Get in the Game

Chapter 1Introduction: The Gaming Moment

Outnumbered and depleted of resources, I slam my shield into a ghostly guardsman of Shadowfang Keep, hoping to knock him off the rhythm of blows that have been raining down on my head.

“I need some help.”

An arrow whizzes by to my right, though it lands not against the group of foes I'm currently facing but squarely into a second patrol of guardsmen who had not yet reached our location. An error, and potentially a costly one. Alerted to our presence, the guards run to join the fray and add to the already insurmountable odds in front of our stalwart group of five heroes, aiming to free the keep from its foul master, Archmage Arugal.

“We need a lot of help,” I say, soliciting any ideas from the team to turn around a seemingly hopeless situation.

“I got it, Dad.”

A surge of light fills the air as a healing spell cast by our team priest mends our wounds. Reinvigorated, the remainder of our front line presses the attack, systematically striking down the undead guardsmen.

“Nice job, Heals, sorry about the extra pull,” our companion Hunter and originator of the stray arrow whispers to the rest of the party. “This is a great group, much better coordination than most randos.”

“Thanks,” I write back, “probably because most of us are all in the same room.”

Our team was indeed not mostly comprised of “randos” (a random assortment of players)—I filled the team role of “Tank” (protector of the group), supported by my wife as “DPS” (damage‐dealer) ...