Welcome to the blog

I started playing Dungeons and Dragons when I was about 12 years old back with the original blue boxed set.  I still have the books and the squished box it came in.  My kids were facinated with my orignial dice set that came with the box.  I had to borrow my Mom's fingernail polish to paint half the d20 red to denote the 11-20.  I was introduced to the game when I was visiting my cousins during a summer vacation and I was hooked from the start.  In my folders I still have my first character I created, a halfling warrior named Lefto.  He got upgraded when my friends and I moved to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and then again as we moved to 2nd Edition.

I have many fond memories of long nights sitting around a table or on the floor of friends bedrooms running through endless mazes, dungeon crawls, Keep on the Borderlands, Tomb of Horrors and crazy adventures we created.  Tomb of Horrors: 4e has been updated for 4e and I can not wait to inflict, I mean, DM this for my kids.  The dungeons we created were more maze with rooms then a true dungeon.  We had rooms so stuffed full of mobs I have no idea how we actually moved around but in our minds it was fantastic.  We did not have minis to use and the rules were not as focused on the strategic movement of 4e.

We spent hours creating castles, cities, dungeons and worlds.  Many of these we never used but they sure sparked the imagination.  I have folders filled with these creations and the many characters we rolled up.  I would sit during boring meetings and draw up things for D&D.  I even came up with a way to play using pieces of paper ripped into small pieces as my d20.

When I went to college I did not find a group to play with but had a great memory of playing at a convention and the winners from each table got to play in a game DMed by Tracy Hickman one of the authors of the fantastic Dragonlance series The group got to explore Raistlin's tower and the many crazy doors inside.  It was fantastic to see this place through it's creators eyes.

I am now a Dad with three kids and have been able to finally been able to return to playing D&D.  I am really enjoying the new 4e rules.  The strategy of the combat, healers are fun to play now, casters no longer are one shot wonders and the options for role play are varied.  Skill challenges are a great addition but are a tricky piece to run.  I am able to play once a week in a group on what my daughter calls my "geek night".  I am also acting as the DM for my kids as they start to learn and enjoy this game.

I look forward to sharing the tips and tricks I have picked up around the internet and from friends.  What is working and what is not working as I DM for my kids.  What tools are helpfull and which are more work then it is worth.  What the kids find enjoyable and how best to bring out the fun in the game.  So stay tuned for more.

The DM Dad