Dragging out the dusty cardboard boxes
crammed in the hundreds with lead and pewter figures, lichen trees,
dungeon tiles, silver beads, bits of rock and other household flotsam/jetsam
pressed into service reminded me—alongside the more
immediate human joy of having real, laughing faces of friend-players
around the table—that although I love my virtual play group it
never quite closes the gap.
Don't get me wrong, the experience is
quite nearly “there”, real friendships have even grown out of
the experience and the consistency of that much play (closing in on
70 sessions) has been a longtime goal of this campaign. We even have
the long post-game (and work morning-hating) bull session.
But there are the little moments I love
in a face-to-face game: the arched eyebrow, the “oh shit”
expression flashing on the face, the sudden collective crackup, the
dramatic hand flourish--all the little bits of nonverbal
communication that only roughly translate when you are looking at a
third of a torso on a foot-wide screen. The minis, artery-choking foodstuffs, booze--the stage props of tabletop play--naturally, something I always miss—even the sudden forcible
intrusion of a hijacking junior DM.
The long and short for 2013: expect
more rolling of funny-shaped dice and the quiet death throes of lead
men around my white pine dining room table.
That sounds like a good 2013 prediction!
ReplyDeleteWhat kinds of foodstuffs did you have?
ReplyDeleteHappy Gaming :-)
Xmas sugar and peanut butter cookies and some kind of salty snack for sure. And thanks!
DeleteNummy :-)
DeleteArgh! How I wish I could have gamed with you guys when I was slaving away in San Antonio.
ReplyDelete