Being a responsible adult and an ardent gamer can sometimes be difficult things to balance in life. Sometimes there’s not enough time for both. On one hand, growing up and being responsible is just a part of life. On the other hand, I will always enjoy gaming and spending time creating new stories, worlds, and characters. Everyone else has a schedule to deal with as well though.
It’s been a long while since we’ve sat down for a chat. Things have been slow-coming and life has been very busy. Two trips have sent me out of town to new adventures and a computer has also decided that it no longer needed to function in this world. I don’t know about you but I’ve always had that core group of people that I enjoy – no… love gaming with. For me, the majority of those friends – those like-minded adventurers – are a great distance away through no fault of their own. In the absence of the “big” computer, I have had to resort to using the “little” computer and this displeases me. I know, I know – I’m thankful to have two computers and electricity… and a lot of other things… I digress.
Two months or so ago, I started a campaign online for a new story. It was a pre-established story, but I was very happy to have it put together online and ready. I spoke to everyone to make certain those I wanted to include were still interested and they were. So I decided a day and we sat down to play. Of the five intrepid adventurers invited, three were available and I was thankful for those three. The initial session was what it normally is: introducing the area and setting the base for the story, character introductions and interaction, and so on.
A bit of fun was had along with some laughs. The characters sat in the local tavern, obviously not locals. Drinks and meals were to be had and deals were going to be struck to help each other. At one point as sand dropped out of the hourglass, the characters started up a strange conversation while waiting for their meals. The conversation turned from talking of gold as payment to death (a character at the table literally just said the word “death”). A correction changed that conversation to tea, cake, or death and dark humor ensued. After a series of comments went without clarification as to whether the players or the characters were doing the talking, a decision was made. Needless to say, the other patrons in the tavern were uncomfortable and reacted accordingly. It was great – period.
It’s moments like that, I’m happy to have the friends I have. The only downside is that a couple people were unavailable due to real-life responsibilities. It’s understandable, we all have busy schedules. Time is not on our side in this matter. It made me wonder, though. I have known people who don’t care who they are playing a game with as long as they are playing. I’ve known others, like myself, who prefer to solely play with the same group of people and have countless inside jokes from over the years. For those people who play with a select group of people and cannot always make it to a table session or even role-playing online via a virtual table – has anyone found another option like playing by email that really worked well for them? If so, how did you make it work?
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