We’re Trying D&D at the FLGS

On Wednesday, my son and I are going to head down to my old job, The Comic Book Shop at Northtown, to try playing in the Adventurer’s League.

Back when I worked at the shop, I’d run a table of 12 players (yes, 12 players), running both Tyranny of Dragons and Out of the Abyss. It was a massively fun time, but there were only two tables playing D&D at the time. This was before the massive explosion of popularity we’ve seen over the last 2 years, so it’s only gotten bigger. Apparently there are now 7 tables playing, and it’s REALLY busy.

I figure it’ll be a great bonding time for me and Gabe, so we’re going to head over, check it out, and see if there are any tables we want to play at. We’ll bring our books and some blank character sheets so we can make characters of whatever level we need for the table.

There are a few things to consider as we head over.

1. I don’t want to end up at a table of jerks. One problem with playing at a shop, is you don’t know who you’re going to end up with in your game. You haven’t curated your own table, so who knows who is there to play. Especially with it being Gabe’s first time playing with a group for any extended period of time (he’s played one-shots here and there), I don’t want him to end up playing with a bunch of obnoxious or even toxic players who will spoil how he feels about the game.
2. Playing together. One reason I want to do this is that I want to play alongside him as a fellow player, so we’re playing together. The DM, especially if you’re the dad and they’re a kid, is sort of an authority figure. I want to play alongside him, and help him learn the game.
3. I really love DMing. I’ve been a player a few times here and there in 5e, and I always find myself being pulled toward DMing every time. I want to add things to the story. I get frustrated when the DM isn’t being flexible, or doing things the way I like to. I bite my tongue, and have never tried to change a DM, but it grates on me, so I hope to find a DM who I really like playing under.
4. What to play?! I’m going to wait to make a character until we show up, not only because I’m not sure what level, but also because there are just so many options! I’m really not sure what I want to play, so I’m going to wait until the last minute and I have to make a decision to do so. This Friday, I’ll tell you all how it went, and show off my new character.

I’m really excited to give this a try. It’s strange, for all my experience with D&D, this feels like a fresh and new experience to head over to the FLGS and just give playing a try. I’m excited to see where it goes.