For the last few years I’ve been reliving my youth by playing Dungeons & Dragons. While there is a very nice game store nearby, I drive over to my favorite comic shop twice a month to answer the call of adventure. I know that many stores have games open to everyone so check out your local game shop or comic book shop if you are interested in trying it out. For first timers they tend to have pre-generated characters ready for you. This is not a post about fantasy role playing games, but rather something that has grown out of my characters’ adventures. I am currently running two characters: Cecil (you know I had to name one that), and Peter. One on Wednesdays and one on Sundays. Since the beginning I took notes to help me keep track from month to month. While the person running the adventure keeps notes and recaps at the start, I just feel better & have found it helps me focus.
So on Wednesdays, Cecil Ookington-Smythe – a halfling rogue fights to save the world from being taken over by evil dragons & those that worship evil dragons. If I slipped into geekspeak here’s a rough translation- I’m roleplaying a hobbit (you know like the short guys in Lord of the Rings- the ones without beards) he’s a thief/spy. I sneak around & do a lot of lurking, although as luck would have it he’s dealt the killing blow to a dragon so he can add “Dragonslayer” to his name. For Sunday’s adventure I am something completely different. I’m playing Peter Paulenmary, a half elf bard (think storyteller). While I’ve been using Cecil for a lot longer, I’ve really tried to flesh out Peter’s back story a bit more. Cecil’s excuse is he has told so many lies about his origin, he doesn’t remember the truth. Peter’s basically a guy running around gathering stories of adventure, He’s not looking for fame or fortune, just a spot in the local tavern to spin tales of heroes and get some free drinks. He has ended up taking some bad advice by heading to Ravenloft (think Transylvania) and is trapped with the band of adventurers he had met on the road. I like to think of the group wishing they hadn’t taken that left turn in Albuquerque. He’s pretty light-hearted & optimistic, he keeps a leather bound notebook that was given to him by his mentor, Woodrow of Guthrie, along with his favorite history book by S. Morgenstern.
So as the adventures have gone on, I’ve been taking notes. These started as just lists & names, but have become much more elaborate as you can see from the examples. This is basically how I see Peter’s notebook, filled with doodles and information that, when time finally permits, may be made into that great novel, song, epic poem, whatever. So while the actual comic has been on hold for way too long (I only have lame excuses as to why) I’m still recording a “geek odyssey” of sorts. Like anything, my style has changed over time, but it adds a little something to our adventures. Note: in some cases off topic bits from conversations end up in there. Proper conventions of writing are ignored, including spelling since many words are made up so a “phonetic-ish” spelling is used.
