requires. I really enjoy Microscope, the a quiet year, and a couple others.