On Halloween 2021, my sweet and optimistic husband (life-long gamer) suggested that, to celebrate spooky season, he run a one-off horror role-playing campaign for me, his wife who had never successfully taken part in an RPG, and a couple of our friends, both of whom had played role-playing games in college but, in the years since, had turned much more to video games.

To all of our surprise, the Alien RPG by Free League proved to be a powerful gateway game. Due in part to our GM’s skills, to the generous humor and enthusiasm of our friends, and, perhaps just a little, to some delicious adult beverages, we all had a wonderful time.

 So much so that our GM, with ever increasing optimism, now suggested a long-running campaign for our little group. We decided that, for our first adventure together, we needed to embrace classic swords and sorcery fantasy: fun, campy, trope-rich, and cliched. DnD 5E, specifically a campaign based around the City of Splendors, was a natural choice for us.

Since then, we have met and played many, many times. And cooked and sang and drank and wrangled children and listened to music. Our time together is never just about the game. And it has enriched our friendships and our lives in so many ways.

A short time into the campaign, PH, who plays our Wizard, suggested that we start a shared journal where each of us would keep a record of what happened during our sessions. As I began chronicling Elodie’s perspective on our adventures, the writing turned into its own delight. Not only was I enjoying this additional creative outlet, but it felt like I was giving something back to our GM. Who spends so much time and effort on this wonderful hobby that we now share.

The campaign chronicles have expanded into this site, which encompasses the other things that make our sessions so special: music, maps, minis, art that we use for inspiration, recipes…

I hope to bring all this together here to re-create, as closely as possible, the experience of our gaming sessions and to commemorate all of the thought, planning, and work that you all put into our play.

Thank you  EH, PH, and the Bear. And, of course, the Bean. I love you and all of our time together.

Melinyel, Mim’Malikon.

And thank you to Ed Greenwood and all of the other amazing writers and creators that make this campaign possible.