HDWT: Getting Involved

So what’s this all about?

I’ve resolved to spend a year traveling around the world, meeting my fellow gamers and telling stories in exchange for hospitality. I’m trying to visit as many different countries as I can. As a writer, I’m interested in meeting interesting people and seeing or doing things that may provide inspiration for future stories. As a gamer, I want to see how the hobby has spread around the world and to hear your stories. I want to share one of my games with you and see how it turns out with your players.

So if you’re interested in having an unusual guest for a few nights, I just might find my way to your home. I’m interested in two types of stops: the layover and the extended visit.

The layover is a one-night visit, and only something that work work if I’m driving through your region (which is only likely to happen in North America). When I’m only staying for one night, I’m simply not going to have time or energy to run a full roleplaying game. But I’d certainly enjoy swapping stories and playing a hand of Gloom or one of the other games I’m working on.

The extended visit is what this trip is all about – a chance for me to get to know you and your area. A typical extended visit would be four nights and three days. The first night is simply about recovering from traveling, as I have to get to you from wherever my previous stop is; if I’m already nearby, this might not require a full extra night. In the three following days and nights, I want to accomplish three things; the order is up to you.

One day/night I’ll entertain you. I can run an Eberron game for up to six people, using either 4E or Over The Edge rules. I can run something else; if you’re interested we can discuss options. I’ve got board and card games I’m developing. And I’m always happy to talk about gaming, Eberron, or anything else.

One day/night I’d like you to entertain me. Show me around your area. What I’m most interested is seeing it through your eyes, and seeing anything that you think I should see. I don’t particularly care about sites I could easily find in a guidebook. I want to know what you think I should see, either as a possible source of inspiration or because it’s something I’d never find on my own. It could be an interesting park, your favorite pub, the world’s largest 20-sided die, or something else. I’ve had people take me to LARPs, to fencing lessons, to archaeological dig sites, to places significant in the history of the local gaming community, and more. And I’ve had people just take me downtown and tell me stories. The main thing is that I want you to think about what YOU want to show me.

On the final day I’ll mind my own business. If I have work deadlines, I’ll focus on them. If not, I’ll poke around the area – with you if you feel like coming along, but I don’t expect you to entertain both days.

I don’t expect people to take vacation whenever I show up, so don’t worry about it if I show up during your work week; I can always keep myself entertained.

In any case, if this sounds interesting to you, send an email to Onesmallkeith@gmail.com. Tell me who you are and where you live, and why I need to see it! Tell me something about yourself. What do you do? When did you get into gaming? What are some of your favorite activities? What’s the most unusual thing about you (that you’re willing to share with a stranger)? How long can you put me up? The trick here is that while I want to see as many places and people as possible, in a case where I’ve got multiple invitations in a single region, I’m going to have to make a choice; I don’t want to spend a full month just bouncing around one city. I’m planning to write about this in some form… and I’m curious as to what sort of character you’ll make in my cast. I’m sure that all of you are fascinating people, because in my experience, everyone is fascinating in their own way. But hey, if there’s something ESPECIALLY unusual about you or your home, let me know!

Thanks for reading this, and I hope to see some of you in days to come. If you have any questions, ask below!