Sunday, January 1, 2017

Glancing Back and Looking Forward

The first day of 2017 is upon us, and like many I am glad 2016 is over. There were too many tragedies that occurred during the year, which I would prefer to forget and move on. So with one exception, I will instead focus on the good that happened in 2016 and what I am looking forward to in 2017.

The one exception is the passing of my brother-in-law, Jimmy, which occurred in February. His death was a shock to everyone in the family - many of whom have not yet recovered. He was a gamer and a talented artist, and it saddens me that we only got to game together once. If we are to take anything from this, its that we should not wait and let things sit - enjoy those around you while you can.

So, the good stuff from 2016. Personally, I think I gamed more in 2016 than I have since my middle school days. Much of this is due to The Malted Meeple, where I run a monthly Call of Cthulhu game.

In the last half of 2016, I also ran the first organized campaign I've ever run - A Time to Harvest from Chaosium. This was an amazing experience, much in part from the reoccurring players that I had in each game. These were the type of players that every GM dreams of - they were passionate, exuberant, and completely into their characters. Two of the players - Maggie and Adam - were two of the best players I have ever had the pleasure to GM for. At the end of the campaign, I printed off a special copy of it for them, including an obituary for one of the characters that sacrificed his life.

One last highlight of 2016 was that I got to participate in my oldest daughter's first RPG. We played in a game of Cold Steel Wardens at Origins. After finding out that this was her first RPG, the GM helped her out and made her feel at home at the table. This, if nothing else, has helped spur her interest in gaming more.

I can already see that 2017 will be a busy year gaming-wise. I am starting up a new campaign at The Malted Meeple, this time using the recently released Pulp Cthulhu supplement. I will be involved in at least one RPG kickstarter (which I technically wrote for in 2016, but it won't be KS'ed until 2017 so close enough), and possibly more on the horizon. Coupling this with a number of other non-gaming commitments, I can already see I will be quite occupied.

But that is a good thing! Keeping busy means that I am getting things done. To me, there is nothing worse than having all these ideas in your head and letting them sit. In my experience, that means that eventually someone else will get your idea too and put it into practice.

And I will continue to blog on this site. Aside from being therapeutic, it gives me a chance to talk about one of my passions - gaming. So expect more from this site this year. Granted, I have no illusions that anyone is reading my posts, but then again I'm doing this for myself. In any case, if you are reading it, thank you, and I look forward to hearing what you have to say about what I have to say!

Here's looking forward to a great 2017!