Cool! I like GeekDad and love Dork Tower. But somehow I seem to get absent minded and forget about it for weeks at a time. Of course that leads to be being able to bury myself in an hour of Dork Tower. Oh did you see that Patrick Stewart is going to be knighted! http://scifiwire.com/2009/12/make-it-sir-star-treks-pa.php

Another 25 year veteran of D&D and RPGS here also. Seems now like so long ago. Got introduced to it when I was 10 by one of my friends who was a couple years older. I was a single child and we had no television in the house so I had to entertain myself all the time. I was already a LotR fiend so D&D was a natural fit. Started out with the old red boxed OD&D set and then slowly obtained the other four boxed sets. Spent the next couple years designing characters, backstories and worlds. Didn't actually have that many people to play with. Wasn't until 13 or 14 that I started having regular people to play with and also forays into 1st edition AD&D. Fond memories of those times when we ignored many of the rules and just played for the fun of it. Had many very weird campaigns and characters. Probably half my friends I've met because of or through gaming. Never taught anyone really young. Actually got turned off on teaching anyone new to the game after some really bad experiences, ie no girlfriends of players that just want to be included. Also for a while I wouldn't even consider teaching or playing with anyone under 21 for a couple years after some bad experiences with teenage players. That said, as long as you know what your getting into in the beginning I think teaching kids to play would be great fun. My best friend and I occasionally discuss when we'l try and start his daughter playing, she's still a couple years away from being ready. And how we'll tell her mother about it. As it is she's not completely happy with us playing, but humors us.

Another 25 year veteran of D&D and RPGS here also. Seems now like so long ago. Got introduced to it when I was 10 by one of my friends who was a couple years older. I was a single child and we had no television in the house so I had to entertain myself all the time. I was already a LotR fiend so D&D was a natural fit. Started out with the old red boxed OD&D set and then slowly obtained the other four boxed sets. Spent the next couple years designing characters, backstories and worlds. Didn't actually have that many people to play with. Wasn't until 13 or 14 that I started having regular people to play with and also forays into 1st edition AD&D. Fond memories of those times when we ignored many of the rules and just played for the fun of it. Had many very weird campaigns and characters. Probably half my friends I've met because of or through gaming. Never taught anyone really young. Actually got turned off on teaching anyone new to the game after some really bad experiences, ie no girlfriends of players that just want to be included. Also for a while I wouldn't even consider teaching or playing with anyone under 21 for a couple years after some bad experiences with teenage players. That said, as long as you know what your getting into in the beginning I think teaching kids to play would be great fun. My best friend and I occasionally discuss when we'l try and start his daughter playing, she's still a couple years away from being ready. And how we'll tell her mother about it. As it is she's not completely happy with us playing, but humors us.

I think the getting up early and getting more writing done is a pretty common problem. Plus keeping a regular writing schedule is key. Stephen King says to set a regular writing goal for every day, be it 100 words or 100 pages and then work at it until you've reached it everyday, treat it like a regular job. I have the problem of lacking a good space to write. I get so much more done if I write longhand instead of typing, it helps the flow and helps silence the inner editor that wants to go back and rewrite every other sentence. My desk space is taken up by a giant CRT (yes I haven't upgraded yet) so I don't have enough space to spread out and comfortably write. So I go down to a local coffee shop every other day and spend at least 2 hours writing. Strangely I can get far more done down there than at home. Of course sometimes my laptop and the internets are a distraction.

I think the getting up early and getting more writing done is a pretty common problem. Plus keeping a regular writing schedule is key. Stephen King says to set a regular writing goal for every day, be it 100 words or 100 pages and then work at it until you've reached it everyday, treat it like a regular job. I have the problem of lacking a good space to write. I get so much more done if I write longhand instead of typing, it helps the flow and helps silence the inner editor that wants to go back and rewrite every other sentence. My desk space is taken up by a giant CRT (yes I haven't upgraded yet) so I don't have enough space to spread out and comfortably write. So I go down to a local coffee shop every other day and spend at least 2 hours writing. Strangely I can get far more done down there than at home. Of course sometimes my laptop and the internets are a distraction.

