Category: The Gauntlet: Hail Satan

Howdy, Gauntleteers:

Since we’re coming-up on a new year, I thought it might be a good idea to touch base a bit, particularly with the people who have never come to one of our Meetups.

For those of you who are new, or who have never come out to one of our events, you might be a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of games we run. You might find our taste in roleplaying games to be eclectic or niche (or just ‘not your thing’). Perhaps you are puzzled by the fact we push for a gaming agenda that favors an open and welcoming attitude, or that we honor the Jewish demon queen, Agrat bat Mahlat. If any of that stuff applies to you, or if you’re just interested in learning a little more about us, please continue reading. 

I like to think of the Gauntlet as a gaming convention that never ends. There’s always a table to join; always something new to try. But, imagine for a moment that all those cool people you met at Convention X didn’t just go away after the weekend was over. This is our great strength: we are a community. We are a community of committed gamers. We are a community of committed gamers who will never leave you and will always find you, no matter where you are, ready to roll some dice! 

It means something to be a member of the Gauntlet. It means you are willing to have the very best drawn out of you at the gaming table. You may not even have that much experience with roleplaying games when you finally submit to us. Or, perhaps you have experience with more traditional games, like Dungeons & Dragons, but are a little nervous about doing the light improv that is required to play the games we play. Maybe you’re just a shy person. But here’s the thing: none of that will matter after the first time you stop by, because you’re going to have a great time and you’re going to amaze yourself. You might also be forced to participate in a blood ritual to the Great Earl of Hell, Andromalius, but that’s a whole other thing. 

Being in the Gauntlet means being willing to test your boundaries. Maybe you never thought you’d play a game about sexy  teenage monsters. Maybe you never thought you’d do something like play a character of a different gender or sexual orientation than your own. Maybe you feel most comfortable with fantasy and sci-fi, and never thought games about colonialism, road trips, the horrors of the Civil War, or professional wrestling (to name a few) would ever spark your interest. I imagine 99% of us had similar feelings before joining the Gauntlet. Most of us were doing Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder and Shadowrun. And even though we still do fantasy and sci-fi, we now do those other things, as well. And we love those things. We also love the Devil. 

Finally, being in the Gauntlet means learning the concept of sunk costs. Sure, you may have spent a couple hundred bucks on Shadowrun or GURPS or whatever, but if you can’t find someone willing to play those games with you, it’s best to move on, write those expenditures off as sunk costs, and then dive-in head first into whatever people are playing. I bring this up only because I think there is a large group of people out there who would be having the time of their lives with us, if not for the fact they spent a fortune on some game no one will play with them. They feel like it’s some kind of waste or betrayal to play anything other than the game they blew a bunch of money on. This is very stupid, but also, I suppose, very human. Please don’t let that be the reason you don’t come out to one of our Meetups. Our study of the ancient grimoire known as the Key of Solomon leads us to believe you will play a major role in the coming of the Beast, and it would be a real bummer if we never even got to meet you. 

So, that was a lot. Here’s the thing: we’re getting ready to fill-up the calendar for January and February. Our Meetups have attendance limits which get hit very quickly, so if you’ve been thinking about coming out to one of our games, keep your eyes open for the new calendar additions, and jump in while you can. If you’d like a chance to meet us before coming out to a game, consider attending our holiday party, the Krampusnaccht, which is on December 6th and has no attendance limit. We’ll just be hanging out, eating, performing human sacrifices, and playing some relaxed, party-style board games and video games. 

Thanks for your time. 

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had dinner with Jeff Burke and his wife, Cheryl. We had a great time reminiscing about old RPGs, and Cheryl made a terrific Indian dinner. Here are pics of some of Jeff’s old roleplaying games and board games. It’s kind of funny how intensely homoerotic a lot of the art was back then. 

I think Pizza Hut may have won our business for awhile. Curry-flavored crust? Pretzel crust? Honey Sriracha sauce? This sounds amazing to me.

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/behold-all-the-crazy-new-pizzas-from-pizza-huts-brand-n-1657740080/+andrasneltz