It's appropriate that it is storming outside while I write this...

I received a short email earlier today from a lady I used to game with and also used to be much better friends with once other upon a time, as a matter of fact her husband and I swapped out being Best Man for each other, though their marriage has lasted much better so far than mine did.

Well... one of our friends we that we gamed with was laid to rest over the weekend. The details are sparse and what little I know puts me into deep thougts that I am not ready to discuss at this time, but the memories of gaming sessions past have been crowding my mind all day. From escapades in Warhammer Fantasy to Star Wars as well as many years of life's trials and tribulations away from the gaming table.

Tonight I drink to a fallen comrade.

My next Nat 20 is for you.



The Empty Chair

Eulogy for a Gamer

There is an empty chair,
at the table this day.
A hallowed place where,
a friend once played.
The roll of his dice,
my ears long to hear.
Or perhaps it would suffice,
if he should suddenly appear.
With character sheet in hand,
and a bag of Cheeze-doodles to share.
All his friends would stand,
as he sat in the empty chair.
I hear his voice a-callin’,
and it ties my heart in a knot.
For he cries, “Though a comrade has fallen,
You must play for those who cannot.”
We conquered worlds on the run,
he and I in the name of fun.
And as others may come and go,
I make both both friend and foe.
But what I long for most,
is our past now long a ghost.

originally printed in "Knights of the Dinner Table"