No matter what I say, someone will say that I'm just trying to relive my youth, but there are certain things that will get you dragged into the past faster than others. It was bad enough that I grew up nerdy, but to want to revisit this time... that takes chutzpah!
I grew up a geek and a nerd. I was the nerd's nerd. I was the nerd triple threat. I loved movies. I loved comic books. And I loved RPG's - or role playing games to the uninitiated (like Dungeons and Dragons - that classic brand of nerddom!) I have never lost my love for movies. I finally broke the habit of comic books in the early nineties when I realized that 1/4 of every paycheck was going to my comic bunk pusher to keep me up on the latest fix. I quit comics cold turkey and I've never looked back. I can't even really open a comic book without devouring it and wanting more. Its crack for my writer's mind. But the worst of these vices was and is, RPG's.
From a writer's stand point, jumping to RPG's is not a great leap. You create scenarios, push characters through the scenarios, and come to a pre-conceived conclusion on the other end. You just use dice with RPG's to get there. In fact, my Novel got its start as an RPG back in Jr. High School.
RPG's had a great influence on me as a teen because they allowed me to explore greater and more complex ideas in a rigid format. They allowed me to test my theories about story, pacing, and character development. And they allowed me to goof around quite a bit with my friends. But, when high school ended and I went off to the Navy, the lure of RPG's slowly left me. For the most part, I didn't have anyone to play with anymore. So, I quit. I packed up my stuff and walked away.
Fast forward 12 years to me as a Youth Leader. There was a kid in my group who was having a rough time of it. I was encouraged to spend some extra time with this kid. It wasn't hard. He liked movies. And was versed in current comic book knowlege as well. We hit it off. Then one day, I saw him with Dungeons and Dragons books and we started talking. The next thing I know, I'm being waylayed by other kids in my youth group to play D&D with them. I should have said no, but I was trying to build up the youth group at the time. As soon as the needle hit the vein and I felt the icy drug of adventure and nerdiness slide into me, it was like the walls were singing to me and a purple haze encompassed my brain.
We've been playing together now for nearly three years. Its been fun, but I've tried to keep the perspective tight (and there's been a lot of sneaky theology snuck into the campaigns ;). Still, I wonder what adults and parents think of the 35 plus year old man still playing RPG's. Do they have any concept that I'd be more than willing to quit at any time?
What brings this all to mind is that my good friend, Nick, and I have been toying with the idea of creating an RPG system from scratch that would be Open (i.e. Modifiable by everyone - players, designers, etc...) Finally tired of waiting for me to do something about it, Nick has created a blog called tacrpg (See the link's section) to facilitate discussions about this topic. If you know anything about RPG's, or are well versed in game theory, or if you're just curious about how we geeks intend to take over the world someday, then I urge you to stop by and check it out. Until then, watch out for Red Dragons, and always keep your sword sharp.
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