There are a lot of people that role-played in the world of Slothjemia over the years. And by a lot, I mean probably around twenty. That may not seem like a lot, but if you ever served on any kind of committee, you know that having up to twelve people at one time trying to kill a troll is not as easy as it sounds. With that in mind, you might be wondering if any of the characters in “An Orc for All Seasons” were originally created and played by somebody you know.

A fair question, and the answer is yes. There is one character in this story that was at one time an active player’s character. At the time of this story’s setting, however, the player had long before retired the character, and it became an NPC (non-player character). This means that while the player no longer had an active hand in the character’s destiny, the character nevertheless was present for possible interactions with other players. The player who had created this character will recognize them immediately when they appear in the story (it is still a ways off), and will probably be very upset with how their character is being portrayed, but this is the fun part of being the game master. I don’t play the game to engage in a colorful camaraderie, to share tales and meld imaginations. I play to build up a person’s dreams, and then savor their pain as I tear it all to ruin and heartbreak.

Ok, that isn’t strictly true. But now you have a better idea of my alignment.