So for this post I am doing something a tiny bit different...and my tiny I mean not really. I am still going to talk about DnD, but more about reflections of the past year and not so much about the game. Sorry to disappoint, but paired with the fact that the weather has been shit and everyone has been getting sick, we have had to cancel a few games leaving my material a little thin. In any case though I have been wanting to do a post like this at the end of the year anyway, so it's the perfect opportunity.
This year has been really great for expanding my knowledge of RPGs and becoming more familiar with the game's rules, worlds, and items. I am definitely not a pro or "fluent" in the workings of DnD, but I can work my way around a character, which is more than I could do in 2012. More than that though, my games this year have brought me to know more people and make some really great friends that I wish I knew sooner. Of course there are all you kids on twitter that I adore and have been really fortunate and thankful to have "met" you and consider you friends. There are also my two fantastic DMs that have literally changed the way I view gaming and have become some of my very best friends.
I know plenty of people that don't play DnD and that is fine, I don't judge them too harshly, but I really feel like they are missing out. It isn't because of the activity itself, it is more what you get from it. Since starting playing, I have no only gained more friends (and better friends than some that I know outside of games), but playing has really helped my personality and creativity. I know that it sounds cliche as shit and really corny, but I am definitely more of "who I want to be" and less of who I think I should be.
So little background for you guys that don't know-I have TERRIBLE anxiety and literally worry over everything. If I can't make a dinner invitation with friends, I will worry about it and feel I have let them down, forgot something-I will worry about it for hours. Then there is just the almost constant feeling of anxiety that something will go wrong or someone will get mad (I REALLY hate confrontation), which I can tell you does not bode well for your mental and physical health. As anyone who has played before, your character can get in some tough situations that can cause a lot of tension within the group and possible confrontations. Roleplaying through it with the right group can be fantastic for learning to overcome your fears in these situations. I say the right group because it really does depend; I have played with some people who take things that happen in game out of game and that is really detrimental to a friendship when the other person literally thinks that you agree with your character's actions. But this has been a really big thing for me, through this, I have been able to work on my ability to confront people and deal with the stress and anxiety that I feel in real life in more positive ways.
The other major thing that I have noticed that DnD does for me is enhance my creativity. For those that have seen my Instagram and Twitter, you know of my miniature painting. I do this for games to have figures, but mostly it is because it is really fun and something I enjoy to exercise my creativity. Playing DnD has helped this as giving me insight into the idea behind my minis, creating not only a painted figure but a story behind the character. Each character that I paint has a story associated with them, where they are going, what they have defining who they are and the adventures they have experienced; making them more than one dimensional (at least I like to think so).
So yeah that is what gaming has done for me..it really is more than just sitting around on your friend's couch for hours at a time. Hopefully this wasn't torturous for you all to read and if it was, well then good thing these posts only come up once a year so SUCK IT UP! Anyway, love you kids and thanks for the support and reading this past year!!
This year has been really great for expanding my knowledge of RPGs and becoming more familiar with the game's rules, worlds, and items. I am definitely not a pro or "fluent" in the workings of DnD, but I can work my way around a character, which is more than I could do in 2012. More than that though, my games this year have brought me to know more people and make some really great friends that I wish I knew sooner. Of course there are all you kids on twitter that I adore and have been really fortunate and thankful to have "met" you and consider you friends. There are also my two fantastic DMs that have literally changed the way I view gaming and have become some of my very best friends.
I know plenty of people that don't play DnD and that is fine, I don't judge them too harshly, but I really feel like they are missing out. It isn't because of the activity itself, it is more what you get from it. Since starting playing, I have no only gained more friends (and better friends than some that I know outside of games), but playing has really helped my personality and creativity. I know that it sounds cliche as shit and really corny, but I am definitely more of "who I want to be" and less of who I think I should be.
So little background for you guys that don't know-I have TERRIBLE anxiety and literally worry over everything. If I can't make a dinner invitation with friends, I will worry about it and feel I have let them down, forgot something-I will worry about it for hours. Then there is just the almost constant feeling of anxiety that something will go wrong or someone will get mad (I REALLY hate confrontation), which I can tell you does not bode well for your mental and physical health. As anyone who has played before, your character can get in some tough situations that can cause a lot of tension within the group and possible confrontations. Roleplaying through it with the right group can be fantastic for learning to overcome your fears in these situations. I say the right group because it really does depend; I have played with some people who take things that happen in game out of game and that is really detrimental to a friendship when the other person literally thinks that you agree with your character's actions. But this has been a really big thing for me, through this, I have been able to work on my ability to confront people and deal with the stress and anxiety that I feel in real life in more positive ways.
The other major thing that I have noticed that DnD does for me is enhance my creativity. For those that have seen my Instagram and Twitter, you know of my miniature painting. I do this for games to have figures, but mostly it is because it is really fun and something I enjoy to exercise my creativity. Playing DnD has helped this as giving me insight into the idea behind my minis, creating not only a painted figure but a story behind the character. Each character that I paint has a story associated with them, where they are going, what they have defining who they are and the adventures they have experienced; making them more than one dimensional (at least I like to think so).
So yeah that is what gaming has done for me..it really is more than just sitting around on your friend's couch for hours at a time. Hopefully this wasn't torturous for you all to read and if it was, well then good thing these posts only come up once a year so SUCK IT UP! Anyway, love you kids and thanks for the support and reading this past year!!
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