The Way I Am

Whew!  An arduous couple of days have kept me away from the site, but I have made it back today to discuss another pair of my goals for the year.  Today’s pair strike me as particularly mismatched: one is so common as to be utterly banal at this point, while the other is a weird little “geeks-only” affair.

Okay, so first we have the inevitable weight loss goal.  While not terribly concerned with health or longevity or looks, for that matter – I do feel a certain stubborn defiance born from the fact that this is a problem I have tried and mostly failed to lick for the last two decades.  I’ve decided to lose about 10% of my current bodyweight, and keep it off.  While this will still leave me fatter than I’d prefer, it will require significant toil and commitment, and is about as much loss as I feel it reasonable to attempt this year.

The second goal is a roleplaying goal, and it is a somewhat ambitious one.  Y’see, in just about every incarnation of D&D, one of the central mechanics has been “leveling up”.  This is the idea that characters start out at fairly modest levels of power and ability, and through the successful completion of their various adventures, gradually accumulate enough experience to increase their personal puissance.  The idea is definitely culled from fantasy fiction – Tolkien’s hobbits return from their quest as great heroes who save the Shire without any mighty warriors or wizards backing them up (in the books, at least), Harry Potter and company essentially “level up” with each new year at Hogwarts, etc.

My goal is to run a game that starts off with lowly first-level characters, and continues until they have all reached twentieth-level: the height of legendary heroism.  It is kind of the iconic D&D experience, and it is one that various circumstances have kept me from reaching over the years.  The current plan is to organize a group to meet once a month and game all day, hopefully reaching twentieth-level in twelve sessions.  My chief obstacle in this regard is lack of players.  I have two lined up, which is enough to get on with, but I’d prefer to have a couple more.  I’m giving myself a week or two to find them, and then pressing on regardless.

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