The memories are fuzzy so I am not sure exactly which came first. A mimeographed copy of a military hex crawl-like game called “Guerilla” might have been first. Or was it Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that came first? Both experiences are etched in my mind as creative turning points in my childhood.
First Love
There is not much to say about “Guerilla”, but Dungeons & Dragons has travelled with me ever since. From my first sighting of an Efreeti on the cover of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, I was hooked. The creature on the front is eye catching, but what is this “City of Brass” on the back cover? Adventure awaits! To this day, there is nothing as brilliant as the original artwork from the 1st and 2nd editions for piquing my interest in role-playing games. Despite the so-called Satanic Panic smearing the name of the game for so many years, I have always enjoyed the magic of tabletop games.
New Tabletop Games
Life has always brought me to new places, new friends, and new tabletop games. I remember ordering miniatures for Battletech as I began my relationship with miniature wargames. The fact this game continues, the core rules largely unchanged, is amazing. Additional games would, of course, follow. I still enjoy reliving history, exploring the vast reaches of the universe, and becoming absorbed in sci-fi/fantasy realms.
Tabletop Games Lead to Tangents
In a way, gaming has been an anchor for most of my interests. My love of gaming lead to picking up a camera to share my (poorly) painted miniatures decades ago. My desire to paint better is a mix of both gaming and photography. I still use tabletop gaming as an excuse to learn more about the software I use in my daily work. I track how many miniatures I paint, build armies, and more in Excel, for example. Gaming is the power behind my personal “little engine that could” story.
The Real Story
All of my gaming experiences go back to one thing: Human connection. I am not a social networker by any means, but I have met hundreds of people through games. Gaming can pull me away from home to roll dice with people I have never met. Playing in out-of-state tournaments and meeting fascinating new people, many of whom are friends today, empowered me to pursue portrait photography. Gaming proved to me that there is a door leading outside of my personal shell and into a much wider world.
Life is not perfect. But, I have a key to finding new friends. Whether it is at the gaming table or in front of my lens, I hope that we can continue to enjoy each others company for even a few minutes. It means the world to me to know I can share my passion with so many people. You included.
If you want to know more about my history with tabletop games, we should probably sit down over a cold drink and chat for a bit. It is far more fun to talk about it than type it all out. And, of course, time can always be made for gaming.
