Almost two years ago, I wrote up a post in which I confessed that I played Dungeons and Dragons by myself as a teenager. D&D/Critical Role Blog Post
How I managed to grow up well-adjusted from that harrowing experience, I don’t know.
But in that post I discussed my discovery (and here I’ll detail the ensuing obsession) of the online show where “a bunch of crazy-ass voice-actors play Dungeons and Dragons”. Since then, it’s been nearly a two-year journey watching those people play the game with such passion, have so much fun, and tell such a great story.
But one of the things that always appealed to me was the fact that these 8-9 people regularly got together every week and just friggin’ have fun together.
So it got me to thinking…life is short. If I know I would have fun doing this, why aren’t I doing it? I came to the realization that if I wanted to play D&D, I’d have to search for it or create it myself.
Although I really wanted to play a character, I started to understand with no friends who played the game, I was in the same situation as I was in middle-school with no one to play with or run a game for me.
It hit me, that I had to be the Dungeon Master.
So a couple of months ago, I bought the Player Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, the D&D Starter Set adventure pack, a bunch of dice sets, and minis, and battle mats, and Dungeon Master screens, and pencils and notebooks, and…..you see where this is going.
I tossed an invite out to a group of friends. Some excited, some luke-warm, and some downright not interested. I’ll admit I was a bit deflated after both the time and monetary investment I made.
I figured I’d scratch the itch another way.
So I looked around online for the Plattsburgh area (and even Burlington…I pondered commuting to play) to see if there were games anywhere and found that Medusa Comics and Cards hosted a weekly game. Success! Or so I thought. When I contacted them about whether or not they accepted new players, I found that they do, but basically just host the venue for a group of friends who play there, and their party was full.
That’s when I found Under One Roof video store (Under One Roof Video Store) hosts a Adventure’s League game (basically just public organized play sanctioned by the company the makes D&D, and Magic: The Gathering for that matter, Wizards of the Coast) every Thursday night. I reached out and found that I was welcome to show up and play! Excitement! Celebration! Loud noises!
I don’t remember how much time was in between finding out I was going to play D&D for the first time in what no joke amounts to over twenty years. I did have the advantage of learning all of the rules basically of 5th Edition D&D through watching hours upon hours of Critical Role so I was by no means going in as a noob. I threw myself into making characters. I’m pretty sure I ended up making at least 10 characters, some with complete back story and personalities set, the way they look figured out, the whole shebang.
I anxiously awaited Thursday night, and I remember telling Nicolette before I went that I was legit nervous. Even as a 35-year-old, it still felt like going out on a first date in middle-school. Like that feeling of walking into a situation completely blind, knowing no one, and not knowing what is expected of you or what is going to happen.
I was the first one there, which didn’t help the nerves at all, but I can without a doubt say that the Dungeon Master Don, made me feel welcome immediately. Out of the bazillion characters I made, I decided on Perrin Hilltopple, the halfling ranger. I’ve been playing him for a little over a month, and look forward to Thursdays every week. I’ve met a bunch of other people who enjoy D&D, and it is truly an awesome experience.
Playing the game got me thinking more and more about wanting to get a group together of my good friends though. I reached out to the guys I coach with, and they were excited. They in turn reached out to others, and I grabbed one of my buds that I had touched base with at the very beginning, and out of that grew that table of six that I am going to DM for on Tuesday nights! Nicolette’s mom was gracious enough to let us use the backroom of her store to host too!
I’ve basically spent all of my free time prepping what you’re about to see below. I compiled a word document that ended up being 79 pages JUST FOR THE GUYS TO MAKE THEIR CHARACTERS. Print-outs of spells, reference documents for racial bonuses, the friggin gamut. I made playlists for background music to play during the adventure, curated into different situations like “battle”, “travel”, “tavern”, and the like. I was so excited I arrived an hour early to set this up:
We spent a little over three hours just making their characters, and it was awesome. Out of the 6 players I have, three are brand-new to the game, two others have played here and there, and one is pretty much my veteran who plays weekly online.
Starting Tuesday night, with all my nervous/excited/anxious splendor, I’ll be running six of my friends through Lost Mine of Phandelver.
Our party of adventurers consists of:
Willroar Cupshigh, Half-Elf Ranger, played by Adam
Tuck Blackwater, Halfling Druid, played by Louis
Agnar Granitebuster, Dwarf Paladin, played by Erik
Magnus Moremead, Dwarf Barbarian, played by Miles
Draxan Stormwolf, Elf Rogue, played by Corey
Maran La’saen, Dwarf Cleric, played by Rich
I’ll post more about our dear adventurers as the campaign progresses.
everything, etc. 