D&D Encounters Update and the Errata of Life

Good News: We've added a 2nd table to our D&D Encounters Night at the Bookstore.
Bad News: I have DM two encounters in a row.
It could be worse though,  I took a 15yr hiatus from any roleplaying I guess I'm making up for lost time.  The buzz at the bookstore has been awesome.  If we wanted to we could have a 3.5 table and AD&D table as well.  We're keeping that in mind.  Looks like I will be running my own campaign after this season.  I need to come up with something before September.
Just added to my Library:

This is the ultimate guide to the Dwarves of the Faerun.  Even though I'm only running 4th Ed. I plan on using this in my next campaign.

Remember that one time when....

1. 
   

.... my Dwarf., who was wielding the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, rolled (3) 20's in a row and he turned into Moradin and kicked some Giant Ass.

Many human activities have traditional storytelling methodologies. In my own experience three important ones come to mind.

1. Poker- anyone who has ever played poker has a "Bad Beat" story. It usually involves you having a pair of aces and some Jackass having a 3 and a 5.
2. the Navy- all sailors love to tell stories, and I have about 10 good ones that I have been telling for years. Over the years these old "chestnuts" have morphed into amazing epics with little in common with what actually happened.
3. RPG's- You all have them and you've listened to hundreds of them. If they are short, I will listen to (1) or (2) before I start thinking about how I can fake my own death.

If you would like to share an old RPG "chestnut" for digital posterity please leave one in the comments section. If you don't mind please keep it to around a paragraph.

Chapter One of the Dark Sun Encounters

Having Fun, wish you were here!

There is some bad news though. I was not overly impressed with the preparation that went into this adventure. The characters were flawed and I was left having to make up stuff because the books aren't out yet.

The good news is nobody died and everyone had fun. We had 5 or 6 new players try 4th Ed. and a few who hadn't played in a long time. More importantly we broke in a new store. We've already begun planning for the Dark Sun Gameday and maybe one for the new Basic Box Set.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Based on a first read through is looks they had a little more time to prepare this one.

Pay to Play Pen and Paper: Part Two

I would like to thank everyone who commented on my last post. I had over 250 hits, and quite a few comments. It seems that I touched a nerve.
First I would like to clarify a few things. I was referring mainly to D&D 4th Edition. Also, I'm not trying to make money. I DM my campaign at a small Independent Bookstore who I wish very much to keep open. It's becoming more apparent that D&D 4th Edition is not really a "Pen and Paper" game anymore. Applying '80s economics to this game is difficult. Now, I read the posts. I realize that you don't need all that stuff to play. Does it make it more fun, in my opinion, yes.
Here are some things that I've also decided. I won't allow illegally downloaded 4th Ed. PDF's at my table anymore. Also, before a campaign I will take a survey of my players. I'm going to let them decide what we'll do, and what they are willing to invest and we'll run with that. Again thanks for your comments.

Pay to Play Pen and Paper: Good Idea or Bad

In general Dungeon Masters and /or Store Owners foot the majority of costs associated with running a D&D Campaign. Now, these costs are borne voluntarily, but they are costs none the less. I sat down and made a list:

• Miniatures
• Snacks
• DDI subscription
• Terrain and Tiles
• Books and Modules
• Tokens and Trackers
• Utilities (store owner)

When I first started playing D&D, we shared a communal set of books and used graph paper from school. As the times have changed, players expectations have increased as well. What I am wondering is if players would be willing to defray some of the inherent costs of running a good game. If you go to the movies you will pay approx. $8 for two hours. At $4 an hour and most RPG sessions lasting 4 hours times 6 player that would be $96. At that rate you almost start buying Dwarven Forge terrain. Obviously I'm not going to charge my player's $4 an hour. But, charging them $5 a session would not be out of the question.

If I was charging $5 I could justify spending more time on preparation. I could order Minis for the campaign and the Dungeon Tiles I would need. I could also pony up the cash for an Obsidian Portal Membership and D&D Insider. I could print out more cards, handouts and character sheets. I'm guessing that players would be more likely to show up on time and maximize their fun if they had some skin in the game.

I would love to have some feedback from the blogosphere. Please complete the poll to the right if you don't wish to comment.