I didn't start out as an RPG geek.
I was into comic books all the way as a kid.
Growing up in Southern California, I got into comics at the age of 9 when my older brother noticed I had started drawing my own comics and took me to the local newsstand (yes, I bought my first comic from a newsstand), where I picked up Adventures of Superman #444.
After that, I was hooked. Decades later, I still collect, and I now have an incredible action figure collection that is like one of my children.
It wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I dipped my toe into RPGs.
When I was growing up in the mid-to-late 80s, the misconception that Dungeons and Dragons was somehow this occult devil-worshiping thing was all the rage.
Parents were up in arms about the dangers of DnD and how it would corrupt children’s minds faster than Ozzie Osbourne and Quiet Riot (my older brothers were into Heavy Metal, so to this day, I have an affinity for the hardcore classics). Dungeons and Dragons was not something my parents wanted in our house.
So, I never got into it.
Discovering RPGs During the Pandemic
Fast forward to 2020 when Covid hit, and we were all locked up.
A good buddy of mine reached out to our group of high school friends, with whom I am still quite close, and asked if we would like to play DnD over Zoom. As the resident author of the group, they wanted me to be the Dungeon Master, and I agreed.
Over the next year, we played every month, eventually meeting in person once the restrictions lessened and my immuno-compromised friend felt comfortable. I slowly learned the ins and outs and how to craft a good experience for everyone involved.
Since then, we’ve played like clockwork every month, recently finishing up a massive campaign that ended with the deaths of two of our players (much to their excitement) and new storytelling opportunities that will lead them to fresh adventures.
Sharing the RPG Experience with My Family
My growing love for DnD didn’t end with my friends, however.
I would tell my kids about the adventures my friends and I were having in the game, and they wanted to play, too.
I thought, ‘It can’t hurt,’ and so we started a campaign of our own, set in the same universe I had created for my friends.
My wife played begrudgingly, too. We made her a beautiful elf warrior, which she appreciated.
And this is where my love for DnD and RPGs really took off.
You see, my third oldest child (I have six kids) is named Sam. He always thought he wasn’t imaginative and felt he lacked creativity.
But when we started playing DnD, it was like a light turned on in his brain. He wanted to be the DM and create campaigns. He read every DnD book he could find at the library. He bought figures and started painting them. Best of all, he wanted me to do it all with him.
Now, at 13 years old, Sam knows far more about DnD creatures and rules than I do. In fairness, I shoot from the hip a lot as a DM, whereas Sam is a stickler for the rules, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he studies every nuance so he can get it right. He now hosts multiple Dungeons and Dragons events a week with different groups of friends at our house, telling me excitedly what crazy things his party tried to do after every campaign.
Sam and I even built our own game table together completely from scratch last month, which goes to show how much we’ve bonded over the RPG experience.
My other children, from the oldest to the youngest, love it when we play and enjoy getting to know their characters. Even my 6-year-old, who started playing simply as He-Man and would win every battle, just created his first official character. We bought his first miniature and painted it together so he could be like the big kids.
RPGs as a Bonding Tool
All this has made me realize that RPGs are an easy and fun way to connect with your kids.
As parents, that elusive smile or bit of laughter is like gold.
I’ve found it far more often as I play DnD with my children.
And since working with Quimbley’s and getting to know Petersen Games, my RPG resources have exploded.
The first time I walked out into the warehouse and saw all the RPG books and campaigns, I was blown away. I got Sandy Petersen’s Bestiary for Sam’s birthday, and he flipped out at the cyborg dinosaurs and other creatures he could now use to torment his friends during their campaigns.
Adding elements of the Cthulhu mythos to my adventures with my buddies has been liberating. It’s fun to see my cocky friends taken down a peg as they face a Great Old One or underestimate the power of a few cultists.
I never thought that RPGs would become a key part of my relationship with friends and family.
I’m so glad it has.
DnD, Pathfinder, whatever RPG fits your fancy, introduce the experience to the people you love. We all enjoy these games for a reason, and our friends and family will enjoy them for the same reasons.
Who’d have thought a good RPG could do so much good.
I didn’t, but I’m glad I do now.
- Steven Heumann
