About

My introduction to 1^st Edition AD&D was back in 1981.  I was living in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.  That spring, a new family had moved in 2 houses away and I soon became friends with one of the boys, Gene, who was my age.  Later that summer, he asked me if I had ever played Dungeons and Dragons.  I told him, no I hadn’t, but I remember thinking that was a cool name for a game and I was instantly interested in finding out more.  Later that day, he invited me over to his house and we rolled up characters; 2 in fact.  A male fighter and a female cleric, Hans and Sintithe.  I was all jazzed up and ready to take on the world! 

By the 3^rd gaming session, I thought I had it all figured out.  What I actually had figured out, was how to lose my head at the hands of orcs.  Of course, that was in hindsight.  The whole idea of rolling dice and moving miniatures around a map pulled me right in.  I loved being able to use my imagination and problem-solving skills (which I didn’t know I had), to go on an adventure, slay monsters and find treasure. I was hooked and never looked back.

About 3 or 4 months later,  Gene had invited me to an all-night Halloween party.  There was 1 Dungeon Master and 13 or 14 players.  After we took a break to eat pizza, the DM selected 5 players to carry on and the rest of us had to fend for ourselves.  My friend Gene was selected, but I was not. To my surprise he said, “Here’s my books, go take those 2 guys over there and run a game with them.”  Mind you, I had never run a game yet and he could see the panic look on my face.  He encouraged me and said I had watched him enough and I would know what to do.  I did my best with that first attempt and DMing.  It wasn’t pretty, but we made the best of it and had fun.  Since then, I have been a DM more than a player.

My favorite gaming system is 1^st Edition AD&D, but I have also played 3.5 and 5^th editions.  I’ve also played a little Hackmaster’s, Marvel Universe, Big Eyes, Small Mouth and Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

I have always loved playing the game, building on existing friendships and making new ones.  The idea of using my imagination, has offered me an unlimited supply of creativity to build worlds, cities, and dungeons with simple to elaborate story lines.  As a DM, I love to see players getting excited, especially when they realize something new, solve a problem or they step out of the box to try something new or outrageous.  The thrill of watching your players becoming victorious will never grow old.  As a DM, nothing feels better than when your players give you positive feedback, even when the game didn’t go as well as they expected.  Another factor I really enjoy is teaching others not only how to play, but how to create a their own games. 

Outside of gaming, my hobbies include growing my nursery, writing, camping and listening to music on vinyl records!  My wife and I love to go on our own adventures, many of them are spur of the moment.  We like to check out breweries, antique stores, bookstores, record stores, driving cross country and finding little mom and pops places to eat.