The Ultimate Sacrifice
February 28, 2006
This was 12 years in the making, people. I swore I would never do this. My first husband couldn’t even get me to do this, and he begged. I did laundry instead. I’d watch the kids to avoid it. What is this thing I ran away from for so long?
My in-laws remember this as if it was yesterday. Their first born, the “best kid” as he likes to call himself; down in their basement, playing a game that involves dice, imagination, and many, many hardcover books that can be conveniently carried from place to place in a milk crate you stole from the back of a grocery store. They warned me about this, but I knew. He had let it go when we first married, even selling some of his minis and books to my ex-husband; unintentionally allowing the ex to find out who I was married to after him (whoops!). He did not speak of it for many years, until….
Work sent my husband back to the Boston area, where he met up with some of his old friends from school who were, still to this day, playing D&D. He came home all a twitter about it, wanting to play. He roped my brothers into it; although they actually came willingly. Books were bought. Minis purchased. Dice replaced.
I started slow. I painted minis to contribute to the gameplay. That was fun, and I really enjoyed spending time with my hubby doing something he truly loves. Then he started writing campaigns, and would ask me to read them. He really has a knack for this stuff, I noted. Soon he was asking me to read stuff for his NPC (Non-Playing Character). These are characters that are part of the game, but are really supporting characters that the party interacts with. Think of background characters in a movie and you can see where these fit in. That was fun too, and it allowed me to take part but not really take part. I was down with that.
We went to a store called Sci-Fi City. Have you been? If not, you need to go. Forget Disney and Universal. This place is Mecca for gaming enthusiasts. We live over an hour from this place and every now and again it calls to us. So usually when we go I’m coralling the kids while hubby shops for what he wants and needs.
Since getting me started in this, now *I* get to look at things. Did you know they have all kinds of dice? All shapes and colors? REALLY pretty dice? I fell in love. Well, in lust. You could spend all day at the dice counter. It’s like the Tiffany and Co. of the game store.
I’m excited to play this game if only because I now have cool dice to play with. Isn’t that sad?
So now, I too have joined the “big kids” at the table. It’s not what I thought it was, and those who say it’s evil and demonic really haven’t played the game. There’s evil characters in it, and some people make characters that are evil, but I think you already have to be heading in an evil direction to take this into the real world and try to apply it in an evil way. My point, if you are looking for evil, you can find it anywhere, and blaming a game you play for turning you evil is a load of hooey. It’s a lot about teamwork, and strategy, and even lessons you forget as you get older like taking turns and consideration.
For instance, it’s not required, but it IS polite to ask the party first before lopping the head off the serpent if your character can “finish him off”. Someone else might want to, or you may not survive if it retaliates.
These are important life lessons brought to you by D&D.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go admire my dice and how it picks up the light.
