A Work in Progress, Dungeons and Dragons.

Next week I'm having a reunion with old high school friends, and we're going to play our first D&D game together in 30 years. I'm preparing a module, and I forgot how much work it is, or how much fun it was.  I was always the Dungeon Master, so its my role to prepare the module. I went overboard and created a whole world. You know what? It's essentially like writing a novel. 

Lots of D&D players go on to write. It's a thing. Wargaming, simulations and being a novelist are imagining worlds and  trying to summon them into life.

I'm looking forward to the game next week. Several of our old players are no longer with us. That makes me sad, but I'm glad a few of us are still here to make the magic again, but there will be difference. No beer, no pizza, and only healthy snacks. No "all nighters". Side talk of girlfriends, classmates and future plans will be replaced with conversations about doctors appointments, ex-wives, children and grandchildren. Ah, but the magic will be there, I know it. 

My module's series name is "Old Souls, Young Worlds."  Here's a sneak peak. Does this sound like a module you would want to play?

​Whispers have trickled out from the depths of the Wald der Dunkelheit, the Forest of Darkness. Tragedy has struck Anfänge, an isolated village nestled deep in the far northern reaches of the Versteck Valley. The villagers are said to have offended spirits that dwell deep below the hills. A curse has befallen the small mining community. The villagers huddle in their homes for fear of what lurks in the valley’s shadowy forests. The miners dare not even enter the shafts.  Now, a desperate plea for help has reached the distant towns beyond the valley. Tragedy has struck as several young maidens have vanished, including the beautiful daughter of the bürgermeister himself.
 
Months have passed and Anfänge’s pleas go unanswered. Old Graf Verfallen, who administers the Versteck Valley and the rest of the southern Wald,  has long been unable to guarantee the security of far-flung villages, including Anfänge.  King Löwe’s unending war against the Elfenreiche has nearly emptied the kingdom’s coffers. Vassals like Graf Verfallen’s have been stripped of warriors and gold, leaving little to protect their fiefdoms.  Verfallen’s forces rarely leave their garrison in Wellgunde, the fortress town of the Renos River. 
 
Anfänge stands alone. 
 
Rumors of a bounty offered by the bürgermeister have spread far beyond the Renos River. While details are sketchy, everyone knows Anfänge is a mining town. Where there is mining, there is often treasure That is what has drawn you to this seedy tavern in Wellgunde, and brought you together with your companions. Surprisingly,  you have learned that you are the only adventures thus far who have answered the bürgermeister’s call. King Löwe’s wars and the promise of plunder in the north have drawn away more seasoned adventurers. 
 
Across the deep and cold Renos danger, and possibly great reward, awaits. Are you up for the challenge?