2019 in Gaming

2019 is over. How was it for gaming?

Running Dungeon Fantasy

We had 12 sessions of DF/DFRPG this past year. It was a tough start to the year, as most of the vets were wiped out when they ducked away from an alert dragon into a lurking beholder. So the first game consisted of a lot of new or lower=point PCs. We lost one player for the entire year (he hasn't played since the beholder effective TPK) and another was out except to drop in to play a different game.

Still, our group consists of eight regulars and a couple of drop-ins.

The players also (finally!) went through the "Forest Gate" and discovered the Garden of Trent Oakheart. It took four sessions for them to explore it, it was low-loot and could have been a drag. Instead it was a very exciting series of sessions. The big battles with the orcs and discovery of another way down were fun, even if neither was really taken to completion.

12 sessions, though, isn't great - we had 16 sessions of DF alone in 2018, out of 20 gaming sessions total that year. We had only 12 sessions in 2017, too. My schedule might allow for more Sundays for gaming, though - we'll see.

Playing Gamma Terra

We had three sessions of Gamma Terra, up from two last year. The crew that shows for the game has shrunk to a degree. But we managed to get in three good sessions. It's progressing, slowly, but it's so much fun when we play. I'm hoping we can get in at least two sessions this coming year, and I'd prefer four.

Not just because I get to play, but also because it's such a good change of pace from my style of GMing.

AD&D

We kept up what's now a tradition of playing some old AD&D modules, too.

We had two sessions of AD&D - two parts of A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity.

This one I expected to be two sessions. The players still struggle with the very real tactical differences between decisions in AD&D and GURPS. But we enjoyed the play, and as they improve at AD&D we can try higher and higher level adventures.

Other Games & Gaming

None. I received Trogdor the Game but I haven't played it. I painted almost nothing in the way of minis. I managed to get a book released - Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 3: Artifacts of Felltower.

I played a lot of video games in chunks this year - Borderlands 2, as usual, was a good get-away-from-it-all game. I started Tides of Numenura, finally, once my new laptop arrived. And I played a good chunk of the challenging yet rewarding War in the East. Oh, and I restarted and have been cheerfully playing through GTA: Vice City on my XBOX.

Gaming was a key part of my life this year but we got so little in - 17 sessions, which is barely 1 more than 2018's DF gaming alone. I need to ensure my schedule includes more gaming this year - and painting.