Almost two full years of shenanigans have finally come to a close. When we started the campaign in late autumn two years ago, I was a little embarrassed about how excited I was to relive my high school days. I still had some misplaced lingering shame at my nerdy past. I feel like the whole world has changed, and now I can see it. D&D is no longer the purview of super nerds anymore. It has come out of the shadows, and it's big business. TV stars are open about how much fun they have playing. It's featured heavily in shows like Stranger Things, and I hear now there's a special edition of the game books in that show's honor. The internet has embraced it, and I've started watching people play it on YouTube, and I adore animated retellings of games. (For reals, check out Dingo Doodles. So charming!)
This was supposed to be a starter set. It was a simple campaign, in a book barely bigger than a pamphlet. It should have taken at most six months to finish. But the original players dropped out one by one, and we scrambled for people to take over the stock characters. When I joined, most of the originals were still playing, so I was allowed to bring in my own creation: a short, cranky gnome named Gunda, who was not quite as heavy as a big bag of dog food. She had a foul mouth, a bad attitude, and a distinct lack of common sense. But she was a crack shot with a crossbow, and she really loved setting crap on fire. We dragged in our foster daughter and foster son-in-law to take over as others dropped out, and eventually we roped in our old college roommate as well. The final incarnation of the party was much more emotionally invested than the originals, and we rode this nonsense out to the bitter end.
The end should have come long ago. If I am to be honest, much (and I stress MUCH) of the delay was thanks to the guy who joined right before I did. He played an elf druid named Sally of the Fields, and he was brilliant at totally derailing an entire week's progress. We had days when it took three evenings of play to get through four hours of game time. Most of the time it was funny, but it was often obnoxious too.
All good things must end, and tonight, we finally completed the campaign. The pre-printed characters had happy endings from the book. Sally and Gunda needed a little improvisation. It is really weird having it over. Those who played the stock characters were totally done with them, and ready to move on. Less so with Gunda and Sally. We loved the weirdos we created, and they will definitely show up again one day.
The next campaign is coming entirely from the mind of Mr S-P. He has been writing it since last winter. We were supposed to start back in March or April, but between the delays of finishing and my surgery and what-not, now we are hoping to start as soon as September. I have a few plans of my own, that involve setting up a whole new space, dedicated to this pursuit. More on that as my energy levels allow for home decorating. Until then, I have to focus on creating an Amazonian paladin who looks a bit like a young Barbra Streisand, with a much more judgmental attitude.
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