Hot Pink Freak

Actually, this isn’t true. I’m not talking about D&D Next. I don’t know much about D&D Next, other than I know some very smart people are working on it. They’re doing some neat things by listening & engaging the community while urging people put the “Edition Wars” aside.

And now I’m excited about playing tabletop RPGs again.

I have a confession; I don’t play RPGs. I LOVE RPGs, but I’m so completely spoiled from my first group. So much that I’d rather not play at all, and get disappointed about a bad group.

I’ve played some RPGs over the years; one offs or a couple sessions. It is easy to get into pick up groups with the support for D&D Encounters, RPGA, and game stores running sessions with volunteers.

I don’t want to play that kind of game. I want a campaign. I want the characters and story to matter. I want to care about my character; I want to slowly let the character’s history & future develop. I mean, you’re starting at level 1, not knowing anything. You kinda suck at everything and as you level, you gain new skills.

To me, your character should also be discovering more about who they are.

That, my friends, is why I love RPGs. I love the ability to play in an amazing world of lore & legend, all the while creating a part of the big story. When you have others in you group and a DM who LOVES characters & growth, you create something beyond each individual.

I tease a lot about missing THACO (because it was a mechanic I understood) but I’m not too fussed really about mechanics, if the story is good. I take that back. If I’m spending more time rolling dice, trying to do so many maths with modifiers, I get disappointed to easily.

I’ll use Shadowrun 3E as an example. I LOVE Shadowrun. The lore, that is. I read numerous SR novels when they came out in the early 90s. When I finally got to play, I felt held back by the system. I could either play a character which required the least amount of modifier dice rolls, or I could play a character which intrigues me. Eventually, I just played the simplest character I could create. And Shadowrun lost its appeal for me.

I like a lot of game settings which aren’t popular. Anyone who knows me has heard my “WHEN WILL SOMEONE PLAY MAZTICA WITH ME” rantings. Love it or hate it, it’s different. It’s not high fantasy in the Medieval European theme. As much as I’m a history nerd, playing in European Medieval setting isn’t as appealing as something I actually have a connection with, such as Deadlands.

I was born in the west; my great-grandmother came across country in a covered wagon. I’ve been a Wild West nerd for years. I was a huge fan of “Wild Wild West” growing up. When “Brisco County, Jr” was on the air, I never missed an episode. I love Dime Novels and reading the beautiful and horrifying history of settling the west. I’ve played both Classic and Savage Worlds versions of Deadlands. I don’t have a preference for either set of rules, but I definitely prefer the Classic set for the amazing lore & color.

So what does this have to do with D&D Next? Nothing really. Except that maybe I’ll get to playtest and get excited about D&D again. Maybe because there is a lot of community involvement and discussion, the community is finally going to get put aside the edition wars (A girl can dream!). I’m getting jazzed up over the thought of a regular gaming group. There are a lot of passionate people out there, ready to start something fantastic. We just need to all find each other and make it happen.

Time to dust off my dice bag!