Craft Check: Dinner

First off, be sure to bask in the glory of the new logo I put together! It works on so many levels! SO MANY!!!

When someone says, "I'm going to play D&D tonight" my guess is that most people envision the evening transpiring something like this:

While I have certainly been a member of gaming groups in the past that approach the stereotype portrayed in this fine short film, as I have grown older, and wiser I have come to appreciate a more refined gaming experience.  Fortunately, my group of players are somewhat classier in our approach to our weekly gatherings. Though sodas, junk food and ridiculous jokes are still a part of the evening, I am proud to say that my gaming crew strives to make our sessions more than just a night of rolling dice. How? with the food.

She is, indeed, my cherry pie.

In many ways, our game nights are like low-key dinner parties. The first hour of the evening is typically devoted to eating and catching up after which the game begins. Usually one of the players offers to provide the main course for the evening while others contributes snacks, drinks and/or cash.

The menu on game night varies... If everyone is too stressed/busy/uninspired to provide something better, we will occasionally order pizza or pick up fried chicken and mashed potatoes from the grocery store. More often than not, however, our game night food is a reason for gathering in its own right. In the recent past my GF has made homemade piroshkies and cherry pie.  One of my other players makes a mean lasagna, which she has served up on multiple occasions. We have even had a prime rib night! Even when we decide to go with a classic game-night staple --pizza-- 9 out of 10 times, it is made by one of the players who happens to make 'za for a living. He has put together a couple custom recipes involving roasted garlic, pesto, goat cheese and peppers, that have become game night favorites.

Though the table talk still tends to revolve around movie-quotes, off-color jokes and references to D&D stereotypes similar to the video above, the addition of a meal to our game-night experience really adds an extra level of enjoyment to the evening.