Count me among the crowd of 'once and future gamers'.
The last campaign I was in, where I played weekly with a regular group of gamers was 1989(!!!!) (But we started playing in 77 on a weekly basis... I remember the debate about missing the game or going to see Star Wars
)
Subsequently, I had several 'short runs' with different groups and some one-off days with my old group.
What took me out was starting a software company while simultaneously having kids.
Would love to find a game (and in fact Grodog is less than a couple of miles from me so i know there are games around) but just don't have the time.
The 2-3 hours a week I get to myself are spent catching up with my wife or posting here.
In a few years, when the kids are in school, I hope to restart a game and I'd love to take my kids through some of the old modules. I think it will be like reading them some of my old favorite stories... And I will love to see what they do when given the chance to take on the Giants in the Grand Duchy of Goeff... or see if *THEY* can get through
S1 on anything less than 3 sets of characters. Or if THEY can kick the slaver's butts.
The problem is, I was never the
DM for more than a few games. I was always a player, so that will be different.
As for OTHER games, I do game.. but mostly board games or clix games that you can do over a few beers and a pizza.
I have been able to sit in on a few sessions of a friends Aberrant (White Wolf/super hero) game a few times as a 'guest' which is fun, but not the same.
So I don't play... heck, currently I'm not even collecting really. I've got a critical mass and need to dump some of my stuff before I go for the rest of the crown jewels (Lost Caverns, Garden Path etc...).
Wow. That was a long and boring message I just wrote. Okay WAKE UP, WAKE UP.. Somone say something witty here... This is starting to sound like a PTA meeting or something.