The first step

The figurative journey of a thousand metaphorical miles has begun.

This is the first step.

I am a fanatic for roleplaying games. I only figured this out when I got the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition starter set in 2014. Being a DM was my introduction to the genre. Looking through the simple booklets, I was captivated by the idea of the "theater of the mind," a shared collective imagination project.

The starter set adventure- "The Lost Mines of Phandelver" - is still one of my favorites. I fully admit that nostalgia plays its part. But I have run the adventure for three groups, from first-time adult players, to a group of 10 year olds, to a group of veteran rpg players. Respectively, they: followed the adventure beat for beat, ignored five or six hooks trying to get them into the adventure and rampaged across the countryside, and finally, ignored the "grinding" levels and headed straight for the final dungeon.

The results were all pretty much the same. We had fun. We made memories.