Border Crossings

     Two of my sons play in a game called Dungeons & Dragons along with a friend of theirs. I had previously sat and listened in on a few of the "gaming sessions" and thought it was amusing. When this assignment came along, I thought, why not? This is "crossing borders" into a realm where only gaming nerds dared to go; so, I decided to ask my oldest son if I could participate in one of his gaming sessions.

    This past Saturday, April 9, I sat at the gaming table with the appropriate gaming equipment which consisted of a set of seven dice, a character sheet, a pencil, and a notebook. I had previously asked Joshua, my son, if he would not tell the others that I was going to game with them. He agreed and gave me a brief run-down of what to expect. I was given the character of a halfling thief to play and my adventuring party consisted of a ranger and a mage (both half elven).

    I was the first one to arrive at Joshua's house, so he had a chance to make sure I sat next to him, in case he needed to advise me. My other son, Frank, showed up along with Brandon, a close friend of the family. We exchanged pleasantries, the others assuming I would leave to go hang out with my daughter-in-law. They were a bit surprised and, if I read their faces correctly, frustrated. After all, I was an old lady, comparatively, and it would be weird to play D & D with your mom, or your friend's mom.

    Joshua told them I just wanted to experience what they were doing because I was old and becoming senile (he was joking...I hope!) and I wanted first-hand knowledge of the game. Everyone laughed and they welcomed me...after all, I was MOM.

    It was an interesting gaming session. I acted out the part of a halfling thief, used a crossbow as my weapon of choice, and did all the sneaking for my adventuring party. I hid a smile when I almost was done in by a monstrous mushroom with tentacles. Brandon's character quickly came to my rescue and chopped it down; however, I didn't know if it was to save my character or to save "MOM." I will admit that I spent most of my time worrying about what they thought about me...after all, I'm almost sixty!

    The gaming session lasted several hours and I was definitely ready to call it a day! My boys said that I did a great job and that there were times they actually forgot that MOM was playing. Now that is what I considered a compliment. As for gaming, I think I'll leave it to the younger generation.