40. When Wil accidently showed up in Shadowdale, Eliminster decided to move to Greyhawk.

40. When Wil accidently showed up in Shadowdale, Eliminster decided to move to Greyhawk.

Ah the joys and frustrations of writing. Trying to put worthwhile words down on the page. Actually King has a lot of good advice about writing, On Writing is a goldmine and a must read for any professional or dabbler. Love the Mavis Beacon comment! For years my father tried to get me trained with various typing programs, never worked because i hated them all and wouldn't stick with it. I high school I realized that I could actually type pretty fast, not touch type but still a good 40+ wpm. Got it from typing in page after page from various splatbooks from TSR. Remembering out childhoods, our "happy place". Back when we were younger, slimmer and had more hair and a lot more free time. When the days were unnumbered and the summers seemed to last forever. No responsibilities other than our own entertainment, no kids, no jobs, no bills, no mortgages, and no stress. When you could game 2 or 3 times a week. We'll always yearn for those halcyon days of yore. A note, Joe Hill's middle name is actually Hillstrom.

Ah the joys and frustrations of writing. Trying to put worthwhile words down on the page. Actually King has a lot of good advice about writing, On Writing is a goldmine and a must read for any professional or dabbler. Love the Mavis Beacon comment! For years my father tried to get me trained with various typing programs, never worked because i hated them all and wouldn't stick with it. I high school I realized that I could actually type pretty fast, not touch type but still a good 40+ wpm. Got it from typing in page after page from various splatbooks from TSR. Remembering out childhoods, our "happy place". Back when we were younger, slimmer and had more hair and a lot more free time. When the days were unnumbered and the summers seemed to last forever. No responsibilities other than our own entertainment, no kids, no jobs, no bills, no mortgages, and no stress. When you could game 2 or 3 times a week. We'll always yearn for those halcyon days of yore. A note, Joe Hill's middle name is actually Hillstrom.

There is one amusing fact about all the stories on the LHC and everyone saying, "YAY the world didn't end". All they did was turn the thing on, they didn't actually smash anything or even really power it fully up. Its going to be weeks before they actually start accelerating stuff. Not that I agree with any of the luddite mouth breathers. But if they don't even notice that point then they're even dumber than they originally seemed to be. O great t-shirt by the way!

There is one amusing fact about all the stories on the LHC and everyone saying, "YAY the world didn't end". All they did was turn the thing on, they didn't actually smash anything or even really power it fully up. Its going to be weeks before they actually start accelerating stuff. Not that I agree with any of the luddite mouth breathers. But if they don't even notice that point then they're even dumber than they originally seemed to be. O great t-shirt by the way!

Ah such fond memories of OD&D and the red box set. Back when there were only 3 alignments, elf was your class and race, and Blackmoor was the greatest thing ever. Learning how to play, learning all the fluff, all the long weekends spent figuring out the rules with groups of friends. The 80's and earl 90's where the golden age of gaming, at least for me. Sometimes playing 2 and even 3 times a week. Back when no one bothered you if you wanted to spend the afternoon rolling strangely shaped dice, making notations of ragged pieces of paper and shouting at one another. Those were beautiful, innocent times that I still look back on fondly. I really feel that 4e is going to turn out to be a huge mistake and possibly spell the end of WotC. And the sad thing is that I won't shed a tear if they go under. Far too many things they promised and then never delivered. And for everything they mad better there are 2 or 3 glaring mistakes. I think we are going to see a huge increase in the number of people stuck on old editions of them game. I myself never thought I would be one of those people and it saddens me.

Ah such fond memories of OD&D and the red box set. Back when there were only 3 alignments, elf was your class and race, and Blackmoor was the greatest thing ever. Learning how to play, learning all the fluff, all the long weekends spent figuring out the rules with groups of friends. The 80's and earl 90's where the golden age of gaming, at least for me. Sometimes playing 2 and even 3 times a week. Back when no one bothered you if you wanted to spend the afternoon rolling strangely shaped dice, making notations of ragged pieces of paper and shouting at one another. Those were beautiful, innocent times that I still look back on fondly. I really feel that 4e is going to turn out to be a huge mistake and possibly spell the end of WotC. And the sad thing is that I won't shed a tear if they go under. Far too many things they promised and then never delivered. And for everything they mad better there are 2 or 3 glaring mistakes. I think we are going to see a huge increase in the number of people stuck on old editions of them game. I myself never thought I would be one of those people and it saddens me.