Back to the future... read that as past.

I looked at the future and have decided that there is nothing wrong with the past.

"What's he banging on about?" I hear you say...

I've looked at a number of the "new" roleplaying games and I will point the finger at the new D&D as the main culprit.  I'm not impressed.  The games seem to be nothing more than miniature orientated games, well if you want that, go play actual miniature wargames. 

A roleplaying game to me is all about imagination, interpretation and occassionally some dice rolling to determine an unpredicted outcome.  It's all about character development through story telling.  Something that seems to be missing in todays roleplaying community.

So I've gone back to the past.  I've dug out my Runequest, Tunnels & Trolls, Call of Cthulhu, Empire of the Petal Throne and OSRIC (which I don't mind).  Simple systems.  People just seem to want too much these days, and there's nothing worse than reading reams of paper (read feats etc from 4th Ed D&D).  I like the old, choose a class, look at your spells or abilities and off you go.

My wife has been attending church services with the Baptists at present.  No, she hasn't become a heretic, she was invited to attend as she spends a lot of her time helping out in their charity arm.  It started as part of a "work for the dole" programme, and has blossomed into her giving her time to a really nice group of ladies.  Chelle has no "friends" and this group have given her the needed support that she couldn't find from our own faith.  I see I'm rambling, but there is a point to all this.  She told me that the sermon last Sunday was all about forgetting the past, or more precisely stop being hindered/hampered by the past, concentrate on the future and go from there.  So Chelle's doing this, but I'm not.  My past makes me who I am, what I do, and how I will act in the future.  I find comfort in the past, and I refuse to give up or modify my ethics or behaviour to fit into a world that quite frankly needs a damn good thrashing.  I am what I am, my families bard, the keeper of family lore and history.  As someone said once "if we do not learn from the past, then we are doomed to repeat it".  Getting philsophical in my old age. 

So back to the past is my goal.  I'm digging up my old games.  Giving them a dusting.  Reliving the memories that are associated with them.  Everything I have has memories attached to them, which is why I am loath to part with what I have.  Yet, I also believe in being generous, and people have been blessed by my generosity.  Hmm, my ego seems to be rising.  I'll stop now.  I've written enough.