THANKFUL - NOVEMBER SERIES, PART 3
As some of you know I began playing AD&D in the fall of 1982, shortly after the Satanic Panic started. It did not really impact me directly until my mother and grandmother questioned me about the game and voiced concerns about the game and that it “might lead me down a dark path”. It took some coaxing, but I convinced my mother to sit down with me one Saturday and watch us play. She had a lot of questions and we happily answered them. By the end of the night she came to see that AD&D was a game and not some gateway to Satanic worship. She spoke with my grandmother and assured her there was no need for concern. A month later, at Christmas my mother and grandmother gave me the Monster Manual, the Fiend Folio, and the DMG as gifts. I will always remember that holiday as my D&D Christmas and one of the best I ever had. I am thankful that my mother was willing to talk to me about her concerns, give the game a chance and be very supportive of my hobby from that point on.
Now, as I play, prep and DM for a couple of different groups, I am thankful for my wife. My wife is that mythical “unicorn” that so many seek, a loving, supportive partner who is also a nerd who plays D&D as well as a great many other TTRPGs, card games, and board games. I have heard people talk about spouses that don’t play games, consider them a waste of time, money and effort. I know from their tales that it can make a relationship strained and dampen the enjoyment of gaming. I am grateful to have a wife who not only approves of my hobby, but enjoys it herself and sits as a player at my table. It makes me smile just knowing we share the joy of tabletop games and gives us another facet to our relationship that brings us both joy.
Lastly I am so very thankful for my son, Stephen, who some of you may know as The Apprentice. When he was younger, I introduced him to the wide world of D&D. He started in 2nd Edition as a player at my table. He had a great deal of fun playing, but he fell off when we got an Xbox. The allure of video games called him, and me, and we shared many hours playing Halo, Call of Duty, and many other games. Luckily D&D was never far away and now it has brought us together to work on our website, our podcast, and sharing our love of fantasy, sci-fi and other similar interests. His help is immeasurable with his co-hosting our podcast, editing our videos, acting as our web master and writing articles and helping keep me focused on creating engaging content. With a son such as this I am truly blessed.
*Thanks to the Bell of lost souls for the thumbnail photo! Check out their article on Thanksgiving one shots here!