As far as Terry Brooks novels go, I'll also admit they probably aren't the best examples of fantasy fiction, either. But, like the show, at least they have entertainment value, even if you're secretly wishing the "hero" would get dropped down a well, already, like Timmy on the old Lassie shows.
The cameo appearance of those dice on the Shannara show sparked a bit of nostalgia in me, and brought back memories I probably haven't thought of in years. Anyone who was around in the early to mid 80s and heard anything about Dungeons & Dragons back then probably remembers the controversy surrounding the game. There were supposedly kids who were sucked so far down the rabbit hole that they were completely incapable of distinguishing the fantasy world of the game from the reality of the world in which they were physically living. There were even a few who killed themselves, and the game made a convenient scapegoat. How much of this was just media hype and hysteria, and how much was true, I'll leave you to judge for yourselves. All I know is that my brother and I weren't allowed to play the game for several years because of these reports.
Fast forward a few years, and I actually did play the game a little bit. I never did really play it a whole lot, but there were several hours of my youth spent creating characters, and many less hours actually playing D&D and other games. I'm pretty sure I played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles much more than actual D&D, though. I didn't ever spend money on any of the multitude of gaming systems that were out at the time, and I've never owned any physical rulebooks or modules. I think the only money that came out of my pocket at one of the gaming shops was a couple of bucks for a set of purple dice.
After seeing those dice on screen the other day, though, I started looking for somewhere to play the games online, since Deborah and I move around a lot. I figured it would probably be hard to get plugged into an actual around-the-table group at a local gaming shop, and playing online would make a bit more since for our lifestyle. So, what did I find? Roll20.net. This place is amazingly refreshing. Even being complete and total newbies, everyone we've encountered has been crazy helpful, some of them spending hours at a time on chat via Discord, helping us out by answering all the questions we have. You mean to tell me there's still a place on the interwebs where people aren't judgmental, opinionated, and angry? Yes. In fact, there are two: Roll20 and Discord.
We've played a few sessions, and have joined another game that looks like it may end up being a long term continuing campaign. I'm sure some of you are probably thinking we're way behind on discovering TRPGs, but we've been trying to make up for lost time by nerding out as much as we can each day. If you're wondering what online TRPG looks like, just search for "D&D Adventurers League" on YouTube. You can thank me later for all the time this may end up costing you!
I've been telling myself that the scenarios we encounter while playing these games may help with my writing, since I'm writing a fantasy-ish novel at the moment. We'll see how that actually shakes out! At least in the meantime, I'll be having fun. And meeting new people is always a good idea.
Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.
That Aaron Guy
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