I think it’s natural to be scared to begin. This is especially true when it’s something new or where things are unfamiliar. Fear is made sharper when we factor in the possibility of failure in front of other human beings.

So it is that beginning to play in or run a roleplaying game can be scary. This endeavour is initially unfamiliar and every group is different. Even for the veteran Game Master, the new group is daunting and the new campaign risks failure.

When the project is something you believe to be genuinely creative, to be different to the regular kind of roleplaying campaign on offer, then it is by an order of magnitude more scary and fear-filled.

But begin we shall.

Not beginning holds certainty but it is a rather dry, empty kind of certainty. Not beginning imprisons us and stops us from imagining. It confines us to the everyday, the mundane, the world without magic and wonder.

To begin unleashes possibility. Creativity is kindled. The spark of energy that arises from the collective fantasy of the group is intoxicating and fabulous. The journey is uncertain but the treasure is immense. The risk of failure also offers the opportunity of enjoyment, of engrossment in the shared fantasy.

While it is natural to be scared to begin, nevertheless begin we shall.

We shall gather together with a shared sense of wonder. From the conversation of the group will arise a new world, new characters, and from their interactions will be born tales of fantasy. It is a great privilege to join such an endeavour.

Campaigns always risk failure but the better way is to gather, to share, to begin. Everything worthy comes with fear. We don’t need courage or bravery – for those are labels to place upon other people. What we need is to begin.

Game on!