The Return of the Town Crier

What to know about me.


I am most times filled with a sense of urgency which has been both a blessing and a curse. Decades ago I was given a choice and made, in retrospect, the wrong choice. It doesn't matter what the choice was or the fact that everyone makes mistakes. What matters is the outcome. What I had in the waning years of those decades ago moments, was purposeful drive. These last several years the drive has returned to the most basic level of my existence, to my core. Unfortunately, following through lacks the discipline that is acquired through decades of conditioning and practice. So, my sense of urgency feels aimless and unfocused most of the time.

I might spend a few days or a week focused on some new initiative only to let it fall to the side. At times my focus might be crystal clear for a mere hour only to have it swept away by some new thought, feeling, or temptation. I have a friend who seems to think that all of these mini endeavors serve to build toward something grand. I'm not sure if I believe this friend because I seem to have so little to show for all the accumulated time I have spent here on earth. In me, there is a sense of "how late the hour is" that does seem to indicate that I have some preoccupation with the slow creep towards oblivion. The forever sleep. Death.

Regardless of the reasons, my new drive is to read a certain book. I've got paid time off of work due to being quarantined during this global pandemic. I've started and stopped many projects during the first week of my lock-up, so let the reason I'm blogging today be the next I suppose.

The reason

I've spent the last few years playing and studying role-playing games. Recently I got an invite to play in a GaryCon Virtual "pickup" game. If I'm being completely honest I was absolutely humbled to be invited and to play in this online game run by Allan T. Grohe Jr.. The ranks of the adventuring party were filled in by renowned gamers in the Dungeons & Dragons Greyhawk community. I had never heard of or met any of them, save one, who I know from Allan's local Greyhawk game that I jumped at the chance to get in on. The fact that I didn't know the others does not mean that they aren't tabletop gaming community all stars, movers, and shakers.

After the game, I realized that this was the second time I've played a magic-user in one of Allan's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition Greyhawk games and I felt completely underwhelmed by what would normally be one of my favorite classes to play in D&D 5th edition. I have to know why.

A few moths ago I compiled what I like to think of as RPG rules Cliffsnotes for an OSR, or Old School Renaissance game system called OSRIC which stands for Old School Reference and Index Compilation. That system is basically an editorial superior take on the AD&D 1st edition rule set. While reading that books section on magic-users I happened upon this paragraph.












OSRIC magic users are superficially similar to the wizards of fantasy literature such as Gandalf and Merlin, but they are more closely similar to mages described in the works of Jack Vance.  His “Dying Earth” cycle, and particularly “Rhialto the Marvellous”, are highly recommended."

Hopefully, this book will shed some light upon what it is that eludes about my wizard playing satisfaction. Wish me luck on finishing my study.