Yay!

Tomorrow evening at around 6, my loving live-in girlfriend Maria and I will have four people in our home, ready to play in a strange, yet exciting version of D&D.

There's Tim, a guy I met at work. He's a little....nerdy...but that's not a bad thing. I'm actually learning a lot about myself by talking with him. I see him do things, certain habits, the way he speaks or the way he doesn't speak, and I realize that it's something that I also do. It's interesting to see such a reflection somewhere other than a mirror. I think he'll be a lot of fun to have in the game.

Maria, of course, is also playing in this game, and she's always a lot of fun.

Starting tomorrow, my friend from "far away" (at least when she's in college), Laura will be attending the game. She's brand new to D&D, but not to roleplaying. She's a LARPer, with a penchant for awesome roleplaying, I think. She tends to be a lot of fun to be around, and I'm glad she'll be playing.

You've all met Earl, right? 6'7" tall, he towers over the rest of us, with a heart of gold. He's an awesome roleplayer, with characters that seem to come alive under his control. If the Zombie Apocalypse comes, I want him on my side. Hell, I want him on my side no matter what...

Who am I missing? Oh, that's right! Geoff. He scares me, but in a good way. That's all I have to say about that.

What does all this have to do with anything? Nothing really. I just needed to set straight, in my mind, who was going to be here, and what I was looking forward to the most. It should be a very good time, and I love spending time just hanging out with friends.

See those of you that read this and are coming over tomorrow, tomorrow!

(Later: Zombie Apocalypse Team Redux!)

Anyone Else Remember NERO?

Ah, I remember the good old days. I was fresh to Live Action Role Playing, just getting my feet wet in what I later learned wasn't just a pool, but was instead the ocean, and it had a current that could carry you out to the middle of it in a short time if you let it.

I allowed NERO, my drug of choice, to sweep me away into its world. I risked losing jobs, losing a girlfriend, and losing my sanity to play in this game that I had come to love and long after. It wasn't healthy, but let me tell you that it was a wild, fun, ride. I got quickly hooked as people praised me for my roleplaying and ability to dissapear into the darkness from five feet away. (The best compliment I was paid in that respect was being trampled by 5 players in the middle of the night, with them never knowing I was underfoot...painful, but great.)

As I grew, and was able to control my addiction, I enjoyed it more because my life came into balance with the game. I was able to have fun without putting a stranglehold on the rest of my life, or at least not as much of one. I became a more capable adult, able to balance needs with wants.

Then the rug was yanked out from under me.

A season went by with just one game. One. This was after going once a month during all the warm months. Sure, I didn't make it to all of them, but the possibility was there, and that was important.

Suddenly, the website dissapeared. That might not seem like a big thing, but to me it meant the game was dead. Without a website, you cannot get the word out to new people, at least not well. Without a website you can't get the word out to the players that are already hooked to tell them when the next game is.

Without a website in today's world, the game is effectively gone.

Now they say the game is coming back. A part of me hopes, but most of me just shrugs. I have GREAT hopes about those that I hear are running it, but I've been deprived this long, I figure it's done.

I hope I'm wrong.