Having taken a break since May, the Mystamyr crew got together to discuss continuing the campaign I’ve been running for more than a year. The good news is that we’ve agreed to pick up the game in a fortnight.

For me, the group is a truly lovely bunch of friends and the bi-weekly sessions have been an absolute life-line over the past year or more. It’s more than a game group for me, as we’ve begun to deepen friendship that has been forged through play. It was the group itself that I wanted to keep alive and it turns out the guys wanted to as well.

The game will simply pick up where we hit pause. Thankfully, in addition to the adventure notes I created back at the beginning, I had given thought on how to liven up the scenario with some notes dating back to May. It’s interesting how some space and perspective on a game, gained from taking a break, can help to free up our creative thinking.

Returning to Mystamyr feels like a return to an old friend too. This world which began from a one-shot game using the original Red Box D&D adventure has grown into a fourth campaign and an entire realm of maps, notes, and history. I never expected that to happen but it has become a curious entity. Mystamyr feels a little outside of my control, existing in the minds of several groups of players as well as my own.

The group is heading deep into uncharted territory and discovering new locations for adventure, new peoples and villains, and deepening the lore of the campaign immeasurably. They are also helping me to figure out my style and flavour of fantasy as it blends with the Mythras Classic Fantasy game rules and wider lore of Greymyr.

As usual, I feel trepidation and excitement as we open up a new series of sessions. It’s always an awesome responsibility to run a game but the enjoyment comes from the shared story which emerges as we play. I’m hopeful that I can keep this table alive through what is likely to be a busy few months in a new job.

The next steps are clear: to re-read the rules (I get rusty); to sketch out some encounters for the next session; to allow my mind freedom to play around with possibilities for the longer game; to keep up my tiny-prep habits to overcome inertia; and to allow myself space to play when we get to the table.

Thanks to all the guys for playing and I look forward to seeing where the tales in Mystamyr take us next.

Game on!