…but I’ve got the urge to begin posting on my blog again. Whilst I was away, I didn’t actually stop writing; I simply switched where and what I was writing. Three years since my last post, I’m inclined to return to the internet and ramble on about all things geeky, history, gamer-y, teacher-y… and now fatherly!
I ceased adding to my blog for multiple reasons. Firstly, a few years ago I was introduced to a game that has since become my favourite hobby: Dungeons & Dragons. Not only has this game ticked every box in my list of ‘Things I Love About Gaming’, but it also appeals to the joy I find in writing. I have spent a wonderfully nerdy amount of time creating campaigns, monsters, traps and puzzles for my friends (and for myself). There is something about inventing a story that other people can jump into, and add their own personality to, that I find immensely enjoyable, as well as all the other factors that make Dungeons & Dragons a stupendously enjoyable experience.
Coming back to the blog does not mean that I’ve fallen out with D&D. It’s still a big hobby of mine, but I’ve reached a point where the stories I have planned are so far ahead of where my players have journeyed, that I can rest awhile, maybe even sharing some of the ridiculous fun we’ve had on my blog. I’ve actually begun publishing some of my campaign ideas. I’ve also pulled back on the number of monthly games of D&D I’ve been playing because of another, much more important part of my life now.
I am, as of 3 months ago, a father. Needless to say, life is fun, tiring and everything is very, very different. This wonderful thing is also, strangely, one of the reasons I came back to my blog. My lifestyle has shifted so much that I find myself spending the greatest share of my free time with my daughter. Whilst I have had the occasional gaming night (video game and/or tabletop game), most of my downtime consists of little snippets when my daughter is feeding or snoozing. Sometimes it’s twenty minutes and sometimes it’s two hours. Whilst it’s difficult to relax into a movie, game or other hobby in that time, especially when tranquil quiet is needed, it is possible to sneak in few paragraphs of a blog post or a few D&D notes.
As well as new interests and a new baby, I was happy to step back from the blog because I was satisfied with how I’d left it. I’d said all I wanted to at that point and knew I should return at a time when I felt passionate about what I was writing. And so, for better or worse, here I am.
The plan is to return to posting once a week, on Wednesdays. Not every blog will be the winding essays I have written in the past, but the topics will be the same. Odd reflections about gaming, thoughts on history’s influence on games, experiences of a gamer-teacher, etc. Occasionally I may talk more about tabletop games and my attempts to raise my daughter as an upstanding nerd.
I’m also toying with the idea of writing the occasional ‘review’ of sorts, but deliberately picking games that came out a while ago. More of a ‘if you didn’t pick this up when it came out, maybe you should’ or ‘how do you feel about this game now you’ve had time to reflect?’ kind of thing. After all, I’m a Parent, a Teacher, and a Dungeon Master. There’s no way you’ll see me talking about a new game. Right now, I’m playing Horizon Zero Dawn. Only 2 years behind the times…
It’s good to be blogging again. If all goes well, you’ll hear from me next Wednesday.
Thank You For Reading
Rufus Scott
Gamer Peak 