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The defining point where I realized that 4th edition D&D disappointed me was when it was announced that there were no official plans to support existing 3rd edition (or earlier) campaigns.  I remember the suggestion being made that the release of 4th edition would be a great opportunity to start a whole new campaign.  And when I got my greedy hands on 4th ed, I came to understand that a campaign conversion would be a LOT of work.  I felt like the D&D game designers threw me under the bus.

At that time, I lacked a consistient gaming group anyway.  I was in exile somewhere in the outskirts of Modesto, then lived a gamer refugee life in the Bay Area for a couple of years.  Even if I were to convert my Eldritch Coast campaign from 3rd to 4th, there really wasn't much point.

So now I'm moved back to my old haunts in Sacramento.  I've reconnected with lots of old friends, introduced the new friends I made in the Bay, and I have a happy healthy gaming group.  It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.  Heck, my children are playing in my games now a days.  These are good times.

And now, there is D&D Next on the way.  5th edition.  There is a lot of buzz about unifying the audience, modularity, and most importantly making the new system backwards compatable!  I've signed up for the playtest, and by extention, signed up my gaming group.  I'm following blogs, writing comments in forums, and completeley immersing myself in the speculation of game design.  I'm an armchair historian, Monday Morning Quarterback, and gaming grognard all rolled into a fluffy ball of elder-geek-statesman.  I'm excited to be a part of the process.  I want to play this game as it evolves throught the playtest releases.  I want to blog about my perspective, my player's perspectives, and debate passionatley over the application of Attacks of Opportunity.

To this end, I have.. erm.. started desiging a new campaign.  To playtest in.  Because only one of my current players remembers or ever played in the Eldritch Coast Campaign from seven years ago.

As I started more work on the new Campaign Map (the one I posted in my last blog) this irony slapped me right in the face. Not that it is stopping me from making the new campaign.  One thing I've learned in my long years is that every new campaign builds on the experiences learned from the last campaign.