Memory modules, Part 13

When I talk about my "D&D" group, well, there wasn't a single gaming circle, and it certainly wasn't unchanging.

I learnt to role-play in Year 5 with WD, CS, RK and MG. But over the following years, I mainly slung dice with JH, DP and MD. When I say "mainly", I mean 99% of weekends and holidays! Until, in my later teens, this mutated into BP, DP, MG2, JL and DB - with occasional appearances from members of the earlier squads.

At uni, as mentioned in a recent blog, I "D&D"-ed with DQ, DW2 and 6-7 others whose initials I can't be arsed racking my brain to summon up. Then in Sydney, in my 30s, my regular-ish group was SC, LPO, LM and TC. And later, hereabouts, there was 1.5 years of fortnightly sessions with five good peeps - who I was slowly getting to know - that sadly ceased due to the Pando.

What I would consider the golden years, though...that was me, JH, DP and MD. Even a cracking convention module can't compare to the fun we had hex-ploring the worlds of Greyhawk, Toril and Krynn. (Along with outer space in "Star Frontiers" and Middle-Earth in "MERP".)

Apart from the university collective, I've never had a permanent DM. We've always taken turns. The module I've run the most times in my life is "The Temple Of Elemental Evil". Am sorry to report that we didn't once finish it. Every party was intrigued by the village concealing dark secrets. Every party either died in the titular complex or decided the job of averting this particular existential threat was too daunting.

It was an exciting place to visit, but they didn't wanna campaign there.