I'll probably never grow up.

I still remember the Nintendo I got for Christmas (thanks Rudolph!)... I wanna say I was 8 or 9. I remember getting Final Fantasy 1 on my 10th birthday from my grandfather. I still remember buying my N64, my PS1, my Gamecube, all of 'em.

Then I remember my first pack of Magic: The Gathering cards. I remember the first time I ever saw them, reading about the game in a Readers Digest my grandparents had in their living room. That started a hobby/obsession that lasted well until I was 23. I still have those cards in my closet.

I've played Dungeons and Dragons for damn near 15 years. Recently getting a group together has become a headache, but I still wanna play.

I've dabbled in other games as well; Warhammer being most notable, board games, other card games, etc. It all led into a stint running a gaming shop for a few years. That ended in disaster, but I still remember it fondly.

My gaming ended about 3 years ago. The shop closed, friends went their separate ways. Life just got in the way. Ever since then I've felt something missing. There's a whole social aspect not immediately present when you look at these rulebooks and figures. You may not even notice it when you're gathering with 15+ people at a game shop to knock out a few games with people you've probably never met.

You do notice it when it's gone.

Some friends and I have picked up WarMachine again. It's the Warhammer for people who like tighter, simpler rules, and far less figures to lug about.

I've had more fun in the last 3 weeks than I have in a long while. I built my table, I started painting my figures, building my army, planning my strategy. I've seen friend recently that I haven't seen in years.

And god dammit, I'm having a good time.

When I play, I get that same feeling I had when I was a kid; my only care in the world is directing my little pewter soldiers across the field to victory.

And hey, perhaps the creative juices will flow once more, and I'll draw like I use to again.