Two experiences within the last 24 hours have reinforced the belief that I have found my tribe: the fourth session of Karameikos and editing the seventeenth episode of GURPStalk. Taken together, there’s a palpable sense of the joy that can arise from role-playing games.

Sitting at the PC last night, running the Karameikos game for five of the six regular players – it’s just the reality of modern life that not every adult makes it to every session – I had a strong sense of belonging. Diverse people from both sides of the Atlantic but here we were.

The session concluded the first adventure in what I truly hope will become a long-form campaign. Never have I felt so deeply engaged with an online game. Rarely have I felt so immersed in the fantastic Otherworld with my players. Last night was far from perfect but it was deeply enjoyable.

In the magical realm of Mystara down to the mountains and forests of Karameikos. Up in the north, at the foot of the Black Peak Mountains, sits the small town of Threshold. As we pass over the walls and down towards Fogor Isle, we see the dilapidated Crossed Swords tavern on the eastern wharves. Outside, a ragtag group of adventurers gathered around the open hatch to the cellar below. Inside, on the stairs down to that same cellar, two further adventurers descend into the darkness…

I’ve developed a ritual opening which begins with that first sentence. Transporting our imaginations collectively back to the end of the last session, I find myself quickly accessing the excitement and anticipation of play. I lose track of time and sometimes the players have to remind me that we need to take a break.

This morning, I felt the strongest desire to type up the “story so far”, the tale that emerged from the Otherworld that we inhabit in the game. There is no planned “plot”, no GM-led outcome, just the situations to the player characters find themselves in and the decisions their players make. But, oh, the tales that emerge.

The stench from the cellar was strong, almost overpowering, and the dark dusty cobwebbed beams and stone walls spoke of years of neglect. The sound of shuffling and grunting, of deep breathy wheezing from the beast that Father Fyodor said was a ‘troll’, was loud. Aleksandr led the charge down the stairs with Aulus behind him. As he did so, he began the loud chanting reminiscent of the prayers of his Order.

Hearing the noise echoing from below, Lukas began his descent from the outside hatch, ordering the others to follow him as per the plan. He could hear Aleksandr’s voice and that was the signal. Light from the falling sun outside lit the way down the steps. Aleksandr’s lantern light could be seen shifting as he moved down ahead somewhere in this cellar…

And then, after all the excitement, I got to editing Episode #17 of GURPStalk. Patrick and I were responding to the called-in question from a listener about magic. There’s an established tone of sarcasm and joking that, as new friends, we’ve come to enjoy and which we hope others will appreciate. Either way, we truly enjoy the chats we have.

Listening to our recording I was once again struck by that sense of belonging. It’s what I have sought for oh so many years, talked about over the past seven years of Roleplay Rescue, and encouraged others to seek: a community of discovery in which people can feel accepted.

For me, acceptance is what I found as a young teenager through this fantastic hobby. And here we are again, in 2025, more than 45 years on and I have found my tribe. Karameikos is my “flagship game” for no less a reason than that I feel at home. I experience joy at that table.

As Magnum long ago sang: “Everyone needs someone“. I believe this extends beyond a partner. It’s also a need for a sense of belonging to something larger and more expansive than your own ego. When I meet those six chaps at the table, I sense that need is being fulfilled.

Yes, I fear that it’ll be short-lived. Yes, I doubt that others feel what I feel. Yes, I know that these relationships of play are fragile. That’s what makes them precious and rich. The hope is that we can keep the game going – play the infinite game – and stretch the enjoyment out into months and years.

But right now, I am grateful for those sessions we have enjoyed. For those episodes that we have recorded and shared. For the friendship that grows and sometimes blossoms between like-minded players of these weird role-playing experiences. For the captivating immersion I feel into the lives of these people we invented in the lands of Karameikos.

Game on!