One of these, yeah? Like a lot of my friends, 2015 seemed suspiciously eventful, and looking back on the good parts is probably more healthy than obsessing over the rest of it.
Stuff I Did:
- I launched a weekly D&D stream that’s now been going for almost exactly a year. Simply keeping the game going consistently for a year is accomplishment enough, as any Dungeon Master can attest to, for which I thank my incredible players. More than a great game of Dungeons & Dragons, this has finally given me the chance to indulge my lifelong love of Dark Sun, one of my all-time favorite fantasy worlds. The show, which I effectively write, host, direct, and produce, has gotten a colossal response, with regular fans, devoted moderators, and now a steadily-growing Patreon. The show has grown to include a drawing-maps night and a board game night, and there’s lots more planned on all three of those shows in 2016, kicking off with a one-year celebration in the middle of January.
- I hosted a special D&D Speedrun for 2015 Fast Faire (then branded as AGDE), taking a team of players through the Tomb of Horrors in 3 and a half hours, raising $1000 for the Child’s Play Charity.
- I hosted another D&D Speedrun in October for Tabletop Appreciation Weekend for the Extra Life Charity, raising $1500 for a local children’s hospital.
- I gave a talk on two things I love – pets, and classical civilization – at Austin’s local nerd nite chapter. The talk was later featured on the nerd nite podcast for listeners around the world.
- Speaking of pets, I got a new one: my turtle Freya, an African “spurthigh” sulcata.
Other fun times included:
- The D&D gang and I played a haunted-house-style adventure for charity, dressed in full garb, wherein we destroyed liches, confronted puzzles, and got rained on by a real-life storm of hail and ice.
- I got to see Zoe Keating here in Austin, back in May.
- I got to see DRAGONFORCE the same month.
- I started helping out as unofficial merch guy for my friends in The Returners, lending a hand when able around here in Texas, and even traveling to PAX Prime in Seattle with them.
- I started practicing Krav Maga on the regular.
- I participated in two 5Ks – with a decent showing in one of them.
Comics re-entered my life in a big way this past year, and it was a good year to do it. Lots of incredible books out this year.
Favorite albums from this year:
- Music Complete by New Order
- Strange Trails by Lord Huron
- The Cover Up by The Protomen
- Electronic Opus by BT
- Tides of Time by Alex Roe
- Kintsugi by Death Cab for Cutie
Goals for 2016:
- Picking stuff back up that I wound up bailing on this year: yoga, eating good, practicing guitar
- Doing more of the stuff I’ve discovered I love: writing adventures, streaming tabletop, punching faces
See you on the other side.
