'Tis the Season...

It's the holiday season...and Santa Claus is bringing you an ugly sweater. Or a tie.  Or cologne.  Or something else that a you don't really want. Why?  Because, your a gamer. And as much as they love you, your relatives aren't gamers and don't have a clue what to buy for one.

You could try to explain it.  Go ahead, describe a dungeon crawl and watch their faces distort into confusion. Attempt to provide a visual example by pulling out your phone and googling "Beholder" and watch their body language change, communicating the non-verbal message "Nevermind". Can you blame them?

I recall the first time I saw my husband's personal belongings.  We were just back from our honeymoon and combining our two households. While he was stationed in Georgia, everything had been placed in long-term storage for three years.  He was excited to see his stuff again and was talking it up a little. Peering into the dank storage unit, I watched him begin to unwrap his possessions.  He chose a few items and carefully passed them to me for placement in the U-Haul. Swords, armor, and chain mail came out first.  "Cool", I thought to myself. 

Next, D&D miniatures were unveiled, followed by a few dusty terrain pieces, and rolled up play mats.  Noticing my puzzled look, he tossed a book my way. It was the original Monster Manual.  "Oh, I know this game", I replied sheepishly.  "My brother used to play in our kitchen with his friends."

"And this is Sergeant Will Killmany", he announced with a big grin, introducing me to his 6 foot mannequin in full SWAT gear. "Because he WILL kill many.  I joined in the laughter, but thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

Fun is what I got myself into.  We are a gamer couple now and it is said that the couple that plays together stays together. 

My first Christmas present from Paraic was an airsoft gun.  The next was a beautiful set of mini pewter dice and a shoulder bag with the message, "Jesus Saves and takes half damage".  The point is, only gamers know what to buy for gamers.  

If you don't have a gift-giving gamer in your life, you'll be shopping for yourself this Christmas.  A fellow geek, Wayne Brekke of Worlds of Waynecraft, came up with a idea for a gamer gift that keeps on giving.  It is a monthly subscription called the Dungeon Crate and was specifically designed for tabletop and roleplaying gamers.

The monthly crate will be launching soon.  You can head over to the website and sign up to be kept in the loop.  According to Wayne, "A typical box will have about 6 items in it (give or take a few freebies). Items may include: dice, dice bags, T-shirt, brushes for mini painting, game tokens, coins, miniatures, mini flats, terrain pieces, 3D furnishings for dungeon tiles, RPG jewelry, crafting and art supplies, fantasy art, and whatever else we can get our hands on."

Paraic and I are particularly excited about the Dungeon Crate.  Last week, we became the first official supplier for the project.  Do yourself a favor...buy yourself a Dungeon Crate subscription this holiday season.  It will be like Christmas all year long.

From the two of us, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.