Dungeon Delving Distractions

I have found myself distracted from tabletop miniatures-related activities in the last few weeks, but seeing as this blog was intended more or less to chart my geeky journey through life I think it is a suitable enough venue to also document my forays into dungeons and against dragons.

I was introduced to the fantastical world of Dungeons & Dragons by a friend something like a year ago, and over the course of four or five sessions became utterly entranced. I got myself a Player's Handbook and the Monster Manual, pondered multitudinous characters, really psyched myself up.

Then half the gaming group, including the dungeon master, moved away within weeks of each other.

Since then the unscratched itch dulled a little, until stumbling across the 1d6 +3 Kobolds discord channel. 

Now, I had gingerly stepped into the waters of Roll20 trying to find some D&D players online willing to accommodate a newcomer, but had found it next to impossible to find a game happening at a doable hour and then get past the highly competitive audition stage. There just seemed to not be enough suitable games for too many people. I wasn't quite prepared to DM a game of my own until I'd had a refresher of the rules and a crash course on how to use Roll20.

Then I found this discord group aimed specifically at people in the GMT timezone. Finally, I found myself a game, and hurriedly through together a character sheet for a level one Monk, spending far more time on the picture than I did on making an effective character:

I gave him very little in the way of backstory, other than his order:

The Masters of Thyme

The Masters of Thyme are a small order of monks dedicated to providing for the less well-off traveler. Members of the order can usually be found either in order-run taverns on the roadsides of long distance paths, or travelling alone with the aim of learning of and serving the needs of the more unfortunate road users. Members of the order are generally orphaned children from particularly unfortunate journeys, and will train in the ways of the order in the tavern before setting off on travels of their own. 

Masters of Thyme, represented by three circular dashes within a circle within a square, appreciate the value of attaining a state of true meditation, and many initiates train chiefly in the Way of the Cook and the Way of the Wash, utterly shutting out the rest of the world as they go through the ritual of frying or washing & drying. Understandably, they are often able to find free lodging and food at may or the more modest or comfortable inns and taverns.

Now, heartened, I'm preparing to run my first campaign using the official starter pack - The Lost Mine of Phandelver. I bought the pack off Roll20, and am keen to work out my DMing before imposing it upon friends and family in the real world.

All of which has, combined with real life, brought me to realise just how few evenings there are in the week! I haven't ceased miniature-doing completely, but it's definitely going a lot slower.