I grew up 45 minutes from Lake Geneva, WI, the birthplace of Dungeons and Dragons. I started playing D&D in the early 1980’s. My continued proximity to Lake Geneva allows for some interesting opportunities, such as the privilege of playing D&D with E. Gary Gygax, Jr., son of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. That’s me holding his well worn Dungeon Master’s Guide after a marathon gaming session at his home in Lake Geneva.

I stopped playing for quite a while (no particular reason), but I picked up the hobby again in 2016. I don’t remember exactly why, but I’m willing to bet that Stranger Things had something to do with it. YouTube and online communities made it easy to get back up to speed. Before I knew it, I was running D&D games for one group and playing Call of Cthulhu with another group. I started attending the Gary Con gaming convention and found new (to me) games like Dungeon Crawl Classics.

My local gaming scene really picked up steam in the summer of 2022, when the Sanctum Tabletop Gaming Emporium opened its doors. If you are within a reasonable drive of Racine, WI, the Sanctum is worth a trip. They have a great selection and and is a spacious, clean, and comfortable space (yes, it’s a gaming store – I promise).

In 2023, the OGL Controversy occurred, and one of my personal interests converged with my professional life. Long story short, I became the lawyer for The Arcane Library, which produces my all time favorite RPG, ShadowDark. The game is a masterclass in RPG design and a near-perfect blend of old and new school gaming. I had a front row seat to an RPG history making kickstarter. It was like a dream come true for me to help Kesley Dionne, the game’s creator, make her dream come true. It also led to my YouTube debut, where Kelsey and I introduced the community to the ShadowDark RPG Third Party License.