I thought I would start off my first post the way you should start any good tabletop roleplaying campaign, with a session zero.
Session Zero
If you are unfamiliar with the term, a session zero is the first meeting between the players and a DM before the new start of a new campaign. It is a time for introductions, set expectations, and ensure everyone is on the same page before you dive into what could be a years long journey together.
For this session zero I will start with some background about myself. I have been interested in TTRPGs since I was a kid, with The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game by Decipher the first system I remember actually running with my friends. It wasn't until college and the Fifth Edition starter set of D&D that I became what I would call 'passionate' (my wife would say obsessed) about roleplaying games. I started a weekly game that runs on Tuesdays, and that has been going strong (with a month-long break at the most) for about six years now.
Searching for the name to use for this blog took some work. I don't have a famous library I'm named after, nor am I always angry. But there was one element of my DM style that has been a constant theme throughout the years, my embrace of the digital side of DMing when possible. I've had a computer since I was five years old, so technology has always been a big part of my life. It just made sense to me to utilize that technological know-how to better my games, and from day one I've used a digital element in my sessions. Be it digital character creators, maps and images shared on a TV screen, or the full Virtual Tabletop experience.
I am and probably always will be a Forever DM. Being a player is fun and all, but for me the role of guiding players through a world of shared imagination is what brings me to the table. Since that D&D gateway drug took hold I have branched out and run a few different systems.
What I Have Played
Rulesets
- D&D 5E
- Pathfinder 2E
- Scum & Villainy
- Cypher System
- Genesys
- Star Wars FFG
- Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game
- The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game
- Dungeon World
- Hero Kids
Official Adventures
D&D 5E
- Lost Mine of Phandelver
- Hoard of the Dragon Queen
- Rise of Tiamat
- Curse of Strahd
- Storm King's Thunder
- Tomb of Annihilation
- Dragon of Icespire Peak
Pathfinder 2E
- Fall of Plaguestone
What I Want To Play
Besides the games I have actually played, my Google Drive folder is filled with RPGs that I have read through and want to play. Let me list real quick some of the highlights that I am excited to try out someday.
- Crystal Heart - A Savage Worlds setting where your heart is literally made of Crystal that you can swap out for different powers.
- Beowulf: Age of Heroes - A 5E supplement that is designed for duet play.
- Epyllion: A Dragon Epic - A Powered by the Apocalypse system designed for kids where you play AS A DRAGON!
Our Journey Begins
So now that I've done my part of the session zero, it's your turn. Leave a comment below with how long you have been playing TTRPGs and what you are looking forward to playing next.
Thinking back, my first tabletop wargaming experience was 1969-70, and my first FRP was probably 1975-76 (original DnD). I played a LOT of homebrew systems at Uni,as well as DMing Metamorphsis Alpha and GURPS. I diddn't really come back to DnD until 3rd edition, though I have some familiarity with AD&D and related systems from Buldur's Gate on the PC. By this stage my eldest children were already both playing and DMing far more than me.. More recently I've been pretty continuously in 3rd, 3.5, 4th and now 5th edition, and from a role playing perspective 5th definately wins in my view. So much so that I've been playing Adventurer's league to get my FRP recently. I'd love to play more 5th edition - ideally with a consistent group, and in a campaign going lvl1 -20... I'm also tempted to check out the successful spoof system that is Dungeon's the Dragoning...(http://lawfulnice.blogspot.com/2011/04/dungeons-dragoning-11.html) which my son reliably informs me actually works....
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