So quick question...

[Melcar]

So, really what I wanted to ask is fairly simple.

I haven't had a chance to play D&D in any form over the last two years really. And while I can say that becoming a farther and changing jobs clearly takes a lot out of you - both positively and negatively - I also have to say that I really REALY miss it. Not only do I actually really like the game (I was always a 3.X player) but I also love spending time with good friends. My friends and I had something like a 20 year run, with sessions staring out as being multiple times per months and usually 8-12 hours long to becoming a few times per year and 4-6 hours long. Most of them great, some absolutely mindbogglingly amazing and a few sucked... due to a mix of player/ DM preparedness and mood. What this all boils down to is simply me reminiscing and missing playing this game... developing characters, plots and also optimizing for whatever "thing" that particular character had as a specialty. But most of all I miss playing with my main character - A wizard for what this account is named. As one of my friends put it... "You are Melcar"

I guess I just wanted to express gratitude but also if I'm the only one not being able to play this game on a regular basis and if anyone else might feel the way I do?

Thanks!

[Crake]

Yeah, you’re not the only one. My stint was more like 10 years, rather than 20, the nail in the coffin for me though was a mix of out of character drama, shifting of priorities when it came to the game (players began to focus less on the story and world they were playing in, and just on the build and characters they were playing as), and then eventually covid completely sealed the deal.

I ended up finding a bit of solace in mmorpg roleplaying communities, specifically in classic wow, but that was lightning in a bottle with covid, and hasnt lasted post covid for me, since the vast majority of the players in those communities are american, and I’m an aussie, so timezones are a huge issue.

[Biggus]

It's currently the other way round for me, I'm DMing for a group which has lasted nearly four years and (touch wood) shows no signs of stopping. But for the previous 17 years I wasn't playing most of the time; I'd occasionally get a group together but we'd only make it through a few levels before it broke up, or on at least one occasion we planned to play but never actually did. So yeah I feel your pain, it sucks when you find a game you love but life conspires against you being able to play it.

[Jay R]

Yes, I've been there. I'm now running a game where we only get to meet about once a month (but less in the last few months).

But you also have one wonderful opportunity ahead of you. You've become a father. Congratulations! Now you can look forward to someday teaching the game to your child. Maybe that future prospect can help you get through this time.