Dragon Warriors: An Old World with New Friends.

Copyright ©. Mark Kelly 2021.
All Rights Reserved.

 There are times when the things you love to do, be they physical, mental, spiritual, or creative, fall by the wayside for one reason or another. A day passes, then two, then a week, and before you realise it has been a month - and the time still rolls by. Life has you by the scruff of the neck, dragging you along, dropping distraction after distraction into your lap.

And then it's gone. That thing you loved has now become a memory that upon recall elicits a wry smile served with a measure of regret. The cycle continues. The danger being you've become that person for whom several years have now passed you by and you no longer feel the desire to reconnect with your once-upon-a-time passion.

But, sometimes the universe decides otherwise, and events are set in motion that pull the strings of fate together, all tied in with that one passion you've deemed as 'no more'. And here you are. Once again looking over words, images, plans, notes, sketches, objects - the things that, when combined with your passion, energy and enthusiasm, come together like the components of a formula and the chemical reaction is once more brought to life, igniting that flame within you.

Well, so has it been with Dragon Warriors. 

My work has placed me with like-minded folk - and friends - who have the flame of desire within them to explore the worlds of heroic adventure, mystery, danger and (yet to be had) treasure, and possibly develop a side-passion for dice collecting - yeah, it's a thing with role players, trust me.

As a group, they have begun to shake-off those early, nervous, tentative ways of the newbie. Their interactions with the NPCs they encounter are more confident and assured (most of the time), and their dice selection, when a roll is required, is less hesitant and more decisive. They are now more excited about 'crits' and dread the 'fumbles'. Two have already been laid low by severe injuries, and our newest member has even experienced the drive to kill an NPC due to said NPC's distasteful personality and mocking words. As session #10 is baking within the cooker of my imagination, the party of companions are already talking about their characters 'training' in order to better equip themselves for the challenges presented before them... and also better equipment.  Some are even growing to like certain friendly NPC characters with whom they interact with, maybe even slowly bonding with them?
They have come to realise they are not invincible, and that to retreat is often the best option available to them. And they still opt to talk instead of act when confronted by the unknown, although that may change, who knows?

As the DM I seem to be on track, so it would appear.  My passion for creating plots, twists, colourful non-player characters (hopefully), and villains, along with floor plans, dungeons and locations, has been reignited and burns steadily within my creative heart.

So it would seem the universe has drawn me back to one of my dearest passions, and also given me a golden opportunity to pass on the torch that is RPG gaming to a new generation of (potentially) future life-long gamers and DM/GMs. And who knows, maybe after I've long gone they might reunite and recall tales of the games I ran for them, the exploits I put them through and relive those moments with a warmth and a glint in their eyes, and some may even continue on their RPG journey by passing on the torch to others.

I hope so.